Lasioglossum lorienae, 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 : 47-52

Lasioglossum . ( Cnephalictus ). lorienae new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FD5E014C-4187-45EC-836C-E8F26DB8103D

( Figures 12, 13, 14A, 24A–B, E, 37A–B, 38)

Diagnosis. Females of L. lorienae can be recognised by the combination of: Body length 7.13 (± 0.03 SD) mm ( Fig. 38). ITS = 1.42 (± 0.02 SD) mm. Malar area linear ( Fig. 14A). Median ocellus width/ocellocular distance ratio [MOW:OOD ratio 0.90 (± 0.2 SD)]. Face long (FL/HW ratio 1.01 (± 0.04 SD) Fig. 24A). Body integument dark brown. Frons, paraocular area, vertex and gena with dense, yellow-white tomentum, supraclypeal area and clypeus with sparse cover of erect, white hair ( Figs. 24A, 37A, 389). Mesosoma with dense tomentum of yellow-white hair on pronotal angle and lobe, space between pronotal lobe and tegula, mesepisternum in front of episternal groove, above scrobal groove, on mesoscutum lateral areas, in parapsidal areas and along inner margins of parapsidal line reaching dorsal margin and across posterior margin (appears U-shaped) ( Figs. 24B, 37A, 38). Inner metatibial spur with two rows of teeth, each row with c. 30 denticulate-serrate, oblique and overlapping teeth, teeth about width of rachis ( Fig. 13).

Comments. There is a unique method to collect this species of bee, at the Lorien Wildlife Refuge, as shown to me by the original collector of this species, Dr Geoff Williams OAM, AM. In the months of October to December, take a chair and sit in the middle of a patch of rainforest with flowering Pollia crispata . These flowers must not be in any direct sunlight. While fending off attacks by squadrons of mosquitoes, watch the flowers of this herb. Lasioglossum lorienae moves along the rainforest floor and flies up and onto the flowers rather than descending from above onto a flower. Interestingly, this species has only been photographed or collected in the months of September, October, December and January. Perhaps when the species preferred foraging flowers ( Pollia crispata ( COMMELINACEAE ) and Cordyline stricta ( ASPARAGACEAE ) have finished flowering, the bee disappears until the following year.

Dr Geoff Williams OAM, AM kindly provided the following biological observations on L. lorienae (pers. comm. 1999). (Note: “ The bee” in Geoff’s notes has been changed to L. lorienae ). “ Pollia crispata is a perennial bisexual herb which occurs from Cambewarra Range (New South Wales) to Queensland and occurs in rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest (usually at higher altitudes or along stream margins at lower elevations.) At Lorien Wildlife Refuge (3 km N Lansdowne), it grows in wet sclerophyll forest. Despite extensive fieldwork in New South Wales, I have not observed L. lorienae at any other site. It did not recruit to Lobelia sp. flowers growing alongside the flowering Pollia plants. Each L. lorienae bee spent a minimum of 3 minutes collecting pollen from flowers with dehiscent anthers. No more than four bees foraged at any one time at the Pollia crispata clump. Observations during sunlight periods from 15 Nov 1996 but prior to 2 Dec 1996 did not record the bee. The day the five specimens of L. lorienae were collected, the weather conditions were cool, humid and generally overcast. Flowers visited were always shaded. Lasioglossum lorienae was not observed on flowers in full sunlight. On 2 Dec 1996, L. lorienae ceased foraging by 10.20am and continued foraging at 10.00am on 3 Dec 1996 when I stopped observations. Pollen collected from three L. lorienae bees proved to be exclusively ‘home’ pollen suggesting temporal foraging constancy”. Dr Williams collected specimens of L. lorienae from 1996 to 2001 at the Lorien Wildlife Refuge but no male specimen was observed or collected. Dr Williams invited me to visit his Lorien Wildlife Refuge and in 2003, the author collected three female specimens and observed their interesting behaviour .

In 2021, on a Facebook bee group post (“Bee Aware of Your Native Bees ( Australia)”), the author recognised an image of L. lorienae taken in Tomewin NSW, in northern NSW, visiting flowers of Psychotria loniceroides ( RUBIACEAE ), almost 500 km north from the Lorien Wildlife Refuge. The author contacted the copyright owner of the Facebook image (Ms Marama Hopkins) and requested that she collect a specimen of the photographed bee which she kindly provided. Examination of this specimen confirmed the identification. Ms Hopkins photographed the foraging bee in December about 11 am. In October 2022, Ms Hopkins photographed another female of L. lorienae at Tomewin visiting Cordyline stricta ( ASPARAGACEAE ) flowers at about 1 pm (pers. comm. Hopkins and Hopkins 2024) ( Fig. 38A).

In December 2021 at 10:39 am, Ms Hopkins photographed the presumed male of L. lorienae visiting flowers of Psychotria loniceroides . Unfortunately, this male specimen was not collected; however, four live images of this specimen remain the only known evidence of the male of this species. The male image, taken by Ms Hopkins, is reproduced here as well as a weblink (see “Images” below to access these images) to three other images of this male specimen ( Fig. 37B). These male images shows similarities to the female in the body integument colour and the extensive yellow tomentum on the head and mesosoma. A partial and tentative description of this male photograph is provided below.

Pollia crispata (perennial herb), Psychotria loniceroides (shrub or small tree) and Cordyline stricta (shrub) all occur in rainforest or in wet sclerophyll forest. These plants are found in coastal New South Wales and Queensland (PlantNET NSW 2024a, b, c). Lasioglossum (Cnephalictus) lorienae is currently known from two locations. This species is a “short-range endemic” worthy of significant conservation efforts.

Lasioglossum lorienae has similar dense tomentum on the head and mesosoma as found on L. contaminatum despite having different body integument colours (amber versus dark brown coloured). The dense tomentum in images of both females and the male is bright yellow colour ( Figs. 37A–B), whereas in collected specimens the tomentum colour is white ( Fig. 38). Sculpture and colour characters can be used to distinguish these two species. In L. lorienae , the metapostnotum sculpture is striate, medially striae not reaching halfway to posterior margin, laterally striae reaching dorsolateral slope, posterior margin with carina. The propodeum lateral carina present but incomplete, extends less than half way to metapostnotum, oblique carina absent ( Fig. 24E). The malar space is linear ( Fig. 14A). The forewing colour is hyaline anteriorly and dark brown distally wing. In L. contaminatum the metapostnotum is almost smooth, weakly rugulose laterally, surface anastomosed to weakly imbricate, metapostnotum posterior margin with carina extending laterally onto posterior surface. The propodeum lateral face is smooth, posterior face almost smooth, weakly imbricate, lateral carina at base only, oblique carina absent ( Fig. 23E). The malar area length versus width ratio as 5.0 ( Fig. 14B). The forewing colour is uniformly hyaline. Geographically, L. contaminatum occurs in North Queensland while L. lorienae occurs in New South Wales ( Fig. 12). Lasioglossum lorienae appears to be active in the spring months of September and October as well as the months of December and January. Lasioglossum contaminatum appears to be active in October, January, February and June.

Etymology. The species is named after the location where this species was first discovered (Lorien Wildlife Refuge) and which is the type locality. The species epithet is a noun in the genitive case.

Holotype of “ Lasioglossum lorienae ”. AUSTRALIA. New South Wales. ♀: Lorien Wildlife Refuge , 3 km N Lansdowne, 2 Dec 1996, G. Williams, ex. wet sclerophyll forest, on Pollia crispata flowers (HYM-99598. NMV).

Paratypes of “ Lasioglossum lorienae ”. AUSTRALIA. New South Wales. (17 ♀): (4 ♀) same data as holotype (HYM-99599–99602. NMV); (4 ♀) Lorien Wildlife Refuge , 3 km N Lansdowne, 26–31 Dec 1998, G. Williams, ex. wet sclerophyll forest, on Pollia crispata flowers (HYM-99603–99606. NMV); (1 ♀) Lorien Wildlife Refuge , 3 km N Lansdowne, 4 Jan 1999, G. Williams, ex. wet sclerophyll forest, on Pollia crispata flowers (HYM-99607. NMV); (1 ♀) 3 km N Lansdowne , 2 Dec 1999, G. Williams, ex. wet sclerophyll forest, ex. Pollia crispata flowers (HYM-99608. NMV); (1 ♀) 3 km N Lansdowne , 13 Dec 1996, G. Williams, ex. wet sclerophyll forest, on Pollia crispata flowers (HYM-99609. NMV); (1 ♀) 3 km N Lansdowne , 19 Jan 2000, G. Williams, ex. wet sclerophyll forest, on Pollia crispata flowers (HYM-99610. NMV); (1 ♀) 3 km N Lansdowne , 5 Dec 2001, G. Williams, ex. wet sclerophyll forest, on Pollia crispata flowers (HYM-99611. NMV); (3 ♀) Lorien Wildlife Refuge , 3 km N Lansdowne, 10:00am, 8 Jan 2003, K. Walker, on Pollia crispata (HYM-99612–99614. NMV); (1 ♀) Garden of Eden Rd, Tomewin , 10 Dec 2021, 11:09am, on flowers of Psychotria loniceroides, Marama Hopkins (HYM-99615. NMV) .

Images. Fourteen live images of 13 females and one male of Lasioglossum (Cnephalictus) lorienae foraging on Cordyline stricta and Psychotria loniceroides in Tomewin, New South Wales (Images copyright to Marama Hopkins). Females were photographed in the months of September and October and the male was photographed in the month of December. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=509138&user_id=maramahopkins.

Description

Female. Body length 7.13 (± 0.03 SD) mm. ITS = 1.42 (± 0.02 SD) mm. Head length 1.87 (± 0.03 SD) mm. Head width 1.92 (± 0.03 SD) mm. Wing length 5.81 (± 0.15 SD) mm. (n=10).

Colouration. Body integument dark brown except clypeus light red brown. Labrum brown. Mandible brown with dark reddish apically. Pedicel light red brown. Flagellum light brown dorsally, light yellow brown ventrally. Pronotal lobe yellow. Tegula light brown. Forewing colour hyaline anteriorly, dark brown distally, veins with subcosta dark brown, otherwise brown to dark brown. Legs brown except protibia and protarsi light brown ( Figs. 24A–B, 37A, 38).

Pubescence. Frons, paraocular area, vertex and gena with dense, yellow-white tomentum, supraclypeal area and clypeus with sparse cover of erect, yellow-white hair (Note: Live images show the colour as yellow while preserved specimens show the colour as white) ( Figs. 24A, 37A, 38). Mesosoma with dense tomentum of white hair on pronotal angle and lobe, space between pronotal lobe and tegula, mesepisternum in front of episternal groove, above scrobal groove, on mesoscutum lateral areas, in parapsidal areas and along inner margins of parapsidal line reaching dorsal margin and across posterior margin (appears U-shaped), metanotum medially and mesoscutum medially almost glabrous ( Fig. 24B), in some specimen tomentum does not extend across the posterior margin. Propodeum posterior face and lateral margins with some long, erect and short, appressed white hair ( Fig. 24E). Metafemoral scopa with dense plumose hairs ( Fig. 38). T1–T2 appears bare, with sparse cover of short, erect hair and a few short hairs laterally. T3–T6 with increasing amount of hair but still sparse.

Surface sculpture. Clypeus dull, imbricate over entire surface, along midline of clypeus impunctate, either side of midline with large punctures, with moderately sparse punctures (IS = 1–2 PD). Supraclypeal area imbricate, with dense punctures throughout (IS ≤ 1 PD). Paraocular area smooth and shining with minute, sparse punctures (IS = 3–4 PD). Frons smooth and shining with minute, dense punctures (IS ≤ 1 PD). Ocellocular area smooth and shining with minute, dense punctures (IS ≤ 1 PD). Vertex smooth and shining with minute, dense punctures (IS ≤ 1 PD) ( Fig. 24A). Gena shining, with fine, sparse punctures (IS = 2–4 PD). Tegula mostly shining, impunctate except the base ( Fig. 24B). Mesoscutum shining, anteriorly impunctate, medially with sparse punctures (IS = 3–4 PD), posteriorly with moderately sparse, minute punctures (IS = 1–3 PD) ( Fig. 24B). Mesoscutellum shining, with dense punctures (IS ≤ 1 PD). Metanotum shining, weakly rugulose laterally, impunctate. Mesepisternum shining, weakly imbricate-rugulose, with moderate punctures (IS = 2–4 PD). Metepisternum imbricate and impunctate. Metapostnotum sculpture weakly striate, medially striae not reaching halfway to posterior margin, laterally striae reaching dorsolateral slope, posterior margin with carina ( Fig. 24E). Propodeum lateral carina present but basally only and incomplete, extends less than halfway to metapostnotum, oblique carina absent ( Fig. 24E). Hypoepimeron inflated, dull, white hair along anterior and dorsal margins, remainder glabrous, weakly imbricate and impunctate. T1 anterior face shining, impunctate and finely weakly imbricate-coriarious, T1 medially shining with minute, moderate, sparse punctures (IS = 1–3 PD), apically shining and with moderate punctures (IS = 1–2 PD). T2 anterior face shining, impunctate and finely weakly imbricate-coriarious. T2 medially shining with minute, with moderately sparse punctures (IS = 1–3 PD), apically shining and with moderate punctures (IS = 1–2 PD).

Structure. Face long (FL/HW ratio 1.01 (± 0.04 SD) Fig. 24A). Eyes convergent below [UOD/LOD ratio 1.20 (± 0.02 SD)]. Inner eye margins emarginate. Malar area linear ( Fig. 14A). Median ocellus width/ocellocular distance ratio [MOW:OOD ratio 0.90 (± 0.2 SD)]. Clypeus projecting ~55% below suborbital tangent, clypeus length/width ratio 0.75 (± 0.03 SD). Clypeus with rounded apicolateral denticles. Malar area linear ( Fig. 14A). 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 ( Fig. 13). Distance between parapsidal line (at the starting point) 1.06 (± 0.02 SD) mm. Pronotal angle obtuse. Mesoscutum length/width ratio 0.88 (± 0.04 SD). Mesoscutum/mesoscutellum length ratio 3.29 (± 0.15 SD). Mesoscutellum/metanotum length ratio 1.08 (± 0.21 SD). Stigma large, 0.89 mm long, 0.46 mm wide (ratio ~1.93 (± 0.04 SD)), margin in marginal cell convex, marginal cell 1.56 mm long, 0.53 mm wide, free portion about 2X that subtended by submarginal cells (1.03 mm: 0.50 mm), 1m-cu meets second submarginal cell at 1rs-m, stigma perpendicular goes about middle of third submarginal cell.

Male. Known from four images (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/223491605). The partial description here is based on these images. ( Fig. 38B).

Colouration. Body integument dark brown except clypeus entirely yellow white. Mandible white basally with dark reddish apically. Pedicel yellow white. Flagellum brown dorsally, light brown ventrally. Pronotal lobe yellow. Tegula light brown. Wing membrane dark. Foreleg yellow brown, protibia with a yellow stripe along the length, mid and hind legs dark brown to black ( Fig. 38B).

Pubescence. Frons, paraocular area, vertex and gena with dense, yellow-white tomentum, supraclypeal area and clypeus with sparse cover of erect, yellow-white hair. Tomentum with dense, white hair on pronotal angle and lobe, space between pronotal lobe and tegula, mesepisternum in front of episternal groove, above scrobal groove, mesoscutum lateral areas and in parapsidal areas and along inner margins of parapsidal line reaching dorsal margin, metanotum medially. Mesoscutum medially almost glabrous. T1–T2 appears bare, with sparse cover of short, erect hair and a few short hairs laterally. T3–T6 with increasing amount of hair but still sparse. S3–S4 without distinctive a hair pattern, S5 with possible lateral hair tufts ( Fig. 38B).

Range. Known from two locations in New South Wales: Lansdowne and Tomewin ( Fig. 12).

Flight period. This species has been collected in September, October, December and January ( Table 1).

Floral hosts. ASPARAGACEAE : Cordyline stricta . COMMELINACEAE : Pollia crispata . RUBIACEAE : Psychotria loniceroides .

Subgenus Enigmalictus New Subgenus