Varthemapistra edentata Engel, 2018

Engel, Michael S., 2018, A new genus of anthophorine bees from Brunei (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Journal of Melittology 2018 (78), pp. 1-13 : 5-8

Varthemapistra edentata Engel , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C9DC4CBE-9114-4934-B8C7-1B634AD0CD68

( Figs. 1–7 , 15 )

DIAGNOSIS: As for the genus (vide supra).

DESCRIPTION: ♀: Total body length 11.2 mm, forewing length 8.7 mm. Head wider than long, length (to clypeal apex) 2.55 mm, width 4.17 mm; upper interorbital distance 2.08 mm, lower interorbital distance 2.19 mm; compound eye length 2.4 mm, width in profile 0.78 mm; labrum wider than long, greatest width 1.30 mm, medial length 0.97 mm, with paramedial semi-circular callosities along basal margin, each smooth, semi-transparent, and appearing as amber-colored windows, individual callus reaching to slightly more than one-third labral length; clypeus weakly protuberant, clypeal protuberance in profile 0.36 mm or slightly less than one half compound eye width; mandible simple, without preapical teeth of any kind; malar space linear; first flagellomere 1.5× as long as second flagellomere; second flagellomere slightly shorter than third flagellomere. Intertegular distance 3.02 mm; pretarsal claws deeply cleft, inner ramus nearly as long as outer ramus; small arolium present. Forewing venation as in figures 7, 15. Pygidial plate of tergum VI broad, with margins slightly converging apically, apex broadly blunt, margins weakly carinate.

Integument throughout largely dark brown to black except labiomaxillary complex amber brown, mandible with yellow maculation on outer basal half; labrum entirely yellow; clypeus with yellow mediolongitudinal stripe that expands slightly in width in apical half, and with yellow on lateral areas in line with yellow on lower parocular area; supraclypeal area with small apicomedial spot of yellow in line with mediolongitudinal line of clypeus and immediately ventral to supraclypeal tubercle; lower face, from tangent at about midlength of antennal toruli yellow; scape with yellow on majority of lower surface except at extreme apex and in proximal sixth. Legs amber brown to brown except darker on metatibia and metabasitarsus. Wing membrane hyaline, colored as light parchment except more fuscous in anterior half of marginal cell; veins dark brown. Metasomal terga largely dark brown; anterior-facing and lateral surfaces of tergum I amber brown, dorsal-facing surface of tergum I blending from reddish brown to dark brown; terga I–IV with yellow-brown apical margins; tergum VI dark brown without yellow-brown apical margin; tergum VII largely reddish brown; sterna largely dark brown except sternum I amber brown, sternum II amber brown on pregradular area and reddish brown on remainder of sternum; sternum III largely reddish brown, becoming darker apically; sterna I–IV with yellow-brown apical margins.

Labrum smooth on paramedial callosities, otherwise coarsely punctate, punctures contiguous and appearing irregular medially, except a small medial depression at medioapical margin without punctures, integument otherwise finely imbricate laterally and somewhat smooth within irregular punctures medially. Clypeus with coarse, shallow punctures, punctures somewhat elongate ventrally, separated by less than a puncture width except medially shallower, fainter, and nearly contiguous, giving surface roughened appearance near faint, thin mediolongitudinal ridge extending from basal margin to near clypeal midlength, integument otherwise imbricate; supraclypeal area with smaller punctures similar to those laterally on clypeus, punctures as on clypeus near epistomal sulcus then becoming more defined and spaced dorsally, centrally separated by about a puncture width, centrally with a small tubercle between antennal toruli, tubercle width about 1.5 times a puncture width and elevated to about 2.25 puncture widths, integument otherwise imbricate. Lower face with punctures similar to those laterally on clypeus except impunctate around antennal toruli; upper face with smaller, well-defined, contiguous to nearly contiguous punctures, punctures more spaced in ocellocular area and around ocelli, separated by less than a puncture width, integument between punctures smooth. Vertex posterior to ocelli with punctures contiguous, integument faintly imbricate, vertex posterior to ocellocular area with punctures separated by a puncture width or less, integument between punctures smooth. Gena with contiguous punctures, integument apparently faintly imbricate (largely obscured by pubescence); postgena apparently as on gena. Pronotum imbricate; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with small, contiguous to nearly contiguous punctures, integument between punctures, where evident, smooth; metanotum as on mesoscutellum except punctures coarser, weaker, and integument finely imbricate; mesepisternum with small, contiguous to nearly contiguous punctures, integument between punctures smooth; metepisternum largely imbricate with coarse, faint punctures; propodeum with coarse, contiguous to nearly contiguous punctures, integument imbricate. Metasomal terga with small punctures separated by a puncture width or frequently less, punctures more spaced anteriorly on tergum I, with anterior-facing surface impunctate, punctures on more apical terga denser, apical margins of terga narrowly impunctate, integument between matt and smooth to faintly imbricate; pygidial plate of tergum VI imbricate; sterna with small shallow punctures increasing in density apically, pregradular areas impunctate and imbricate, postgradular areas with punctures separated by a puncture width or more blending to punctures separated by much less than a puncture width, integument between punctures imbricate, apical margins of sterna narrowly impunctate; sternum VI strongly imbricate and largely impunctate.

Pubescence of head largely white; mandible with elongate, erect, simple, white setae ventrally and similar but yellow setae dorsally, albeit somewhat shorter; labrum with long, branched setae, a few medioapically slightly yellow, and a few simple yellow setae on disc; clypeus with largely white, simple or with few branches, semierect setae intermixed with a few fuscous setae; lower face as on clypeus although setae with more branches and lacking fuscous setae; scape with long, yellow, largely simple setae; face around antennal toruli with abundant long, white, plumose setae; upper face with largely simple, long, fuscous setae; vertex with long, erect, largely simple or with few branches, fuscous setae; occiput with abundant, elongate, erect, plumose, white setae; gena with largely decumbent, short, plumose, white setae largely obscuring integument, intergrading to posteriorly to elongate setae of occiput; lower gena and postgena with elongate white setae like that of occiput. Pubescence of mesosoma largely yellowish, dense, erect to suberect, and plumose; mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and upper part of mesepisternum with such setae intermixed with fuscous, erect, plumose setae. Legs with largely elongate, plumose, yellow setae, intermixed with a few fuscous setae; setae on outer surfaces of meso- and metatibiae fuscous and simple, those anteriorly on metatibia simple and white, inner metatibial surface with abundant shorter, simple, white setae; metabasitarsus similar to setation of metatibia; metafemur with few setae ventrally, such setae largely short, thin, simple, and yellow, blending to slightly longer setae dorsally on anterior and posterior surfaces, with a few branches. Metasomal terga with largely fine, simple, decumbent to suberect, fuscous setae; setae longer laterally, with some branches, and lighter in color, tending toward yellow; dorsal-facing surface of tergum I with such setae intermixed with more erect, longer, yellowish setae; apical margins with dense, short, yellow to white setae forming narrow apical fimbria, only present laterally on tergum I and interrupted medially on terga II–IV, interruptions narrowing on more apical terga; tergum V with abundant, long, thicker, black setae with a few branches or simple; tergum VI with setae like those of tergum V except on pygidial plate; sterna with scattered short, largely simple, fine, yellow setae; such setae becoming more numerous, longer, and more branched on succeeding sterna; sterna III and IV with such setae numerous, elongate, and with numerous branches apically; sternum V with similar setae as those on sternum IV except entirely fuscous; sternum VI with setae apically similar to those on sternum V.

♂: Latet.

HOLOTYPE: ♀, Brunei, L.P. 283 [“ Landing Pad 283”, a locality in Temburong District of eastern Brunei along the Temburong River at about 350 m elevation and, at the time of collection, consisting of primary lowland forest ( Harman, 1981)], 4.x.78 [4 October 1978], T. W. Harman [Tony W. Harman (d. 2015)] ( SEMC).

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to the absence of preapical teeth on the female mandible.

Figures

Figures 1–2. Holotype female of Varthemapistra edentata, new genus and species, from Brunei. 1. Lateral habitus. 2. Dorsal habitus.

Figures 3–6. Holotype female of Varthemapistra edentata, new genus and species, from Brunei. 3. Facial view. 4. Mandible. 5. Metabasitibial plate. 6. Profile of head.

Figure 7. Wing venation of Varthemapistra edentata, new genus and species, from Brunei.

Figures 8–15. Wing venation from representative species of Anthophorini. 8. Anthophora (Lophanthophora) dammersi Timberlake. 9. Amegilla quadrifasciata (de Villers). 10. Habropoda depressa Fowler. 11. Elaphropoda percarinata (Cockerell). 12. Pachymelus (Pachymelus) unicolor (Saussure). 13. Deltoptila sp. 14. Habrophorula nubilipennis (Cockerell). 15. Varthemapistra edentata, new genus and species.