Rhophitoides canus ( Eversmann, 1852 )

Niu, Ze-Qing, Wu, Yan-Ru & Huang, Da-Wei, 2005, A Taxonomic Study On The Four Genera Of The Subfamily Rophitinae From China (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53 (1), pp. 47-58 : 52-53

Rhophitoides canus ( Eversmann, 1852)

( Fig. 3 , A-E)

Rophites cana Eversmann, 1852: 60 .

Rhophites bifoveolatus Sichel, 1854: 74 .

Rhophitoides distinguendus Schenck, 1861: 61 , 171, 208.

Rhophitoides canus - Ebmer, 1988: 685; Pesenko et al., 2000: 121- 124.

Material examined. – 1 female, China, Xinjiang, Ürümqi , coll. Weiyi Yang, 14 Jul.1956 ; 1 female, China, Xinjiang, Wuquegou , coll. Wei-yi Yang, 14 Aug.1956 ; 2 males (one deposited in ZRC), China, Xinjiang, Zhaosu, coll. Cun-pei Hong, 11 Aug.1957 ; 2 males, China, Xinjiang, Dushanzi , coll. Guang Wang, 27 Jun.1957 ; 1 male, China, Xinjiang, Lucaogou , coll. Wei-yi Yang, 20 Jul.1956 .

Redescription. – Female: Body length 7.5–8.0 mm. Face, mesoscutum and metasomal terga black, without metallic reflections. Head wider than long, narrower than mesoscutal width. Antennal socket placed on lower half of face, separated from upper clypeal margin by a little more than diameter of socket; upper end of subantennal suture directed towards lower margin of antennal socket. Flagellum 10 segmented; scape 4 times as long as its maximum width; F1 longer than F2 or F3 respectively, slightly shorter than F2 and F3 combined; F2 wider than long. Frons flattened, with longitudinal ridge medially; frontal carina absent; frons only with usual hairs, without spines. Apex of labrum rounded; labral process absent. Clypeus 2.7 times as broad as long, basal half with dense, round punctures, apical half punctate sparsely. Supraclypeus with smaller punctures than clypeal ones. Epistomal suture between anterior tentorial pits being only weakly arched. Labial palpus with first two segments broad and flattened in contrast to the third and fourth segments, the second segment longer than the third or the fourth one, twice as long as the fourth one’s length. Maxillary palpus six-segmented. Mandible with 1 preapical tooth. Distance of lateral ocellus to vertex 0.5 times as long as that of lateral ocellus to eye; distance between lateral ocelli 1 time as long as that of lateral ocellus to eye. Gena nearly as wide as eye. Forewing with 2 submarginal cells; the second submarginal cell as large as the first one; distal crossveins as strong as the first submarginal crossvein; basal vein slightly curved; marginal cell sharply pointed at distal end; distance from apex of stigma to apex of marginal cell longer than that from apex of marginal cell to wing tip. Tegula not enlarged, yellowish brown. Dorsal surface of propodeum shorter than scutellum, 0.64 times as long as scutellar length, 1 time as long as metanotal length; dorsal enclosure of propodeum with irregular rugose sculptures, intersculptures shagreened. Mesoscutum with round, deep punctures, interspace 0.2-0.5 times as large as diameter of puncture. Episternal groove distinct and directed strongly downward below scrobal groove. Metasomal terga with 6 segments exposed, and with dense apical hair bands, posterior margin of metasomal terga yellowish, transparent; T5 without longitudinal median zone; T5 with yellowish hairs; T6 with pygidial plate, pygidial plate not margined by sharp carina. Middle tibial spur normal, 1/ 2 as long as basitarsus, pointed apically, pecten not obvious; hind basitarsus with apical process, the process without penicillus; hind trochanteral and femoral scopa reduced; metabasitibial plate present.

Male: Body length 7.0– 7.5 mm. Face, mesoscutum and metasomal terga black, without metallic reflections. Head wider than long. Distance of lateral ocellus to vertex 0.4 times as long as that of lateral ocellus to eye; distance between lateral ocelli 1 time as long as that of lateral ocellus to eye. Labial palpus with first two segments broad and flattened in contrast to the third and the fourth one, the second segment longer than the third or the fourth one, twice as long as the fourth one’s length ( Fig. 3 , B). Maxillary palpus sixsegmented. Antennal socket placed on lower half of face, separated from upper clypeal margin by a little more than diameter of socket; upper end of subantennal suture directed towards lower margin of antennal socket. Antenna filiform, short, only reaching scutellum; flagellomere without special depressed area, lower surface without longitudinal groove; scape 2 times as long as the maximum width; F2 longer than wide, nearly as long as F3. Frons flattened, with longitudinal ridge medially; frontal carina absent. Mandible with 1 preapical tooth. Gena narrower than eye. Forewing with 2 submarginal cells, the second submarginal cell as great as the first one; basal vein slightly curved; distal crossveins as strong as the first submarginal crossvein; marginal cell sharply pointed at distal end; distance from apex of stigma to apex of marginal cell longer than that from apex of marginal cell to wing tip. Episternal groove not a real groove, but a shallow valley. Tegula not enlarged, yellowish brown. Dorsal surface of propodeum shorter than scutellum, 0.54 times as long as scutellar length, 1 time as long as metanotal length. Scutellum without lateral teeth on posterolateral extremities. Metasomal terga with 7 segments exposed, and with sparse apical hair bands, posterior margin of metasomal terga transparent; T5 normal, without lateral teeth; T7 not emarginate posteriorly, with pygidial plate margined by sharp carina. Genitalia without lower gonostylus as appendage; gonostylus slender, partly separated from gonocoxite; inner surface of gonostylus without setae; volsella present, produced to a bifid apically hairy process, hairs shorter and sparser. S2 without special structure; S3-S5 normal, without special structure; S4 without yellow hairs; S5 straight posteriorly, without lateral projections; S6 with distinct blister-shaped thickenings, flattened medially, without median ridge, but median covered with dense hairs, S6 sheet-like midapically, broad, two lateral teeth obvious, posterolateral margin with broad and round projection ( Fig. 3 , E); S7 and S8 usually elaborate, large,

heavily sclerotized, longitudinal, often separated; S7 furcated apically, covered with long hairs, with distinct dorsal lobes ( Fig. 3 , C); S8 broadly truncate basally, with strong apical process ( Fig. 3 , A). Middle tibia normal, not broadened distally, outer surface not concave; middle tibia only with one spiniform process apically; middle femur, hind femur and tibia normal, not broadened.

Distribution. – Eurasian steppe species occurring from Central France in the west to Kyrgyzstan and central Mongolia in the east. In Central Europe inhabiting some warm localities, Asia Minor is known only in the north (Erzurum) ( Pesenko et al., 2000). This is a new record from China.

Figures

Fig. 3. Rhophitoides canus (Eversmann, 1852): A, ventral view of male S8; B, lateral view of male labial palpus; C, ventral view of male S7; D, dorsal view of male genitalia; E, ventral view of male S6.