Austronomia takauensis (Friese, 1910)

Majumder, Bhaswati, Nath, Riju, Kazmi, Sarfrazul Islam, Senapati, Sabita Kumar & Rameshkumar, Anandhan, 2024, Checklist of Nomiinae (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae) from West Bengal, India with new records, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 10 (4), pp. 703-717 : 707-708

Austronomia takauensis (Friese, 1910) ( Fig. 3A–I)

Nomia takauensis Friese 1910:410 . Syntypes ♂♂. Taiwan, Takau and Ku-Sia – AMNH.

Material examined. 1♂, 3♀♀, India, West Bengal, Cooch Behar, Pundibari, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya Campus (26°23'60"N, 89°22'48"E), 08.viii.2022, Swept, leg. R. Nath.

Diagnostic characters. Male. Body length approximately 8 mm. body colour black ( Fig. 3A); clypeus flat, pointed end; antennal socket to the clypeus with yellow felting covers, antennal scape and pedicel black with golden bristle-like branched pubescence encircle scape, F1 shorter with its apex tinged yellow ( Fig. 3B); scutum and scutellum with smooth, dense punctures evenly spaced with a felt covering; short ferruginous tomentum bridge spanning the margin of the scutum and scutellum; metanotum covered with golden yellow tomentum; tegula oval, testaceous with brownish-black base; wings hyaline with dark brown venation ( Fig. 3C); area between coxa of intermediate legs without any conical or pointed structure ( Fig. 3D); metasoma tergites with sparsely hairy and puncture; T1 with strong, sparse puncture; apex of T1–T6 covers with wide yellow-brown hair band ( Fig. 3E); terminal margin of S4 with elongated bulging structure with a well-sclerotized keel in the centre ( Fig. 3F); legs dark brown; hind femurs broader and thinner; hind tibia less developed; two calcars derived from the tip of the tibia; tarsi brown, covered with yellowish hairs ( Fig. 3E). Female. Body length approximately 7 to 8 mm; Female show similar characters like male except few and i. e clypeal margin flat, sparsely covered with greyish hair; antennal scape, pedicle, and flagellum black ( Fig. 3H); scutum and scutellum adorned with golden yellow felting; metanotum and propodeum laterally covered with greyish with branched hairs; tegula pale yellow, auriform, and piceous at its base; wings hyaline with fulvous stigma ( Fig. 3G); apex of tergites adorned with greyish-white hair bands ( Fig. 3G); inner hind tibial spur densely pectinate, apex sharply curved with a hook-like structure; hind basitibial plates pointed at the apex ( Fig. 3I).

Distribution in Oriental . China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam ( Ascher & Pickering, 2024), Singapore ( Ascher et al., 2022), Japan (Friese) ( Hirashima, 1978), India (new record – West Bengal).