Austrosphecodes Michener 1978
Creators: name: Gonçalves, Rodrigo Barbosa
name: Pereira, Felipe Walter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Halictidae
Austrosphecodes

description: Keys of Austrosphecodes from Brazil
Females of Austrosphecodes jurupari sp. nov. and A. minarum and males of A. balrog sp. nov., A. krampus sp. nov. and A. tartarus sp. nov. are unknown.
Females
1. T1 almost impunctate, very sparsely punctate or puncticulate (Fig. 1C, red arrow)......................... 2
– T1 mostly punctate on disc, also on marginal area (Fig. 6C, red arrow)........................................... 7
2. Anterior surface of mesoscutum rugulose by crowded punctures (Fig. 2B, red arrow); metapostnotum shape somewhat triangular (Fig. 2C, red arrow); tegulae frequently with light orange markings ...... ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
– Anterior surface of mesoscutum not rugulose, densely or sparsely punctate (Fig. 1B, red arrow); metapostnotum shape somewhat trapezoidal (Fig. 1C, blue arrow); tegulae usually dark ............... 4
3. Body length more than 7 mm; mesoscutum disc sparsely punctate (i> pd), polished (Fig. 2B); frons sparsely punctate, with variable interspaces among punctures (Fig. 2A); metanotum homogeneously rugose; fore wing with two submarginal cells ......................................................... A. balrog sp. nov.
– Body length less than 6 mm; mesoscutum disc punctate to densely punctate (i=pd or i<pd); frons densely punctate, become more sparsely near alveoli; metanotum anterior portion somewhat scrobriculate, on posterior margin rugulose; fore wing with three submarginal cells ......... A. brasiliensis (Schrottky, 1910)
4. Head larger than the distance between the exterior margins of the tegulae (Fig.3); hind wing with more than 7 hamuli; mesoscutum disc mostly polished among punctures (Fig. 3B); metapostnotum deeply concave..................................................................................................... A. cerberus sp. nov.
– Head as large as the distance between the exterior margins of the tegulae; hind wing with fewer than 6 hamuli; mesoscutum disc lineolate among punctures; metapostnotum not deeply concave........................................................................................................................................5
5. Median line of mesoscutum strongly sulcate, disc with erect setae longer than the mid ocellus diameter (Fig. 9B); tegulae dark; metasoma entirely dark to black (Fig. 9C); propodeum with few or no tomentum ......................................................................................................... A. tartarus sp. nov.
– Median line of mesoscutum weakly sulcate, disc with erect setae equal or shorter than the mid ocellus diameter; tegulae with amber spot; metasoma reddish from T1 to T3; propodeum weakly covered with tomentum ..................................................................................................................... 6
6. Body length more than 7 mm; anterior surface of mesoscutum punctate (Fig. 4B); scutellum with a well-defined longitudinal row of punctures; paraocular area sparsely covered by plumose setae (Fig. 5A), erect setae dark and with few branches; terga lineolate......................... A. gorgon sp. nov.
– Body length less than 6 mm; anterior surface of mesoscutum densely punctate (i <pd); scutellum without a well-defined longitudinal row of punctures; paraocular area densely covered with plumose white setae (Fig. 1A); terga mostly polished ................................... A. asmodeus sp. nov.
7. Scutellum densely punctured, interspaces less than two puncture diameters (Fig. 8B); terga lineolate among punctures...................................................................................................... A. lucifer sp. nov.
– Scutellum sparsely punctured, interspaces usually several puncture diameters (Fig. 6B); terga mostly polished among punctures, lineolation inconspicuous among punctures .......................................... 8
8. Mesoscutum disc punctate to densely punctate, interspaces less than one puncture diameter, surface mostly dull .......................................................................................... A. inornatus (Schrottky, 1902)
– Mesoscutum disc sparsely punctate, interspaces more than puncture diameters, surface mostly polished ............................................................................................................................................. 9
9. Terga punctures well impressed (Fig. 6C)........................................................... A. krampus sp. nov.
– Terga punctures fine and shallow (Fig. 8C).............................................................. A. orcus sp. nov.
Males
1. T1 almost impunctate, very sparsely punctate or puncticulate.......................................................... 2
– T1 punctate on disc and marginal area .............................................................................................. 5
2. Anterior surface of mesoscutum rugulose by crowded punctures; metapostnotum mostly triangular in shape (posterior margin narrowed); antennae light brown.......... A. brasiliensis (Schrottky, 1910)
– Anterior surface of mesoscutum not rugulose, densely or sparsely punctate; metapostnotum mostly trapezoidal in shape (posterior margin wide); antennae mostly black............................................... 3
3. Mesoscutum mostly polished among punctures (Fig. 3E); hind wing with more than 7 hamuli; S4–5 without a submarginal row of long setae ............................................................. A. cerberus sp. nov.
– Mesoscutum microreticulate among punctures (Fig. 3E); hind wing with fewer than 6 hamuli; S4–5 without a submarginal row of long setae ........................................................................................... 4
4. Body length more than 7 mm; anterior surface of mesoscutum punctate (i= pd); scutellum with a well-defined longitudinal row of punctures; paraocular region with sparse setae; terga lineolate................................................................................................................... A. gorgon sp. nov.
– Body length less than 6 mm; anterior surface of mesoscutum punctate (i=pd); scutellum without a well-defined longitudinal row of punctures; paraocular region covered with dense setae; terga mostly polished.................................................................................................. A. asmodeus sp. nov.
5. Mesoscutum disc punctate to densely punctate, interspaces less than one puncture diameter, surface mostly dull ......................................................................................................................................... 6
– Mesoscutum disc sparsely punctate, interspaces more than puncture diameters, surface mostly polished............................................................................................................................................. 7
6. Flagellomeres light brown; S3–5 submarginal row setae short (about 1 od) ..................................... ............................................................................................................ A. inornatus (Schrottky, 1902)
– Flagellomeres dark brown to black; S3–5 submarginal row setae moderate to long (1–2 od)............ ................................................................................................................................. A. lucifer sp. nov.
7. Body size about 6 mm; S3–5 submarginal row setae long (2 od) (Fig. 8G) ............ A. orcus sp. nov.
– Body size about 8 mm; S3–5 submarginal row setae with moderate length (1.5 od) (Fig. 5C)........ 8
8. Vertex strigate (Fig. 6A, blue arrow); mesoscutum disc sparsely punctate, anterior surface with curved carinations (Fig. 5A, red arrow)................................................................ A. jurupari sp. nov.
– Vertex not strigate; mesoscutum disc punctured, anterior surface rugulose by crowded punctures............................................................................................. A. minarum (Schrottky, 1910)
description: Published as part of Gonçalves, Rodrigo Barbosa & Pereira, Felipe Walter, 2022, New species of the cuckoo bee genus Austrosphecodes Michener, 1978 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Sphecodini) and a key for Brazilian species, pp. 55-89 in European Journal of Taxonomy 819 on pages 58-59, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.819.1777, http://zenodo.org/record/6544410