Lasioglossum (Leuchalictus) leucozonium ( Schrank, 1781 )

Astafurova, Yulia V. & Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu., 2025, Review of the bee genus Lasioglossum Curtis, 1833 (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) fauna of the Ciscaucasia region, Zootaxa 5637 (3), pp. 515-558 : 541

Lasioglossum (Leuchalictus) leucozonium ( Schrank, 1781)

Apis leucozonia Schrank, 1781: 406 , ♀. Syntype (s): Austria: Wien; lost (see Warncke 1973: 24; Ebmer 1974: 117).

Published data. Pesenko 1986: 143 (Caucasus); Chenikalova 2005: 27 (Stavropol Territory).

Material examined. RUSSIA. Krasnodar Territory: 3 ♀, 1 ♂, Sochi , 24.X.1926, A. Shestakov; 2 ♀, Slavyanskiy, on Cichorium intybus , 12, 20.VII.1938, VR; 28 ♀, Lazarevskoye, 4-18.VIII.1952, VR; 2 ♀, 1 ♂, 20 km NE of Krasnodar, 10.VII.1990, YP; 3 ♀, 20 km WSW of Pavlovskaya, Chelbas River, meadow, 11.VIII.1990, YP; 1 ♂, 8 km NW of Temryuk, Golubitzkaya, 17.IX.2007, A. Khalaim ; Stavropol Territory: 1 ♀, Shpakovskoye , 27. V.1988, SB; 2 ♂, idem, 27.VIII.1989, SB; 4 ♂, 15 km W of Stavropol, 600 m, steppe, 5.VIII.1990, YP ; Adygei Republic: 1 ♂, 55 km S of Maykop, Belaya River , 550 m, meadow, forest, 7.VIII.1990, YP ; Kabardino-Balkarian Republic : 2 ♂, 5 km N of Baksan, 500 m, steppe, 31.VII. 1990, YP ; North Ossetian Republic : 1 ♀, 20 km S of Buran, 1850 m, steppe slope, 28.VII.1990, YP ; Dagestan Republic: 1 ♀, Manaskent, 30 km SE of Makhachkala, steppe slope, 21.VII.1990, YP; 5 ♀, Kochubey, 44.398°N, 46.541°E, on Convolvulus arvensis , 19. VI.2018, YA; 1 ♀, near Barkhan Sarykum , 43°01′N 43°23′E, 23. VI.2018, YA; 4 ♀, near Kufa, 6 km NW of Rutul , 1500 m, 41°565′N 47°362′E, 1.VII.2018, KF; 3 ♀, 1 ♂, Primorskiy, Samur Forest, 41°54′N 48°28′E, 2-4.VII.2018, YA; 1 ♀, Khlyut, 41.30°N, 47.11°E, 4. VI.2019, MP, VL; 1 ♀, Tsudakhar , 42°20′N 47°10′E, 24. VI.2023, MP; 2 ♀, 13 km NE of Kochybey, 43.442°N, 46.691°E, 18. VI.2018, MP, VL, MM..

Distribution. Russia (North Caucasus, east to the Far East); Europe, North Africa, Near East, Turkey, Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, North India, Central Asia, Mongolia, NW China, North America.

Remarks. The females of this species show significant variability in coloration of pubescence (from snow-white to yellowish), sculpture of T1 (from tessellate and dull with dense punctures to polished and smooth with sparse punctures) and density punctures of the mesoscutum. Pesenko (2006: 154) synonymized L. tadschicum (Blüthgen, 1929) with L. leucozonium . Forma “ L. tadschicum ” differs from the typical form by white pubescence of the head and mesosoma (greyish yellow in typical form) and sparser punctation of the mesoscutum and T 1 in the female.

This species occurs in forest, steppe and agricultural landscapes, but forma “ L. tadschicum ” usually occurs in desert and semi-desert plane areas.