Lasioglossum (Dialictus) onuferkoi, Gardner & Gibbs, 2022

Gardner, Joel & Gibbs, Jason, 2022, New and little-known Canadian LasIOGLOssum (DIaLICTus) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) and an emended key to species, The Canadian Entomologist (e 3) 154 (1), pp. 1-37 : 16-22

Lasioglossum (Dialictus) onuferkoi new species

ZooBank Registration # urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:26ADA4CD-655F-4863-9730-7FB785CC888D Figures 7, 9, 10B

Material examined

Holotype: CANADA – Saskatchewan ♀; Great Sand Hills NW (active dune); 50.6834° N, 109.2901° W; 6.viii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC.

[Verbatim label: Canada: SK: Great Sand Hills NW (active dune) / N 50.6834°, W 109.2901° / 06.viii.2019, ex white pans / T.M. Onuferko, coll. // HOLOTYPE / Lasioglossum (Dialictus) onuferkoi Gardner and Gibbs ]

Paratypes. (See Supplementary material, Table S1 for complete data including coordinates and collection codes.)

CANADA – Alberta 2♀; 10.3 km S of Empress ; 24.v.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 7♀; ibid.; 10.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 4♀; 11.8 km SSW of Empress ; 24.v.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; WRME 5♀; ibid.; 10.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 1♀; CFB Suffield NWA; 21.vi.1995; A.T. Finnamore, D. Pollock leg.; PMAE 3♀; ibid.; 29.vi.1995; A.T. Finnamore, D. Pollock leg.; PMAE 4♀, 1♂; ibid.; 17.vii.1995; A.T. Finnamore, D. Pollock leg.; PMAE 2♀; ibid.; 31.vii.1995; A.T. Finnamore, D. Pollock leg.; PMAE 1♀; ibid.; 1–16.vi.1995; A.T. Finnamore, D. Pollock leg.; PMAE 2♀; ibid.; 1–17.vii.1995; A.T. Finnamore, D. Pollock leg.; PMAE 1♀, 1♂; ibid.; 17–31.vii.1995; A.T. Finnamore, D. Pollock leg.; PMAE 1♂; CFB Suffield, Amiens Mounted Rifles Rd. blowout; 28.vii.1994; Finnamore, Pollock leg.; PCYU – Saskatchewan 1♂; 6.4 km NNW of Webb ; 27.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 1♀; ibid.; 3.viii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 1♀; 7.6 km NNW of Webb ; 27.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 1♀; ibid.; 3.viii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 1♀; Douglas Provincial Park, Elbow ; 17.vi.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 1♂; ibid.; 22.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 13♀; Great Sand Hills NW; 11.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 2♀; ibid.; 11.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; PCYU 1♂; ibid.; 25.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; WRME 7♀, 5♂; ibid.; 6.viii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 1♀, 1♂; ibid.; 6.viii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; PCYU 1♀; Great Sand Hills WC; 12.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 2♀, 2♂; ibid.; 7.viii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 12♀; N of Bitter Lake, Tunstall ; 14.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC 8♀, 2♂; ibid.; 28.vii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; WRME 10♀; ibid.; 4.viii.2019; T.M. Onuferko leg.; CMNC .

Diagnosis. Both sexes of L. onuferkoi can be distinguished from other members of the L. perdifficile complex by the combination of face very long (length/width ratio ∼ 0.91) ( Figs. 9A, G) (<0.85 in all other species except L. ebmerellum ) ( Figs. 9B, H), mesepisternum shiny and finely and densely punctate (IS <1 PD) (dull and impunctate in L. yukonae ), tegula subovoid with small straight inner posterior margin ( Fig. 9C) (more oblong with longer straight or concave inner posterior margin in all other species except L. ebmerellum ( Fig. 9D)), metapostnotum with strong anastomosing rugae reaching posterior margin ( Fig. 9E) (rugae not reaching margin in L. ebmerellum ( Fig. 9F)), and wings hyaline with white hairs (subhyaline with dark hairs in all other species except L. marinum ). In addition, the female has T3 completely covered in dense tomentum (tomentum sparse or absent medially in all other species except L. ebmerellum and L. perpunctatum ), and the male has the face covered in dense tomentum except for the clypeus apical half ( Fig. 9G) (dense tomentum limited to paraocular area in all other species except L. marinum ( Fig. 9H)) and the mesoscutum with long, woolly, densely plumose hair ( Fig. 9I) (mesoscutum with shorter and thinner hair in all other species ( Fig. 9J)). Lasioglossum onuferkoi is also similar to L. pruinosum . Both sexes of L. pruinosum have the mesepisternum rugulose and indistinctly punctate and the metasomal terga metallic blue–green (black in L. onuferkoi ), and males have the clypeus apical margin yellow (black in L. onuferkoi ). The only one of these similar species known to occur sympatrically with L. onuferkoi is L. pruinosum .

Description

Female. Colouration: Head and mesosoma blue–green; clypeus apex black to reddish brown; labrum black; mandible black in basal half, orange in apical half with red apex; flagellum black to reddish brown dorsally, brown ventrally; pronotal lobe black to reddish brown; metasoma black to dark reddish brown with rims of terga and sterna broadly translucent yellow; legs black to reddish brown with femur–tibia joints brown; tegula brown; wing membrane hyaline, veins with subcosta dark brown, otherwise brown to pale yellow.

Pubescence: Body hair colour white. Tomentum dense on gena, pronotal angle and lobe, metanotum anteriorly, metepisternum, T1–T2 laterally, and T3–T5 throughout; sparse on paraocular area, preëpisternum, mesepisternum, and propodeum lateral face. Mesoscutum hair thin to moderately plumose. Wing hairs light, short, and dense. Acarinarial fan complete, dense. T2 fringes dense, T3 fringes dense.

Surface sculpture: Clypeus shiny, with punctures sparse (IS = 1–3 PD), becoming dense basolaterally (IS <1 PD); supraclypeal area shiny, with punctures sparse (IS = 1–3 PD); paraocular area shiny, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD); frons shiny, with punctures fine, crowded (IS = 0 PD); vertex shiny, with punctures dense laterally (IS ≤ 1 PD), sparse medially (IS = 1–3 PD); gena shiny, with punctures moderately sparse (IS = 1–2 PD); postgena shiny; tegula punctures absent; mesoscutum shiny, becoming weakly tessellate anteromedially, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD), becoming slightly sparser submedially (IS = 1–2 PD) and diversopunctate anteriorly; scutellum shiny, with punctures dense marginally and on median line (IS <1 PD), sparse submedially (IS = 1–3 PD); metanotum imbricate; metapostnotum shiny to tessellate, with rugae strong, anastomosing, reaching posterior margin; preëpisternum ruguloso-punctate; hypoepimeron weakly ruguloso-punctate, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD), obscure; mesepisternum shiny, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD), becoming crowded dorsally (IS = 0 PD); metepisternum lineate dorsally, rugulose medially, imbricate ventrally; propodeum lateral surface tessellate, becoming weakly rugulose on anterior margin, posterior surface tessellate; T1 anterior slope shiny or weakly coriarious, disc shiny, with punctures fine, moderately dense (IS = 1–2 PD), becoming sparse medially and in small apicolateral boss (IS = 2–6 PD); T2 disc shiny, with punctures fine, dense (IS ≤ 1 PD), becoming slightly sparser medially (IS = 1–2 PD), apical rim shiny, with punctures fine, sparse (IS = 1–4 PD).

Structure: Face length/width ratio 0.91 (± 0.01 standard deviation). Clypeus projecting ∼ 75% below suborbital tangent; apicolateral denticles rounded knobs. Gena/eye width ratio 1.14 (± 0.12 standard deviation). Pronotal angle obtuse; forewing with three submarginal cells; tegula shape round with inner posterior margin straight. Intertegular distance 1.23 (± 0.04 standard deviation) mm. Propodeum lateral carinae not reaching dorsal margin; oblique carina absent. T2 depressed apical rim length less than 50% of tergum (n = 10).

Male. Colouration: Head and mesosoma blue to blue–green; clypeus apex colour black; labrum black; mandible orange with black base and red apex; flagellum black dorsally, orange to light brown ventrally; pronotal lobe black; metasoma black to dark reddish brown with rims of terga and sterna and downcurved lateral areas of terga narrowly translucent yellow; legs black to dark reddish brown with tarsi and sometimes femur–tibia joints yellow–orange; tegula dark reddish brown to light brown; wing membrane hyaline, veins with subcosta black, otherwise brown to pale yellow.

Pubescence: Body hair colour white. Tomentum dense on face below eye emargination and above apical half of clypeus, gena, pronotal angle and lobe, metepisternum, T2–T3 laterally, and T4–T5 throughout; sparse on T1 laterally. Mesoscutum hair densely plumose. Sterna hair moderately long (1–2 OD), densely plumose, dense and erect on S2–S3, thin and suberect on S4–S5. Wing hairs light, short and dense.

Surface sculpture: Clypeus shiny, with punctures dense (IS ≤ 1 PD), becoming sparse apicolaterally (IS = 1–2 PD); supraclypeal area shiny, with punctures dense (IS ≤ 1 PD); paraocular area shiny, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD); frons shiny, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD); vertex shiny, with punctures dense laterally (IS <1 PD), slightly sparser medially (IS ≤ 1 PD); gena shiny, with punctures moderately dense (IS = 1–2 PD); postgena weakly tessellate; tegula punctures absent; mesoscutum shiny, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD), becoming sparse submedially (IS = 1–3 PD); scutellum shiny, with punctures dense marginally and on median line (IS <1 PD), sparse submedially (IS = 1–3 PD); metanotum rugulose; metapostnotum shiny, with rugae strong, anastomosing, reaching posterior margin; preëpisternum areolate-rugulose; hypoepimeron shiny, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD); mesepisternum shiny, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD); metepisternum rugulose, becoming lineate dorsally; propodeum lateral surface tessellate, with punctures dense (IS <1 PD), shallow, and obscure, posterior surface rugulose; T1 anterior slope shiny, disc shiny, with punctures fine, moderately dense (IS = 1–2 PD); T2 disc shiny, with punctures fine, moderately dense (IS = 1–2 PD), apical rim shiny, with punctures fine, sparse (IS = 1–4 PD).

Structure: Face length/width ratio 0.91 (± 0.01 standard deviation). Gena/eye width ratio 1.01 (± 0.07 standard deviation). F1:pedicel length ratio 1.23 (± 0.16 standard deviation); F2:F1 length ratio 1.73 (± 0.08 standard deviation); F2 length/width ratio 1.6 (± 0.1 standard deviation). Pronotal angle obtuse; forewing with three submarginal cells; tegula shape round with inner posterior margin straight. Intertegular distance 1.03 (± 0.04 standard deviation) mm. Propodeum lateral carinae not reaching dorsal margin; oblique carina absent (n = 10).

Genitalia: As in Figure 8E–F. Gonocoxite relatively narrow, truncate apically. Gonocoxite bootshaped, with sparse short hairs. Retrorse lobe broad, ovoid, mostly covered in shallow round dimples and sparse short hairs.

Etymology. The specific epithet onuferkoi is a dedication to Thomas Onuferko, who collected all the Saskatchewan specimens and contributed to knowledge of this species as a sand dune habitat specialist.

Range. Sand hills and dunes of southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta ( Fig. 10B).

DNA barcodes. One sequence available (BOLD process ID: DLII737–07). The nearest neighbours are L. sheffieldi and L. yukonae (average P -distance 2.57%).