Trichocolletes tenuiculus Rayment, 1931

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 : 40

Trichocolletes tenuiculus Rayment

Figs 77 , 117

Trichocolletes tenuiculus Rayment, 1931, p. 162 . Trichocolletes (Trichocolletes) tenuiculus .— Michener,

1965, p. 80.

Specimens examined. The holotype ♂, Canowindra, New South Wales, Aug. 1930, M. Dwyer, ANIC and the following. Australian Capital Territory: ♂, 1.9 km S Condor Ck Bridge Rd, Brindabella Ra., 27 Sep. 1993, G. J. Davis & G. V. Maynard, off Daviesia and Hardenbergia violacea, MV ; ♂, 2♀, Pierces Creek Forrest, 26 Sep. 1993, G. J. Davis & G. V. Maynard, off Hardenbergia violacea, MV ; ♂, Uriara Crossing Rd Uriara Forest, 12 Aug. 1994, G. J. Davis & G. V. Maynard, MV (940553); 10♂, Vanitys Crossing Rd Uriara Forest, 25 Aug. 1994, G. J. Davis, Hardenbergia, MV (940545–52,54,55). New South Wales: ♂, 3♀, Doyles Creek (32.5219°S 150.7972°E), 19–22 Aug. 2005, M. Batley, AM (K.316543–46); 3♂, 3♀, Mount Canobolas (33.33°S 148.98°E), 24–25 Sep. 2005, M. Batley, AM (K.316552–57); 4♂, ♀, Mount Canobolas (33.3320°S 148.9850°E), 4–9 Sep. 2002, M. Batley, AM (K.316536–39,42); ♀, Mount Canobolas (33.3497°S 149.0164°E), 28 Sep.2005, M. Batley,AM (K.316559); ♂, Mullion Flora Res. (33.11°S 149.17°E), 27 Sep. 2005, M. Batley, AM (K.316558); 2♀, Paling Yards (33.3570°S 148.9129°E), 7 Sep. 2002, M. Batley, AM (K.316540–41); ♀, Penrose State Forest (34.6589°S 150.2305°E), 4 Sep. 1999, M. Batley, AM (K.316533); ♀, Tallong (34.7194°S 150.5639°E), 30 Sep. 2000, M. Batley,AM (K.316535); ♂, 4♀, Wollar (32.3608°S 149.9214°E), 10 Sep. 2005, M. Batley, AM (K.316547–51); ♂, ♀, Mullion Range (33.1703°S 149.1828°E), 5 Sep. 2009, M. Batley, AM (K.316614); ♀, Willow Tree, 1 Sep. 1953, ANIC.

Diagnosis

Length c. 13 mm; eyes hairy; metasomal bands narrow, silver with brown anterior margins. Male fore basitarsus with a weak fringe rather than plume, S7 lateral lobes broadly triangular with truncated ends; scapes frequently with dark suffusions. Female flagellum with relatively long F1; frontal carina frequently ends in a small tubercle on the supraclypeal area.

Descriptions

Male (AM K.316557).— Head width 4.25 mm, body length 12.8 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 41, UID 29, UFW 29, LID 29, DMA 29, HVO 4, WOC 13, MOD 4, OOD 8, IAD 9, ASD 4, AOD 6, ML 19, BMW 7, MSL 2.0, SL 13, SW 3, FL c. 53.— Face narrow; length malar space c. 0.25× basal mandibular width; flagellum slightly longer than head width; middle flagellomeres c. 1.6× as long as wide. Legs slender; hind tarsus 1.25× as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 5.3× as long as wide; basitibial area slightly elevated above surroundings, pigmented posterior carina almost reaches apex. Genital capsule similar to that for T. orientalis n.sp. (Fig. 37); S7 lateral lobes broadly triangular with truncated ends, posterior projections very small ( Fig. 77 ).— Scape, tibiae, tarsi and distal ends femora orangebrown, with darker suffusions on fore and mid tibiae and faint suffusions on scape; labrum and mandible medially amber; flagellum dark brown. T1–5 with narrow silver bands stained brown across anterior margin.— Clypeus with contiguous punctures except at extreme apex; scutum with dull sheen, moderately strong pit-reticulation and small, close punctures.— Face densely covered with long, erect, finely-branched, dull orange hair. Scutum openly covered with similar plumose hair; fore basitarsus with weak fringe, length <2× width basitarsus.

Female (AM K.316556).— Head width 4.20 mm, body length 13.3 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 40, UID 29, UFW 31, LID 31, DMA 31, HVO 4, WOC 14, MOD 3, OOD 8, IAD 9, ASD 4, AOD 8, ML 23, BMW 8, MSL 2.0, SL 15, SW 3, FL c. 36.— Face almost quadrate; inner orbits parallel; length malar space c. 0.25× basal mandibular width; clypeus transversely convex, slightly flattened basomedially, basal margin weakly concave; supraclypeal area with small tubercle marking end of frontal carina; flagellomere F1 relatively long (length 2.0× width); inner hind tibial spur with c. 7 coarse teeth; tarsal claws simple; pygidial plate with small emargination.— Labrum and fore basitarsi orange-brown; remainder of legs dark brown; mandible medially brown. T1–4 with narrow silver bands stained brown across anterior margin.— Clypeus densely punctate on a reticulate ground except openly punctured near apex; supraclypeal area densely punctate, some punctures coalescing to form irregular grooves. Scutum with dull sheen, pit-reticulation and small, close punctures.— Face with long, off-white, plumose hair, becoming pale orange tipped with dark brown near ocelli, dense on frons and in paraocular area, sparse on clypeus and supraclypeal area. Scutum closely covered with short, plumose, pale orange hair tipped with dark brown; hair of hind tibial scopa orange-brown with golden reflections, dark in basitibial area; prepygidial fimbria mid-brown.

Remarks. The holotype male has abnormal wing venation as described by Rayment (1931) and a female in the same collection, labelled “TYPE”, Canowindra, NSW, agrees with Rayment’s description of a female “ allotype ”.

Similar to T. fuscus n.sp. and T. orientalis n.sp. from which males may be distinguished by the weak fringe rather than a plume on fore basitarsus and the shape of S7, while females may be distinguished from T. fuscus n.sp. and T. orientalis n.sp. by the relatively long F1 and the small tubercle on the suraclypeus.

Distribution. Tablelands and slopes of New South Wales (NSS, SB, SEH) ( Fig. 117 ).

Figures

Figs 68–79. Seventh sternum of Trichocolletes males.

Figs 116–119. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.