Trichocolletes platyprosopis, Batley, 2012

Batley, Michael, 2012, Revision of the Australian Bee Genus Trichocolletes Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Paracolletini), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 64 (1), pp. 1-50 : 32-33

Trichocolletes platyprosopis n.sp.

Figs 38, 71, 110

Type. Holotype ♂, 18 km NW Eneabba , Western Australia, 9–12 Sep. 1987, T. F. Houston, on flowers of Daviesia , in WAM 13908.

Specimens examined. The holotype and the following. Western Australia: 4♂, ♀, same data as holotype, WAM (13905–07,09,10) ; 3♂, 6♀, 28 km 26° W of N Eneabba , 28 Aug. 1999, T . F. Houston, on flowers of Daviesia divaricata, WAM (27508–12,14–17); ♀, 12 mls N Geraldton , 12 Jul. 1973, N. McFarland, WAA (45290) ; ♂, Nabawa , 9 Jul. 1998, S. R . Patterson , WAM (21394) ; ♀, Watheroo National Park (30.20°S 115.83°E), 3–5 Oct. 1980, T . F. Houston, on flowers of Daviesia divaricata, WAM (13838).

Diagnosis

Eyes not hairy; metasomal bands silver-white, ferruginous across anterior margin. Female clypeus polished and strongly flattened, almost spatulate; labrum tectiform. Male S7 distinctive ( Fig. 71 ); legs slender, orange-brown; hind basitarsus gently bowed. Unlike any other species.

Descriptions

Male (holotype).— Head width 3.85 mm, body length 11.3 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 38, UID 31, UFW 33, LID 30, DMA 29, HVO 0, WOC 14, MOD 4, OOD 8, IAD 7, ASD 3, AOD 8, ML 20, BMW 4, MSL 1.0, SL 13, SW 3, FL c. 54.— Eyes not hairy; face narrow; clypeus distinctly flattened though covered with dense pubescence; ocellar-ocular area strongly depressed; malar space short (length c. 0.2× basal mandibular width); flagellum longer than head width; all flagellomeres longer than wide. Legs very slender; hind tarsus 1.1× as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 5.7× as long as wide; gently bowed and tapering slightly towards distal end; basitibial area with pigmented posterior carina; fore tibial calcar with c. 5 short teeth. Gonoforceps transversely truncate with moderately short, stiff apical hairs (Fig. 38); S7 with small lateral lobes fused with posterior projections and basal teeth, approximately diamond-shaped ( Fig. 71 ).— Labrum and mandible amber, scape, femora, tibiae and tarsi orange-brown, with darker suffusions on femora and hind tibia; coxae, trochanters and flagellum dorsally dark brown, ventrally mid-brown. T 1–5 with moderately broad, white bands, distinctly ferruginous across anterior margin; T 7 mid brown.— Clypeus densely punctate except ventral rim impunctate, polished; scutum strongly reticulate, obscuring punctures.— Head densely covered with long, orange hair, erect on clypeus. Scutum closely covered with long, densely-branched pale orangebrown hair; fore basitarsus without plume; hind femur with scattered white hair on anterior margin.

Female ( WAM 27511).— Head width 4.20 mm, body length 12.8 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 39, UID 30, UFW 31, LID 31, DMA 30, HVO 4, WOC 13, MOD 3, OOD 8, IAD 8, ASD 3, AOD 9, ML 21, BMW 5, MSL 0.5, SL 15, SW 3, FL c. 34.— Eyes not hairy; malar space short (length c. 0.1× basal mandibular width); labrum tectiform; clypeus strongly flattened, almost spatulate; supraclypeal area bulbous; middle flagellomeres c. 1.3× as long as wide; inner hind tibial spur with c. 8 long, well-spaced teeth; tarsal claws simple; pygidial plate broad, truncate, with medial elevation and wide, upturned margin.— Labrum, mandible medially, tarsi, tibiae and apical half femora orange-brown; coxae, T. maximus T. brachytomus n.sp.

T. pulcherrimus T. dives trochanters and basal half of femora dark brown. T 1–4 with moderately wide, white bands distinctly ferruginous across anterior margins; wings darkened.— Surface of clypeus polished with very broad irregular depressions, dulled basally with pit-reticulation; labrum with longitudinal medial carina and weak, oblique rugae laterally.— Apico-lateral corners of clypeus, paraocular areas and frons densely covered with golden-brown, plumose hair. Scutum closely covered with densely-branched, pale orange-brown hair tipped with dark brown; prepygidial fimbria chocolate brown; hind tibial scopa pale orange.

Remarks. This species is referred to as F265/M 236 in Houston (2000).

Distribution. Geraldton Sandplains, Western Australia (GS) ( Fig. 110 ).

Etymology. The specific name is from the Greek adjective for flat-faced, referring to the clypeus, particularly of the female.

Figures

Figs 68–79. Seventh sternum of Trichocolletes males.

Figs 104–115. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.