Sphecodes albifacies Gibbs 2016, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gibbs, Jason
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Halictidae
Sphecodes
Sphecodes albifacies

description: Sphecodes albifacies sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 50B6BF6B-1A37-4D18-89F3-1EF2E996173B
Figs 11 A–C, 12A–C, 13B, 14C–D
Diagnosis
The male of S. albifacies sp. nov. can be recognized by the combination of face with dense tomentose setae (Fig. 11A), black body, and metapostnotum with longitudinal carinulae reaching two-thirds of the distance to the smooth posterior margin. The female is similar, but has red on T1–T3 (Fig. 12B). Both sexes have a narrow, indistinct smooth area on the posterior margin of the mesepisternum (Fig. 13B). The male of S. diablotinus sp. nov. is similar but has no tomentum on the face (Fig. 10A). The female of S. diablotinus sp. nov. has red on T1–T4 (Fig. 10B). Both sexes of S. diablotinus sp. nov. have a distinct smooth triangular area on the posterior margin of the mesepisternum (Fig. 13A). Microsphecodes dominicanus has testaceous colour on the mesosoma and reticulate rugae over the entire metapostnotum (Figs 15 B–C, 16B–C).
Etymology
The specific epithet is derived from the Latin for “white face”, and is a reference to the dense white pilosity of the male.
Type material
Holotype
DOMINICA: Ƌ, St. Paul Parish, Parish of St. Joseph [sic], Springfield Estate, 15.34667° N, 61.3683° W, 430 m, 15–20 Mar. 2003, coll. M.E. Irwin & M. Shepard, Malaise trap (BBSL).
Paratypes
DOMINICA: 2 ƋƋ, St. Paul Parish, topotypical (BBSL); 1 ♀, ATREC, Springfield, 345 m, 15.34656° N, 61.36901° W, 3 Jun. 2014, coll. S.K. Kilpatrick, pan traps (TAMUIC); 1 ♀, ATREC, Springfield, 345 m, 15.34656° N, 61.36901° W, 6 Jun. 2014, coll. S.K. Kilpatrick, pan traps (TAMUIC); 2 ♀♀, ATREC, Springfield, 345 m, 15.34656° N, 61.36901° W, 7–8 Jun. 2014, coll. S.K. Kilpatrick, pan traps (TAMUIC); 2 ƋƋ, St. Joseph Parish, Clarke Hall, Layou Valley, 10–17 Feb. 1965, coll. H.E. Evans (NMNH); 1 ♀, Clarke Hall, 19–22 Oct. 1964, coll. P.J. Spangler (NMNH); 2 ♀♀, Clarke Hall, 11–20 Jan. 1965, coll. W.W. Wirth, Malaise trap (NMNH); 1 ♀, Clarke Hall, 21–31 Jan. 1965, coll. W.W. Wirth, Malaise trap (NMNH); 1 Ƌ, Clarke Hall, 11–20 Feb. 1965, coll. W.W. Wirth, Malaise trap (NMNH); 4 ƋƋ, St. George Parish, Roseau, 8 Mar. 1965, coll. H.E. Evans (NMNH); 2 ƋƋ, Roseau Valley, 9 Sep. 1937, coll. W. Richards (NHMUK); 1 Ƌ, St. Luke Parish, S Chiltern, 2 Nov. 1966, coll. A.B. Gurney (NMNH); 1 ♀, St. Patrick Parish, Grany Bay, 4 Sep. 1965, coll. D.L. Jackson (NMNH).
Description
Male
MEASUREMENTS (n = 4). Length 3.5–3.8 mm (mean = 3.7); head length 1.0– 1.1 mm (mean = 1.1); head width 1.2 mm (mean = 1.2); intertegular distance 0.7–0.8 mm (mean = 0.7).
COLOURATION. Body blackish-brown, except as follows. Mandible yellow with red apex. Clypeus distal half dark brown. Flagellum with ventral surface dark reddish brown. Tegula dark yellowish brown. Wing membrane faintly dusky with dark setae, venation and pterostigma brown. Legs dark brown, except medio- and distitarsi and portions of metabasitarsus reddish brown.
PUBESCENCE. Dull white. Sparse erect setae throughout, face below frons with tomentum partially obscuring clypeus, denser on lower paraocular area. Gena adjacent to eye with sparse tomentum.
SURFACE SCULPTURE. Face polished, punctation fine. Clypeus punctation dense (i = 1–1.5 pd). Supraclypeal area, lower and upper paraocular areas and frons densely punctate (i ± pd). Ocellocular area sparsely punctate (i = 1–2 pd). Gena and postgena polished, finely punctate-lineolate. Mesoscutum polished; punctation moderately coarse, finer laterally, relatively dense laterad of parapsidal lines (i = 1–1.5 pd), sparser on posterior and medial area of disc (i = 1–3 pd); mesoscutellum similar. Metanotum rugulose. Preëpisternum reticulate rugulose. Hypoepimeral area finely rugulose. Mesepisternum below scrobe finely rugulose, with narrow smooth posterior margin. Metepisternum rugulose. Metapostnotum with longitudinal carinulae reaching ¾ distance to posterior margin, posterior margin smooth. Propodeum posterior and lateral surfaces smooth, with irregular sparse rugae. Metasomal terga polished, finely coriarious on apical impressed areas; punctation fine, present on basal portions (i = 1–2 pd), sparser (i = 1–4 pd) but distinct on T1; apical impressed areas impunctate. Metasomal sterna coriarious and finely, sparsely punctate (i = 2–4 pd).
STRUCTURE. Head round (length/width ratio = 0.85–0.86). Eyes weakly convergent below. Clypeus ½ below suborbital tangent. Frontal line deeply impressed below median ocellus. Gena narrower than eye. Hypostomal carinae subparallel. Occipital carina small but distinct. Pronotal dorsolateral angle orthogonal. Pronotal ridge carinate, interrupted by sulcus. Tegula ovoid. Submarginal cells three (1rs-m present), 2 nd submarginal cell posterior length approximately equal to anterior length of 3 rd submarginal
cell. Distal hamuli arranged 2-2. 2 nd tarsal segment narrow at base, length as long as 3 rd tarsus. Propodeum with lateral carina reaching ¾ distance to dorsal margin; oblique carina fine.
TERMINALIA. As shown in Fig. 14 C–D.
Female
MEASUREMENTS (n = 4). Length 3.7–4.1 mm (mean = 3.8); head length 1.1 mm (mean = 1.1); head width 1.3–1.4 mm (mean = 1.4); intertegular distance 0.8 mm (mean = 0.8).
COLOURATION. Body blackish-brown, except as follows. Mandible yellow with red apex. Flagellum with ventral surface dark reddish brown. Tegula dark reddish brown. Wing membrane faintly dusky with dark setae, venation and pterostigma brown. Legs dark brown, except medio- and distitarsi and portions of metabasitarsus reddish brown. T1–T3 reddish orange, T4–T6 dark brown.
PUBESCENCE. Dull white. Sparse erect setae throughout. Subappressed tomentum on the following: paraocular area below eye emargination, gena, pronotum dorsolateral angle, pronotal lobe, and preëpisternum. Mesofemur and mesotibia without pollen brush. Metafemur without scopa. Metatibia with thick setae on dorsal margin. Penicillis absent. Posterior propodeal surface with sparse short setae below longer erect setae. Metasomal sterna without scopa.
SURFACE SCULPTURE. Face polished, punctation fine. Clypeus punctation dense (i = 1–1.5 pd). Supraclypeal area, lower and upper paraocular areas and frons densely punctate (i ± pd). Ocellocular area sparsely punctate (i = 1–2 pd). Postgena polished, gena finely punctate-lineolate. Mesoscutum polished; punctation moderately coarse, relatively dense laterad of parapsidal lines (i = 1–1.5 pd), sparser on posterior and medial area of disc (i = 1–2 pd); mesoscutellum similar, submedial patch nearly impunctate. Metanotum rugulose. Preëpisternum reticulate rugulose. Hypoepimeral area finely rugulose. Mesepisternum below scrobe finely rugulose, with narrow, smooth posterior margin. Metepisternum rugulose. Metapostnotum with longitudinal carinulae reaching ¾ distance to posterior margin, posterior margin smooth. Propodeum posterior and lateral surfaces reticulate rugulose. T1–T2 polished, nearly impunctate, T3–T5 weakly coriarious, basal areas with very fine obscure punctation (i = 1–3 pd), virtually absent on T1; apical impressed areas impunctate. Metasomal sterna coriarious and finely, sparsely punctate (i = 2–4 pd).
STRUCTURE. Head wide (length/width ratio = 0.77–0.82). Eyes weakly convergent below. Labrum broad, without apical projection or dorsal keel. Clypeus ½ below suborbital tangent. Mandible simple, without preapical tooth. Gena narrower than eye. Hypostomal carinae subparallel. Occipital carina small but distinct. Flagellum 1 distinctly broader than long on dorsal surface, shorter than pedicel. Pronotal dorsolateral angle acute. Pronotal ridge carinate, interrupted by sulcus. Tegula ovoid. Submarginal cells three (1rs-m present), 2 nd submarginal cell narrow, posterior length slightly less than anterior length of 3 rd submarginal cell. Distal hamuli arranged 2-2. Inner metatibial spur minutely serrate. Basitibial plate indistinct, represented by minute glabrous spot. Metatarsus 2 narrow at base, length as long as metatarsus 3. Propodeum with lateral carina diverging dorsally, reaching ½ distance to dorsal margin; oblique carina indistinct. T5 without evident pseudopygidial area, T6 with narrow pygidial plate.
Remarks
The holotype male of S. nigritus Ashmead, 1900 (NHMUK) was examined and found to have dense pubescence on the face, like S. albifacies sp. nov., but also a large smooth triangular area on the posterior mesepisternum. There does not yet seem to be any overlap in the halictid faunae of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (from where S. nigritus was described) and Dominica. There are only two other species of Sphecodes in the West Indies, both described from Cuba (Engel 2006b) and one of these, S. tainoi Engel, 2006, has subsequently been recorded from Puerto Rico (Engel & Prado 2014).
description: Published as part of Gibbs, Jason, 2016, Bees of the family Halictidae Thomson, 1869 from Dominica, Lesser Antilles (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), pp. 1-50 in European Journal of Taxonomy 180 on pages 24-29, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2016.180, http://zenodo.org/record/3833059