Australian Journal of
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Lasioglossum (Callalictus) aurantiacum (Cockerell)
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Parasphecodes aurantiacus Cockerell 1916: 200.

Parasphecodes tooloomensis Cockerell 1929a: 317. syn. nov.

Lasioglossum (Callalictus) aurantiacum - Michener 1965: 170.

Lasioglossum (Callalictus) tooloomense - Michener 1965: 170.

Material examined. Holotype of aurantiacus ♀, Queensland, Brisbane, H. Hacker, 28 May 1914 (QM). The type card has two sets of numbers: “Hy/5043” and “4143" which are written at either end of the card. The type is missing both antennae but seven flagella segments from one antenna are glued to the location label.

Holotype of tooloomensis ♀, New South Wales, Tooloom NSW Jan 1926 H. Hacker - Hy/3748 (QM). There are 16 specimens pinned or glued to five different pieces of pinned pith all with the same printed label “Tooloom, NSW Jan 1926 H. Hacker” all in the QM (four specimen micropinned on one pith, four specimens micropinned on one pith, two specimens micropinned on one pith, and two specimens glued to two cards on single pin (top specimen with metasoma glued to card point). All five sets of pinned specimens have the same registration number “Hy/3748”. One pin with four specimens has a Holotype label while the other four pins have Paratypes labels. The Holotype label pin has four specimens and has in Cockerell’s handwritten a label which reads “Parasphecodes tooloomensis Ckll Type at end of row“. There is one male specimen with no location label, but a label attached by C.D. Michener which says “Paratype”. There is a gap in one of the Paratype labelled pins which contains five specimens. It seems Michener selected the only male specimen in the series of 17 specimens and removed the genitalia to examine. The genitalia are attached to the pin in a small glass vial. This specimen is now located in SEM. There is an additional single directly pinned specimen also with a Paratype label and registration number Hy/3748 with head glued to location label. However, the locality label for this specimen reads “National Pk., Q, H. Hacker Dec 1921”. This specimen location was not in the original description, therefore has no type status.

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Figure 3. Lasioglossum (Callalictus) aurantiacum A–F: A, dorsal female; B, lateral female; C, dorsal male; D, lateral male; E, male fore and mid tarsal segments; F, male sternal vestiture.

Diagnosis

Lasioglossum (Callalictus) aurantiacum is distinguished in both sexes from other Callalictus species by the primarily ochre coloured body and leg colour except for a black head and T4-T5 dark brown to black (Figs 3A–D). The body of Lasioglossum aurantiacum is relatively smooth with microtessellate sculpture and minute punctures on the mesoscutum. The dorsal surface of the propodeum is smooth with weak lateral carinae only. The male is characterised by modified tarsi as follows: the fore tarsal segments is horizontally compressed, flattened, apically bilobed and weakly convex dorsally (forebasitarsus ratio of width versus length as 0.6), with elongate lateral hair tufts from each tarsal segment (Figs 3D–E), ventral surface of fore and mid tarsal segments dark coloured but with pale white line running down the middle of each segment, mid tarsal segments similar to fore tarsi but to a lesser degree. The male sternal vestiture is weak across S3–S5 (Fig. 3F). The male genitalia of L. aurantiacum (Figs 2A–B) are similar to that found in L. musgravei (Figs 2E–F) but can be separated by the different lengths of setae on the gonostyli on L. musgravei compared to all setae being the same length on L. aurantiacum.

Description of female (Figs 3A–B) Body length: 7.54–8.12–8.64 mm (n=6); forewing length: 1.97–2.05–2.11 mm (n=6); head width: 2.45–2.70–2.83 mm (n=6); intertegular distance: 1.27–1.38–1.46 mm (n=6). Relative head measurements: HW: 100, HL: 87–89, UID: 49–51, LID: 50–52, IAD: 7–8, OAD: 25–26, IOD: 16–17, OOD: 10–11, CL: 24–25, GW: 20–21, EW: 32–33, SL: 48–50, FL: 85–88. Head. Inner eyes parallel to diverging below; median frontal carina reaching half way to median ocellus; clypeus polished on anterior half and dull on posterior half covered with microtessellate sculpture, anterior half with several large, irregular shaped punctures, posteriorly openly to closely punctate with small, rounded punctures, supraclypeal area dull, covered with microtessellate sculpture, sparsely punctate across surface with small, rounded punctures; frons sculpture above antennal bases densely punctate, punctate sculpture extends across entire surface except smooth along eye margins. Mesosoma. Pronotum dorsolateral angles prominent and pointed in dorsal and lateral views; mesoscutum anterior mesial margin produced mesoanteriorly, surface dull, mesially openly punctate, entire surface covered with a fine, microtessellate sculpture, parapsidal areas closely punctate with small punctures, either side of parapsidal lines densely punctate with distinct interspaces, densely puncate along posterior margin; scutellum length greater than dorsal surface of propodeum, (1.5 x), scutellum strongly bi-bulbous with raised mounds on either side of midline, closely punctate along anterior margin, remainder openly punctate, surface dull; propodeum weakly carinate along posterior margin only, carinae below dorsal level and on either side of midline but carinae do not meet mesially, posterolateral carinae forming an angle of approximately 45 degrees with dorsal surface, no dorsal rim, horizontal dorsal surface of propodeum V-shaped, laterally remainder of dorsal surface curve steeply on to vertical surface giving a "saddle-like" appearance, lateral margins smooth, dorsal surface microtessellate with several weak striae mesially, sculpture reaches to posterior rim, lateral margins microtessellate only; mesepisternum striolate, metepisternum smooth and openly punctate; first recurrent vein entering second marginal cell. Metasoma and legs. Metasomal T1–T5 dull, smooth and impunctate; inner hind tibial spur pectinate, teeth distinctly separate.

Colour. (Figs 3A–B) Body primarily ochre coloured; head black except antennal scape light brown and flagella brown, clypeus dark brown, mandibles ochre coloured, apically red-brown, legs dark brown, some dark brown to black areas suffused on mesoscutum, dorsal propodeum, lateral margins of T1 and T4-T6 dark brown to black.

Vestiture. Body vestiture sparse, some adpressed hair around margins of supraclypeal area and in paraocular areas, dense white hair around pronotum lateral spiracle cover, dense cover of minute, adpressed white hair on lateral margins of propodeum.

Description of male: (Figs 3C–D) Body length: 7.85 mm (n=1); forewing length: 2.02 mm (n=1); head width: 2.06 mm (n=1); intertegular distance: 1.32 mm (n=1). Relative head measurements: HW: 100, HL: 92, UID: 51, LID: 39, IAD: 11, OAD: 28, IOD: 20, OOD: 10, CL: 26, GW: 20, EW: 36, SL: 26, AS4/AS2+3 (15/15) 1.0, FL: 195. Differs from female as. Inner eyes converging below; median frontal carina reaching just above upper antennal insertion points; frons sculpture reticulate across surface to inner margins of eyes; scape reaches below level of median ocellus; clypeus surface dull, divided into two sections, section below the supraclypeal area about one third length of clypeus continues contours, section two about two thirds length of clypeus almost at right angle to section one; mesoscutum surface dull, covered with microtessellate pattern, openly to closely punctate, densely punctate in parasidal areas, punctures minute; scutellum dull, distinctly bi-bulbous, openly to closely punctate with small, shallow punctures, dorsal surface of propodeum acarinate; legs with fore tarsal segments being horizontally compressed, flattened, flanged, apically bilobed and weakly convex dorsally, mid tarsal segment with similar shape but to lesser extent to fore tarsal segments (forebasitarsus and midbasitarsus width versus length ratio as 0.6), tarsal segments with lateral hair tufts (Figs 3D–E), ventral surface of fore and mid tarsal segments glabrous, fore femora swollen mesially; colour similar to female, except metasoma ochre coloured with some brown markings throughout metasoma. Vestiture. Head with dense cover of adpressed hair in paraocular areas and lower frons forming a dense matt, mesosoma with sparse cover of erect, mesoventral area with moderate cover of branched setae over surface, metasomal sternal vestiture sparse except S3 with some elongate, backwardly directed hairs mesially only, S4 with moderate cover of backwardly directed hair across sternite, S5 with short, adpressed hair around midline, S6 with inwardly directed adpressed hair (Fig. 3F).

Genitalia and associated sterna. (Figs 2A–B) Gonobase sides parallel to slightly narrowed basally, complete ventroapically, gonobase width almost half of gonocoxite width, gonocoxite glabrous, dorsal inner margins of gonocoxite basally broadly truncate; apical inner margin not produced and continues contours of gonostylus, glabrous; retrorse lobes large, almost meeting at midline, membraneous and parallel; outer margins of retrose lobes with moderate cover of short setae, inner margins of retrorse lobes glabrous; gonostyli erect, distally large and rounded distally, with dense cover of long, simple, erect hair, length of hairs at least one third width of gonobase, all hairs of about equal length, ends of hairs curved inwardly towards midline; penis valves strongly curved apically, with short dense cover of hair dorsolaterally.

Other specimens examined (6♀, 1♂)

QUEENSLAND: (1♀) Mt. Molar 12 Sept 1998 (NMV); (1♀) Brisbane, 29 Sep 1914, H. Hacker (QM); (1♀) Mt. Glorious, 28 March – 2 April 1987, Yves Bassett, on Argyrodendron actinophyllum (NMV)

NEW SOUTH WALES & AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY: (1♀) Elizabeth Bay, 23 Jan 1952 (AM); (1♀) Lorien Wildlife Refuge, 3km N Lansdowne, 4 Oct 2001, G. Williams, ex Dianella caerulea flowers, ex wet sclerophyll forest (NMV); (1♀) Lorien Wildlife Refuge, 3km N Lansdowne, 4 Oct 2001, G. Williams, on Pollia crispata flowers, ex wet sclerophyll forest (NMV); (1♂) Mt. Keira, 23 Feb 1983, G.A. Holloway (AM)

Figure 3. Lasioglossum (Callalictus) aurantiacum A–F: A, dorsal female; B, lateral female; C, dorsal male; D, lateral male; E, male fore and mid tarsal segments; F, male sternal vestiture.

Floral Record. Families Visited: 3 (Asphodelaceae (1), Commelinaceae (1) Malvaceae (1)). Genera Visited: 3 (Argyrodendron (1), Dianella (3), Pollia (1))

Flight Phenology capture records. Jan (1) Feb (1) Mar (1) Apr (0) May (0) June (0) July (0) Aug (0) Sept (2) Oct (2) Nov (0) Dec (0)

Distribution. Collected from several locations between SE Queensland and Sydney following coast and slightly inland (Fig. 1A).

Remarks. The ochre coloured body of this species suggests it may be a low-light foraging species but there are no records or evidence to support it forages in low light at matinal, crepuscular or nocturnal times and the ocelli are not enlarged.