Augochloropsis (Glyptobasia) aenea, Celis & Melo, 2024

Celis, Cindy Julieth & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2024, Taxonomic revision of the South American subgenus Augochloropsis (Glyptobasia) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Halictinae), Zootaxa 5514 (5), pp. 431-450 : 445-447

Augochloropsis (Glyptobasia) aenea sp. nov.

( Figs 1B, E ; 2D ; 7 )

Diagnosis. The female of this new species can be separated from females of A. bertonii by the metapostnotum with slightly depressed surface, without strong carina on its posterior margin and with rounded shape ( Fig. 1E ) (trapezoidal in A. bertonii ); mesoscutum with dense coarse punctures ( Figs. 1B ; 2D ) (open larger punctures in A. bertonii ); posterior margins of T1 and T2 with long, dense, orange vibrissae ( Figs. 7A, D ) (shorter, sparser, and white in A. bertonii ); dorsal surfaces of T2 and T3 without black semierect setae or restricted only to their lateral margins and a dark coppery green body coloration, contrasting with the black metapostnotum and legs; dense yellow conspicuous pubescence in the body, except on the tibiae and tarsi of all legs with thick dark bristles. Male unknown.

Description. Holotype ♀.

Measurements. Head width: 3.04; head length: 1.82; clypeus width: 1.49; clypeus length: 0.83; eye notch width: 0.73; supraclypeal length: 0.50; alveolo-ocellar distance: 0.69; intertegular distance: 2.38; T1 maximum width: 3.47; T2 maximum width: 3.66; body length: 10.15.

Coloration. Mandible black. Lower paraocular and supraclypeal areas dark coppery green. Frons black, differing from the remaining dark coppery green on most of face in frontal view. Clypeus dark coppery green with apical semicircular black spot. Genal area dark coppery green. Scape black. Flagellum brown. Mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum blackish dull coppery green. Tegula dark coppery green, external margin with a circular black spot. Mesepisternum and metepisternum dark coppery green. Propodeum dark coppery green on lateral surfaces; metapostnotum and lateral angles dark coppery green with abundant black reflections. Fore wing membrane mostly hyaline, apical one-third light brown infumated; pterostigma and venation yellowish. Hind wing membrane mostly hyaline; apical margin iridescent. Fore, mid and hind legs black; external surface of fore and mid tibiae with dark coppery green reflections; tarsi black; tibial spurs testaceous. T1–T4 dark coppery green, T3 and exposed dorsal surface of T4 with bluish violet reflections. Exposed dorsal surface of T5 and pseudopygidial area black. S1–S4 greenish. S5 and S6 black.

Pubescence. Body mostly covered by conspicuous pale yellowish pubescence. Compound eye with minute hairs. Dorsal margin of mandible and apical margin of clypeus with row of long (2–3 OD) pale brown bristles. Entire surface of clypeus covered by long pale yellow bristles. Supraclypeal area with dense, long, yellow setae; apical third glabrous. Lower paraocular area with long (1.5–2 OD), erect, yellow setae. Frons and vertex with long (1.5–2 OD) yellow setae, intermixed with darker setae. Lower gena with very long (2–3 OD), scarce, yellow setae. Scape with long (1–1.5 OD) yellow setae in the basal region, shorter bristles towards the distal region. F1–F10 setose with white sensilla, more conspicuous in F3–F10. Pronotal lobe with long (1.5 OD) yellow setae. Mesoscutum mostly with long (1–1.5 OD), dense, erect, yellow setae, intermixed with dark setae, more conspicuous on its posterior margin. Scutellum covered with white tomentose setae, intermixed with erect, long (1.5–2 OD), yellow setae, and with more erect, longer (2.5–3 OD), dark bristles. Metanotum covered by white tomentose setae, intermixed with erect, long (1.5–2 OD), yellowish setae. Propodeum lateral surface covered by white tomentose setae, intermixed with longer (2–3.5 OD), yellowish setae; posterior vertical surface with long (1.5–2.5 OD), erect, yellow setae; metapostnotum glabrous. Fore wing with sparse black microtrichia. External margin of trochanter and femur of fore leg with very long (3–3.5 OD) pale yellow setae, shorter setae (1.5–4 OD) on mid leg, inner margin glabrous. External margin of tibiae and tarsi of fore and mid legs covered by dark bristles, denser yellowish bristles in the inner surfaces. Mesofemoral brush of mid leg yellow. Coxa and trochanter of hind leg with short white setae; femur and inner surface of tibia with long, plumose, whitish setae, forming a scopa; external surface of tibia and basitarsus with erect, thick, dense, long (2–2.5 OD) black bristles; pale brown bristles on inner surfaces of basitarsus, mediotarsus and disitarsus. Anterior and lateral margins of T1 covered with long (1.5–2 OD) yellow setae; dorsal surface with dense, long, yellow bristles. Dorsal surfaces of T2–T4 covered mostly by long, dense, yellow bristles, intermixed with longer (2.5 OD), scares, semierect, dark bristles very conspicuous in lateral view. Marginal zones of T1–T4 covered by dense yellowish bristles. Exposed dorsal surface of T5 covered by dense dark bristles; pseudopygidial area with paler yellowish bristles. Posterior margins of T1 and T2 with conspicuous, long (1 OD), uniformly distributed yellow vibrissae. Discs of S2–S5 with long, dense, yellowish setae, weakly recurved and forming a ventral scope; intermixed with long dark bristles on S5.

Sculpture. Clypeus punctate, with open coarse punctures on basal and lateral margins; integument microtessellate in between; crowded centrally. Supraclypeal area with crowded coarse punctures, apical third with sparser punctures, microreticulate in between. Frons with dense fine punctures, antennal sockets and vertex near the ocellus with small smooth area. Mesoscutum with dense coarse punctures on disc, integument microtessellate in between; crowded coarse punctures on anterior and lateral surfaces. Tegula microtessellate on posterior and central region, dense fine punctures on anterior margin. Scutellum and metanotum with crowded fine punctures. Lateral angle of propodeum weakly microtessellate; posterior vertical surface with sparse fine punctures. Surface of metapostnotum with radial carinae in the basal portion and microtessellate stripe in the apical portion. Dorsal surface and marginal zone of T1 with conspicuous open fine punctures; integument microtessellate in between; denser and slightly coarser punctures on lateral surfaces. Dorsal surfaces and marginal zones of T2 and T3 with conspicuous dense minute punctures. Exposed dorsal surface of T4 with open fine punctures, microtessellate in between, marginal zone with dense minute punctures. Discs of S2–S4 with dense fine punctures and substrigulate surfaces basally.

Structure. Vertex weakly acuminate (1 OD), posterior surface of head, immediately behind ocelli, almost vertical; with weak post-ocellar transverse ridge. Clypeus and supraclypeal area convex.Apex of clypeus not prolonged over apical border. Dorsal ridge of pronotum strongly lamellated (≅ 1 TW) and weakly sinuous; with dorsolateral angle not notched, produced as a right angle; pronotal lobe strongly expanded beyond tegula, forming a more acute angle. Mesoscutum with anterior margin broadly, truncated medially. Metapostnotum medially with an elevated crest, weakly depressed, and no delimited by marginal carina; apical margin arched, giving it a semicircular shape. Hind tibial spur pectinate, with 8 teeth, broadened at base.

Distribution. The new species seems to be rare and it is currently known from a single female collected in the Peruvian department of Puno (San Gabán district), in western Amazonia, at the foothills of the Peruvian Andes ( Fig. 8 ).

Etymology. The specific name ăēnĕus (-a, -um), is a Latin adjective in the nominative case, means “of copper”, “of bronze”. It refers to the dull coppery coloration of the female.

Type material. Holotype female ( MUSM), “ PERU ” “ Peru, Puno, 17 Km a \ SW de San Gabán, \ 13.577°S 70.448°W, \ 1006m, 21.viii.2012, \ G. Melo ”.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Females of Augochloropsis (Glyptobasia). A–B. Mesoscutum, (A) Open large punctures, Augochloropsis bertonii; (B) Dense coarse punctures, Augochloropsis aenea sp. nov. C–D. Posterior vertical surface of propodeum of A. bertonii; (C) Surface with sparse fine punctures—orange arrow, T1 with sparse minute punctures—red arrow; (D) Propodeal lateral expansions—red arrow. E–F. Horizontal surface of propodeum; (E) A. aenea sp. nov.; (F) A. bertonii. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. A–B. Metasoma of the male in lateral view of Augochloropsis bertonii (Schrottky, 1909), (A) Bright green morph; (B) Violet blue morph. C–D. Mesoscutum punctures of females, dorsal ridge– blue arrows, and dorsolateral angle of pronotum—red arrows, (C) A. bertonii; (D) A. aenea sp. nov. E–F. Labels of two females of the type series of A. bertonii, (E) Schrottky identification label (bottom) and specimen origin label (top); (F) Locality label (top), specimen origin label (middle) and species number (botton). Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Female of Augochloropsis (Glyptobasia) aenea sp. nov., holotype, (A) habitus, lateral view; (B) Head, frontal view; (C) Mesosoma, dorsal view; (D) Metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 8. Distribution records of Augochloropsis (Glyptobasia) species. Augochloropsis (Glyptobasia) aenea sp. nov. (red circle); Augochloropsis (Glyptobasia) bertonii (Schrottky, 1909) (green morph (green circles) and violet morph (violet circles)).