Austroplebeia australis
Creators: name: Dollin, Anne E.
name: Dollin, Leslie J.
name: Rasmussen, Claus
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Apidae
Austroplebeia
Austroplebeia australis

description: Austroplebeia australis –Central Colour Morph
Diagnosis. As in general diagnosis of A. australis with the following exceptions:
Worker HBW 0.29–0.35 mm (Fig. 11). Most workers have the following characteristics: thorax markings Grades 9–11 (Figs 5, 7), ventral scape cream, upper edge of pronotal collar with a continuous cream band except medially, apical terga cream or yellow-brown (Fig. 9), tibia I, II and III with cream maculations. Male HBW 0.23– 0.27 mm, HTW 0.40–0.48 mm (Fig. 13). Distribution northeast WA, NT and northwest QLD (Fig. 28 c).
Description. As in A. australis –Eastern Colour Morph, except for the following characters.
Worker. Body 3.3–4.9 mm. Forewing (including tegula) 3.6–4.3 mm. All other measurements are listed in Table 3.
Structure. Head width 1.59–1.85 mm, 1.2–1.3x head length. Interocellar distance 1.6–2.1x ocellorbital distance. Scape length 0.7–0.9x alveolus–lateral ocellus distance.
Wing venation similar to that shown in Fig. 18. First transverse cubital vein vestige present in 16% of wings examined and slight trace in 60% (n=73). Vein M of forewing terminates at or before position of anterior end of first recurrent vein in 93% of wings examined (n=72). Cell second Cu of forewing completely indicated by pigmented vein traces in 59% of wings examined (n=71). HBW moderately narrow (Figs 11, 19 h), 0.29–0.35 mm.
Sting rudiments. Gonostyli shoulder width moderately broad, 0.12–0.15 mm. Apex of sting stylet usually broadly rounded, occasionally with a narrowly rounded protrusion. Sting lancet length short, 0.24–0.30 mm (Figs 15, 16 e).
Colour. Face markings usually Grades 3–4, ranging 1–5 (Figs 1, 3). Thorax markings usually Grades 10–11, ranging 4–13 (Figs 5, 7).
Other areas with cream or yellow markings: upper edge of pronotal collar except medially (sometimes just two to four spots), pronotal lobe, usually ventral scape, labrum, apical terga and a spot on tegula, and sometimes trochanter. Basal spot on tibia I and usually tibiae II and III. Femora I and II sometimes with an apical spot. Basitarsus I sometimes yellow-brown or cream.
Labrum cream or yellow-brown, sometimes red-brown. Mandible ranges dark brown to brown medially (Fig. 9). Scape dark brown dorsally, cream or yellow-brown ventrally. Unmarked areas of tegula yellow-brown, sometimes red-brown or transparent. Apical terga usually cream, sometimes orange-brown to yellow-brown (Fig. 9).
Pilosity. As in A. australis –Eastern Colour Morph.
Geographic variation. The extent of thorax colour markings in the Central Colour Morph was generally 12– 17% (Fig. 10). Some specimens collected from flowers in the MacDonnell Ranges, Central Australia, NT, had darker thorax colouration (9–10%). However, structural data indicate that they were still part of the Central Colour Morph population (see A. australis Remarks).
Another specimen collected from flowers at Cooper Creek, (ca. 30 km NE Oenpelli) in Arnhem Land, NT, was similar in thorax colouration and HTW/HBW to the Eastern Colour Morph. Further sampling in this area may reveal another coastal population of A. australis with relatively dark colouration and relatively large HTW/HBW scores, similar to the Eastern and Western Colour Morphs.
A bright orange abdomen (Fig. 26) was found in many workers and males in the Central Colour Morph. It was common in western QLD areas such as western Cape York, Croydon, Mt Isa, Cloncurry, Hughenden, and was also seen at Bowen (eastern QLD).
All workers and males in a colony may have orange abdomens, whilst other colonies, even in the same locality, may have some individuals with orange abdomens and others with black. Other abdomen colours observed include red, orange-brown and yellow-brown. Three colonies kept by A. Beil and by AED & LJD changed their abdomen colour over a period of time. Although the vividly coloured abdomen of these bees is highly distinctive, we consider this characteristic to be a simple colour variant within A. australis.
Male. Body 3.9–4.5 mm. Forewing (including tegula) 3.8–4.3 mm. All other measurements are listed in Table 5.
Structure. Head width 1.66–1.76 mm. Interocellar distance 2.6–3.3x ocellorbital distance. Flagellum relatively longer than in A. cincta, length 4.2–4.6x scape length.
HBW moderate, 0.23–0.27 mm. HTW moderate, 0.40–0.48 mm (Fig. 13). HTL moderate, 1.11–1.21 mm (Fig. 14).
Colour. Face markings usually Grade 17, sometimes 15–16 (Figs 2, 4). Thorax markings usually Grades 11– 13, sometimes 10 (Figs 5, 8).
Other areas with cream or yellow markings: ventral scape, labrum, mandible, upper edge of pronotal collar except medially (sometimes just four spots), pronotal lobe, all femora and tibiae, and apical terga; usually sterna, basitarsi, and a spot on tegula; sometimes metanotum.
Scape dark brown to brown dorsally, cream to yellow ventrally. Flagellum orange-brown to yellow-brown. Unmarked areas of tegula red-brown, yellow-brown or transparent. Metanotum ranging dark brown to cream. Basal and medial terga dark brown to yellow. Apical terga cream or yellow (Fig. 9). Sterna ranging dark brown to yellow.
Queen. Body 5.1–6.1 mm. Forewing (including tegula) 3.8–4.1 mm.
Structure. HBW 0.22–0.25 mm.
Colour. Face markings up to Grade 8 (Fig. 24 d).
Pilosity. Scutellum bristles pale gold and up to 450 Μm.
description: Published as part of Dollin, Anne E., Dollin, Leslie J. & Rasmussen, Claus, 2015, Australian and New Guinean Stingless Bees of the Genus Austroplebeia Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae) — a revision, pp. 1-73 in Zootaxa 4047 (1) on pages 45-46, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4047.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/290024