Monoeca armata Torretta & Roig-Alsina 2016, new species
Creators: name: Torretta, Juan Pablo
name: Roig-Alsina, Arturo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Apidae
Monoeca
Monoeca armata

description: Monoeca armata Torretta & Roig-Alsina, new species
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F2146668-13AF-4FA1-88ED-B8F63E90DAEF
(Figs. 3–8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16)
DIAGNOSIS: Both sexes of M. armata run to M. lanei (Moure) in the key to Brazilian species of Monoeca by Aguiar (2012), due to the dark coloration of the integument, the infumate wings, and the polished, sparsely punctate T 2. Comparing the structures of male M. armata to those of M. lanei (Michener & Moure, 1957: their figures 43–45), the terminal sterna and genitalia are strikingly different. Since females of M. lanei are not known (Aguiar, 2012), some peculiar structures of M. armata such as the pointed pronotal lobe, the carinate dorsolateral angle of the pronotum, and the strong, short carina on the posterior surface of the hind femur, could not be compared. These features are not mentioned in the descriptions of any of the other known species of Monoeca. From the only two species of Monoeca not occurring in Brazil, the Mexican and Central American M. mexicana and M. pyropyga, this new species can be separated from the former by the pointed pronotal lobe and from the latter by the lack of fulvous pilosity. The sterna and genital capsule of M. armata are diagnostic for the species: the S7 has a median apical digitiform projection, which is keeled ventrally and is as long as half the length of the sternum (Figs. 14, 15); the S8 has two free apical points, which are as long as one fifth of the disc of the sternum, and have acute apices (Fig. 16); the genital capsule is characterized by the broad dorsal branch of the penis valve and by the strong dorsal lobe of the gonocoxite (Figs. 10, 11). The apically projected hind basitarsus of the male is a diagnostic feature of this species (Fig. 7).
DESCRIPTION: Holotype ♂: Total body length: 9.1 (range: 8.7–9.6) mm; maximum head width: 2.9 mm (range: 2.5–2.9); forewing length (including tegula): 8.3 mm (range: 7.7–8.6) (n=12). Integument mostly black (brown in some paratypes). Legs brown (brownish orange in some paratypes). Tegulae brown, wing membrane brown, veins and stigma brownish orange (Fig. 3). Spurs of fore and mid-tibiae brown, of hind tibia black. Metasomal sterna brown. Labrum with plumose, brown hairs. Clypeus with simple, long (2x DF) hairs on disc, lateral areas with decumbent, plumose, white hairs. Paraocular area and frons with erect, plumose, white hairs. Vertex with erect, plumose (1.5–2x DF), brownish hairs. Gena with adpressed, short, white hairs intermingled with long (2–3x DF), plumose, white hairs. Pubescence of pronotum, scutum, scutellum, propodeum, and metanotum dark brown. Mesopleuron with long, plumose (2–3x DF), brown hairs. Legs with brown hairs, mixed with yellowish hairs on middle tarsus, and on apex of tibia, and tarsus of hind legs (Fig. 8). T1 mostly glabrous, with few simple hairs on lateral portions. T2 – T4 covered with decumbent, plumose (1.5–2.0x DF), black hairs. T5 and T6 with abundant, plumose hairs (2.5–3.5x DF), intermingled with few white hairs at sides. T7 with pygidial plate covered with adpressed short hairs. S2–S5 with dense bands of plumose, and long, simple hairs (Fig. 4). Clypeus with coarse, dense punctures, except smooth and shiny apical band and median longitudinal band. Supraclypeal area smooth and shiny. Paraocular area with sparse (4 pd), fine punctures; area surrounding ocelli smooth and shiny. Frons with coarse, dense punctures. Scutum, scutellum, and pleura with dense (1 dp) and coarse (smaller than on clypeus) punctures. Metanotum and propodeum with very sparse and weak punctures, metaposnotum smooth and shiny. T1 smooth and shiny, with few, very fine punctures on anterior vertical area. T2 – T4 with dense, fine punctures, except median area glabrous and shiny. T5 and T6 with punctures sparser and coarser than on T2 – T4. Head wider than long (1.00:0.78). Eye with inner orbits slightly sinuate and convergent below. Proportion of scape, pedicel, and first three flagellomeres 2.54:0.77:1.00:0.61:0.77. Labrum wider than long (1.00:0.60). Clypeus slightly protuberant (0.30x width of eye). Supraclypeal area elevated. Median sulcus (2x DF) present on upper frons. Pronotal lobe pointed in frontal view. Dorsolateral margin of pronotum shortly carinate (3x DF). Scutellum with weak longitudinal carina. Apex of hind basitarsus ending in strong tooth. S7, S8, and genitalia as in figures 10, 11, and 14–16).
♀: Total body length: 9.8–11.8 mm; maximum head width: 4.1–4.3 mm; forewing length (including tegula): 9.2–10.2 mm (n=5). Integument mostly black. Head black except for brown flagellum. Mesosoma and legs black except posterior surface of hind tibia and basitarsus brown. Tegulae dark brown, wing membrane dark infumate, veins and stigma dark brown. Spurs of tibiae brown. Metasoma black except T1 – T4 with translucent brownish orange apical margins. Pubescence mostly black except as noted below. Labrum with numerous decumbent, plumose (1.5x DF) hairs. Lateral portions of clypeus with shorter (0.5–0.7x DF), plumose hairs and disc of clypeus with longer (1.5–3x DF), simple hairs. Paraocular area, frons, and vertex with short (0.4– 0.5x DF), plumose hairs, those on vertex intermixed with longer (0.5–1x DF), simple hairs. Gena with decumbent white hairs, intermingled with scattered longer (0.5–2x DF) white (and black) simple hairs. Scutum and scutellum with very short (0.1–0.2x DF), plumose hairs intermingled with scattered longer (0.5–0.7x DF, a few up to 3x), simple hairs. Metanotum with very short (0.1–0.2x DF), plumose hairs, and longer hairs (0.3–0.4x DF) on lateral areas. Lateral areas of propodeum with plumose (0.5–1x DF) hairs. Mesopleuron with plumose (0.8–1.0x DF) hairs on upper third, and those on lower third with hooked setae (1.5–2x DF). Ventral areas of mesosoma with shorter (0.5–1x DF), dark brown, hooked setae. Coxae and trochanthers with dark brown, hooked setae. Foreleg with simple and plumose orange hairs on distal tarsomeres. Ventral area of mid-basitarsus with long (1.5–2x DF), orange hairs, mixed with black hairs, and plumose (and simple), shorter (0.3–1x DF), orange hairs on distal tarsomeres. Hind leg with scopal hairs on hind tibia and basitarsus pale yellow, abundant, long (4–7x DF, a few up to 10x) hairs, but basal area of tibia with hairs black, and in some paratypes distal hairs of basitarsus also black; distal tarsomeres with orange hairs. T1 mostly glabrous, with few simple hairs on lateral portions. T2 – T4 covered with decumbent, plumose (1.5–2x DF) hairs. T2 and T3 with glabrous median area. T5 with abundant, long (2.5–3.5x DF), plumose hairs intermingled with simple hairs, pale yellow laterally, or entirely black in some paratypes. T6 with plumose hairs surrounding pygidial plate. S2–S5 with abundant, orange, hooked setae. S5 covered with long (3–4x DF), plumose, orange hairs. S6 covered with adpressed, short, orange hairs. Sculpture similar to that of male. Head wider than long (1.00:0.80). Eye with inner orbit slightly sinuate and convergent below. Proportion of scape, pedicel, and first three flagellomeres 2.33:0.61:1.00:0.50:0.61. Labrum wider than long (1.00:0.60). Clypeus protuberant (0.50x width of eye). Supraclypeal area elevated (in some individuals with very weak longitudinal carina [1.5–2.0x DF] on interantennal area). Medial sulcus (2.0x DF) on upper frons. Pronotal lobe pointed in frontal view (Fig. 5). Dorsolateral angle of pronotum carinate (3.0x DF). Scutellum with weak longitudinal carina. Apex of posterior surface of hind femur with arcuate, strong, short (2.0–2.5x DF) carina (Fig. 6). T6 without wax-extruding area at base.
HOLOTYPE: ♂, ARGENTINA, Misiones, San Pedro, Reserva Esmeralda, 15-XII-2011, col. L. Alvarez (MACN).
PARATYPES: ARGENTINA: Misiones: 1♀, San Ignacio, Parque Provincial Teyú Cuaré, 5-XII-2012, col. H.J. Marrero (on flowers of Heteropterys intermedia) (FAUBA); 1♀, San Ignacio, 30-XI-2015, col. J.P. Torretta (on flowers of Heteropterys intermedia) (FAUBA); 1♀, Iguazú, Parque Nacional Iguazú, 6-XII-2012, col. J.P. Torretta (on flowers of Mascagnia divaricata (Kunth) Nied.) (FAUBA); 1♀, Iguazú, Parque Nacional Iguazú, 12- XII-2008, col. Zamudio, Colleselli & Gomez de Olivera (MLP); 1♂, San Pedro, Reserva Esmeralda, 14-XII-2011, col. L. Alvarez & D. Aquino (MLP); 4♀♀, Guaraní, El Soberbio, 19-XII-2013, col. J.P. Torretta (on flowers of Heteropterys intermedia) (MACN, FAUBA); 1♀, Montecarlo, 29-XI-2014, col. J.P. Torretta, N. Gomiz & S.S. Aliscioni (on flowers of Heteropterys intermedia) (MACN); 34♂♂, Bernardo de Irigoyen, 5-XII-1951, col. A. Willink & F. Monrós (IFML); 1♀, 1♂, Pto. Bemberg, no date, col. K. Hayward (MACN).
ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to the presence of a strong apical tooth on the hind basitarsus of the male.
SCOPAL POLLEN LOADS: In three females in which pollen scopal loads were analyzed the loads contained 100% of pollen of H. intermedia.
description: Published as part of Torretta, Juan Pablo & Roig-Alsina, Arturo, 2016, First report of Monoeca in Argentina, with description of two new species (Hymenoptera: Apidae), pp. 1-12 in Journal of Melittology 2016 (59) on pages 6-10, DOI: 10.17161/jom.v0i59.5031, http://zenodo.org/record/13145888