Extracted from Jason Gibbs. 2011. Revision of the metallic Lasioglossum (Dialictus) of eastern North America (Hymenoptera: Halictidae: Halictini.) Zootaxa.
Lasioglossum (Dialictus) longifrons (Baker)
Halictus longiceps Robertson, 1892: 272. ♀. (junior primary homonym of Halictus longiceps Saunders, 1879)
Lectotype. ♀ USA, Florida, Inverness, 12.ii.1891 (C. Robertson); [INHS: 9993] by W. E. LaBerge in Webb 1980). Examined.
Halictus longifrons Baker. 1906: 269. ♀. [new synonymy]
Holotype. Unknown.
Lasioglossum (Chloralictus) robertsonellum Michener, 1951: 1117. (catalogue, replacement name for H. longiceps Robertson)
Taxonomy. Graenicher, 1927: Halictus (Chloralictus) longiceps 206. ♂. (description).
Diagnosis. Both sexes of L. longifrons can be recognised by the following diagnostic combination: head very long
(length/width ratio = 1.181.21) (Figs. 150B, 152B); mesoscutum strongly tessellate, punctures sparse (i=12.5d) (Figs.
151, 153), except closer laterad of parapsidal line; and females have T1 acarinarial fan sparse dorsally or with dorsal
opening (Fig. 151). They are most similar to L. coreopsis, which has a shorter head (length/width ratio = 1.091.13) (Figs.
79B, 81B) and T1 acarinarial fan dense dorsally.
Redescription. FEMALE. Length 3.754.42 mm; head length 1.221.44 mm; head width 1.011.20 mm; forewing
length 2.603.27 mm.
Colouration. Head and mesosoma golden green to bluish green. Clypeus with apical half blackish brown to yellowish
brown. Antenna dark brown, flagellum with ventral surface brownish orange to orange-yellow. Tegula brownish yellow.
Wings subhyaline, venation and pterostigma pale brownish yellow. Legs brown, except medio- and distitarsi reddish
brown to brownish yellow, metabasitarsus infused with reddish brown. Metasomal terga and sterna golden brown, apical
margins pale, translucent yellow.
Pubescence. Dull white. Head and mesosoma with moderately dense woolly hairs (11.5 OD), longest on genal
beard, metanotum, and mesopleuron (22.5 OD). Paraocular area and gena with sparse subappressed tomentum. Propodeum with moderately dense plumose hairs on lateral and posterior surfaces (22.5 OD). Metasomal terga with moderately sparse, fine hairs. T1 acarinarial fan complete, sparse dorsally or with dorsal opening. T2 basolaterally with sparse tomentum. T3T5 with sparse tomentum not obscuring surface. T2T4 apical margins with moderately dense fringes.
Surface sculpture. Face imbricate, punctation fine. Clypeus punctation (i=12.5d). Supraclypeal area with punctation
moderately dense (i=13d). Lower paraocular and antennocular areas with punctation dense (i≤d). Upper paraocular area
and frons punctate-reticulate. Ocellocular area obscurely punctate (i≤d). Gena and postgena lineolate. Mesoscutum
coarsely tessellate-granulose, punctation sparse on disc (i=12.5d), denser laterad of parapsidal line and on anterolateral
portion (i=11.5d). Mesoscutellum tessellate, submedial punctation sparse (i=14d). Axilla punctate. Metanotum imbricate.
Preλpisternum rugulose-imbricate. Hypoepimeral area tessellate-imbricate. Mesepisternum rugulose-imbricate.
Metepisternum with dorsal half rugoso-carinulate, ventral half imbricate. Metapostnotum weakly rugoso-carinulate, posterior
margin imbricate. Propodeum with dorsolateral slope imbricate, lateral surface tessellate-imbricate, posterior surface
tessellate. Metasomal terga weakly coriarious, punctation moderately dense basally (i=11.5d), apical impressed
areas obscurely, sparsely punctate.
Structure. Head elongate (length/width ratio = 1.201.21). Eyes convergent below (UOD/LOD ratio = 1.391.48).
Clypeus ½ below suborbital tangent, apicolateral margins weakly convergent. Antennal sockets close (IAD/OAD < 0.5).
Frontal line carinate, ending 2.53 OD below median ocellus. Gena narrower than eye. Inner metatibial spur pectinate
with 34 branches. Metapostnotum truncate (MMR ratio = 1.221.38), posterior margin rounded onto posterior surface.
Propodeum with oblique carina very fine or absent, lateral carina fine, reaching less than halfway to dorsal margin.
MALE. Similar to female except for the usual secondary sexual characters and as follows. Length 5.26 mm; head
length 1.61 mm; head width 1.37 mm; forewing length 3.39 mm.
Colouration. Labrum and mandible yellow. Legs brown, except tarsi brownish yellow.
Pubescence. Face below eye emargination obscured by dense tomentum. Metasomal terga with sparse tomentum.
S3S5 with lateral patches of posteriorly directed hairs (11.5 OD).
Surface sculpture. Mesepisternum finely punctate. Metasomal terga punctation moderately dense (i=11.5d), apical
impressed areas impunctate.
Structure. Head very elongate (length/width ratio = 1.18). Eyes strongly convergent below (UOD/LOD ratio = 1.42).
Clypeus 2/3 below suborbital tangent, apicolateral margins weakly convergent. Antennal sockets distant (IAD/OAD >
0.8). Frontal line carinate, ending 2 OD below median ocellus. Pedicel shorter than F1. F2 length 1.5X F1. F2F10 moderately
short (length/width ratio = 1.271.60). Metapostnotum truncate (MMR ratio = 1.40), posterior margin rounded
onto posterior surface.
Terminalia. S7 with median lobe clavate, apex rounded (Fig. 154). S8 with apicomedial margin weakly convex (Fig.
154). Genital capsule as in Fig. 154. Gonobase with ventral arms widely separated. Volsella roughly ovoid. Gonostylus
elongate, dorsal setae elongate. Retrorse lobe elongate, apex reflexed, strongly attenuated apically.
Range. Florida north to South Carolina, west to Texas (Fig. 149). CUBA. JAMAICA. USA: FL, GA, MS, NC, SC,
TX.
Additional specimens examined. CUBA: 1♀1♂ Havana (Baker); [AMNH]; JAMAICA: 4♀♀ St. Ann Parish, Claremont,
12.viii.1985 (G.C. Eickwort); [CUIC]; USA: FLORIDA: 1♀ Hardee Co., 4.v.1930 (J.M. Kelly); [CUIC]; 1♀
Coral Gables, 11.xii.1934 (?J. Pearson); [INHS];1♀ Alachua Co., N29.6425 W082.5639, 1819.x.2007 (C. Puckett); 1♀
Homestead, Miami, 30.viii.2006 (J. Genaro); [PCYU]; GEORGIA: 1♀ Pavo, N30.941 W083.708, 21.vi.2005 (A.
Zayed); [PCYU]; 1♀ Bryan Co., Richmond Hill St. Pk., 2.v.1974 (G.C. Eickwort); [CUIC]; MISSISSIPPI: 1♀ Jackson
Co., N30.3657 W088.7325, 45.vi.2005 (S.W. Droege); 2♀♀ Jackson Co., N30.3957 W088.7552, 45.vi.2005 (S.W.
Droege); [PCYU]; NORTH CAROLINA: 1♀ Southern Pines, ?9.xii.19? (A.H. Manee); [UCMC]; SOUTH
CAROLINA: 1♀ Chesterfield Co., N34.5789 W080.23341, 18.v.2006 (S.W. Droege); [PCYU]; TEXAS: 1♂ Galveston,
19.v; [PCYU].
Floral Records. Mainland populations of this species were formerly treated as a junior synonym of L. coreopsis.
Some of the floral records for that species may be applicable to L. longifrons.
DNA Barcode. Available. Multiple sequences.
Comments. Common.
Eickwort (1988) first recognised the synonymy of L. longifrons with L. robertsonellum (see also Deyrup et al. 2002)
but at that time the latter name was considered a junior synonym of L. coreopsis (see Mitchell 1960), which has priority
over L. longifrons. The head sizes of L. longifrons and L. coreopsis are quite different and DNA barcodes of the two species
differ substantially (J. Gibbs unpublished data). Morphological comparison of West Indian and Floridian material
failed to find any differences between the two populations. Other halictine bees, such as L. eleutherense, L. halophitum,
and Halictus poeyi (Lepeletier), also have distributions that include both the West Indies and the continental United
States. It is certainly possible that additional study will prove that the West Indian and Floridian populations constitute
separate species, in which case the name L. robertsonellum should be used for the mainland population.
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