Oligochlora

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Oligochlora
Temporal range: Burdigalian
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Oligochlora semirugosa.jpg
Oligochlora semirugosa holotype
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Halictidae
Tribe: Augochlorini
Genus:† Oligochlora
Engel, 1996
Subgenera and species
  • Oligochlora (Oligochlora)
    • O. eickworti
    • O. grimaldii
    • O. micheneri
    • O. semirugosa
  • Oligochlora (Soliapis)
    • O. marquettorum
    • O. rozeni

Oligochlora is an extinct genus of sweat bee in the Halictidae subfamily Halictinae. [1] The genus currently contains six species, all of which are known from the early Miocene Burdigalian [2] stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola. [3]

Contents

History and classification

The genus was first described by Dr. Michael Engel in a 1996 paper published in the Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society . [1] The genus name is a combination of "Oligo", from Oligocene a possible age of the amber and "chlora" from the genus Augochlora, the type genus of the tribe Augochlorini where Oligochlora is placed. [1] Along with the genus description, the paper contained the description of the type species O. eickworti and the second species O. micheneri. [1] Dr Engel described a third species, O. grimaldii in 1997. [4] A fourth species, O. rozeni was published in 2000 and the genus was split into two subgenera, Oligochlora (Oligochlora) and Oligochlora (Soliapis). [5] The subgenus Soliapis is named from the Latin words sola, meaning "alone", and apis, meaning "bee" in reference the lack of an acarinarium on O. rozeni. [5] A fifth species, O. marquettorum was also published in 2000, jointly described by Dr. Engel and Molly G. Rightmyer and placed into O. (Soliapis). In 2009, with the publication of O. semirugosa by Dr. Engel, the total number of species was raised to six. [2]

Description

Oligochlora is most similar to the extant genus Neocorynura, from which it can be separated by the shapes of the mesoscutum and preoccipital ridge [1] or the monotypic genus Thectochlora which also has a mutualistic relationship with specialized acarid mites. The genus also superficially resembles the genus Corynura but differs in a number of features including the lack of eye hairs. [1]

O. eickworti

O. eickworti is known from the holotype only, a single 7.6 millimetres (0.30 in) long female currently in the private collection owned by Ettore Morone of Turin, Italy as number "684". [1] The species is named in honor of Dr. George Eickwort, who specialized in Halictidae systematics. [1]

O. micheneri

The O. micheneri holotype is also a female in the Morone collection, as specimen number "167" and has a body length of approximately 7.8 millimetres (0.31 in). [1] The head and metasoma are a brilliant metallic green with brown edges. [1] Dr. Engel named O. micheneri for Dr. Charles D. Michener who devoted most of his research career studying bees. [1]

O. grimaldii

Dr. Engel described O. grimaldii in the journal Apidologie in 1997 from a female specimen. [4] The single 7.2 millimetres (0.28 in) long bee specimen is deposited in the American Museum of Natural History Department of Entomology as number "DR-14-839". [4] The species has a heavily sclerotized black Sc+R vein and the remaining veins are brown. [4] The species is named in honor of Dr. David Grimaldi for his contributions to insect paleontology and study of amber. [4]

O. rozeni

O. rozeni is known from the 8.2 millimetres (0.32 in) long holotype female, number "M-2523" of the Morone collection. [5] The species, named in honor of Jerome G. Rozen, Jr. of the American Museum of Natural History, is distinguishable from other members of the genus by the lack of and acarinarium on the upper side of the metasoma. [5]

O. marquettorum

The first species to be described from more than one individual bee was O. marquettorum, which was described from both a holotype and a paratype, both females, preserved in a single amber specimen. [6] Published in the May/June 2000 issue of the journal Apidologie, the amber containing the twp bees is in the American Museum of Natural History as number "DR-14-1484". [6] Lack of an acarinarium places O. marquettorum in O. (Soliapis) and the species can be distinguished from O. rozeni by the obtuse angle of the pronotum. [6] The species is named in honor of George Edward Marquette and Jennie Smith Proskine Marquette, grandparents of M. Rightmyer. [6]

O. semirugosa

O. semirugosa is the newest addition to the genus and the fourth species in the subgenus O. (Oligochlora). [2] The holotype is a 7.9 millimetres (0.31 in) female specimen, number KU-DR-21 in the collections of the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, is named from the Latin semi meaning "half" or "partial" and rugosus meaning, "wrinkled". [2] This name refers to the species' distinct rugulose gena which along with the pronotal angle, the partially and sculpturing of the face, mesosoma, and metasomal terga are unique. [2]

Related Research Articles

Halictidae Family of bees

Halictidae is the second-largest family of bees. Halictid species occur all over the world and are usually dark-colored and often metallic in appearance. Several species are all or partly green and a few are red; a number of them have yellow markings, especially the males, which commonly have yellow faces, a pattern widespread among the various families of bees. The family is distinguished by the arcuate basal vein found on the wing.

Acarinarium

An acarinarium is a specialized anatomical structure which is evolved to facilitate the retention of mites on the body of an organism, typically a bee or a wasp. The term was introduced by Walter Karl Johann Roepke.

<i>Triatoma dominicana</i> Extinct species of true bug

Triatoma dominicana is an extinct species of assassin bug in the subfamily Triatominae, the kissing bugs known from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.

Neocorynura electra is an extinct species of sweat bee in the Halictidae genus Neocorynura.

<i>Nesagapostemon</i> Extinct genus of bees

Nesagapostemon is an extinct monotypic genus of sweat bee in the Halictidae subfamily Halictinae. At present, it contains the single species Nesagapostemon moronei.

Eickwortapis is an extinct monotypic genus of sweat bee in the Halictidae subfamily Halictinae which contains the single species Eickwortapis dominicana.

Augochlora leptoloba is a species of sweat bee in the genus Augochlora and the extinct monotypic subgenus Electraugochlora.

<i>Leptofoenus pittfieldae</i> Extinct species of wasp

Leptofoenus pittfieldae is an extinct species of wasp in the family Pteromalidae known from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola. The species is known from a single 8.8 millimetres (0.35 in) male specimen excavated from the La Toca mine group northeast of Santiago de los Caballeros in 2008 and deposited in the Insect Fossil Collection at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum in Lawrence, Kansas, where it was studied and described by Dr. Michael S. Engel. The species name pittfieldae honors Ms. Morgan Pittfield, niece of the specimen donor.

<i>Termitaradus mitnicki</i> Extinct species of true bug

Termitaradus mitnicki is an extinct species of true bug in the family Termitaphididae known only from early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.

Protosialis casca is an extinct species of alderfly in the Sialidae subfamily Sialinae. The species is solely known from the early Miocene, Burdigalian stage, Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola. Protosialis casca is one of only two known alderfly species present in the West Indies, the only other species is the living Protosialis bifasciata native to Cuba.

<i>Protomycena</i> Extinct genus of fungi

Protomycena is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the family Mycenaceae, of order Agaricales. At present it contains the single species Protomycena electra, known from a single specimen collected in an amber mine in the Cordillera Septentrional area of the Dominican Republic. The fruit body of the fungus has a convex cap that is 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter, with distantly spaced gills on the underside. The curved stipe is smooth and cylindrical, measuring 0.75 mm (0.030 in) thick by 10 mm (0.39 in) long, and lacks a ring. It resembles extant species of the genus Mycena. Protomycena is one of only five known agaric fungus species known in the fossil record and the second to be described from Dominican amber.

Halictus? savenyei is an extinct species of sweat bee possibly in the halictid genus Halictus. The species is solely known from the Early Eocene, Ypresian stage, Coldwater Beds, part of the Princeton Group, in the Quilchena area, Nicola Country, British Columbia, Canada.

<i>Dryinus grimaldii</i> Extinct species of insect

Dryinus grimaldii is an extinct species of wasp in the dryinid genus Dryinus. The species is solely known from the early Miocene, Burdigalian stage, Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.

<i>Dryinus rasnitsyni</i> Extinct species of insect

Dryinus rasnitsyni is an extinct species of wasp in the dryinid genus Dryinus. The species is solely known from the early Miocene, Burdigalian stage, Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.

Protostephanus is an extinct genus of crown wasp in the Hymenoptera family Stephanidae known from an Eocene fossil found in the United States of America. The genus contains a single described species, Protostephanus ashmeadi placed in the stephanid subfamily Stephaninae.

Termitaradus avitinquilinus is an extinct species of termite bug in the family Termitaphididae known from several possibly Miocene fossils found in the Dominican Republic. T. avitinquilinus is the first species in the genus Termitaradus to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber and is one of four species from New World amber, the others being Termitaradus protera, Termitaradus dominicanus and Termitaradus mitnicki.

Anthophorula (Anthophorula) persephone is an extinct species of bee in the subfamily Apinae known from a pair of possibly Miocene fossils found on Hispaniola. A. persephone is the first species of the bee tribe Exomalopsini to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber and is the only species of Anthophorula found in the West Indies.

<i>Anochetus intermedius</i> Extinct species of ant

Anochetus intermedius is an extinct species of ant in the subfamily Ponerinae known from two possibly Miocene fossils found on Hispaniola. A. intermedius is one of eight species in the ant genus Anochetus to have been described from fossils found in Dominican amber and is one of a number of Anochetus species found in the Greater Antilles.

Pseudarmadillo cristatus is an extinct species of isopod (woodlouse) in the family Delatorreiidae known from a series of possibly Miocene fossils found on Hispaniola. At the time of description P. cristatus was one of two Pseudarmadillo species known from the fossil record and one of only two from Hispaniola.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Engel, M.S. (1995). "New Augochlorine Bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) in Dominican Amber, with a Brief Review of Fossil Halictidae". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 69 (4): 334–349. JSTOR   25085728.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Engel, M.S. (2009). "Two new halictine bees in Miocene Amber from the Dominican Republic (Hymenoptera, Halictidae)". ZooKeys (29): 1–12. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.29.257 .
  3. ↑ Iturralde-Vinent, M.A.; MacPhee, R.D.E. (1996). "Age and Paleogeographical Origin of Dominican Amber". Science. 273 (5283): 1850–1852. doi:10.1126/science.273.5283.1850.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Engel, M.S. (1997). "A new fossil bee from the Oligo-Miocene Dominican amber (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)". Apidologie. 28 (2): 97–102. doi: 10.1051/apido:19970207 .
  5. 1 2 3 4 Engel, M.S. (2000). "Classification of the bee tribe Augochlorini (Hymenoptera, Halictidae)" (PDF). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 250: 1. doi:10.1206/0003-0090(2000)250<0001:COTBTA>2.0.CO;2. hdl:2246/1598.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Engel, M.S.; Rightmyer, M. (2000). "A new augochlorine bee species in Tertiary amber from the Dominican Republic (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)". Apidologie. 31 (3): 431–436. doi: 10.1051/apido:2000133 .
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