Euglossa (Euglossella) jacquelynae Nemesio, sp. n.
Creators: name: Nemésio, André
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Apidae
Euglossa
Euglossa jacquelynae

description: Euglossa (Euglossella) jacquelynae Nemésio sp. n.
Diagnosis (male characters). This species can be distinguished from other Euglossa by the following combination of characters: anterior mid-tibial tuft extremely large, entire, and oblong in comparison to the posterior one; complete ivory paraocular markings; mandible with three teeth; metatibia triangular; tongue short (reaching hindcoxa); mesosoma blue; T1-T4 blue, T5-T7 green (Figures 1 A-D). Two other species of Euglossella are similar to E. jacquelynae sp. n.: Euglossa cyanura and E. viridis. Mid-tibial tufts of these species are very similar to each other and to those of E. jacquelynae sp. n. Euglossa cyanura has paraocular markings much wider below than in both E. viridis and E. jacquelynae sp. n. (Figures 1 C, 1E, and 1G) and is geographically restricted to Central America and northern South America. Euglossa viridis is smaller than E. jacquelynae sp. n. and its mid-tibial tufts and malar markings are more similar to E. cyanura (Figures 1 E-H). Moreover, the lower portion of the anterior mid-tibial tufts of E. jacquelynae sp. n. is rounded (Figure 1 D) whereas it is somewhat pointed in both E. cyanura (Figure 1 F) and E. viridis (Figure 1 H) – although a drawing by Moure (1970) shows E. cyanura with a rounded lower portion of anterior mid-tibial tuft (possibly a mistake due to the angle of observation).
Male
Color and vestiture. Head green, clypeus blue, mesoscutum blue, scutellum deep violet (Figure 1A), T1- T4 basally violet and distally blue, T5-T7 bluish-green. Wings pale brown. Pubescence very sparse, black and fulvous hairs evenly distributed on mesosoma; only fulvous hairs on posterior part of scutellum, on metasoma, antennal sockets, and scape. Ivory paraocular markings well developed, reaching malar area; anterior of antennal scape with white stripe occupying basal two thirds (Figure 1 C).
Head. Width 4.5 mm; interorbital distance at level of antennal socket 2.7 mm; maximum interorbital distance 2.8 mm; scape 0.75 mm; eye length 2.85 mm; mandible with three teeth.
Body. Body length ca. 10.5 mm; anterior wing ca. 8.5 mm; tongue in repose reaching hindcoxa; scutellum 2.85 mm wide and 1.2 mm long; abdominal width 4.4 mm.
Legs. Foretibia and forebasitarsus fringed with long, dense, fulvous hairs; velvet area occupying all ventral side of mesotibia; posterior mid-tibial tuft very small (maximum length 0.19 mm, maximum width 0.12 mm), oblong, separated from velvet area; anterior mid-tibial tuft very large (maximum length 0.62 mm, maximum width 0.34 mm), entire, rounded anteriorly, straight posteriorly (Figure 1 B); metatibia triangular, apex acute posteriorly, post-glandular area fringed with medium to long fulvous hairs (0.5 mm) (Figure 1 D).
Metasoma. Punctures on basal part of T1 sparse, large, and elongate; on discal base of T1 dense, comprised of small circular punctures; on T2 dense, with small elongated punctures; on T3-T7 dense, with large, elongated punctures. S2 with small, widely separated tufts.
Female. Unknown.
Etymology. The species epithet honors Dr. Jacquelyn L. Blackmer, who had a brief contact with orchid bees in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and has been a strong supporter of my interest and research on these bees.
Type locality. Holotype collected at Parque Estadual da Serra de Caldas Novas (17º43’56”– 17º50’55,07” S, 48º40’0”– 48º42’57,06”W), municipality of Caldas Novas, state of Goiás, Central Brazil. Holotype collected at methyl salicylate bait. Paratypes attracted to and collected at methyl salicylate and β–ionone baits.
Type material. HOLOTYPE: male, with the following data: “ Brasil, GO, Caldas Novas, 25/11/2004, Silva, C. I. col.” and “12325-36328” (UFMG). PARATYPES: five males, with the following data: “ Brasil, GO, Caldas Novas, 18/11/2004, Augusto, S. C. col.” and “12324-36326” (UFMG); idem, “12324-36327” (ZSM); “ Brasil, MG, Uberlândia, Panga, 20/IV/2004, Alvarenga, P. Col.” and “12333-36365” (UFMG); “ Brasil, GO, Caldas Novas, 18/11/2004, Augusto, S. C. col.” and “salicilato de metila, mata de galeria” (UFU); idem and “β-ionone, cerrado” (UFU).
Va r ia ti o n. The paratype from Uberlândia, state of Minas Gerais (labeled 12333-36365) has the last three terga more bluish; T5 has a broad longitudinal impunctated stripe, which extends on to T4 where it is not as broad. This individual is also more robust than the holotype and the other four paratypes. Its paraocular markings, punctation on metasoma and mesosoma, color of metasomal integument, size and shape of mid-tibial tufts are identical to the other males in the series. Due to the short geographic distance, similarity of habitats where the bees were collected, and overall morphological similarity I tentatively include this specimen in E. jacquelynae sp. n. until larger series of both localities are available.
Remarks. Based on the morphological characters of this species, it is easily placed in subgenus Euglossella sensu Dressler (1978). A common feature of all members of Euglossella is that they are poorly attracted to the most commonly used chemical baits (see Moure 1995, 1999 and Nemésio & Silveira 2004) and, thus, are rare in orchid-bee inventories. It means it is extremely difficult to establish the actual geographic distributions of many species. Euglossa cyanura, for example, which is here considered to be a close ally of E. jacquelynae sp. n., is only known from Central America and northern South America. Euglossa viridis, also a rarely collected bee, is known from the Amazon Basin [the record of this species for Rio de Janeiro (see Tonhasca Jr. et al. 2002) should be investigated]. The type series of E. jacquelynae sp. n. was compared to one specimen of E. cyanura identified by R. L. Dressler (depicted in Figure 1 E-F) and to one specimen of E. viridis identified by J. S. Moure in 1982, both specimens presently deposited at UFMG, and to larger series of both species deposited at FFCLRP. Additionally, B. Bembé has sent me several photographs of the holotype E. viridis (two of them published here as Figures 1 G-H). These two species are very similar to each other and to E. jacquelynae sp. n. [Moure (1960:11) even considered E. cyanura as a junior synonym of E. viridis, but interestingly did not consider them synonyms when publishing his checklist (Moure 1967). If both species are truly distinct, they are morphologically more similar to each other than either are to E. jacquelynae sp. n.]. Due to the morphological differences described above and the huge geographic distances involved, allied to features of the habitat of the type-locality (a xeric habitat, “cerrado” area over 1,000 m a.s.l., whereas E. cyanura and E. viridis are forest species), I consider E. jacquelynae sp. n. as a distinct taxon.
description: Published as part of Nemésio, André, 2007, Three new species of Euglossa Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Brazil, pp. 21-31 in Zootaxa 1547 on pages 22-24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.273883