Geodiscelis phisquiri Packer and Dumesh

Packer, Laurence & Dumesh, Sheila, 2014, Two new species of Geodiscelis Michener & Rozen (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae) with a phylogenetic analysis and subgeneric classification of the genus, Zootaxa 3857 (2), pp. 275-291 : 279-281

Geodiscelis phisquiri Packer and Dumesh , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A1A9D217-4A07-4F9C-9AEC-337A2E55D32D ( Figures 10−15 and 19 )

Diagnosis. The combination of malar space 0.8X as long as the compound eye ( Fig. 10 ), metasoma with yellow bands ( Fig. 10 ) and maxillary palpus unmodified (as in Fig. 3 ) separates this species from all other colletid bees. It is most similar to G. longiceps and G. nazcalinea . It can be separated from the former by having a malar space shorter than the length of the compound eye (longer in G. longiceps , compare Figs. 19 and 20 ). See diagnosis of G. nazcalinea for differentiation of G. phisquiri from that species.

Description. Male: Dimensions: Body length 4.2mm, wing length 2.5mm, head width 0.7mm.

Colouration: Black with following parts pale yellow: labrum; mandible (apex amber); malar space (except narrowly dark brown adjacent to compound eye); clypeus (except for lateral and dorsal margins dark brown); hypostomal area apicad of compound eye for entire length laterad, for apical half mesad; antenna (except gradually darkening to yellow brown apically and for narrow dark bands on apices of posterior surfaces of F1-F10); narrow posterior band on pronotal lobe; mesal 1/3 of tegula; foreleg (except base of procoxa dark brown, orange-brown smudges on dorsal surface of protrochanter and on profemur dorsobasally and small ventral mark at midlength of protibia ventrally); midleg as foreleg (except dark markings darker and somewhat more extensive especially on mesocoxa, and mesopretarsus brown); apical 2/3 of metacoxa; apical ¼ of metafemur dorsally and apical 2/3 ventrally; metatibia (except for large posteroventral dark brown mark); metabasitarsus (metatarsomeres 2–4 orange, metapretarsus dark brown); wing veins pale yellow; apical ~1/3 of metasomal terga (except for narrow translucent marginal zones), margined anteriorly with pale brown forming irregularly undulate anterior margin; T2- T4 with small, dark brown, subcircular lateral maculae; metasomal sterna pale yellowish-brown except S1 largely darker brown.

Pubescence: White, thickened, dense on lower paraocular area, between antennal socket and compound eye, above antennal socket for somewhat more than a socket diameter, genal area, mesopleuron, dorsolateral area of propodeum, declivitous surface of T1, anterior <1/3 of T2-T7.

Sculpture: Surface somewhat shiny, shallowly imbricate. Punctures small and shallow; i=2–5d on clypeus; supraclypeal area with very few punctures; malar space irregularly punctate, i~0.5–1d apically, i=1–5d basally; frontal area punctures i=1–2d towards side, sparsely punctate medially and towards antennal sockets; punctures irregularly shaped on mesoscutum, i=1–2d; less irregular on scutellum and metanotum, i=1–2d; i~d on setose portions of metasomal terga. Horizontal surface of propodeum with few weak rugae basally, coarsely imbricate throughout.

Structure: Head: Longer than mesosoma (73:59) and more than 1.5X as long as wide (73:40). Labrum broader than long (11.5:9), apex rounded. Mandible with subapical tooth small. Malar space four times as long as basal depth of mandible (24:6) and 4/5 as long as compound eye (24:30), malar line absent. Clypeus almost twice as long as greatest breadth ignoring portion laterad of epistomal lobe (22:12); epistomal lobe strongly protruding into clypeus, almost attaining apex. Compound eye broad, length to breadth 30:20, in profile coincident with genal area ventrally; inner margin weakly concave; eyes converging below, UOD;LOD 23:19; lower ocular tangent near middle of supraclypeal area; upper ocular tangent just below lower margin of median ocellus. Genal area somewhat expanded, half as wide as breadth of compound eye (11:20). Ocelloccipital distance greater than diameter of lateral ocellus (~5:4); OOD:IOD 7:12. Scape twice as long as greatest width (11:5); pedicel as wide as long (5.5:5.5); F1 and F2 slightly wider than long (~5.5:5) (remaining flagellomeres distorted due to method of capture in only specimen available).

Mesosoma: Pronotum with collar poorly defined, anterior surface gradually curving to posterodorsal margin; ratio of scutellum:metanotum:horizontal portion of metapostnotum 10:6:9. Legs unmodified; hind tibial spurs long and narrow, inner spur approximately half as long as metabasitarsus (11:20). Stigma with margin basal to vein R divergent, portion in marginal cell straight.

Metasoma: Flattened, broadest at T3. S6 with apex obtusely angulate but lacking a spine.

Terminalia: As in figures 13–15 Proctiger well sclerotised but only narrowly so medially. S7 apical lobes moderately well sclerotised, somewhat rectangular, with few short, erect setae at apex; basal lobes absent. S8 narrow, more than twice as long as wide (18:7); apical process with narrow, laterally somewhat compressed, slightly downturned apical lobe; lateral lobe posteriorly directed, separated from apical lobe by narrow, angulate concavity; spiculum long, gradually narrowing. Gonobase lacking apicoventral process. Gonocoxa with dorsomedial margin forming an obtuse angle at midlength,right angular medially at base of gonostylus; small, obtusely rounded membranous medioventral lobe present. Gonostylus weakly differentiated from gonocoxa; membranous subapical gonocoxal lobe large, horizontally oriented, surpassing posterior extremity of gonocoxa, inner and outer margins convex, apex rounded.

Female: Unknown.

Material Studied. Holotype: CHILE, Region I, West of Chusmiza, 54km marker Hwy 15- CH, -19.79347 - 69.32174, 2591m, 25.ix.-29.x.2013, L. Packer and S. Monckton, pan trap.

Etymology the specific epithet is the Aymara word for “fifth”, referring to the fact that this is the fifth species described in the genus.

Comments. As is sometimes the case with small bees collected from pan traps that have been left out in the desert for a long period (in this instance 34 days), the only specimen of this species available is in bad condition. In particular, the frontal area is somewhat caved in, the flagellomeres are distorted and the metasoma somewhat crushed. However, it is worth noting that the thin exoskeleton of these bees often results in some distortion even with specimens collected directly from flowers and pinned later the same day. The sole specimen is clearly distinct at the species level based upon colouration and genitalic characters. Additional searching and trapping at the type locality up to the end of November 2013 failed to reveal any additional specimens.

Figures

FIGURES 10 − 15. Geodiscelis phisquiri sp. nov., male holotype. 10. Habitus, side view, 11. head, frontal view, 12. S 6, 13. S 7, 14. S 8, 15. genital capsule. Scale bar = 1 mm for Figs. 10, 11 and 15. Scale bar = 0.5 mm for Figs. 12 − 14.

FIGURES 16 − 20. Head, side view of males of Geodiscelis megacephala, G. thaumaskelos, G. nazcalinea sp. nov., G. phisquiri sp. nov. and G. longiceps respectively. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 1 − 9. Geodiscelis nazcalinea sp. nov. 1 − 8. Male, 9. Female. 1. Habitus, side view, 2. head, frontal view, 3. head, side view, 4. proctiger, 5. S 6, 6. S 7, 7. S 8, 8. genital capsule, 9 habitus, dorsal view. Scale bar = 1 mm for Figs. 1 − 3 and 9. Scale bar = 0.5 mm for Figs. 4 − 8. Figs. 1 – 3 are of the holotype, 4 – 9 are from paratypes.