Lasioglossum amber, Walker, 2025

Walker, Kenneth L., 2025, The “ weak-veined ” Lasioglossum in Australia, New Zealand and West New Guinea, with descriptions of three new subgenera (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae), Zootaxa 5651 (1), pp. 1-94 : 39-41

Lasioglossum . ( Cnephalictus ). amber new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4D4A7268-2269-49D7-A1AF-90A0FE68D2EA

( Figures 4, 12, 23C–D, F, 33)

Diagnosis. Females of L. amber can be recognised by the combination of: Body length 6.91 (± 0.02 SD) mm. ITS = 1.32 (± 0.03 SD) mm. Median ocellus width/ocellocular distance ratio [MOW:OOD ratio 0.64 (± 0.2 SD)]. Face long (FL/HW ratio 0.96 (± 0.02 SD)). Body integument amber coloured with some exceptions ( Fig. 33). Mesoscutum with sparse cover of short, erect white hair ( Fig. 23D). Metapostnotum almost smooth, posterior margin with carina medially ( Fig. 23F). Stigma large, 1.01 mm long, 0.31 mm wide (ratio ~3.44 (± 0.05 SD)) ( Fig. 4).

Comments. Lasioglossum amber has a similar in integument colour to L. contaminatum but differs by lacking the dense tomentum on the head and mesoscutum found on L. contaminatum . Additional characters to distinguish these species are listed in the female key to species. These are the only two “weak-veined” species with an amber coloured mesosoma and metasoma. The Holotype location label says, “The Crater, near Herberton”. This location is most likely Mount Hypipamee Crater, also known as “The Crater” (- 17.42734722S, 145.48981944E), which is a huge diatreme, in dense rainforest, located south-east of Herberton on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland. This species is known from two locations and should be considered a “short-range endemic” worthy of significant conservation efforts.

Etymology. The species epithet “amber ” refers to the integument colour of this species being a combination of “yellow-orange-brown-red” colours. An appropriate translation would be “amber ”. The species epithet is a noun in apposition.

Holotype of “ Lasioglossum amber ”. AUSTRALIA. Queensland. ♀: The Crater, near Herberton, 4 Jan 1967, D. McAlpine & G. Holloway coll. (Missing antennae. AM).

Paratype of “ Lasioglossum amber ”. AUSTRALIA. Queensland. (1 ♀) Tully Falls , S.F. 900m, 11 km SSW Ravenshoe, 5 Jan–7 Feb 1988, Storey & Dickson, MDPI Intercept Tarp Site No. 29B (Head detached but glued to pin pith. QDPI) .

Description

Female. Body length 6.91 (± 0.02 SD) mm. ITS = 1.32 (± 0.03 SD) mm. Head length 1.73 (± 0.04 SD) mm. Head width 1.80 (± 0.03 SD) mm. Wing length 5.65 (± 0.17 SD) mm. (n=2).

Colouration. Body integument amber coloured except head brown, mesoscutum with a brown tinge, and T4–T6 tinged with brown. Labrum brown. Mandible brown with reddish-brown apically. Pedicel yellow, Flagellum light brown dorsally, light yellow brown ventrally. Pronotal lobe yellow. Tegula light brown ( Fig. 23B). Wing membrane hyaline, faintly dusky, veins with subcosta light brown ( Fig. 4), otherwise pale amber. Legs yellow brown. ( Figs. 4, 23C–D, F 33).

Pubescence. Frons, paraocular area and vertex with a sparse cover of short, erect white setae, gena with moderate cover of short, appressed white hair, supraclypeal area almost bare, clypeus with sparse hair medially, with longer translucent hair apicolaterally ( Fig. 23C). Pronotal angle and lobe with dense, white hair. Mesepisternum in front of episternal groove with moderate cover of short, erect white hair, remainder of mesepisternum and metepisternum almost bare. Mesoscutum with sparse cover of short, erect white hair. Mesoscutellum with some long hairs posterolaterally. Metanotum with dense cover of short white hair medially ( Fig. 23D). Lateral surface of propodeum with sparse cover of long, erect hair, posterior surface with spare cover of short, erect hair ( Fig. 23F). Metafemoral scopa with dense plumose hairs ( Fig. 33). T1–T2 almost bare, with a few short hairs laterally. T3–T6 with increasing amount of hair but still sparse.

Surface sculpture. Clypeus dull, imbricate over basal two thirds, basal half with small, sparse punctures (IS = 2– 4 PD), apical half shining, with large, sparse punctures (IS = 2–4 PD). Supraclypeal area imbricate, punctures sparse (IS = 2–4 PD). Paraocular area reticulate and impunctate. Frons imbricate, small, sparse punctures (IS = 2–4 PD). Ocellocular area almost smooth, with minute, sparse punctures (IS = 2–4 PD). Vertex weakly imbricate, with sparse punctures (IS = 2–4 PD) ( Fig. 23C). Malar area linear. Gena shining, with fine, sparse punctures (IS = 2–4 PD). Tegula shining, impunctate. Mesoscutum with a dull sheen, medially with minute, sparse punctures (IS = 2–4 PD), in parapsidal areas and posteriorly with minute, sparse punctures (IS = 2–4 PD) ( Fig. 23D). Mesoscutellum shining, almost impunctate, a few punctures posterolaterally ( Fig. 23D). Metanotum shining, surface weakly roughened. Metapostnotum almost smooth, weakly rugulose medially, striae short not reaching posterior margin, margin striate medially only and V-shaped, surface anastomosed to weakly imbricate. Propodeum surface smooth, lateral carina basally, almost reaching dorsal surface, oblique carina absent ( Fig. 23F). Mesepisternum shining, weakly imbricate, with sparse punctures (IS = 4–6 PD). Metepisternum ruguloso-lineate dorsally, imbricate ventrally. T1 shining and impunctate on basal two thirds, apical one third, with sparse punctures (IS = 4–6 PD). Hypoepimeron inflated, dull, glabrous, weakly imbricate and impunctate. T2 smooth, with sparse punctures (IS = 1–6 PD).

Structure. Face long (FL/HW ratio 0.96 (± 0.02 SD)). Eyes convergent below [UOD/LOD ratio 1.21 (± 0.02 SD)]. Inner eye margins weakly emarginate. Malar area linear. Median ocellus width/ocellocular distance ratio [MOW:OOD ratio 0.64 (± 0.2 SD)]. Clypeus projecting ~55% below suborbital tangent. clypeus length/width ratio 0.67 (± 0.03 SD). Clypeus with rounded apicolateral denticles. Gena narrower than eye. Mandible short, not reaching opposing clypeal angle. Protibial spur with minutely pectinate serrations except apically longer than width of malus. Inner metatibial spur with two rows of teeth, each row with c. 30 denticulate-serrate, oblique and overlapping teeth, teeth about width of rachis. Distance between parapsidal line (at the starting point) 0.96 (± 0.03 SD) mm. Pronotal angle obtuse. Mesoscutum length/width ratio 0.82 (± 0.03 SD). Mesoscutum/mesoscutellum length ratio 3.13 (± 0.17 SD). Mesoscutellum/metanotum length ratio 1.87 (± 0.23 SD). Stigma large, 1.01 mm long, 0.31 mm wide (ratio ~3.26 (± 0.05 SD)), margin in marginal cell convex, marginal cell 1.56 mm long, 0.48 mm wide, free portion about 2.5X that subtended by submarginal cells (1.18 mm: 0.48 mm), 1m-cu almost meets second submarginal cell at 1rs-m, stigma perpendicular goes almost through 2r-m near anterior margin ( Fig. 4).

Male. Unknown.

Range. Occurs in North Queensland and known from two locations, Herberton and Tully Falls. ( Fig. 12). Flight period. Flight period recorded as January and February ( Table 1).

Floral hosts. No floral record available.