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 –Eastern Colour Morph
Diagnosis. As in general diagnosis of A. australis with the following exceptions:
Worker HBW 0.33–0.39 mm (Fig. 11). Most workers have the following characteristics: thorax markings Grades 2–5 (Figs 5, 7), ventral scape dark brown, upper edge of pronotal collar maculations limited to two small lateral spots, apical terga brown (Fig. 9), leg maculations limited to a basal spot on tibia I. Male HBW 0.25–0.29 mm, HTW 0.46–0.54 mm (Fig. 13). Distribution QLD and NSW (Fig. 28 c).
Description. As in general Austroplebeia description, except for the following characters.
Worker. Body 3.4–4.4 mm. Forewing (including tegula) 3.8–4.6 mm. All other measurements are listed in Table 3.
Structure. Head width 1.67–1.92 mm, 1.2x head length. Interocellar distance 1.5–1.9x ocellorbital distance. Clypeus length 0.5–0.6x width. Malar area 0.2–0.3x basal mandibular width. Mandible preapical teeth more widely spaced than in A. cincta (Fig. 17 f). Scape length 0.7–0.8x alveolus–lateral ocellus distance.
Scutellum length 0.3–0.5x width. Wing venation similar to that shown in Figs 18 a, d. First transverse cubital vein vestige (up to 75 Μm) present in 35% of wings examined (Fig. 18 c) and slight trace in 54% (n=138). Vein M of forewing terminates at or before position of anterior end of first recurrent vein in 97% of wings examined (n=138). Cell second Cu of forewing completely indicated by pigmented vein traces (n=137). Hamuli 5 to 7 per wing. HBW moderately broad (Figs 11, 19 h), 0.33–0.39 mm.
Sting rudiments. Gonostyli shoulder width broad, 0.13–0.17 mm. Apex of sting stylet usually broadly rounded. Sting lancet length moderately long, 0.25–0.34 mm (Figs 15, 16 d).
Colour. Face markings usually Grades 2–3a, ranging 1–3a (Figs 1, 3). Thorax markings usually Grades 2–4, ranging 0–11 (Figs 5, 7), Grade 2 maculations: 12% brown, 88% cream.
Other areas with cream or yellow markings: usually pronotal lobe and a basal spot on tibia I; sometimes labrum, upper edge of pronotal collar (usually limited to two small lateral spots) and a spot on tegula.
Labrum ranging red-brown to cream. Scape usually dark brown to red-brown. Flagellum ranging dark brown to yellow-brown. Tegula ranging dark brown to yellow-brown, sometimes with a cream spot. Basal and medial terga usually black to orange-brown. Apical terga usually brown, ranging dark brown to yellow-brown (Fig. 9). Sterna ranging black to yellow-brown. Unmarked areas of tibia I dark brown to brown.
Pilosity. As in A. essingtoni, with the following differences:
Plumose hair on paraocular area and supraantennal area longer than on clypeus, well-branched and dense, hiding most of the surface. Clypeus with finer plumose hair that reveals more of surface and rarely obscures upper margin of clypeus (Fig. 22 d). Vertex bristles 75–225 Μm.
Scutum longer simple hairs 100 Μm, lateral and anterior fringes 175–225 Μm. Scutellum bristles 100–275 Μm. T6 simple hairs up to 175 Μm.
Penicillum and rastellum bristles golden, sometimes pale gold or slightly brown. Basitarsus III inner surface evenly covered with coarse golden bristles, sometimes pale gold or slightly brown.
Geographic variation. The extent of thorax colour markings in the Eastern Colour Morph was generally 3– 10% (Fig. 10), with most relatively dark populations occurring in southeastern QLD.
Worker bees with mixed characteristics were found between the ranges of the Eastern and Central Colour Morphs (Fig. 28 c), generally having more extensive thorax markings (10–17%) but with HTW/HBW scores within the Eastern Colour Morph range.
In a few colonies, workers and males had distinctive orange abdomens, similar to those seen in many Central Colour Morph colonies (Fig. 26) e.g. Nest Q35, Eulo, QLD, and NSW15, Kempsey, NSW.
An isolated colony on the tip of Cape York, QLD, (F31) had workers resembling the Eastern Colour Morph in structure and colouration. However, it differed from other Eastern Colour Morph colonies by a relatively high 6 bps in our 16S mDNA molecular analysis (Halcroft and Dollin unpublished data) and may be genetically distinct. This colony was separated from other Eastern Colour Morph colonies by a large population of Central Colour Morph colonies on lower Cape York (Fig. 28 c).
Male. Body 3.9–4.8 mm. Forewing (including tegula) 4.1–4.5 mm. All other measurements are listed in Table 5.
Structure. Head width 1.76–1.87 mm. Interocellar distance 2.1–2.6x ocellorbital distance. Clypeus length 0.6– 0.7x width. Mandible preapical tooth weaker than in A. cincta (Fig. 17 k). Scape length 0.7–0.8x alveolus–lateral ocellus distance. Flagellum relatively longer than in A. cincta, flagellum length 4.2–4.5x scape length. Hamuli per wing 5–6. HBW broad, 0.25–0.29 mm. HTW broad, 0.46–0.54 mm (Fig. 13). HTL long, 1.14–1.32 mm (Fig. 14).
Terminalia and genitalia. Graduli of S3 and S4 gently curved. S5 gradulus transverse and usually very close to or touching antecosta, pregradular area slightly wider in some Eastern Colour Morph males, apical margin smooth or slightly curved. S6 with median body width variable but relatively broad and parallel sided or with slight medial constriction, apically pointed. S7 quadrangular, apical margin transverse (Figs 20 c, i, m, q). Gonostylus gently curved. Base of penis valve relatively broad and short (similar to Figs 21 c, e).
Colour. Face markings usually Grade 17, sometimes 15–16 (Figs 2, 4). Thorax markings usually Grade 6 or 11, sometimes 10 or 12 (Figs 5, 8).
Other areas with cream or yellow markings: ventral scape, labrum, mandible, upper edge of pronotal collar except medially (sometimes just two spots), pronotal lobe, apical terga, usually sterna and basitarsi, and sometimes a spot on tegula. Most femora and all tibiae with cream areas.
Scape red-brown dorsally, yellow-brown to cream ventrally. Flagellum dark brown to brown. Tegula redbrown to yellow brown, sometimes with a cream spot. Metanotum ranging black to yellow-brown. Basal terga usually dark brown to orange-brown. Apical terga yellow-brown or cream (Fig. 9). Sterna ranging dark brown to cream. Unmarked areas of tibiae dark brown to brown.
Pilosity. As in A. essingtoni with the following differences:
Face simple hairs, ca. 100 Μm. Vertex bristles, 100–275 Μm. Scutum with numerous ca. 50 Μm and sparse ca. 100 Μm simple hairs, up to 225 Μm laterally. Scutellum simple hairs, up to 300 Μm. Mesepisternum plumose hairs usually broad and triangular, with long, evenly spaced barbs basally and a long tip (Fig. 25 e). T7 hairs, up to 325 Μm.
Surface sculpture. As in A. essingtoni.
Queen. Body 5.5–6.9 mm. Forewing (including tegula) 4.0– 4.6 mm.
Structure. HBW 0.23–0.30 mm.
Colour. Face markings up to Grade 7 (Fig. 24 c). Thorax markings up to Grade 13.
Pilosity. Clypeus with sparse to moderate fine hair, mostly simple. Scutellum bristles gold to slightly brown and up to 500 Μm. T1–T5 with sparse fine short hairs, sparse longer (up to 375 Μm) coarse bristles on lateral and dorsal surfaces of T2–T5. T6 with short dense hair and an apical fringe of long (up to 375 Μm) simple hairs. Basitarsus III inner surface bristles golden.
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 44-45, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4047.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/290024