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Extracted from Jason Gibbs. 2011. Revision of the metallic Lasioglossum (Dialictus) of eastern North America (Hymenoptera: Halictidae: Halictini.) Zootaxa.
Lasioglossum (Dialictus) lionotum (Sandhouse)
Dialictus lionotus Sandhouse, 1923: 194. ♂.
Holotype. ♂ USA, Colorado (Baker); [NMNH]. Examined.
Paralictus asteris Mitchell, 1960: 446. ♀ ♂. [new synonymy]
Holotype. ♀ USA, North Carolina, Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, Wayne Co., 21.x.1955; [NCSU].
Taxonomy. Michener, 1951: Lasioglossum (Dialictus) lionotum, p.1119; Krombein, 1967: Lasioglossum (Paralictus)
asteris, p. 467 (catalogue); Hurd, 1979: Dialictus lionotus, p. 1968; Paralictus asteris, p. 1974 (catalogue); Moure &
Hurd, 1987: Dialictus lionotus, p. 111; Paralictus asteris, p. 142 (catalogue); Gibbs, 2010b: Lasioglossum (Dialictus) asteris
♀♂, p. 69 (redescription, key).
Diagnosis. Female L. lionotum can be recognised by the following diagnostic combination: size small (4.0–4.6 mm);
gena wider than eye; labrum flat, dorsal keel absent; mandible without preapical tooth; pronotal ridge sharply angled, dorsolateral
angle acute to orthogonal; scopa absent; and metapostnotum smooth without evident rugae.
Male L. lionotum can be recognised by the following diagnostic combination: size small (4.2–4.5 mm; head width
1.15–1.22 mm); lower paraocular area with sparse tomentum; antennal sockets very widely separated (IAD/OAD > 2.0); pronotal collar strong; mesepisternum imbricate, obscurely punctate; and vein 1rs-m sometimes incomplete or absent. They are most similar to the male of L. cephalotes, which is much larger in size (head width 1.54 mm).
Range. Ontario south to Alabama, west to Colorado. USA: AL, CO, DC, KS, MD, MO, NJ, NY, SC, VA, WV.
CANADA: ON.
DNA Barcode. Available. Multiple sequences.
Comments. Uncommon.
Lasioglossum lionotum is a social parasite of L. imitatum (Wcislo 1997; as Paralictus asteris).
The holotype of L. lionotum was recently found in the research collection of George Eickwort at Cornell University.
The head is missing but the specimen clearly matches the species commonly known as L. asteris. The original description
includes few details about the head but does draw attention to the unusually short eyes which is consistent with L. asteris.
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