Corresponding author: Victor H. Gonzalez (
Academic editor: Michael Engel
Two distinctive new species of the Neotropical stingless bee genus
Stingless honey bees (
There are about 500 species of stingless bees worldwide, most of them (80%) in the Western Hemisphere (
Summary of generic and subgeneric classification of New World
Taxa | Species | Distribution | |
---|---|---|---|
Genus |
5 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
1 | NA | |
Genus |
2 | SA | |
Genus |
16 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
21 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
21 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
68 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
1 | CA | |
Genus |
10 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
4* | CA, SA | |
Genus |
11 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
33 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
1 | SA | |
Genus |
|||
Subgenus |
7 | SA | |
Subgenus |
34 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
40 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
4 | CA | |
Genus |
21 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
7 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
2 | SA | |
Genus |
19 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
4 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
1 | SA | |
Genus |
32 | CA, SA | |
Genus |
39 | CA, SA |
The purpose of this paper is to describe two distinctive new species of
Summary of currently included species in
Species | Sex | Nest | Distribution |
“guatemalensis species group” | |||
♀♂ | A | Colombia, Venezuela | |
♀♂‡ | A | Colombia | |
♀ | A | Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico | |
♀♂ | - | Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama | |
♀ | - | Colombia | |
“haeckeli-lineatifrons species group” | |||
♀ | - | Brazil | |
♀ | - | Brazil | |
♀ | - | French Guiana | |
♀ | - | Bolivia | |
♀♂ | - | Brazil, Peru | |
♀ | T | Brazil | |
♀ | - | Brazil | |
♀ | - | Bolivia, Ecuador | |
♀♂ | C | Costa Rica, Panama | |
♀ | - | Ecuador | |
♀ | - | Colombia | |
“impunctata species group” | |||
♀♂ | T | Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname | |
♀♂ | - | Colombia, Panama | |
“lineata species group” | |||
♀ | - | Brazil | |
♀ | - | Brazil | |
♀♂ | - | Argentina, Bolivia | |
♀♂ | S | Bolivia, Brazil | |
♀ | F | Bolivia, Peru | |
♀♂ | - | Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru | |
♀♂ | S | Brazil | |
♀♂ | - | Paraguay | |
“peltata-opaca species group” | |||
♀ | - | Brazil | |
♀ | - | Belize, Guyana | |
♀ | F | Brazil | |
♀♂ | F | Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama | |
♀♂‡ | A | Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru | |
♀ | - | Brazil, French Guiana | |
♀ | - | Brazil | |
Incertae sedis | |||
♀ | - | Venezuela |
Morphological terminology follows that of
Institutional acronyms used herein are:
♀, Ecuador: Mor. [Morona] Santiago, Miazal, 50 km. SE Macas, 1-4/7-1-1993, 300 m., M & J. Wasbauer Coll. (BBSL).
This species belongs to the
Female holotype of
Integument in general finely and densely punctate, dull, as in other species of the genus; propodeum without impunctate midline.
Color predominantly ferruginous, except: black on upper two-thirds of frons, apex of scape, pedicel, flagellum; dark reddish brown on subantennal area, epistomal sulcus, malar area, mandible distally (darker on teeth), mesepisternum ventrally, hind tibia distally, outer surfaces of middle and hind basitarsi; yellow maculations as follows: mandible basally, labrum, scape, face (
Body sparsely covered with minute, appressed, simple yellowish to whitish hairs except as follows: inferior margin of mandible, labrum, and hypostomal area with long (about as long as median ocellar diameter), erect hairs; scape with stiff, erect, simple hairs (0.5 times width of third flagellomere) along inner margin (
The specific epithet is a combination of the Latin words “
An additional female specimen of
♀, Paraguay: San Pedro, Cororo-Rio Ypane, XII-5/9-1983, Malaise Trap, M. Wasbauer coll. (BBSL).
54♀, 28♂, with same data as holotype but collected on November 24–30, and December 1–4 (BBSL, DZUP, SEMC).
This species belongs to the
Female holotype of
Male of
Integument in general finely and densely punctate, dull, as in other species of the genus; propodeum without impunctate midline.
Color black, except: light reddish brown on mandible (darker on teeth), tegula, margins of middle and posterior basitarsi, distitarsi; yellow maculations as follows: labrum, scape, face (
Body sparsely covered with minute, appressed, simple whitish hairs except as follows: inferior margin of mandible, labrum, vertex, hypostomal area, mesepisternum dorsally, distal margin of scutellum dorsally and ventrally, sides of propodeum with long (about as long as median ocellar diameter) erect hairs; mesepisternum ventrally, middle and hind coxae, sterna with much longer, erect simple hairs (about twice as long as median ocellar diameter); sides of propodeum with dense, branched, semierect hairs (0.5 times median ocellar diameter) partially obscuring integument; inner surface of tarsi with yellowish to ferruginous hairs.
The specific epithet is a patronym honoring Marius Wasbauer, friend and colleague, who has contributed much of the material we have studied, including the species described in this paper.
In most paratypes the yellow maculations are pale, discolored, most likely due to preservation in alcohol for an extended period.
The female of this species can be separated from other species of the
The male of
Male of
Integument in general finely and densely punctate, dull, as in other species of the genus; propodeum with faint midline.
Color predominantly black, except: brownish on anterior surface of flagellum, tegula, legs (legs light yellow to ferruginous with pale maculations); yellow maculations as follows: mandible, labrum, anterior surface of scape, face as in
Body sparsely covered with minute, appressed, simple yellowish to whitish hairs except as follows: vertex, hypostomal area, middle trochanter with long (about half median ocellar diameter), erect hairs; hind coxa, seventh tergum with much longer erect hairs (at least as long as median ocellar diameter); sides of propodeum with dense, branched, semierect hairs (about 0.5 times median ocellar diameter) partially obscuring integument.
(
Unlike the female, the yellow maculations in the male are usually reduced on gena, vertex, pronotum, frons, and sides of propodeum.
(
These new records expand the distribution of this species from its previously known range: Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname (
Ecuador: 3♀, 5♂, Napo Province, Huahua Sumaco, km. 45 on Hollin-Loreto road, XII-20, 1989, Malaise trap, M. & J. Wasbauer, H. Real (BBSL).
This new record expands the range of this species from its previously known distribution: Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama (
1 | Maculations absent on frons, gena (except for some small spots in some specimens of |
2 |
– | Maculations present on frons, gena, mesepisternum, and metepisternum ( |
9 |
2(1) | Antennal scape broad, about 1.3 times width of third flagellomere; submarginal angle (between Rs and Rs+M) obtuse (>100°); malar area longer than half width of third flagellomere | |
– | Antennal scape, at most, slightly broader than width of third flagellomere; submarginal angle acute (<90°); malar area narrower than half width of third flagellomere | 3 |
3(2) | Scutellum short-paraboloid, length about 0.55 times its width; paraocular band usually sinuous at the level of antennal alveolus | |
– | Scutellum short-semicircular, length between 0.50 and 0.51 times its width; paraocular band not sinuous at the level of antennal alveolus | 4 |
4(3) | Scape narrower than width of third flagellomere | 5 |
– | Scape about as broad as, or broader than, width of third flagellomere | 8 |
5(4) | Disc of scutum with distinctly long, erect, simple hairs | |
– | Disc of scutum without long, erect, simple hairs | 6 |
6(5) | Mesepisternum dorsally with long, erect, simple hairs ( |
|
– | Mesepisternum dorsally without long, erect, simple hairs; hairs on scutellum short (at most half median ocellar diameter) or absent | 7 |
7(4) | Scutellum with erect hairs on distal margin and some on dorsal surface; face with pale yellow maculations; northern Argentina to Bolivia | |
– | Scutellum with erect hairs on inferior surface only, absent on distal margin; face with bright yellow maculations (northern Minas Gerais, Brazil) | |
8(4) | Scape distinctly broader (1.2–1.3 times) than width of third flagellomere (Pará, Amazonas, Brazil) | |
– | Scape about as broad as or slightly broader than width of third flagellomere (southeastern Brazil) | |
9(1) | Scape thick, about 1.5 times width of third flagellomere; body ferruginous | 10 |
– | Scape, at most, slightly broader than width of third flagellomere; body black, especially head and mesosoma | 11 |
10(9) | Scape distinctly convex on its outer margin, abruptly narrowed on basal one-fourth, inner margin straight or nearly so, with long (0.5 times width of third flagellomere), stiff, erect, simple hairs ( |
|
– | Scape straight or nearly so on its outer margin, not abruptly narrowed on basal one-fourth, inner margin gently convex, without long hairs ( |
|
11(9) | Hind femur with superior margin protuberant on basal third | 12 |
– | Hind femur unmodified, without superior margin protuberant on basal third | 13 |
12(11) | Paraocular band broad, 1.4 times broader than width of third flagellomere, inferiorly filling the space between the compound eye and epistomal sulcus to the level of the tentorial pit | |
– | Paraocular band narrow, about as broad as width of third flagellomere, inferiorly not filling the space between the compound eye and epistomal sulcus to the level of the tentorial pit | |
13(11) | Maculations absent or reduced on inferior paraocular area and clypeus; paraocular band present above superior tangent of antennal alveolus; frontal maculation separated in two small spots, one below median ocellus, the other in the middle of frons; mesepisternum dorsally with spot as large as that on pronotal lobe; malar area short, slightly longer than half width of third flagellomere | |
– | Maculations of face not reduced on clypeus and supraclypeus; paraocular band reaching inferior tangent of antennal alveolus; frontal maculation usually complete; mesepisternum dorsally with or without spot; malar area variable in length | 14 |
14(13) | Antennal scape robust, slightly broader than width of third flagellomere, black or with small basal spot; clypeus with reduced maculations, at most yellow along middle line; paraocular band narrower than width of third flagellomere, not reaching epistomal sulcus; mesepisternum black or with small spot; malar area short, slightly shorter than width of third flagellomere | |
– | Antennal scape slender, at most as broad as width of third flagellomere, maculate on anterior face; clypeus with well developed maculations, not restricted to middle line; paraocular band of variable width, reaching epistomal sulcus; mesepisternum with large spot; malar area variable in length | 15 |
15(14) | Paraocular band narrow, slightly broader than half width of third flagellomere, about the same width along entire length; genal band narrow, not reaching vertex | |
– | Paraocular band broad, 1.4 times broader than width of third flagellomere wider in the middle or below antennal alveolus; genal band complete, reaching vertex and joining paraocular band or slightly interrupted | 16 |
16(15) | Paraocular band very broad inferiorly, occupying space between compound eye and epistomal sulcus below tentorial pit | |
– | Paraocular band narrowed inferiorly, not occupying space between compound eye and epistomal sulcus below tentorial pit | 17 |
17(16) | Malar area about as long as, or slightly longer than, width of third flagellomere; frontal maculation widest in the middle, just above bifurcation; clypeus yellow along distal margin (Andes, Colombia) | |
– | Malar area length about 2/3 width of third flagellomere; frontal maculation not distinctly broad above bifurcation; clypeus entirely yellow, at most, darkened on disc (Amazonas, Brazil) |
We are indebted to B. Harris and S. Brady (USNM) for kindly arranging the loan of