Caenohalictus alexandrei Celis, Cure & Aguilar-Benavides, 2014, n. sp.
Creators: name: Celis, Cindy Julieth
name: Cure, Jose Ricardo
name: Aguilar-Benavides, Marlene Lucia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Halictidae
Caenohalictus
Caenohalictus alexandrei

description: Caenohalictus alexandrei n. sp.
Figures 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 22 and 23
Gonzalez 2006: 93 [as C. cuprellus]
Material examined: HOLOTYPE male— (UMNG-ins), COLOMBIA, CUNDINAMARCA, Zipaquirá, San Jorge, 1-X-2011, C. Celis leg. Nº 81. PARATYPES males— 8-III-2011. Nº 131 (UMNG-ins), 1-IV-2011. Nº 13 (ICN 087523), Nº 14 (ICN 087524) and Nº 82 (ICN 087525), 29-IV-2011. Nº 18 (ICN 087518), 9-VIII-2011. Nº 53 (ICN 087519), 1-X-2011. Nº 77 (UMNG-ins), Nº 79 (UMNG-ins), Nº 80 (UMNG-ins), Nº 83 (UMNG-ins), Nº 84 (ICN 087517) and Nº 86 (ICN 087518), 13-X-2011. Nº 78 (UMNG-ins), Nº 95 (ICN 087520) and Nº 96 (UMNGins), 8-III-2012.Nº 130 (UMNG-ins), 20-III-2012.Nº 132(ICN 087521); different locality and same collector as the holotype, with the following data: Bogotá, Cerro la Conejera, 7-V-2011. Nº 23 (ICN 087511), 3-VII-2011. Nº 34(ICN 087515) and Nº 43 (ICN 087513), 14-VIII-2011. Nº 88 (UMNG-ins), 18-VIII-2011. Nº 100 (ICN 087514), 21-VIII-2011. Nº 67 (ICN 087512); Cajicá, UMNG, 5-VIII-2009. Nº 142 (UMNG-ins), 9-IX-2009. Nº 140 (UMNG-ins) and Nº 151 (UMNG-ins); different collector, D. Castellanos, 28-IX-2008 (UMNG-ins). PARATYPES Females— the same locality and collector as the holotype, with the following data: 15-III-2011. Nº 133 (UMNG-ins) and Nº 134 (UMNG-ins), 7-V-2011.Nº 22 (UMNG-ins), 3-VII-2011.Nº 32 (UMNG-ins) and Nº 35 (UMNG-ins), 20-XII-2011. Nº 114 (ICN 087505), Nº 115 (UMNG-ins), Nº 116 (UMNG-ins), Nº 117 (UMNGins), Nº 118 (UMNG-ins), Nº 119 (ICN 087504), and Nº 120 (UMNG-ins), 27-I-2012. Nº 121 (ICN 087503), 19- VIII-2011. Nº 66 (ICN 087501), 13-X-2011. Nº 95 (ICN 087488), 15-X-2011. Nº 97 (ICN 087486), 27-I-2012. Nº 122 (UMNG-ins), 7-III-2012.Nº 125 (UMNG-ins) and Nº 126 (UMNG-ins), 8-III-2012.Nº 127 (UMNG-ins), Nº 128 (UMNG-ins) and Nº 129 (UMNG-ins); different locality as the holotype, Bogotá, Cerro la Conejera, 7-V- 2011.Nº 21(ICN 087508), 3-VII-2011. Nº 37(ICN 087507), Nº 38(ICN 087509), Nº 41(ICN 087506) and Nº 42(ICN 087510), 14-IX-2011. Nº 71 (ICN 087502); Tabio, Huaica, 29-VIII-2011. Nº 91 (ICN 087492); Cajicá, UMNG, 5-VIII-2009. Nº 143 (UMNG-ins) and Nº 146 (UMNG-ins), 9-IX-2009. Nº 139(ICN 087489), Nº 141 (UMNG-ins), Nº 144 (UMNG-ins), Nº 145 (UMNG-ins), Nº 147 (UMNG-ins), Nº 148(ICN 087487),Nº 149 (ICN 087490) and Nº 150 (UMNG-ins); different collector, D. Castellanos leg, 4-X-2008 (UMNG-ins), 11-X-2008 (UMNG-ins), 12-X-2008 (UMNG-ins), 25-X-2008 (UMNG-ins), 26-X-2008 (2 specimens) (UMNG-ins) and 26- X-2008 (ICN 087498).
Diagnosis. Female hind tibial spur pectinate with three long teeth. Male compound eyes very pubescent with long hairs (longer than MOD); yellow areas in the inner side of the front tibiae. Genital capsule (Figs. 22–23): Gb with outer margin straight, Gc broad and compacted, G large, occupying half of the length of the genital capsule, apex of ogp with four long bristles, finely branched and curved apically, originating from well demarcated pores.
General description. Tegula completely black. Pilosity of head and mesosoma usually white, with branched dark hairs, very abundant and evident on face, frons, vertex, mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum and propodeum except in lunula; gena, postgena and mesopleura, with a tuft of white and branched hairs, denser in males than in females. Metasoma, in ventral view, with branched, white hairs, more sparse than on head and mesosoma. Compound eye with dark-brown, branched, abundant and evenly distributed hairs, longer than MOD. Punctuation of the clypeus coarser than on the remaining areas of the body, separated by at least two times a puncture width; integument rough between punctures. Frons and face with integument micro tessellate. Pre-episternal sulcus, from tegula to antero-ventral margin of the mesothorax, without a carina, pleurointersegmental sulcus well defined by a carina, scrobal sulcus absent. Malar area linear. Head wider than its length. Compound eye slightly emarginated. Supraclypeal area more convex and protuberant than the clypeus. Wings hyaline with brown venation and covered by short, erect and simple hairs, with three submarginal cells, marginal cell twice as long as the stigma. Hind wings with five small distal hamuli.
Male. Holotype: total length, 8.7 mm (paratypes: 6.9 – 8.3 mm); forewing, 6.3 mm (paratypes: 5.7 – 5.9 mm); maximum head width, 2.2 mm (paratypes: 1.8 – 2.2 mm); head length, 2.2 mm (paratypes: 1.4 – 2.0 mm); length of clypeus, 0.4 mm (paratypes: 0.4 – 0.5 mm); length of compound eye, 1.2 mm (paratypes: 1.1 – 1.4 mm).
Color of integument: Metallic olive-green to metallic green-blue on head and mesosoma; face, scutellum and metanotum with abundant yellow reflections, rarely bronze. Upper part of clypeus metallic olive-green, with abundant yellow and bronze reflections, distally with a thin creamy to intense-yellow marginal band, occupying 1/6 of the total clypeus length. Supraclypeal area metallic olive-green usually with yellow and bronze reflections, with or without an apical triangular black area. Proximal part of labrum creamy to intenseyellow, distal part black. Mandible black. Inner side of antennae dark-brown, outer side light brown-yellow. Scutellum and metanotum usually brighter than mesoscutum and propodeum. Pre-episternal sulcus concolor with hypoepimeron and pre-episternum. Trochanter, femur and tibia metallic dark-green to metallic black. Tarsus black. Inner edge of tibia of first leg, with yellow longitudinal band. Metasomal terga metallic darkgreen, darker than on head and mesosoma. Metasomal sterna metallic blackish-green. Marginal zone T I – T VI blackish-brown. Pygidial plate dark-brown to black.
Pubescence: More conspicuous in head and mesosoma. Face with branched white hairs, 2.3 – 3.6 times longer than MOD and mixed with dark hairs, gena and postgena with erect, branched, white hairs, as long as 3.4 – 3.9 times MOD. Compound eye very hairy, usually dark, hairs longer than MOD. Clypeus without apical row of setae. Scape with branched, black and white hairs, the hairs longer than MOD. Flagellum apparently glabrous or with very short, white hairs giving a velvety appearance. Mesopleura with erect, branched, white hairs, as long as 2.0 – 3.4 times MOD. First and second legs with branched usually white pilosity, with some dark hairs in femur and tibia; scopa absent. Tarsi with unbranched, white-yellow bristles. Marginal zone T I – T VI glabrous.
Sculpture: Mesoscutum micro tessellate among coarse punctures, separated by four times a puncture width. Lunula completely micro tessellate or with a few anastomosed superficial striae in the mid region, striae not reaching posterior margin of lunula (Fig. 9). Metasoma with reticulate integument.
Structure: Alveolocular distance equal or shorter (0.8 times) than interalveolar distance. Frontal carina short, not extending beyond the upper margin of antennal socket. Antenna surpassing propodeum. Scape at least 1/7 of total antenna length, shorter than in females. Antennal flagellomere II twice as long as pedicel and flagellomere I combined. Length of labrum including distal process close to 0.3 mm, with abundant marginal fimbria. Mandible without subapical tooth. Hind tibia with two serrate apical spurs. Hind tarsomeres I and II fused. Legs with femurs slightly widened. S I with apical median notch, not forming a slit, with a few hairs on the margin. S II – S VI without notch and glabrous. S VI with a shallow groove in the middle (Fig. 19). Pygidial plate carinate, semicircular or trapezoidal in shape (Figs. 16 and 17).
Genitalia: Outer margin of gonobase (Gb) straight, gonocoxites (Gc) broad and compacted. Gonostylus (G), in ventral view, large and projected, is occupying half of the length of the genital capsule. Apex of the outer gonostilar plate (ogp) with four long bristles, finely branched and curved apically, originating from well demarcated pores, external area of ogp with short setae. Inner gonostilar plate (igp) laminar, with inner bristle like projections (igpp). Penis valves (V) parallel with sharp points, bending ventrally at the end. Volsella (Vo) in ventral view, as a sclerotized plate (Figs. 22 and 23).
Female. Paratypes: total length, 7.8 – 8.4 mm; forewing, 5.9 – 6.0 mm; maximum head width, 2.3 – 2.5 mm; length of head, 1.9 – 2.2 mm; length of clypeus, 0.4 mm; length of compound eye, 1.4 mm.
Color of integument: Metallic olive-green on head and mesosoma, with yellow or bronze reflections. Upper part of clypeus olive-green to green-brown, with yellow and bronze reflections, distal 1/3 or half of clypeus black. Supraclypeal area metallic olive-green, with yellow and bronze reflections, with a black circular area in the middle. Labrum and mandible black. Antennae black to dark-brown, lighter at the apical end of flagellum. Mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum usually clearer and brighter than the propodeum. Pre-episternal sulcus concolor with hypoepimeron and pre-episternum. Legs metallic black. Metasomal terga metallic blackish-green with golden reflections, darker than head and mesosoma, metasomal sterna metallic black without golden reflections. Marginal zone of T1 – T IV black.
Pubescence: Head and mesosoma with very conspicuous and abundant pubescence. Face with branched white hairs, 2.1 – 2.3 times longer than MOD and mixed with dark hairs, gena and postgena with erect, branched, white hairs, 2 – 4.1 MOD. Compound eye very hairy, hairs longer than MOD. Clypeus with an apical row of brown setae, 1.9 – 2.3 times MOD, evenly distributed. Scape with black and white hairs, hairs branched and longer than MOD basally, shorter apical. Flagellum with very short hairs giving a velvety appearance. Mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with dark pilosity originating from visible punctures. Mesopleura with erect, branched, white hairs, as long as 3.2 – 3.4 times MOD. Legs with branched, white hairs; scopa of coxa, trochanter and femur of the hind legs with long, branched, white hairs. Tarsus of the legs with abundant, translucent, simple bristles, denser in the hind legs. Scopa of the S I – S IV with branched, fine, suberect white hairs, shorter on distal sterna, marginal zone of terga glabrous.
Sculpture: Mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum micro tessellate. Punctures separated by four to five times a puncture width in the mesoscutum, two times a puncture width in scutellum and three times a puncture width on metanotum. Lunula completely micro tessellate or with a few basal, anastomosed superficial striae, medially, striae not reaching posterior margin of lunula (Fig. 8). Metasoma with reticulate integument.
Structure: Alveolocular distance 1.6 – 1.8 times interalveolar distance. Frontal carina absent. Antenna in repose does not exceed half the length of the mesosoma. Scape nearly half of total length of antenna. Length of labrum, distal process included, close to 0.4 mm, with abundant marginal fimbria (Fig. 13). Mandible with subapical tooth, basal portion with long hairs in dorsal and ventral margins. Inner spur of hind tibia pectinate, with three basal teeth longer than wide, slightly rounded at the tip, and a third subapical tooth poorly defined (Fig. 11). Pseudopygidial area with an oval shape appearance due to pubescence along the midline.
Variation. There is variation in the hair color of the compound eye, from dark-brown to completely white. The males show variation in the color of the apical band of clypeus generally intense-yellow, rarely pale-yellow, gray or absent.
Comments. This species was listed as C. cuprellus by Gonzalez (2006). However, C. cuprellus is restricted to Peru and Chile. The Colombian specimens identified as C. cuprellus are morphologically distinct from those of Peru and Chile based on the description and illustrations provided by Rojas & Toro (2000). Thus, herein the Colombian species are described as a new species. Caenohalictus alexandrei was collected on flowers of Asteraceae (Taraxacum officinale, Bidens pilosa and Senecio) or in their nest, which are built in vertical banks of well drained, exposed soil. Specimens of the cleptoparasite Sphecodes spp. (Halictidae) were frequently observed around the nests (based on direct observations made by us on the nests during the collection of specimens in the field from 3-VII-2011 to 1-XII-2012).
Etymology. The name of this species is a patronymic honoring Alexander Escobar, for his passion for nature and enthusiastic contribution to the Bee Biodiversity and Ecology Research Group of the UMNG.
description: Published as part of Celis, Cindy Julieth, Cure, Jose Ricardo & Aguilar-Benavides, Marlene Lucia, 2014, Two new species of Caenohalictus Cameron, 1903 (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) from Colombia, pp. 574-586 in Zootaxa 3786 (5) on pages 583-585, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3786.5.5, http://zenodo.org/record/229591