Austrostelis catamarcensis ( Schrottky, 1909 )

Parizotto, Daniele R., Urban, Danúncia & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2017, Revision of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Austrostelis Michener and Griswold (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Megachilinae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (1 - 2), pp. 53-71 : 64-66

Austrostelis catamarcensis ( Schrottky, 1909)

( Figures 1 (a), 2(c), 4(a), 6(a), 7(b))

Dianthidium catamarcense Schrottky, 1909: 218 . Lectotype male, designated by Urban (1999), Argentina: Catamarca (MZUSP, examined).

Dianthidium nudum Schrottky, 1909: 269 . Lectotype female, designated by Urban (1999), Argentina: Catamarca (MZUSP, examined).

Stelis aliena Cockerell, 1919: 27 . Holotype female, Paraguay: Cordillera (USNM, examined through photographs).

Stelis argentina Friese, 1925: 37 . Holotype male, Argentina: Tucumán (ZMB, examined).

Stelis magna Friese, 1925: 37 . Holotype female, Brazil: São Paulo (ZMB, examined).

Comments and diagnosis

Austrostelis catamarcensis has the widest known range in the genus. It is the most distinctive species of Austrostelis due to the predominantly ferruginous maculae mixed with yellow maculae on all tagmata. In addition, it is the only species with wellseparated small round spots on the terga. The punctures on the tergal disc are sparse, being separated by more than three puncture diameters. The female has the disc of T6 with irregular punctures, and the medial emargination of T 7 in the male is unique within the genus.

Variation. Females: The maculae vary as follows: yellow band on the paraocular can be straight or larger and longer, reaching the top of the eyes; ferruginous band on the vertex can be short, reaching only halfway along the gena or extending over its entire length; the maculae of the frons vary from one small spot above the median ocelli with or without other longer maculae between the antennal alveoli to a unique yellowish ferrugineous macula extending from the upper margin of the clypeus to the median ocellus. The clypeus can be entirely black, with the lower margin ferruginous or mostly black with yellowish ferruginous spots on the apical margin. Some specimens have a spot on the apex of the pronotal lobe. The axillae can be entirely yellow or almost all yellow and the scutellum with large maculae ferruginous up to entirely ferruginous. The mesoscutum can have only a small yellow spot anteriorly or a reverse J-shaped band, sometimes merged with a discal ferruginous maculae. The fifth tergum can vary from entirely black to two little yellow spots dorsally or two larger maculae yellow dorsally or even with the four yellow spots.

Males: The clypeus can be entirely ferruginous or with ferruginous maculae. The maculae on the face, pronotal lobe and mesoscutum can vary as in females. The mesepisternum can have a large ferruginous macula or be almost entirely ferruginous. Some specimens can have the T1–T4 stained with ferruginous colour; T5 can be entirely black or can have four yellow maculae, two dorsally and two laterally; T6 can be entirely black or possess two yellow median maculae. In some specimens, the S1 can have a little yellow spot medially; S2 varies from black with a yellow spot to almost entirely yellow.

Distribution. Argentina: Buenos Aires, Catamarca, La Rioja, Tucumán; Brazil: Goiás, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo; Paraguay: Cordillera, Presidente Hayes.

Type material examined

Lectotype male of Dianthidium catamarcense (MZUSP) , ‘Catamarca/III. 08 Bruch’ ‘Type’ ‘ Dianthidium / catamarcense / ♂ Schrottky’ ‘ Stelis / catamarcensis /(Schr.)/Det. J. S. Moure 1957’ ‘Lectotypus’ ‘ Austrostelis / catamarcensis / Urban det. 99’. Lectotype female of Dianthidium nudum ‘Catam [arca]’ ‘102.235’ ‘ Dianthidium / nudum / Schrottky’ ‘Type’ ‘ Stelis nuda /(Schr.[ottky])/Det. J. S. Moure 1957/’ ‘Lectotypus’ ‘ Austrostelis / catamarcensis /Urban det. 99’. Holotype female of Stelis aliena ‘S [an] Bernardino/Paraguay’ ‘K. Fiebrig/ Collector’ ‘Type nº/22958/ U.S. N.M.’ ‘ Stelis ?/ aliena Ckll /TYPE’. Holotype male of Stelis argentina ‘ Argentina / Tucuman / 2000m [overwritten] 30.11.06’ ‘Type’ ‘ Stelis / argentina / 1907 Friese det.’ ‘ Holotype / Stelis / argentina / ♂ / Friese 1925 ’. Holotype female of Stelis magna , ‘ Brasil /Jundiahy/ II 1899 ’ ‘Type’ ‘ Stelis / magna /1904 Friese det.’ ‘ Holotype / Stelis magna ♀ / Friese, 1925 ’.

Additional material examined

Thirteen specimens were examined and their collecting localities are as follows: BRAZIL: Goiás: São Domingos ( DZUP 29032 ); Minas Gerais: Passos ( DZUP 29027 ); Paraíba: Patos ( DZUP 29035 , 29036 ), Rio Grande do Sul: Guaíba ( DZUP 29026 , 29040 ) and São Paulo: Barueri ( DZUP 29038 ), Botucatu ( DZUP 29039 ), Rio Claro ( DZUP 29037 ); ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires: Buenos Aires ( DZUP 29028 , 29029 , 29030 , 29031 ), La Rioja: DZUP 29041 , 29042 , 30440 , Mascasin ( DZUP 29043 ); PARAGUAY: Presidente Hayes: Monte Lindo .

Figures

Figure 1. Head (female), frontal view: (a) Austrostelis catamarcensis; (b) A. iheringi; (c) A. appendiculata; (d) A. saltensis sp. nov.; (e) A. santaterezae; (f) A. zebrata. Scale = 1.0 mm.