Trichocolletes macrognathus, 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 : 26-27

Trichocolletes macrognathus n.sp.

Figs 16–18 , 35, 65, 103

Type. Holotype ♂, 13 km S Wanoo, Western Australia [26.49S, 114.37E], 24–28 Aug. 1984, T. F. Houston & B. P. Hanich, on flowers of Baeckea , in WAM 13671. The co-ordinates on the label refer to the location of Wanoo at 26°49'S 114°37'E.

Specimens examined. The holotype and the following. Western Australia: ♀, 11 km ENE Anketell , 4–6 Sep. 1981, T. F. Houston, on flowers of Cassia phyllodinea or charlesiana, WAM (13659) ; ♂, Denham-Hamelin Rd NW

Tamala turnoff, 28 Aug. 1997, T . F. Houston & P. Mathiasen, on flowers of Malleostemon roseus, WAM (13680); 4♂, ♀, East Yuna Reserve , 34 km WNW Mullewa, 16–29 Aug. 1984, T . F. Houston & B. P. Hanich, on flowers of Thryptomene hyporhytis, WAM (13673–77); 3♀, 10 mi E of Meekatharra , 31 Aug. 1971, T . F. Houston, SAM (32-024663–65) ; 2♀, 8 km N Nerren Nerren HS, 25 Aug. 1985, R . P. McMillan, on Prostanthera wilkeana, WAM (13678–79); 3♂, 9♀, 13 km S Wanoo , 24–28 Aug. 1984, T . F. Houston & B. P. Hanich, on flowers of Baeckea & burrowing into walls of freshly dug pit in sand, WAM (13661–70,72).

Diagnosis

Eyes not hairy; metasomal bands wide, gold; malar space very long. Male S3 with distinctive hair plume. Female scutum with transverse band of dark hair. Unlike any other species.

Descriptions

Male ( WAM 21597).— Head width 4.35 mm, body length 12.0 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 39, UID 36, UFW 35, LID 32, DMA 22, HVO 5, WOC 15, MOD 4, OOD 10, IAD 10, ASD 3, AOD 8, ML 20, BMW 6, MSL 7.5, SL 13, SW 3, FL c. 59.— Eyes not hairy, much shortened leaving malar area almost twice as long as wide ( Fig. 17 ); flagellum longer than head width; all flagellomeres c. 1.5× as long as wide. Legs slender; hind tarsus 1.3× as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 5.4× as long as wide; posterior carina of basitibial area extends past apex. Gonoforceps transversely truncate with long apical hairs (Fig. 35); lateral lobes of S7 fused with posterior projections and basal teeth ( Fig. 65 ).— Mandible, scape, tarsi, fore and hind tibiae, anterior faces of mid tibia and all femora, flagellomeres F2–8 ventrally, orange-brown; remainder of flagellum brown. T 1–5 with wide, deep gold bands; T 7, S6 laterally, orangebrown.— Scutum with dull sheen and moderately strong pit-reticulation. Scutum closely and face densely covered with bright orange hair, erect on clypeus, fore basitarsus with brush of relatively short golden hair; S3 with dense medial plume of long white hair ( Fig. 18 ).

Female ( WAM 13661).— Head width 4.85 mm, body length 13.6 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 37, UID 31, UFW 34, LID 32, DMA 27, HVO 4, WOC 14, MOD 3, OOD 9, IAD 8, ASD 3, AOD 10, ML 19, BMW 8, MSL 5.0, SL 13, SW 3, FL c. 36.— Eyes not hairy; face quadrate; length malar space c. 0.7× basal mandibular width ( Fig. 16 );

clypeus uniformly convex transversely; middle flagellomeres c. 1.5× as long as wide; inner hind tibial spur with c. 5 wellspaced teeth; tarsal claws with sharp inner ramus about half length of outer; pygidial plate broad with truncate, upturned margin.— Mandible medially orange-brown; legs dark brown. T 1–4 with wide, bright gold bands.— Clypeus polished with open to close large punctures; scutum polished with close punctures.— Lower face with long, plumose, white hair, dense in paraocular areas, sparse to open on clypeus and supraclypeal area; frons densely covered with plumose, orange-brown hair, darker towards ocelli. Scutum covered with close to dense, plumose hair, anterior 20% and thin line around lateral and posterior margins pale orangebrown, remainder dark brown; semi-erect hair on terga strongly reflective giving metasoma a golden sheen, more pronounced apically.

Remarks. This species is referred to as F247/M 220 in Houston (2000).

Etymology. The specific name, used as a noun in apposition, is derived from the Greek words for large and jaw, referring to the greatly elongated malar space of this species.

Distribution. Area around Geraldton, Western Australia ( CAR, GS, MUR, YAL) ( Fig. 103 ).

Figures

Figs 16–18. Trichocolletes macrognathus n.sp.: head showing long malar area of (16) female, (17) male; (18) ventral view of male metasoma, showing plume on S3.

Figs 56–67. Seventh sternum of Trichocolletes males.

Figs 92–103. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.