Astegotrigona Engel, 2022

Engel, Michael S., 2022, Notes on South American stingless bees of the genus Scaptotrigona (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Part III: A revised infrageneric classification and new species, Journal of Melittology 2022 (111), pp. 1-29 : 27

Astegotrigona Engel , new subgenus

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AB0EDA82-B4E5-4376-B8D8-BBC1B3BF53CE

TYPE SPECIES: Trigona mexicana Guérin-Méneville, 1844 .

DIAGNOSIS: This subgenus is most similar to Gymnotrigona owing to the absence of prominent suberect bristles on the discs of metasomal terga III–V, although sometimes with a few, minute (less than 0.5× ocellar diameter), subdecumbent bristles, typically laterally. Unlike Gymnotrigona , however, the mesoscutellum is broadly rounded apically (more blunt medially in Gymnotrigona ) and comparatively short such that the apex extends only to the basal margin of propodeum ( Fig. 11 ) (rather than distinctly overhanging the basal third or more of the propodeum in Gymnotrigona ). In addition, metasomal terga III–V are finely imbricate and somewhat shining between scatered minute punctures, rather than coarsely imbricate to densely punctate in Gymnotrigona . The integument is entirely black in Astegotrigona , and the scape lacks the minute, erect bristles otherwise present in Dasytrigona . Similarly, the terga are not densely setose as is distinctive for Dasytrigona , and there is no covering of tomentum on terga III–V. The subgenus is currently known only from Mesoamerica.

ETYMOLOGY: The new subgeneric name is a combination of the Ancient Greek adjective ἄστεγος (ástegos, meaninig, “without roof”: ᾰ – / a –, alpha privativum for negation, and στέγος / stégos, meaning, “roof”) and Trigona . The gender of the name is feminine.

Figures

Figures 10–11. Mesosomal dorsa of Scaptotrigona Moure. 10. Scaptotrigona (Gymnotrigona) hellwegeri (Friese). 11. S. (Astegotrigona) wheeleri (Cockerell).