Evolution of The Apoidea
Evolution of The Apoidea
Evolution of The Apoidea
MICHAEL S. ENGEL
Research Scientist, Division of Invertebrate Zoology,
Presently: Research Associate, Division of Invertebrate Zoology,
American Museum of Natural History;
Fellow, the Linnean Society of London;
Assistant Curator, Division of Entomology,
Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center;
Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
1460 Jayhawk Boulevard, Snow Hall, University of Kansas,
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7523
ISSN 0003-0090
CONTENTS
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Zusammenfassung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Historical Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Age and Origin of Amber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Materials and Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Specimen Preparation and Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
General Morphology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Prosoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Mesosoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Metasoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Systematic Paleontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Superfamily Apoidea Latreille . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Division Apiformes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Short-Tongued Versus Long-Tongued Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Short-Tongued Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Family Halictidae Thomson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Subfamily Halictinae Thomson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Tribe Halictini Thomson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Genus Electrolictus, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Family Paleomelittidae, new family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Genus Paleomelitta, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Family Melittidae Schenck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Subfamily Macropidinae Robertson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Tribe Eomacropidini, new tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Genus Eomacropis, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Long-Tongued Bees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Family Megachilidae Latreille . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Subfamily Lithurginae Newman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Tribe Protolithurgini, new tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Genus Protolithurgus, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Subfamily Megachilinae Latreille . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Tribe Osmiini Newman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Genus Glyptapis Cockerell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Genus Ctenoplectrella Cockerell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Genus Glaesosmia, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Family Apidae Latreille . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Subfamily Xylocopinae Latreille . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Tribe Boreallodapini, new tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Genus Boreallodape, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Subfamily Apinae Latreille . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Tribe Electrobombini, new tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Genus Electrobombus, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Tribe Electrapini Engel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Genus Electrapis Cockerell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Genus Protobombus Cockerell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Genus Thaumastobombus, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Tribe Melikertini, new tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Genus Succinapis, new genus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Genus Melikertes Engel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
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ABSTRACT
The bees found as Baltic amber inclusions are revised and the history of studies on these
fossils is briefly reviewed. In total this subtropical Eocene fauna contains 36 species and 18
genera, all extinct. These are classified here into nine tribes, six subfamilies, and five families
of which six tribes and one family are unknown in the modern fauna. The following taxa are
described as new to science: PALEOMELITTIDAE, new family; Boreallodapini, Electrobombini, Eomacropidini, Melikertini, Protolithurgini, new tribes; Ctenoplectrellina, new
subtribe; Boreallodape, Electrobombus, Electrolictus, Eomacropis, Glaesosmia, Liotrigonopsis, Melissites, Paleomelitta, Protolithurgus, Succinapis, Thaumastobombus, new genera;
Boreallodape baltica, B. mollyae, B. striebichi, Ctenoplectrella cockerelli, C. grimaldii, Electrapis krishnorum, Electrobombus samlandensis, Electrolictus antiquus, Eomacropis glaesaria, Glaesosmia genalis, Glyptapis densopunctata, G. disareolata, Liotrigonopsis rozeni,
Melikertes clypeatus, Melissites trigona, Paleomelitta nigripennis, Protobombus basilaris,
Protolithurgus ditomeus, Succinapis goeleti, S. micheneri, S. proboscidea, Thaumastobombus andreniformis, new species (seven new family-, 11 new genus-, and 22 new speciesgroup taxa). The genus Electrapis is found to be paraphyletic and the subgenera Melikertes,
Roussyana, and Protobombus are given generic status outside of Electrapis. The subtribe
Electrapina is elevated to tribal rank among the corbiculate Apinae and the subfamily Glyptapinae of Cockerell is reduced to subtribal rank within Osmiini. The genera Chalcobombus
and Sophrobombus are newly synonymized with Protobombus. Glyptapis reducta Cockerell
is synonymized with G. fuscula Cockerell, Electrapis minuta Kelner-Pillault with Apis palmnickenensis Roussy, Ctenoplectrella splendens Kelner-Pillault and C. dentata Salt both with
C. viridiceps Cockerell, Electrapis apoides Manning and Chalcobombus humilis Cockerell
both with Protobombus indecisus Cockerell, and Electrapis bombusoides Kelner-Pillault with
E. tornquisti Cockerell (new synonymies). The following new combinations are proposed:
Electrapis martialis (Cockerell), Melikertes proavus (Menge), M. stilbonotus (Engel), Kelneriapis eocenica (Kelner-Pillault), Protobombus fatalis (Cockerell), P. hirsutus (Cockerell), and
Electrapis martialis (Cockerell) (new combinations). A lectotype is designated for Electrapis
minuta Kelner-Pillault and neotypes designated for Apis meliponoides Buttel-Reepen, A. palmnickenensis Roussy, Chalcobombus humilis Cockerell, C. hirsutus Cockerell, C. martialis
Cockerell, Ctenoplectrella dentata Salt, C. viridiceps Cockerell, Electrapis tornquisti Cockerell, Glyptapis reticulata Cockerell, G. neglecta Salt, Protobombus indecisus Cockerell, P.
tristellus Cockerell, and Sophrobombus fatalis Cockerell. The subfamily Xylocopinae is recorded for the first time from amber, and the families Halictidae and Melittidae are confirmed
as occurring in Baltic amber. The oldest fossils of the Halictidae, Megachilidae (Lithurginae
and Megachilinae), Melittidae, and Xylocopinae are reported and described herein. Keys are
presented for the identification of the Baltic amber bees. Three new recent taxa are also
proposed: Penapini, Redivivini, and Meliturgulini (new tribes).
Cladistic analyses of the Lithurginae, Xylocopinae, and corbiculate Apinae are presented.
Preliminary investigation of lithurgine relationships demonstrates that the fossil, Protolithurgus, is sister to extant genera of the subfamily and that Lithurgus s.s. is likely paraphyletic
with respect to Lithurgopsis and Microthurge. Xylocopine relationships are generally in accord
with those previously proposed: Xylocopini sister to all other tribes and Manueliini sister to
the abruptly narrowed mandible tribes (i.e., Ceratinini, Allodapini, and Boreallodapini). Boreallodapini, despite some apparently apomorphic similarities with Ceratinini, is supported as
sister to Allodapini. The paleontological evidence for corbiculate bee phylogeny reinforces
traditional concepts over relationships of these tribes and contradicts recent molecular studies.
Two extinct corbiculate tribes are based on specimens that exhibit worker morphologies indicative of advanced eusocial behavior and are related to the living, advanced eusocial tribes
Apini and Meliponini, supporting a hypothesis of a single origin for this behavioral characteristic.
The composition of the Eocene bee fauna of Europe is discussed. The fauna is predominantly composed of long-tongued bees, but some short-tongued bees are represented in the
families Halictidae, Paleomelittidae, and Melittidae. Bees in Baltic amber are generally allied
with groups currently inhabiting sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, a biogeographic pattern common to many Baltic amber groups.
The phylogeny and origin of bees are discussed. The bees are a derived, monophyletic
NO. 259
group of the spheciform wasps and presumably arose sometime in the earliest mid-Cretaceous
after the origin of angiosperms. Reports of bees from Jurassic strata or earlier are all refuted.
All available evidence supports the idea that bees originated shortly after flowering plants and
diversified into higher lineages contemporaneously with the radiations of angiosperms. Major
bee lineages (i.e., families) were thus presumably established by the Late Cretaceous.
A catalog of bees presently known in amber and copal is appended as is a catalog of familyand genus-group names for fossil bees (both amber inclusions and compression fossils). A
preliminary outline of the tribal classification of Recent and fossil bees with their geological
distribution is presented (with three new family-group taxa for living bees).
Z U S A M M E N FA S S U N G
Die als Inklusen des Baltischen Bernsteins nachgewiesenen Bienen werden revidiert und
ihre Erforschungsgeschichte kurz dargestellt. Insgesamt umfasst diese subtropische Fauna des
Eozans 36 Arten und 18 Gattungen, die alle ausgestorben sind. Diese werden in neun Tribus,
sechs Unterfamilien, und funf Familien klassifiziert, von denen sechs Tribus und eine Familie
in der heutigen Fauna unbekannt sind. Die folgenden Taxa sind neu fur die Wissenschaft:
PALEOMELITTIDAE, fam. nov.; Boreallodapini, Electrobombini, Eomacropidini, Melikertini, Protolithurgini, tribus nov.; Ctenoplectrellina, subtribus nov.; Boreallodape, Electrobombus, Electrolictus, Eomacropis, Glaesosmia, Liotrigonopsis, Melissites, Paleomelitta,
Protolithurgus, Succinapis, Thaumastobombus, gen. nov.; Boreallodape baltica, B. mollyae,
B. striebichi, Ctenoplectrella cockerelli, C. grimaldii, Electrapis krishnorum, Electrobombus samlandensis, Electrolictus antiquus, Eomacropis glaesaria, Glaesosmia genalis, Glyptapis densopunctata, G. disareolata, Liotrigonopsis rozeni, Melikertes clypeatus, Melissites
trigona, Paleomelitta nigripennis, Protobombus basilaris, Protolithurgus ditomeus, Succinapis goeleti, S. micheneri, S. proboscidea, Thaumastobombus andreniformis, spec. nov.
(sieben neue Familien-, 11 neue Gattungs-, und 22 neue Artengruppentaxa). Die Gattung
Electrapis ist paraphyletisch, und die Untergattungen Melikertes, Roussyana, und Protobombus werden unabhangig von Electrapis als Gattungen akzeptiert. Die Untertribus Electrapina
erhalt den Rang einer Tribus innerhalb der corbiculaten Apinae, und die Unterfamilie Glyptapinae von Cockerell wird als Untertribus innerhalb der Osmiini interpretiert. Die Gattungen
Chalcobombus und Sophrobombus werden neu mit Protobombus synonymisiert. Folgende
Arten werden miteinander synonymisiert: Glyptapis reducta Cockerell mit G. fuscula Cockerell, Electrapis minuta Kelner-Pillault mit Apis palmnickenensis Roussy, Ctenoplectrella
splendens Kelner-Pillault und C. dentata Salt beide mit C. viridiceps Cockerell, Electrapis
apoides Manning und Chalcobombus humilis Cockerell beide mit Protobombus indecisus
Cockerell, Electrapis bombusoides Kelner-Pillault mit E. tornquisti Cockerell (neue Synonyme). Die folgenden Kombinationen werden neu eingefuhrt: Electrapis martialis (Cockerell),
Melikertes proavus (Menge), M. stilbonotus (Engel), Kelneriapis eocenica (Kelner-Pillault),
Protobombus fatalis (Cockerell), P. hirsutus (Cockerell), und Electrapis martialis (Cockerell)
(neue Kombinationen). Ein Lectotypus wird fur Electrapis minuta Kelner-Pillault festgelegt.
Fur folgende Arten werden Neotypen designiert: Apis meliponoides Buttel-Reepen, A. palmnickenensis Roussy, Chalcobombus humilis Cockerell, C. hirsutus Cockerell, C. martialis
Cockerell, Ctenoplectrella dentata Salt, C. viridiceps Cockerell, Electrapis tornquisti Cockerell, Glyptapis reticulata Cockerell, G. neglecta Salt, Protobombus indecisus Cockerell, P.
tristellus Cockerell, und Sophrobombus fatalis Cockerell. Die Unterfamilie Xylocopinae wird
erstmals in Bernstein nachgewiesen, und das Vorkommen der Familien Halictidae und Melittidae in Baltischem Bernstein wird bestatigt. Die altesten Fossilien der Halictidae, Megachilidae (Lithurginae und Megachilinae), Melittidae, und Xylocopinae werden nachgewiesen
und beschrieben. Bestimmungsschlussel fur die Bienen des Baltischen Bernsteins werden
erstellt. Drei rezenten Taxa sind neu: Penapini, Redivivini, und Meliturgulini (tribus nov.).
Kladistische Analysen der Lithurginae, Xylocopinae, und der corbiculaten Apinae werden
vorgestellt. Vorlaufige Untersuchungen der verwandtschaftlichen Beziehungen der Lithurginae zeigen, dass die fossile Protolithurgus Schwestergruppe der rezenten Gattungen der Lithurginae ist. Auerdem ist Lithurgus s.s. wahrscheinlich paraphyletisch in Bezug auf Lithurgopsis und Microthurge. Die Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen der Xylocopinae stimmen
grundsatzlich mit den bisher angenommenen uberein: Die Xylocopini sind die Schwester-
2001
gruppe aller ubrigen Tribus, wahrend die Manueliini die Schwestergruppe aller Tribus mit
Arten mit abrupt verschmalerten Mandibeln ist (z.B. Ceratinini, Allodapini, und Boreallodapini). Boreallodapini wird als Schwestergruppe der Allodapini begrundet, abgesehen von
hnlichkeiten mit den Ceratinini. Die palaontologischen
einigen anscheinend apomorphen A
Indizien stutzen traditionelle Konzepte der phylogenetischen Beziehungen der corbiculaten
Bienen und widersprechen neueren molekularen Untersuchungen. Die Arbeiter zweier fossiler, corbiculater Tribus zeigen morphologische Merkmale, die auf stark abgeleitetes eusoziales Verhalten hindeuten: Diese Tribus sind offenbar mit den rezenten, hoch-eusozialen
Tribus Apini und Meliponini verwandt, was die Hypothese der einmaligen Entstehung dieses
Verhaltensmerkmals unterstutzt.
Die Zusammensetzung der eozanen Bienenfauna wird diskutiert. Sie besteht vorwiegend
aus langzungigen Bienenarten, auch wenn einige kurzzungige Arten der Familien Halictidae,
Paleomelittidae, und Melittidae ebenfalls vertreten sind. Im Allgemeinen sind die Bienen des
Baltischen Bernsteins mit rezenten Bienen des Afrikas sudlich der Sahara und Sudostasiens
verwandt; ein bei Organismen des Baltischen Bernsteins haufiges biogeographisches Muster.
Die Phylogenie und der Ursprung der Bienen werden diskutiert. Die Bienen sind eine
abgeleitete, monophyletische Gruppe der spheciformen Wespen und entstanden irgendwann
in der fruhesten Mittelkreide nach der Entstehung der Angiospermen. Nachweise von Bienen
aus dem Jura oder noch fruher werden widerlegt. Alle verfugbaren Indizien stutzen die Annahme, dass die Bienen kurz nach den Blutenpflanzen entstanden und in ihre grundsatzliche
Diversifikation parallel zur Angiospermenradiation erfolgte. Die groen Linien der Bienen
(z.B. Familien) waren daher in der spaten Kreide bereits vorhanden.
Ein Katalog der in Bernstein und Kopal nachgewiesenen Bienen und ein Katalog der
Familien- und Gattungsgruppennamen fossiler Bienen (sowohl aus Bernstein wie aus Sedimenten) wird vorgestellt. Eine vorlaufige Idee einer Klassifikation der rezenten wie fossilen
Bienen auf Tribus-Niveau mit ihrer geologischen Geschichte wird entwickelt (mit drei neuen
Familiengruppennamen fur rezente Bienen).
M. V. Martialis, Epigrammata,
ca. 89 anno domini
NO. 259
family. These deposits have been dated at approximately 34.1 Ma (Epis and Chapin,
1974), placing them near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, and are conservatively treated as early Oligocene herein. Work on the
bees of these deposits is ongoing.
DOMINICAN AMBER: Bees in Dominican
amber can be quite common; worker specimens of Proplebeia dominicana (Wille and
Chandler) number into the thousands and can
be frequently purchased in gem and mineral
shops at no great expense. All other bee
groups from these deposits are known on the
basis of but a few individuals, often only
one. Through a series of recent papers this
fauna has been essentially revised. Table 1
summarizes the Miocene bee fauna of Hispaniola as it is presently understood. This paleofauna is quite modern in character. Most
species are representative of extant genera,
although several are today locally extinct
from the West Indies (e.g., Heterosarus, Neocorynura, Chilicola, Meliponini) or from
Hispaniola (e.g., Euglossa, Eufriesea). Those
few Dominican amber genera that are extinct
are remarkably similar to living forms. All
groups are easily placed in living subtribes,
tribes, and other higher categories.
The age of the Dominican amber mines
has been of some controversy. Lambert et al.
(1985) suggested a range of ages from Eocene to Miocene based on NMR analyses.
Grimaldi (1995), however, argued that Dominican amber had to be younger than the
Eocene and Oligocene dates, while IturraldeVinent and MacPhee (1996, 1999) later provided a strong stratigraphic basis for an early
Miocene age. This geological evidence is
also consistent with the inclusions in Dominican amber that are modern not only in general appearance but also in cladistic position
(e.g., bees discussed briefly above; for flies
see Grimaldi, 1995).
BALTIC AMBER: The middle Eocene amber of northern Europe was previously believed to contain merely a handful of specimens of rather rare and enigmatic bee species
(e.g., Cockerell, 1908b, 1909b, 1909c; Zeuner and Manning, 1976). Although the few
bees were recognized to be of phylogenetic
import, the general paucity of material and
the loss of several type specimens deterred
meaningful work on the deposit. Through
2001
TABLE 1
10
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TABLE 2
2001
11
12
TABLE 3
NO. 259
2001
13
14
erell described the majority of the Baltic amber bees known until the completion of the
present study. Cockerell was intimately familiar with the world bee fauna and was the
first to recognize the significance of the Baltic amber bees, attempting, in a very rudimentary way, to explore the implications of
these taxa on apid evolution (e.g., Cockerell,
1908b) (fig. 120).
Subsequent to Cockerell only a few workers have attempted to study the Baltic amber
bees, none in great detail. Only two small
papers appeared between the work of Cockerell and a small outburst of activity in the
1970s. Salt (1931) proposed new species of
Glyptapis and Ctenoplectrella as well as a
species he believed to be an Andrena (see
Apoidea Incertae Sedis, below), while Manning (1960) described a new species of what
he believed to be Electrapis along with a
new subgenus. Outside of these two works,
systematic study of bee inclusions from the
Baltic stagnated for about one-half of a century. It was not until the papers of KelnerPillault, late curator of Hymenoptera at the
Museum National dHistoire Naturelle, that
scientific study of this fauna resumed, although for only a very short while. KelnerPillault engaged herself in five short studies
of bees from these deposits. Although her
work was adequate, she did not attempt to
question previous studies nor to compare her
material to prior descriptions, thereby forcing
her specimens into new taxa within groups
as defined by earlier authors. Curiously, Kelner-Pillault published erroneous information
for the type depositories of species she described (e.g., Kelner-Pillault, 1970a, 1970b).
In her papers she regularly refers her material
to the Institut und Museum fur Geologie und
Palaontologie in Gottingen, when nearly all
of her material is in the Institut fur Palaontologie, Museum fur Naturkunde, in Berlin.
It cannot be that the specimens were simply
sent to the wrong institution after publication, since each is accompanied by older labels that catalog them as belonging to Berlin
(and these are often quoted by Kelner-Pillault
in her papers). This unfortunate confusion is
the reason it has been difficult for other
workers to locate and study her material
[e.g., Michener (1990) records that he was
unable to locate Trigona eocenica in Gottin-
NO. 259
2001
The present work is an attempt to monograph this unique fauna of bees, to explore
its implications for understanding higher-level affinities of apoid taxa, and to consider
general evolutionary patterns of the bees inclusive of their early origins. This is the first
comprehensive treatment of a fossil bee fauna and is part of a series of papers by the
present author to monograph the fossil bees
of the world, ultimately aimed at unifying
paleomelittology with our neontological
knowledge of bees. Future revisions of this
monograph will undoubtedly be needed as
new or more perfectly preserved specimens
are discovered. For the present, however, I
hope that this work will provide a foundation
for paleoentomological studies of bees. A
catalog and bibliography of the fossil bee
species of the world (both amber inclusions
and compression fossils) is currently in preparation (Engel, in prep.), while a catalog of
family- and genus-group names for fossil
bees is appended at the end of this work (appendix 3).
AGE
AND
ORIGIN
OF
AMBER
15
others. Tragically, Albertus Universitat suffered, alongside millions of people and other
cultural institutions, during the second World
War, and the collection was mostly destroyed, although some surviving specimens
were scattered for safekeeping. Today, the
largest surviving portion from Konigsbergs
collection is located in the Institut und Museum fur Geologie und Palaontologie in Gottingen, although it is still only a fraction of
the original collections size.
Baltic amber occurs in the blau Erde
(blue Earth), which, as mentioned above,
occurs throughout northern Europe approximately 45 m below the surface and runs ca.
5 m below sea level. Thus, exposed deposits
can erode out and wash amber up on shores
not only of the Baltic countries but as far
away as the eastern coasts of England. The
formation continues under the Baltic sea
floor. Stratigraphic studies of the blau Erde
indicate it to be middle Eocene in age (Kosmowska-Ceranowicz, 1987; KosmowskaCeranowicz and Muller, 1985). The stratigraphic dates correlate perfectly with recent
K-Ar radiometric studies (Ritzkowski, 1997),
all of which indicate that Baltic amber is
44.161.1 Ma, placing it in the middle of the
Lutetian stage of the Eocene Epoch. The Bitterfeld amber (or Saxonian amber) from Germany is actually contemporaneous with Baltic amber and similar in both chemical composition and inclusions of the fauna and flora
(e.g., Schumann and Wendt, 1989; Roschmann and Mohrig, 1995). This Eocene amber
occurs in Miocene strata and has therefore
been considered to be much younger than
true Baltic amber; however, it has been demonstrated that Bitterfeld amber has been redeposited at least twice during its geological
history (Weitschat, 1997). Bitterfeld amber
is, in essence, Baltic amber that has been
eroded and redeposited in Miocene formations. A few of the inclusions studied herein
are in Bitterfeld amber and are identical to
taxa from true Baltic amber (see below).
Pieces of Baltic amber can be readily identified by a number of diagnostic features. The
succinic acid content of most Baltic amber is
relatively high (ca. 8%); this is the reason it
is commonly referred to as succinite. Some
more rare deposits, however, either lack suc-
16
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2001
17
18
AND
STUDY
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2001
19
20
1944, 1965, 2000a; Snodgrass, 1956; Camargo et al., 1967; Urban, 1967; Eickwort,
1969; Pesenko, 1983; Engel, 2000a) and the
ensuing section is not meant to entirely supplant those. Instead, I have attempted to summarize standard terms for the external morphology of bees, to relate each characteristic
to gross variations found among the Baltic
amber fauna, and to provide new terms for
features not previously considered. This section is also intended to provide a working
terminology for researchers and amateurs
collecting, organizing, and studying Baltic
amber inclusions. It is hoped that this overview of bee morphology will make the subsequent systematic section and its included
descriptions and dichotomous keys more
useful.
Morphological terminology generally follows that proposed by Michener (1944,
2000a) with additions for mandibular structure by Michener and Fraser (1978), coxal
structure by Michener (1981a), and glossal
morphology by Michener and Brooks (1984).
From these accounts, however, I differ in
some terminologies for wing veins, mouthpart structures, and leg structures most notably in terms used for types of pollen-carrying apparati (see specific instances below).
The following sections provide greater detail
into the precise morphology of bees in general and the Baltic amber bees in particular,
defining terms frequently used throughout
the text.
PROSOMA
The head, or prosoma, is the first body
tagma and is hypognathous. The compound
eyes (figs. 1, 4) are situated laterally on the
head and are composed of numerous minute
facets representing the individual lenses of
the ommatidia. At the top of the face, arranged in the pattern of an inverted triangle,
are three simple eyes termed ocelli (fig. 1).
At the extreme lower apex of the head is the
labrum (figs. 1, 3), a freely movable sclerite
that at its base broadly articulates with the
remainder of the prosoma. The labrum is
sometimes composed of two sections: the
distal process and the basal area. The distal
process (fig. 1) is a medioapical extension
that extends apicad from the transverse basal
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2001
21
Fig. 1. Diagrammatic representation of a bees head (5 prosoma) with major morphological structures labeled. Left image is a frontal view of the head with the antennae and mandibles removed; right
image is a ventral view of the head.
22
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2001
23
and metathoracic segments bear the wing articulations and are sometimes together referred to as the pterothorax. The major segmental structures are prefixed by pro,
meso, or meta as a reference to which
thoracic segment they relate (e.g., mesocoxa,
metatibial spurs).
The pronotum, or dorsal surface of the first
thoracic segment is expanded laterally to
form lateral surfaces and processes (the postcoxal processes) that extend along the sides
and behind the procoxae to form a complete
or nearly complete ring tightly adjoining the
anterior margin of the mesothorax (figs. 3,
4). Dorsally the pronotum extends somewhat
laterally and is posteriorly broadly U-shaped;
the shape of the dorsolateral angle (fig. 4),
where the pronotum bends posteriorly, is a
useful taxonomic character. Along the posterior border of the pronotal lateral surface
and extending toward and just below the level of the mesothoracic wing base is a distinct
pronotal lobe (fig. 3) that covers the first thoracic spiracle. The presence of this lobe is a
synapomorphic trait of the superfamily Apoidea. As a result of this overall pronotal morphology the propleura face ventrally and lie
anterior to the procoxae (fig. 3). The prosternum is mostly obscured from view between the propleura but can be viewed internally. The anterior, triangle-shaped apex of
the prosternum has been termed by Snodgrass (1956) the basisternum, while the
broad, posteriorly-projecting portion is the
furcasternum. The overall shape of the prosternum varies among higher bee lineages
(e.g., tribes). The lateral processes and apical
extension of the basisternum are of varying
lengths and the furcasternum is similarly variable, sometimes with a more or less developed longitudinal, medial groove. Most notable is the variation in construction exhibited among the corbiculate Apinae (e.g.,
Prentice, 1991) where, in the Apini and Meliponini, there is a strong constriction immediately posterior to the basisternum (i.e.,
between the basisternum and furcasternum).
The mesonotum, or dorsal surface of the
mesothoracic segment, is divided into two
primary units: the mesoscutum (or scutum)
and the mesoscutellum (or scutellum). The
mesoscutum is the larger, anterior sclerite the
mesonotum (figs. 3, 4). It is laterally bor-
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dered by small movable sclerites termed tegulae that cover the mesothoracic wing bases
(figs. 3, 4). Borne upon the mesoscutum are
a series of longitudinal, impressed lines. The
median line (fig. 4), as the name implies,
runs medially from the anterior border frequently to about the midpoint of the mesos-
Fig. 3. Diagrammatic representation of a left lateral view of a bee with major morphological features labeled. NOTE: The figure combines
characters not found in combination in any known bee (living or fossil); graduli not illustrated for all terga or sterna.
2001
25
26
the scutellum, the second sclerite of the mesonotum (figs. 3, 4). The scutellum is frequently dorsally gently convex, while laterally it is concave and forms regions referred
to as axillae (figs. 3, 4). The axillae are immediately posterior to the mesothoracic wing
bases. The mesepisternum (figs. 3, 4) is the
large, lateral portion of the mesothoracic segment. A series of ridges and grooves run
across this surface and these structures are
important characters for the recognition of
suprageneric groups within bees. Running
from just below the mesothoracic wing base
toward the ventral margin is the preepisternal groove, which serves to define the posterior border of a region termed the preepisternal area or preepisternum (fig. 3). If the
mesepisternum is strongly bent, then the
preepisternal area sometimes includes an anterior-facing surface. The preepisternal
groove does not define the ridge separating
this anterior-facing surface from the lateral
surface of the mesepisternum; this ridge is
termed the omaular ridge and can be rounded, carinate, lamellate, or rarely entirely absent. Running between the preepisternal
groove and the posterior border of the mesepisternum is a short, longitudinal, impressed line that crosses a pit at about its
midpoint. This pit is termed the scrobe or
episternal scrobe, while the impressed line is
termed the scrobal groove (fig. 3). Above the
scrobal groove is a usually convex region of
frequently distinctive sculpturing referred to
as the hypoepimeral area (fig. 3). The subpleural signum is a small, impunctate, frequently raised spot at the separation of the
pleural and ventral portions of the mespisternum. The precoxal triangle is a distinctive
area of sculpturing on the mesepisternum
bordering the mesocoxa in glyptapine bees
(fig. 3). The precoxal triangle is delimited by
a carina on all sides (posteriorly this carina
is the precoxal carina). The integumental
sculpturing within the precoxal triangle or
the structure of its separation from the remainder of the mesepisternum is quite useful
for separating species of the genus Glyptapis.
The metathoracic segment is greatly shortened longitudinally by comparison to the mesothorax. Dorsally it is represented by the
metanotum (figs. 3, 4) immediately posterior
to the scutellum, which may sometimes pro-
NO. 259
ject over its surface to varying degrees. Laterally the metepisternum (fig. 3) runs from
the metathoracic wing base (fig. 4) to the
metacoxa and typically narrows ventrally. As
mentioned previously, the hindmost portion
of the mesosoma is the propodeum (figs. 3,
4), which is ancestrally the first segment of
the abdomen. The propodeum is frequently
angled basally to form a dorsal-facing basal
area and a posterior surface (figs. 3, 4). Typically, the sculpturing of the integument on
the basal area of the propodeum is diagnostic
for species or groups of species. Similarly,
the angle between the basal area and the posterior surface can be useful for the definition
of generic groups among bees. The propodeal triangle (5 metapostnotum of Brothers,
1976) is a distinctive region of integument
including the basal area or most of it and
extending posteroventrally toward the propodeal pit (fig. 4) on the posterior surface.
The mesosomal appendages are all born
on the true thorax. The legs are composed of
the typical series of segments (from base to
apex): coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, tarsus,
and pretarsus; the tarsus is further subdivided into the basitarsus (basalmost subsegment
or tarsomere), mediotarsus (subsegments two
through four), and distitarsus (distalmost
subsegment) (fig. 3). The procoxae, like the
propleura, are situated next to one another on
the anteroventral surface of the mesosoma.
The meso- and metacoxae are typically more
well separated from one another, situated on
the ventral surface of the posterior half of the
mesosoma and closer to one another than either is to the procoxae. In most short-tongued
bees families (i.e., Colletidae, Halictidae,
Andrenidae) the mesocoxa is hemicryptic,
that is to say its dorsal articulation is partially
hidden inside of the mesosoma. All other bee
families (i.e., Paleomelittidae, Melittidae,
Megachilidae, and Apidae) have a fully exposed mesocoxa. The metacoxa is fully exposed and ventral to the metepisternum and
anterior portion of the propodeum. The protrochanters are slightly laterally compressed
segments that articulate in a longitudinal
plane (rather than vertical plane of movement as in the meso- and metatrochanters).
The femora and tibiae are elongate, tubular
segments, typically widest at their midpoint.
On the ventral, mediobasal surface of the
2001
27
Fig. 4. Diagrammatic representation of a bees prosomal and mesosomal dorsum with major anatomical structures labeled.
28
formed by an expansion of the metatibia toward its apex; it is somewhat flattened and
the outer surface concave to varying degrees.
The concave region on the outer surface
(varying in length, although typically comprising only the apical half of the metatibia)
is bordered anteriorly and posteriorly by
elongate scopal setae. Michener (1999) has,
as have some other authors (e.g., Thorp,
1979), used the term corbicula more inclusively for any glabrous, frequently concave
surface bordered by fringes of elongate scopal setae and used for the transport of pollen.
Thus some structures found in other bee
groups (e.g., andrenines, halictines) may
have what these authors refer to as femoral
corbiculae or propodeal corbiculae. In
attempting to denote the uniqueness of the
actual structure found only in the corbiculate
Apinae, i.e., those taxa not only exhibiting
the corbicula as defined by Michener (1999)
but also the associated modifications of the
metatibia, I prefer to restrict the term corbicula to this structure. Those other pollen-carrying apparati termed corbiculae by Michener (op. cit.), are here referred to as either
corbiculate scopae or more appropriately as
fiscinae (sing. fiscina: L. meaning flower or
bread basket). Thus corbiculae s.s. are homologous structures found in a single clade
of apine bees. Both scopae and fiscinae are
more general terms for other pollen-carrying
structures and are not necessarily homologous across taxa. Thus, it may prove at a
later time to be useful to indicate such homologies by their own terms owing to the
diversity of fiscinae among bees (e.g., the
term canistra for a propodeal fascina).
The inner surface of the metatibia of many
bees and wasps is covered by a dense field
of minute, blunt setae termed keirotrichiae.
The region occupied by the keirotrichiae is
termed the keirotrichiate field (fig. 5) and its
separation from the remainder of the metatibial inner surface is a useful systematic
character among Meliponini and Electrapini.
Articulated on the inner apex of the tibiae are
spurs, the number and general structure of
which vary on legs of differing segments;
there is a single protibial spur and a single
mesotibial spur, while the inner apex of the
metatibia ordinarily has two metatibial spurs
(figs. 3, 5). The protibial spur is modified
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2001
29
30
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Fig. 5. Diagrammatic, corbiculate metatibiae with structures labeled. Left metatibia depicts an outer
surface; right metatibia depicts an inner surface. NOTE: The figured metatibiae are not meant to represent outer and inner surfaces of the same leg or a single species.
2001
of the marginal cell (formed of Rs) just beyond the first submarginal cell is actually the
r-rs crossvein but is frequently and enigmatically referred to as simply r, presumably
owing to the fact that this crossvein runs between two portions of the radial system; 4.
in the hind wing the crossvein r-m is changed
to rs-m to regain, once again, more information pertaining to which section of the radial system this vein connects to the medial
system. Thus, although these are minor alterations to the terminology of bee wing
veins, they more accurately reflect the identity of the veins as they are presently understood and refer to homologies outside of the
Apoidea. The membranous regions of the
wing running between the veins are termed
cells when bounded on all sides by veins.
The cells of the forewing and hind wing are
indicated in figure 7. I will mention only two
sets of cells that play a particularly important
role in the following descriptions and keys.
The marginal cell is the large membranous
region apicad the pterostigma and bordered
by R anteriorly and r-rs and Rs posteriorly.
This cell is variously modified, particularly
at its apex, which can be set along the leading edge of the wing, bent away from the
leading edge of the wing to different degrees,
become broadly truncated (e.g., Perditini,
some Electrapini), sometimes equipped with
a minute abscissa of Rs beyond the cell (the
cell is referred to as appendiculate when this
abscissa is present: e.g., fig. 7), or in the most
extreme case be entirely open (e.g., the stingless bees: figs. 111, 113). The submarginal
cells are a longitudinal series of two or, more
frequently, three cells immediately posterior
to the pterostigma and marginal cell; when
only two cells are present it is typically owing to a loss of 1rs-m, thereby effectively
uniting the second and third submarginal
cells. The shapes and and relative sizes of
the submarginal cells are useful for distinguishing species and genera of bees. In one
of the most extreme instances (i.e., the forewing of some Meliponini) the loss of the distal wing veins has left not only the marginal
cell open at its apex, but the submarginal
cells are completely lost (e.g., figs. 111, 113).
The posterior edge of the membrane of the
wings is typically incised at specific sites that
indicate the endpoints of particular folds in
31
the wing. These incisions and furrows demarcate specific regions of the insect wing
that appear as lobes along the posterior edge
of the wings. The basalmost lobe is the jugal
lobe (fig. 7), which defines the anterior border of that region of the wing termed the jugum. The absence, presence, and size of the
jugal lobe in the hind wing is a useful character for recognizing groups of bees. This
structure, however, can be easily misinterpreted even in living bees since the jugal
lobe frequently folds under the remainder of
the hind wing and therefore appears absent.
In fossil bees this is even more problematic
since the amber often makes it difficult to
discern the margins of such a folded lobe
when attempting to look through the membrane of the wing; this is further complicated
by the fact that amber sometimes has a
clearing effect on wing veins and membrane, making them appear more faint. The
next more apical lobe is the vannal lobe (fig.
7) and is defined by a fold running near to
the anal vein; the region between the jugal
fold and the vannal fold is the vannus. The
vannus is the posterior part of a region typically termed the clavus among other groups
of Hymenoptera and other insects; the associated structures are referred to in those instances as the claval lobe and claval furrow
(the latter of which typically runs just posterior to Cu). Thus, in other groups of Hymenoptera what is referred to in bees as the
vannal lobe is sometimes termed the claval
lobe. The remainder of the wing membrane
apical from the axillary region (bearing the
axillary sclerites) is the remigium. The lobes
of the hind wing are particularly useful for
classifying bees. The relative sizes of the jugal and vannal lobes as well as the presence
or absence of the former are useful phylogenetic and taxonomic characters. Because
they are rather uniform, those lobes of the
forewing are not typically referred to for
classificatory purposes, but the vannal lobe,
at the minimum, is present. The membrane
of the wings is typically covered by minute
setae, although in some bee groups (e.g., Xylocopa, Bombus, Electrobombus) the apical
portion of the wing beyond the veins is studded with minute, darkened swellings termed
alar papillae (labeled as such in fig. 6). The
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Fig. 6. Diagrammatic wing with longitudinal and crossveins labeled as well as a single membrane
feature (i.e., alar papillae). Upper image is a forewing; lower image is a hind wing.
first metasomal tergum is constricted anteriorly to join the mesosoma and is therefore
typically composed of an anterior-facing surface as well as a dorsal-facing surface. In the
Lithurginae the first tergum is shortened such
that there is no dorsal-facing surface. Running transversely across the basal half or the
middle (or basal part of the visible portion
of terga and sterna) of each tergum and sternum at about the level of the spiracle is a
distinct line that is frequently carinate or minutely lamellate, referred to as the gradulus
(fig. 3). The gradulus divides the terga and
sterna into pregradular and postgradular regions.
2001
33
Fig. 7. Diagrammatic wing with membranous cells and gross anatomical structures labeled. Upper
image is a forewing; lower image is a hind wing.
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TABLE 4
COMMENTS: The superfamily Apoidea consists of two primary divisions: the paraphyletic assemblage of spheciform wasps (families Angarosphecidae, Ampulicidae, Crabronidae, Heterogynaidae, and Sphecidae),
and the monophyletic bees (Apiformes). The
Spheciformes is not treated further herein.
Table 4 summarizes the familial classification
of the superfamily.
It has been observed that the name Spheciformes is a hybrid name (composed of
Greek sphekos and Latin forma) and should
therefore be replaced by appropriately
formed names; namely Sphecomorpha (5
Spheciformes) and Melissomorpha (5 Apiformes). I have chosen to follow Brothers
(1975) for these informal groups rather than
employ those terms of wholly Greek origin.
Key to Divisions of Apoidea
1. Body setae simple; metabasitarsus not broader than remaining tarsal segments, frequently with strigil; female T7 not divided
into hemitergites . . . . . . Spheciformes
At least some setae, particularly those of legs
and surrounding propodeal spiracle,
branched or plumose; metabasitarsus flattened, wider than remaining tarsal segments, without strigil; female T7 divided
into hemitergites (bees) . . . . . Apiformes
2001
DIVISION APIFORMES
(THE BEES)
DIAGNOSIS: Some setae branched or plumose; subantennal sutures internally connected to fan-shaped sheet of tentorium; labrum thickened basally and attached at clypeal margin; proboscidial fossa opened onto
posterior surface of head capsule; cardo not
broadened apically, approximately parallelsided; suspensorium of paraglossa with
sparse setae or bristles; mesotibial comb present; dorsoventral length of mesocoxa about
equal to distance from summit of mesocoxa
to hind wing base; metabasitarsus broader
than following tarsal segments, without concavity or strigil; cu-a of hind wing shorter
than second abscissa of M1Cu; T7 of female
divided into two hemitergites.
COMMENTS: The bees are a monophyletic
group among the Apoidea. Although I have
not included it in the list above, an additional
character diagnosing the bees includes the
vegetarian diet of the larvae. Aside from a
few, apomorphic exceptions bee larvae consume pollen, nectar, and plant oils.
McKenna and Bell (1997: 513) presented
a series of ranks and suffixes for familygroup names (adapted from Bour and Dubois, 1984) that could be applied to provide
more hierarchy to the classification of Apoidea. In particular the rank of epifamily (intermediate between superfamily and family
and with suffix -oidae) could be applied to
refer to the bees as a whole. This would result in what I have called division Apiformes
being replaced by epifamily Apoidae. Since
this name would be quite similar to the superfamilial name (i.e., Apoidea), I feel that it
would merely lead to confusion with the
more inclusive group consisting of the spheciforms and bees. I have, therefore, used informal names without official ranks for these
intercalary entities.
SHORT-TONGUED VERSUS LONG-TONGUED
BEES
Bees have been segregated into major
groups; or the short- and long-tongued bees,
a division originally recognized by Kirby
(1802) and used ever since. Although these
vernacular names are useful, they are a bit of
a misnomer as these characters are not uni-
35
36
SHORT-TONGUED BEES
Family HALICTIDAE Thomson
DIAGNOSIS: The halictids comprise three
homogeneous subfamilies of basic shorttongued bees (i.e., cylindrical labial palp segments, elongate jugal lobe, hemicryptic mesocoxae, &c.; see above). Halictidae is most
notable for the loss of the mentum and submentum.
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37
TABLE 5
38
Fig. 8.
1 mm.
NO. 259
Right lateral habitus of holotype female of Electrolictus antiquus, new species. Scale bar 5
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39
40
NO. 259
Figs. 912. Head of holotype female of Electrolictus antiquus, new species. 9. Dorsofrontal view.
10. Left lateral view. 11. Ventral view. 12. Frontal view. Scale bars 5 1 mm (a 5 figs. 9, 10, 12; b 5
fig. 11).
2001
41
Fig. 13. Forewing of holotype female of Electrolictus antiquus, new species. Scale bar 5 1
mm.
Figs. 1416. Leg structures of holotype female of Electrolictus antiquus, new species. 14.
Metabasitibial plate. 15. Inner metatibial spur. 16.
Claw, arolium, distitarsus, and apical two segments of mediotarsus. Scale bars 5 0.5 mm (a 5
fig. 14; b 5 figs. 15, 16).
DIAGNOSIS: This family is a typical shorttongued bee lineage with the cylindrical labial palpus segments and elongate jugal lobe;
the latter, plesiomorphic character distinguishing the group from the Melittidae. Paleomelittidae also differs from the melittids
by the entirely complete scrobal groove (present only posterior to episternal scrobe and
reaching to anterior suture of metepisternum
in Melittidae). Unlike the basic shorttongued families, however, Paleomelittidae
has a fully exposed mesocoxa.
DESCRIPTION: Single subantennal suture
(i.e., subantennal areas absent) meeting inner,
lower margin of antennal socket. Facial foveae absent. Segments one and two of labial
palpi similar to distal segments, cylindrical,
distal segments in line with basal segments;
glossa acute, short, without flabellum; stipital
concavity and comb absent; galeal comb absent. Preepisternal groove incomplete, absent
below level of scrobe; scrobal groove present
and entire (i.e., present both in front of as
well as posterior to episternal scrobe). Mesocoxa fully exposed, exposed area slightly
longer than distance from summit to metathoracic wing base; metabasibitial plate present; scopa developed on metafemur (more
weakly than on following leg segments), metatibia, and metabasitarsus, scopa strongest
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Fig. 17. Frontal view of head of holotype female of Paleomelitta nigripennis, new species.
Scale bar 5 1 mm.
fringe of elongate, simple setae (fig. 18); scutellum rising well above metanotum then
abruptly curving behind posterior fringe to
meet metanotal basal border, not projecting
over metanotum. Metabasitibial plate present, large, and strongly bordered on all edges; scopal setae simple; claws with short inner tooth (fig. 19); arolium present and large
(fig. 19). Marginal cell apex set away from
wing margin by approximately three-quarters
of pterostigma width, feebly appendiculate
(fig. 20). Margin of pterostigma inside of
marginal cell slightly convex; pterostigma
longer than wide; r-rs arising in apical half
of pterostigma. Two submarginal cells; second abscissa of Rs approximately orthogonal
to M, strongly basad of 1m-cu (fig. 20).
ETYMOLOGY: The new genus-group name
is a combination of palaios (Greek, meaning
ancient) and melitta (Greek, meaning
bee). The name is feminine.
Paleomelitta nigripennis, new species
Figures 1720
Plates 1c,d, 2a
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43
Fig. 18. Dorsal view of mesosoma, posterior border of prosoma, and anterior border of metasoma
of holotype female of Paleomelitta nigripennis, new species. NOTE: The depicted incision in the hind
wing is the jugal fold demarcating the apical margin of the jugal lobe; the vannal fold is positioned just
under the posterior edge of the forewing. Scale bar 5 1 mm.
praclypeal area, face, vertex, and gena sculptured as on basal half of clypeus. Pronotum
smooth and impunctate. Mesoscutum with
small punctures separated by 12 times a
puncture width except around median line
separated by a puncture width or less, integument between smooth. Scutellum sculptured
as on mesoscutum except punctures separated by 23 times a puncture width. Tegula
with minute punctures separated by less than
a puncture width on inner half, outer half impunctate, integument between finely imbricate. Metanotum imbricate. Pleura with
sparse, minute punctures, integument between smooth. Propodeal lateral and posterior surfaces finely imbricate; basal area of
propodeum strongly imbricate. Metasomal
terga with minute punctures separated by a
puncture width, integument between finely
imbricate; sterna imbricate.
Coloration dark brown. Wing membranes
exceedingly infumated, dark brown; veins
black.
Pubescence fuscous. Labrum with scat-
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Fig. 20. Forewing of holotype female of Paleomelitta nigripennis, new species. Scale bar 5
1 mm.
Fig. 19. Distitarsus, claw, and arolium of holotype female of Paleomelitta nigripennis, new
species. Upper image is an outer view; lower image is an inner view. Scale bar 5 0.25 mm.
DIAGNOSIS: This family consists of shorttongued bees with the fully exposed mesocoxa, V-shaped submentum, and short jugal
lobe typical of the long-tongued bees while
retaining the plesiomorphic short-tongued
labial structure, absence of a stipital comb
and concavity, and absence of a flabellum.
Melittids also lack a preepisternal groove and
2001
45
TABLE 6
tribe Redivivini (new tribe; type genus: Rediviva Friese) with Rediviva and Redivivoides. The Redivivini can be separated from
Melittini by the reduced, shining, and smooth
propodeal triangle and males with S7 bifid
(Michener, 1981b). Table 6 summarizes a
new higher classification of Melittidae.
The separation of Macropis from the Melittinae implies that the oil-collecting structures of the Macropidini and the Redivivini
arose independently. This seems to be a valid
conclusion since macropidines appear to
share features with basal dasypodaines (e.g.,
Promelitta) particularly in the presence of
only two submarginal cells and, in fact, the
structure of the second abscissa Rs in basal
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47
Figs. 2122. Holotype female of Eomacropis glaesaria, new species. 21. Frontal view of head. 22.
Right dorsolateral oblique view of mesosoma, posterior border of prosoma, and anterior border of
metasoma. NOTE: Staphyliniform beetle larva on mesoscutum of the holotype. Scale bars 5 1 mm (a
5 fig. 22; b 5 fig. 21).
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49
Figs. 2325. Holotype female of Eomacropis glaesaria, new species. 23. Forewing. 24. Inner surface
of metatibia and metatarsus. 25. Outer surface of metatibia, apex of metafemur, and basal portion of
metabasitarsus. Scale bars 5 1 mm (a 5 fig. 23; b 5 figs. 24, 25).
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TABLE 7
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51
surfaces of tibiae not spiculate; metabasitibial plate present, strongly bordered on all
sides (fig. 28); metatibia with weakly formed
scopa in addition to metasomal scopa; metabasitarsus flattened; female claw cleft (fig.
29); female arolium present (fig. 29).
COMMENTS: The Protolithurgini is significant among lithurgines for retaining the plesiomorphic condition of a relatively short
glossa, bidentate mandibles, and metatibial
scopa (as well as a metasomal scopa). It can
be confidently classified in the Lithurginae
owing to the apomorphic presence of the
shortened and flat first metasomal tergum
(unique to lithurgines among the Megachilidae), the third labial palpus on the same axis
as the second, and the retention of a metabasitibial plate (although even more well developed than in extant lithurgines).
Protolithurgus, new genus
TYPE SPECIES: Protolithurgus ditomeus Engel, new species.
DIAGNOSIS: Labrum apparently as long as
wide, with numerous, erect setae on surface.
Mandible not short and stout (as is typical
for extant lithurgines), with only two strongly developed teeth (fig. 26). Clypeus not extending below lower tangent of compound
eyes (figs. 26, 27); epistomal sulcus forming
a slightly obtuse angle; supraclypeal area
convex, gently swollen and protuberant in
lateral view, extending above level of clypeus (fig. 27). Subantennal sutures meeting
outer margin of antennal sockets (fig. 26); F1
distinctly longer than F2 (fig. 26). Compound
eyes not emarginate, inner margins parallel
(fig. 26). Preoccipital ridge rounded. Tibiae
not spiculate; metabasitibial plate present,
strongly bordered on all sides, large and
broadly rounded (fig. 28); claws cleft (fig.
29); arolium present (fig. 29). Metasomal
scopa strong and present; T1 relatively short,
flat in lateral view.
ETYMOLOGY: The new genus-group name
is a combination of protos (Greek, first)
and the genus name Lithurgus, type genus of
the subfamily. The name is masculine.
Protolithurgus ditomeus, new species
Figures 2629
Plate 2bd
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Figs. 2629. Holotype female of Protolithurgus ditomeus, new species. 26. Frontal view of head.
27. Right lateral view of head. 28. Outer surface of metatibia. 29. Inner view of claw and arolium.
Scale bars 5 1 mm (a 5 fig. 26; b 5 fig. 27; c 5 figure 28; d 5 fig. 29).
2001
length 12.86 mm (from head to approximately the basal portion of T5). Head wider
than long (length 3.10 mm, width 4.40 mm).
Clypeus not extending below lower tangent
of compound eyes; convex and somewhat
protuberant in lateral view (fig. 27). Upper
interorbital distance 2.35 mm; lower interorbital distance 2.37 mm. Interocellar distance 0.55 mm; ocellocular distance 0.60
mm; median to lateral ocellus 0.15 mm. Intertegular distance 3.38 mm. Scutellum
slightly more than three times length of metanotum; metanotum about as long as basal
area or propodeum. Basal vein basad by vein
width, straight; first submarginal cell apparently subequal in length to second submarginal cell.
Labrum, clypeus, supraclypeal area, face,
vertex, gena, and postgena imbricate. Mesosoma imbricate. Metasoma apparently
(where evident) imbricate.
Head and mesosoma brown with nonmetallic, greenish highlights; antennae, metasoma, and legs dark brown without highlights. Wing membrane fuscous; veins dark
brown to black.
Pubescence fuscous to black. Labrum with
numerous, long (22.5 OD), simple, erect setae, setae not obscuring integument. Clypeus,
supraclypeal area, and face below level of
antennal sockets with scattered, simple, erect,
long (23 OD) setae; clypeal margin with
submedial patch of setae; face above level of
antennal sockets, vertex, and gena with setae
sparser and shorter (1 OD). Postgena with
long (23.5 OD), erect, simple setae. Pronotum with minute, sparse, simple setae except dorsolateral angle with plumose (1 OD)
setae. Mesoscutum with minute, sparse, simple setae. Scutellum as described for mesoscutum except axilla with patches of erect,
plumose (1 OD) setae. Metanotum without
setae. Hypoepimeral area, metepisternum,
and lateral surface of propodeum with sparse,
suberect, simple (1 OD) setae; preepisternum
and mesepisternum with scattered, long (2.5
3 OD), erect setae each with a few short
branches. Basal area of propodeum without
pubescence. Metafemur without scopal setae;
metatibia and metabasitarsus with dense,
simple setae, a few with two or three short
branches. Metasomal terga apparently (where
evident) with sparse, minute, simple setae;
53
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NO. 259
are not presently well defined, I prefer to tentatively recognize them as subtribes for purposes of comparison with the plesiomorphic
fossils discussed below. The Osmiini can
therefore be divided into four groups or subtribes as indicated in table 7; the fossils fall
into two distinct subtribes: Glyptapina Cockerell and Ctenoplectrellina (new subtribe).
The two fossil subtribes retain a short labrum, a plesiomorphic feature for Lithurginae and Megachilinae; however, the presence
of several derived characters typical of Megachilinae (e.g., complete absence of metabasitibial plate, absence of pygidial plate)
suggests that this character is a reversal. Subtribes of Osmiini can be distinguished as follows (based on females only):
Osmiina Newman: Maxillary palpi fouror five-segmented; labrum longer than wide;
mandible variously structured; parapsidal
lines punctiform (in Osmia) or linear; omaular ridge rounded; basal area of propodeum
declivitous; claws simple (except in Metalinella).
Trypetina Robertson, nomen translatum
[5 Heriadini of Michener (1941)]: Maxillary
palpi two- to four-segmented; labrum longer
than wide; mandible variously structured;
parapsidal lines linear; omaular ridge usually
rounded (carinate in some); basal area of propodeum usually horizontal; claws simple.
The family-group name based on Trypetes (a
junior synonym of Heriades) has priority
over that based on Heriades. The name Trypetini cannot be dismissed simply owing to
the synonymy of its type genus (ICZN,
1999b: Art. 40.1) and, thus, the subtribal
name should be Trypetina Robertson.
Glyptapina Cockerell, nomen translatum
(includes only Glyptapis Cockerell): Maxillary palpi four-segmented; labrum wider than
long; mandible with long, upper cutting-edge
(figs. 30, 32) (mandible in general structure
similar to some species of Anthidiini; e.g.,
some Dianthidium); parapsidal lines linear;
omaular ridge strongly carinate (as in some
Old World Anthidiini); basal area of propodeum declivitous; claws cleft (fig. 35).
Ctenoplectrellina, new subtribe (type genus: Ctenoplectrella Cockerell; subtribe also
includes Glaesosmia, n. gen.): Maxillary palpi four-segmented; labrum wider than long;
mandible variously structured; parapsidal
2001
Fig. 30.
55
olae; mandible with three teeth, short cutting edge between uppermost tooth and
lower two teeth (fig. 40); mesoscutum and
scutellum normally punctate or impunctate;
compound eyes bare (fig. 40) . . . . . . . . 2
Mesepisternum coarsely areolate and rugose
(figs. 33, 39); omaular carina present and
strong (fig. 33); propodeum strongly areolate (fig. 31); mandible with a single, small
lower tooth and large upper cutting edge
(fig. 32); mesoscutum and scutellum coarsely punctate, punctures deep and craterlike
(figs. 31, 38); compound eyes hirsute, setae
long (fig. 32) . . . . . . Glyptapis Cockerell
2. Upper gena much narrower than compound
eye in lateral view; subantennal sutures
longer than diameter of antennal sockets
(fig. 40); distance between compound eyes
equal to or slightly less than length of compound eyes; second abscissa Rs orthogonal
to vein M (figs. 41, 43) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . Ctenoplectrella Cockerell
Upper gena as broad as compound eye in lateral view; subantennal sutures as long as
diameter of antennal sockets; distance be-
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NO. 259
2001
57
58
Fig. 31.
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2001
smooth; scrobal suture absent (perhaps utterly obscured by coarse areolate sculpturing?);
precoxal triangle with eight dorsoventral areolae (the number of areolae, however, are
variable; in one other specimen there are
only four areolae); precoxal triangle anteriorly separated from remainder of mesepisternum by broad glabrous margin that is approximately 1.5 times areola diameter in
width. Metepisternum transversely striate, integument between striae smooth. Basal area
of propodeum strongly areolate, areolae easily 1 OD in diameter, basal area two areolae
in length and eight areolae wide, lateral areolae more rectangular than square areolae
near midline; metapostnotum smooth and
impunctate, bordered by areolae (0.5 OD in
diameter) that converge ventrally just below
propodeal pit; outside of areolate borders of
metapostnotum on posterior propodeal surface a small glabrous zone of about 1 OD in
width; lateral and ventral borders of posterior
surface strongly areolate; lateral surface of
propodeum dorsoventrally striate, integument between striae smooth. Metasomal terga and sterna faintly imbricate and impunctate.
Color not well preserved, apparently entirely dark brown without maculations. Wing
membrane hyaline; veins strong and dark
brown.
Mandible with minute, simple, subappressed
setae, longer on ventral border. Galea with
long setae at apex and on inner border near
apex. Clypeus with minute, appressed, simple setae not obscuring integument, such setae also on face below level of antennal
sockets. Widely scattered, longer, erect setae
on face, clypeus, supraclypeal area; appressed, minute setae disappearing by supraclypeal area, replaced on upper face by
aforementioned longer, erect setae, although
now more numerous, such setae long on
vertex and each bearing a few minute
branches. Gena with similar setae as those
of vertex, although shorter, subappressed
(not obscuring integument), and simple.
Postgena with long, erect, widely scattered
setae. Pronotum with scattered, minute, simple setae, appressed but not obscuring the
integument except on pronotal lobe where
setae appear dense and short and along dorsal carina, with setae short, erect, and each
59
60
Fig. 32. Frontal view of head of holotype female of Glyptapis disareolata, new species. Scale
bar 5 1 mm.
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2001
61
Fig. 33. Right ventrolateral oblique view of head and mesosoma of holotype female of Glyptapis
disareolata, new species.
where evident, dark brown and without maculations. Wing membrane hyaline; veins
strong and dark brown.
Mandible with minute, simple, subappressed
setae, longer on ventral border. Clypeus with
Fig. 34.
minute, appressed, simple setae not obscuring integument, such setae also on face below level of antennal sockets. Widely scattered, longer, erect setae on face, clypeus,
and supraclypeal area; appressed, minute se-
Hind wing of holotype female of Glyptapis disareolata, new species. Scale bar 5 1 mm.
62
Figs. 3536. Leg structures of Glyptapis species. 35. Claw and arolium of Glyptapis disareolata, new species. 36. Metafemur, metatibia, and
metatarsus of female of Glyptapis fuscula Cockerell. Scale bars 5 0.5 mm (a), 0.25 mm (b); (a
5 fig. 36; b 5 fig. 35).
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63
64
NEW
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2001
Fig. 38.
65
66
NO. 259
Fig. 39. Lateral view (posterior portion of head in lower right-hand corner) of mesosoma of holotype
female of Glyptapis fuscula Cockerell. Mesepisternum sculpturing in focus; precoxal triangle cannot be
seen in this image.
2001
67
68
NO. 259
DIAGNOSIS: Among Baltic amber Megachlinae Ctenoplectrella is most similar to Glaesosmia but differs by the longer supraclypeal
area, narrow gena, and more orthogonal second abscissa of Rs.
DESCRIPTION: Mandible with three teeth
along apical margin, upper tooth separated
from lower two teeth by a short, gently concave cutting-edge (fig. 40). Malar space
short, much shorter than basal mandibular
width. Clypeus flat; not extending below
lower tangent of compound eyes (fig. 40).
Hypostomal ridge carinate, anterior angle
rounded. Subantennal sutures longer than antennal socket diameter. Compound eyes bare
(fig. 40); compound eye broader than gena
in lateral view; inner margins straight and
slightly converging below. F1 slightly longer
than F2; length of F2 approximately equal to
that of F3. Posterior margin of vertex gently
concave. Preoccipital area rounded. Mesoscutum and scutellum not coarsely sculptured;
mesoscutal anterior border broadly rounded
(fig. 45); median line moderately impressed;
parapsidal lines faintly impressed and linear;
tegula oval; scutellum low, weakly convex,
not overhanging metanotum, anterior margin
without notches; metanotum slightly inclined
but generally not far off from horizontal (fig.
46); anterior and posterior borders of metepisternum converging ventrally and meeting
one another at point of mesocoxal base; propodeum not strongly sculptured. Claws with
inner tooth, inner tooth shorter than outer
(fig. 42); arolium present (fig. 42); outer apex
of mesotibia without spine; two metatibial
spurs, spurs serrate. Basal vein strongly arcuate; second abscissa Rs approximately orthogonal to M (figs. 41, 43). No apparent
maculations on integument.
COMMENTS: This genus has long been as-
Fig. 40. Frontal view of head of neotype female of Ctenoplectrella viridiceps Cockerell.
Scale bar 5 1 mm.
2001
69
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NO. 259
Fig. 41. Forewing of neotype female of Ctenoplectrella viridiceps Cockerell. Scale bar 5 1
mm.
2001
71
DIAGNOSIS: This is most similar to C. grimaldii (see below) in the strongly produced
second submarginal cell (fig. 43), straight
clypeal apex, and narrow gena but differs by
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NO. 259
Figs. 4344. Wings of holotype female of Ctenoplectrella cockerelli, new species. 43. Forewing.
44. Hind wing. Scale bar 5 1 mm.
2001
73
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NO. 259
Figs. 4546. Holotype female of Ctenoplectrella grimaldii, new species. 45. Dorsal view of holotype. 46. Left lateral view of mesosomal dorsum. Scale bar 5 1 mm.
2001
75
MATERIAL: One specimen. Non-type. Female, Nr. G4669 (IMGP) labeled Reservierte Registriernummer, Megachile: G4669
[Gerlach handwriting] // Megachile sp. indet., Gerlach, J., 1987 // G4669, Ctenoplectrella sp. indet. (sensu Ckll.), det. M. S.
Engel, 1999, Geologisch-Palaontologisches
Institut und Museum, Gottingen.
COMMENTS: This specimen is poorly preserved and is mostly covered by Schimmel
except for portions of the compound eyes, an
exposed wing, apices of the legs; other structures dimly visible through thinner regions of
Schimmel. Those few visible features generally suggest a species of Ctenoplectrella
(i.e., an osmiine without eye setae, relatively
orthogonal second abscissa Rs to M, and
with an apparently narrow gena). The strongly arcuate 2rs-m suggests C. cockerelli or C.
grimaldii but further identification as to species is impossible. The somewhat larger body
size (ca. 8 mm) suggests that the specimen
may represent an otherwise unknown species
(if indeed it is a true Ctenoplectrella at all!).
The body size is closer to that of Glaesosmia.
Glaesosmia, new genus
TYPE SPECIES: Glaesosmia genalis Engel,
new species.
DIAGNOSIS: This genus is most similar to
Ctenoplectrella but differs by the short supraclypeal area, broad gena, angulate second
abscissa of Rs (fig. 47), and broad head (refer
to key to genera, above).
DESCRIPTION: Mandible with three lower
teeth along apical margin, upper tooth separated from lower two teeth by a short, gently
concave cutting-edge. Malar space short,
much shorter than basal mandibular width.
Clypeus flat; not extending below lower tan-
76
NO. 259
2001
77
78
Fig. 48.
NO. 259
Fig. 49. Frontal view of head of holotype female of Boreallodape baltica, new species. Scale
bar 5 0.5 mm.
behind ocelli strongly concave, vertex relatively short. Preoccipital area rounded. Gena
narrower than compound eye in lateral view.
Malar space short, much less than basal mandibular width. Mandible bidentate (fig. 54).
Mesoscutum broadly rounded anteriorly; median and parapsidal lines moderately impressed. Tibial combs absent; coxae without
spines or carinae. Wing membrane hyaline;
veins dark brown; basal vein strongly curved
(figs. 50, 55); pterostigma well developed,
margin inside marginal cell slightly convex;
apex of marginal cell acutely rounded, set off
from wing margin by width of vein at most;
second submarginal cell shorter than first;
1rs-m basad of 1m-cu; five distal hamuli arranged in a single, evenly spaced series.
ETYMOLOGY: The new genus-group name is
derived from boreas (Greek, meaning
north) and Allodape, type genus of the xylocopine tribe Allodapini. The name is a combined reference to the resemblance of species
of this tribe to those of their sister tribe Allodapini and to the fact that these fossils are
at the highest latitude recorded for any allodapine-like bee. The name is feminine.
COMMENTS: Species of Boreallodape su-
2001
79
Figs. 5051. Wings of holotype female of Boreallodape baltica, new species. 50. Forewing. 51.
Hind wing. Scale bar 5 0.5 mm.
perficially resemble the living allodapine genus Braunsapis but can be immediately separated from the latter (as well as all other
Allodapini) by the tribal characteristics.
Key to Species of BOREALLODAPE
1. Pleura strongly punctate, punctures well-defined, small and separated by a puncture
width or less; tergal punctation closely
spaced, separated by a puncture width at
most; basal area of propodeum variable;
larger species (body length more than 4
mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Pleura impunctate; tergal punctation minute
and sparse, puncture separated by 13
times a puncture width; basal area of propodeum glabrous; smaller species (body
length less than 4 mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. mollyae, n. sp.
2. Lower half of hypoepimeral area impunctate;
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2001
Fig. 53.
81
Paratype. Female, Nr. 1253 (CHFG) labeled: Nr. 1253, Balt. Bernstein // Paratype, Boreallodape baltica Engel.
Paratype. Female, Nr. 1256 (CHFG) labeled: Nr. 1256, Balt. Bernstein // Paratype, Boreallodape baltica Engel.
Paratype. Female, Nr. 70 (CJDL) labeled:
Nr. 70 // Paratype, Boreallodape baltica
Engel.
Non-type. Female, B-W 159 (AMNH) labeled: Baltic amber: Eocene, Kaliningrad,
Yantarny // Boreallodape baltica? Engel,
det. M. S. Engel.
ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is a reference to the Baltic region where the amber
originates.
Boreallodape mollyae, new species
Figures 53, 54
Plates 4e, 5a
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MATERIAL: Six specimens. Holotype. Female, B-JH 81 (AMNH) labeled: Baltic amber: Eocene, Kaliningrad, Yantarny // Holotype, Boreallodape mollyae Engel.
Paratypes. Five females, Nr. 19948
(ZMPA) labeled: Muzeum Ziemi w Warszawie, 19948, Baltic amber with bees, Apidae, from Baltic beach in Stupsk, 1983 //
Baltic Amber: Eocene, Nr. 19948, Muzeum
Ziemi Pan, M. S. Engel study // Paratype,
Boreallodape mollyae Engel.
ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is a patronymic in loving honor of Ms. Molly G.
Rightmyer, brilliant hymenopterist and gifted
artist, who executed the numerous magnificent illustrations presented herein.
Boreallodape striebichi, new species
Figures 5558
Plate 4c,d,f
2001
Fig. 55.
83
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NO. 259
Fig. 56. Scanning electron micrograph of paratype female of Boreallodape striebichi, new species;
partial specimen preserved at amber surface of B-BS 153 (AMNH).
faintly imbricate. First metasomal tergum impunctate; T2 with coarse, faint punctures separated by a puncture width or less except
punctures of central disc more widely separated and faint, without impunctate area; remaining terga with coarse, faint punctures
separated by a puncture width or less.
Integumental coloration dark brown where
preserved. On some individuals yellow markings are easily apparent along the inner margin of the compound eyes below the level of
the anterior tentorial pits as well as small areas on the lateral apical borders of the clypeus. Wing membrane hyaline; veins dark
brown.
Setae simple, minute or short, and sparse
except those of sterna erect, short, and more
dense.
MATERIAL: Fourteen specimens. Holotype.
Female (pl. 4c, 4d), B-BS 153 (AMNH) labeled: Baltic amber: Eocene, Kaliningrad,
2001
85
Fig. 57. Scanning electron micrograph of paratype female of Boreallodape striebichi, new species.
Magnified view of prosternum from figure 56.
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NO. 259
Fig. 58. Scanning electron micrograph of paratype female of Boreallodape striebichi, new species.
Magnified and slightly oblique view of prosternum.
tatibia with rastellum; auricle frequently present (except in parasitic forms and Meliponini). Wings uniformly setose. Prepygidial
fimbria and pygidial plate absent.
COMMENTS: The name corbiculate bees,
or Corbiculata, was first coined by Shuckard
(1866: 165) for this specialized group of apine bees. This distinctive clade was once
considered as the family Apidae (e.g., Michener, 1965, 1990) with the other apids relegated to the paraphyletic family Anthophoridae. The recent study of long-tongued bee
phylogeny by Roig-Alsina and Michener
(1993) resurrected the expanded concept of
Apidae as it was employed by Michener
(1944) and the corbiculate bees were incorporated into an expanded subfamily Apinae
without a separate, formal rank. Should a formal rank be useful for recognizing the corbiculate apines, the supertribal name Apiti
could be applied. Presently, an apine clade
2001
containing the non-corbiculate tribes Anthophorini, Centridini, Melectini, and Ericrocidini6 is believed to be the closest relative of
the corbiculate Apinae (refer to fig. 123).
This is the most common group of bees in
Baltic amber. Three of the living tribes are
eusocial to varying degrees and the phylogenetic position of the extinct corbiculate
groups suggests that they too were eusocial
(refer to sections on Cladistic Analyses, below). This social lifestyle perhaps can account for their abundance in amber in comparison to other groups. Living corbiculate
bees typically collect resins and it is possible
that the fossil species described below did as
well, thus subjecting them more frequently
to entrapment and fossilization.
The corbiculate clade consists of four extant tribes, briefly summarized as follows:
The Apini (honey bees) are originally an Old
World group but have been spread throughout the world by humans for agricultural purposes. Presently, fossils of Apini are only
known from as far back as the early Oligocene (Engel, 1998c, 1999c). The Euglossini
(orchid bees) are strictly neotropical with
two species in Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic (Engel, 1999b) and one
extant species occurring in South American
copal (Engel, personal obs.; Ross, 1998). The
bumble bees, tribe Bombini, are distributed
throughout the western hemisphere, the Palearctic, and the Oriental regions. The report
of a bumble bee from tropical Africa (Tkalcu, 1966) is actually based upon on an introduced species from South America (Sakagami, 1976; Michener, 1979, 1990; Williams,
1998). Numerous fossil bumble bees are
known [Heer, 1867; Unger, 1867; Novak,
1877; Cockerell, 1906 (as Calyptapis), 1931;
Piton, 1940 (as Probombus); Zhang, 1990;
Zhang et al., 1994; Rasnitsyn and Michener,
1991; Riou, 1999] but no true bombine has
yet been discovered in amber. The report of
a bombine in Paleocene amber from France
(In Grimaldi, 1999) has yet to be confirmed;
it is possible that this fossil is an electrobom6 Despite that shown in figure 123, relationships
among these four non-corbiculate tribes are somewhat
uncertain and nodes are not strongly supported. It is very
likely that, once resolved, Anthophorini and Melectini
will be sister groups and together sister to a monophyletic Centridini 1 Ericrocidini clade.
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89
Figs. 5961. Holotype female of Electrobombus samlandensis, new species. 59. Oblique frontal
view of head. 60. Outer surface of metatibia and basal portion of metabasitarsus. 61. Claw and arolium.
Scale bars 5 1 mm (a 5 fig. 60; b 5 fig. 59; c 5 fig. 61).
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Figs. 6263. Wings of holotype female of Electrobombus samlandensis, new species. 62. Forewing.
63. Hind wing. Scale bar 5 1 mm.
DIAGNOSIS: The electrapine bees are a heterogeneous group of three genera resembling
either bumble bees (Bombini) or, to a much
lesser degree, honey bees (Apini). From the
former tribe electrapines differ by the presence of a jugal lobe, absence of alar papillae,
truncated or appendiculate marginal cell
apex, reduction of the outer mandibular
grooves, and presence of only one, reduced
metatibial spur. From the Apini, the electrapines differ by the deep incision demarking
the jugal lobe, the presence of outer mandibular grooves, the single metatibial spur (entirely absent in Apini), the absence of long
eye setae (some microscopic setae are present in many specimens as is typical for
many bees), and the shape of the marginal
and submarginal cells in the forewing,
among other characters.
DESCRIPTION: Moderately sized (ca. 5.516
mm long), robust, densely pubescent bees.
Mandible with weakened outer mandibular
grooves. Labral width 23 times length.
Clypeus slightly convex and weakly protuberant in lateral view or flat (in Thaumastobombus). Compound eyes bare or with
sparse, microscopic setae. Supraalar carina
present; scutellum broadly rounded posteriorly and variously produced (ranging from
projecting over metanotum and propodeum
2001
91
TABLE 8
one time placed in or near Electrapis by Kelner-Pillault (1970a), Manning (1960), Zeuner
and Manning (1976), as well as myself (Engel, 1998a), are reassigned to the Melikertini
or in a few instances to other electrapine genera following the results of the cladistic analysis presented below.
The tribe Electrapini, even after the removal of Melikertes and Roussyana, may
still be paraphyletic with respect to an Apini
1 Meliponini 1 Melikertini clade. Among
the three genera of electrapines known, Electrapis is the most plesiomorphic and resembles not only Electrobombus (from which it
differs most significantly by the tribal characters mentioned above) but living bombines
as well. Protobombus appears somewhat intermediate between Electrapis and Thaumastobombus, the latter appearing most similar
to the higher corbiculates (i.e., Apini, Meliponini, and Melikertini). However, there is
presently not enough cladistic information to
resolve the issue, and this scheme is presented only as a working hypothesis upon
which future studies can build. It is appropriate to pose the possibility that electrapines
may represent a stem-group lineage from
which the higher corbiculates originated. Table 8 summarizes the present classification of
Electrapini.
92
Fig. 64.
NO. 259
Frontal view of head of female Electrapis martialis (Cockerell). Scale bar 5 1 mm.
2001
93
94
Fig. 65.
1 mm.
NO. 259
Left lateral view of holotype female of Electrapis krishnorum, new species. Scale bar 5
JH 91 (AMNH) labeled Neotype, Chalcobombus martialis Cockerell, desig. M. S. Engel // Electrapis martialis (Cockerell), det.
M. S. Engel.
Non-type. Female, worker caste, Nr. 502
(CJDL) labeled: Nr. 502 // Electrapis
martialis (Cockerell), det. M. S. Engel.
Electrapis krishnorum, new species
Figures 6567
2001
95
96
NO. 259
Figs. 6667. Wings of holotype female of Electrapis krishnorum, new species. 66. Forewing. 67.
Hind wing. Scale bar 5 1 mm.
2001
97
98
NO. 259
Fig. 68. Forewing of neotype female of Electrapis meliponoides (Buttel-Reepen). Scale bar 5
1 mm.
2001
99
100
NO. 259
Fig. 69. Frontal view of head of neotype female of Protobombus indecisus Cockerell. Scale
bar 5 1 mm.
2001
101
maringal cell twice length of anterior border (fig. 77) . . . . . P. hirsutus (Cockerell)
Keirotrichiate field of metatibial inner surface
separated from metatibial apex by glabrous
zone that is equal to width of keirotrichiate
field in length (fig. 71); posterior margin of
third submarginal cell thrice length of anterior border . . . . . P. indecisus Cockerell
102
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Figs. 7072. Leg structures of neotype female of Protobombus indecisus Cockerell. 70. Outer surface of metatibia and metabasitarsus. 71. Inner surface of metatibia. 72. Claw and arolium. Scale bars
5 0.25 mm (a), 1 mm (b); (a 5 fig. 72; b 5 figs. 70, 71).
Labrum imbricate and impunctate. Clypeus with sparse, small, faint punctures, integument between faintly imbricate. Supraclypeal area, face, vertex, gena, and postgena
with sparse, small, faint punctures, integument between smooth. Pronotum finely imbricate. Mesoscutum and scutellum with
sparse, faint punctures, integument between
faintly imbricate. Metanotum imbricate and
impunctate. Pleura with sparse, small punc-
Fig. 73.
Hind wing of neotype female of Protobombus indecisus Cockerell. Scale bar 5 1 mm.
2001
103
104
Fig. 74. Forewing of neotype female of Protobombus fatalis (Cockerell). Scale bar 5 1 mm.
degree P. basilaris. The mandible of P. fatalis bears a strong, broad subapical tooth
(see Material and Comments, below).
DESCRIPTION: Female. Total body length
5.82 mm; forewing length 3.91 mm. Head
slightly wider than long (length 1.91 mm,
width 1.94 mm). Mandible with strong,
broad subapical tooth; tooth separated from
remainder of the apical mandibular margin
by deep incision. Interocellar distance 0.38
mm; ocellocular distance 0.34 mm; median
to lateral ocellus 0.16 mm. Intertegular distance 1.59 mm. Basal vein basad cu-a by
three times vein width, straight; second abscissa Rs arched; 1m-cu distad second abscissa Rs by seven times vein width; 2rs-m
distad 2m-cu by three times vein width,
strongly arched; second submarginal cell extremely elongate owing to absence of 1rs-m.
Face above antennal sockets, vertex and
gena finely imbricate and impunctate. Pronotum finely imbricate and impunctate. Mesoscutum and scutellum faintly imbricate and
impunctate. Mesepisternum sculptured as on
mesoscutum. Corbicula smooth and impunctate. Metasomal terga and sterna finely imbricate.
Coloration not preserved. Wing membrane
hyaline; veins brown.
Pubescence whitish. Face above level of
antennal sockets and vertex with scattered,
simple or minutely branched, erect setae.
Gena with sparse, minute, appressed, simple
setae. Pronotum with sparse, short, suberect,
simple setae except along posterior border
and covering pronotal lobe with moderately
long, erect, dense, plumose setae. Mesoscutum with scattered, short to moderate length,
erect, minutely plumose setae. Tegula with
short, scattered, minutely plumose setae anteriorly, posteriorly with minute, simple se-
NO. 259
tae. Scutellar setae as described for mesoscutum. Mesepisternum with short, scattered,
erect, simple setae except a few with minute
branches. Corbicular setae mostly simple and
sinuous, also with three elongate, simple, sinuous setae on corbicular surface, corbicula
occupying glabrous region on lower fourfifths of metatibia, inner surface of metatibia
covered by keirotrichiate field, field separated from metatibial apex by length approximately equal to its width; metabasitarsus
with scattered, short, simple setae, posterior
edge with longer setae, inner surface with
seven comb rows. Metasomal terga with
sparse, minute, appressed, simple setae; sterna with suberect, moderately long, scattered,
simple setae, setae entirely postgradular.
MATERIAL: Two specimens. Neotype (here
designated). Female, Nr. 1225 (GPUH) labeled: Neotype, Sophrobombus fatalis
Cockerell, desig. M. S. Engel // Geol.-Palaont. Inst. Univ. Hamburg, Nr. 1225 (Scheele) Sophrobombus fatalis Cockerell //
Protobombus fatalis (Cockerell), det. M. S.
Engel, 1999. This specimen is poorly preserved with the ventral portion of the head
lost into a series of fractures that eventually
lead into a cavity on the lower surface of the
amber piece. This cavity appears to open into
what would have been the lowermost portion
of the head and the anteroventral area of the
mesosoma. In addition, numerous small fracture planes and fine layers of Schimmel obscure various structures of the bee. It can
still, however, be placed confidently into the
species as defined by Cockerell owing to the
preservation of the metatibia, metabasitarsus,
and forewing venation, all of which indicate
this specimen to be conspecific with Cockerells original material.
Non-type. Female, collection of Michael
Baatjer (Hamburg, Germany) labeled: Protobombus fatalis (Cockerell), det. M. S. Engel, 2000. Although this specimen is in better condition than the neotype, it is part of a
private collection and is presently available
for purchase; thus, the final depository of this
specimen remains unknown. In the interest
of stability I have therefore chosen the less
perfect individual to serve as the neotype
since the whereabouts of this specimen will
certainly change in the coming months and
years rendering it difficult, if not impossible,
2001
105
106
NO. 259
Figs. 7577. Wings of Protobombus species. 75. Forewing of Protobombus basilaris, new species.
76. Hind wing of P. basilaris, new species. 77. Forewing of P. hirsutus (Cockerell). Scale bars 5 1
mm (a 5 fig. 76; b 5 figs. 75, 77).
2001
terior edge with longer setae. Metasomal terga with sparse, minute, appressed, simple setae; sterna with suberect to erect, short,
scattered setae, each with a few minute
branches, setae entirely postgradular.
MATERIAL: One specimen. Holotype. Female, worker caste, MB.I.1939 (ZMHB) labeled: Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin, Palaontologisches Museum, Inv. Nr. MB.I.1939
(No. 36) // 36 [handwritten label] //
Holotype, Protobombus basilaris Engel.
ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is the
Greek word basilaris, meaning at the
base, and is a reference to the basal position
of the basal vein relative to cu-a.
Protobombus tristellus Cockerell
Protobombus tristellus Cockerell, 1909c: 24.
Electrapis (Protobombus) tristellus (Cockerell);
Zeuner and Manning, 1976: 233.
DIAGNOSIS: This species is similar to P. indecisus and P. hirsutus but can be distinguished from both by the apical margin of
the clypeus not extending below the lower
tangent of compound eyes.
DESCRIPTION: Female. Total body length
6.13 mm; forewing length 5.13 mm. Head
wider than long (length 1.78 mm, width 2.31
mm). Upper interorbital distance 1.47 mm;
lower interorbital distance 1.25 mm. Interocellar distance 0.44 mm; ocellocular distance
0.39 mm; median to lateral ocellus 0.09 mm.
Lower third of clypeus below lower tangent
of compound eyes. Intertegular distance 1.72
mm. Basal vein confluent with cu-a, straight;
second abscissa Rs arched; 1m-cu basad 1rsm by six times vein width; 2rs-m confluent
2m-cu, strongly arched; posterior border of
second submarginal cell 2.5 times length of
anterior border; posterior border of third submarginal cell twice length of anterior border,
anterior border 1.5 times as long as anterior
border of second submarginal cell.
Labrum imbricate and impunctate. Clypeus with small, faint punctures separated by
12 times a puncture width, integument between smooth. Supraclypeal area, face, vertex, gena, and postgena with sparse, small,
faint punctures, integument between smooth.
Pronotum smooth and impunctate. Mesoscutum and scutellum with sparse, faint punctures, integument between smooth. Pleura
107
with sparse, small punctures, integument between smooth. Propodeum smooth and impunctate. Corbicula smooth and impunctate.
Metasomal terga smooth and impunctate;
sterna finely imbricate and impunctate except
apical margins more strongly imbricate.
Where evident, integument dark brown
and shining. Wing membrane hyaline; veins
dark brown.
Pubescence whitish. Labrum with short,
scattered, erect setae. Clypeus with scattered,
short, simple, suberect setae intermixed with
scattered, minute, appressed, simple setae.
Face below level of antennal sockets with appressed, short, minutely plumose setae, setae
numerous but not obscuring integument; supraclypeal area, vertex, gena, and remainder
of face with scattered, suberect or erect, simple setae, setae of vertex and gena with minute branches. Postgena with scattered, short,
erect, simple setae. Pronotum with sparse,
short, suberect, simple setae except those of
dorsolateral angle and pronotal lobe dense,
moderately long, erect, and plumose setae.
Mesoscutum with scattered, short, erect, minutely plumose setae. Tegula with sparse, appressed, scattered, minutely plumose setae.
Scutellar setae as described for mesoscutum
except setae dense and elongate on posterior
border. Mesepisternum with moderately long,
scattered, erect, simple setae and intermixed
with scattered, minute, appressed, simple setae; hypoepimeral area without longer setae,
only with minute, appressed setae; metepisternum with setae as on mesepisternum except simple and distinctly more dense on dorsal half than on ventral half. Setae of lateral
and posterior surfaces of propodeum as described for ventral half of metepisternum except setae minute; basal area of propodeum
without pubescence. Corbicular setae minutely plumose, inner surface of metatibia
mostly covered by keirotrichiate field, field
separated from metatibial apex by length approximately equal to one-half its width; metabasitarsus with scattered, short, simple setae, posterior edge with longer setae, inner
surface with seven comb rows. Metasomal
terga with sparse, minute, appressed, simple
setae, slightly longer on more apical terga;
sterna with suberect to erect, short to moderately long, scattered setae, each with a few
minute branches, setae entirely postgradular.
108
NO. 259
2001
109
110
NO. 259
Fig. 78. Left dorsolateral habitus of holotype female of Thaumastobombus andreniformis, new species. Scale bar 5 1 mm.
2001
Fig. 79.
111
112
NO. 259
Fig. 80. Frontal view of head of holotype female of Thaumastobombus andreniformis, new
species. Scale bar 5 0.5 mm.
length, simple setae. Pubescence of mesoscutum as described for vertex. Tegula with a
few, minute, appressed, simple setae. Scutellar pubescence as on mesoscutum except setae along posterior border elongate and plumose. Pleura with dense, long, plumose setae, partially obscuring integument. Posterior
surface of metafemur with keirotrichiate
zone on apical two-thirds; inner surface of
metatibia with keirotrichiate zone not elevated but with narrow glabrous posterior margin
that is one-fifth width of keirotrichiate zone,
keirotrichiate zone separated from rastellum
and metatibial apex by glabrous zone that is
as long as width of keirotrichiate zone. Terga
with sparse setal bands along apical margin,
setae short and with a few, minute branches.
Figs. 8184. Leg structures of holotype female of Thaumastobombus andreniformis, new species.
81. Outer surface of metatibia and metatarsus. 82. Strigil at protibia-probasitarsus junction. 83. Ventral,
slightly oblique view of metatarsus and metatibia (thus, outer surface of metatibia is visible while inner
surface of metabasitarsus is visible). 84. Magnified view of metatibial spur. Scale bars 5 0.5 mm (a 5
fig. 81; b 5 fig. 83; c 5 fig. 82).
2001
113
114
NO. 259
TABLE 9
2001
115
116
NO. 259
Figs. 8688. Head of holotype female of Succinapis goeleti, new species. 86. Frontal view. 87.
Lateral view. 88. Frontodorsal, oblique view. Scale bar 5 0.5 mm.
2001
117
Figs. 8990. Metatibia and metatarsus of holotype female of Succinapis goeleti, new species. 89.
Outer surface. 90. Inner surface. Scale bar 5 0.5 mm.
vertex, and gena with sparse, minute punctures, integument between smooth. Pronotum
with sparse, faint, minute punctures, integument between smooth. Mesoscutum and scutellum sculptured as on mesoscutum. Tegula
impunctate and smooth. Metanotum impunctate and faintly imbricate. Pleura impunctate
and smooth. Propodeum glabrous. Metasoma
impunctate and faintly imbricate.
Head, mesosoma, and metasoma black
without maculations; legs dark brown. Wing
membrane hyaline; veins strong and dark
brown.
Pubescence fuscous. Labrum with moderate-length, simple, erect setae scattered on
surface. Clypeus with sparse, minute, suberect, simple setae and short, simple, suberect, anteriorly-directed setae on dorsal-facing surface of clypeal protrusion. Face with
sparse, suberect, minute, simple setae. Setae
118
NO. 259
Figs. 9192. Wings of holotype female of Succinapis goeleti, new species. 91. Forewing. 92. Hind
wing. Scale bar 5 0.5 mm.
Electrapis (Roussyana) palmnickenensis (Roussy); Zeuner and Manning, 1976: 233. [misidentification]
2001
119
120
NO. 259
Figs. 9395. Head of holotype female of Succinapis micheneri, new species. 93. Fronal view. 94.
Ventrolateral, oblique view. 95. Dorsal view. Scale bars 5 0.5 mm (a 5 fig. 93; b 5 figs. 94, 95).
(GPUH) labeled: Nr. 80 (Scheele) // Erdbiene, Apidae, genus Andrena? // Paratype, Succinapis micheneri Engel. This is
the specimen misidentified as Electrapis
(Roussyana) palmnickenensis by Zeuner and
2001
121
122
NO. 259
Figs. 9698. Head of holotype female of Succinapis proboscidea, new species. 96. Frontal view.
97. Oblique, lateral view. 98. Dorsal view. Scale bar 5 0.5 mm.
2001
123
DIAGNOSIS: This genus is similar to Succinapis but lacks the basal clypeal protrusion.
DESCRIPTION: Malar space short, shorter
than basal mandibular width. Epistomal sulcus forming obtuse angle or nearly linear
(e.g., M. stilbonotus: fig. 100); clypeus without basal clypeal protrusion (fig. 100). F1
longer than F2; F2 equal to F3. Inner margins of compound eyes roughly parallel. Preoccipital ridge rounded or weakly carinate.
Mesoscutal anterior border broadly rounded;
tegula tear-drop shaped; scutellum not bulging, not projecting over metanotum (fig.
101). Basal area of propodeum nearly horizontal, not declivitous. Keirotrichiate field
not elevated (fig. 102); metatibial spur serrate
or minutely ciliate; auricular basket sparse,
setae short; rastellum strong and formed of
stiff setae (fig. 102); metabasitarsus parallelsided (fig. 102). Three submarginal cells (fig.
103). Metasomal terga not banded.
COMMENTS: I previously (Engel, 1998a) erroneously reported an absence of metatibial
124
Fig. 99.
NO. 259
2001
125
Figs. 100101. Holotype female of Melikertes stilbonotus (Engel). 100. Frontal view of head. 101.
Dorsal view. Scale bars 5 0.5 mm (a 5 fig. 101; b 5 fig. 100).
Electrapis (Melikertes) proava (Menge); Engel,
1998a: 95.
DIAGNOSIS: This is the largest and least understood species of Melikertes (simply owing
to the fact that the two specimens known are
in poor condition by comparison to material
of other species). The species is exceptional
for its large size compared to other Melikertes.
DESCRIPTION: Female. Total body length
8.30 mm; forewing length 6.0 mm. Apical
margin of clypeus straight, not bent apically.
Intertegular distance 2.15 mm. Tegula with
short, posterior lamella. Basal vein basad cua by two times vein width; 1m-cu bisecting
second submarginal cell; 2rs-m distad 2m-cu;
first submarginal cell only slightly shorter
than second and third combined; second submarginal cell narrowed anteriorly, not very
strongly so; length of anterior border of third
submarginal cell half of that of posterior border, anterior border about as long as that of
126
Fig. 102. Inner surface of metatibia and metatarsus of holotype female of Melikertes stilbonotus (Engel).
NO. 259
2001
127
Figs. 103104. Wings of holotype female of Melikertes stilbonotus (Engel). 103. Forewing. 104.
Hind wing. Scale bar 5 0.5 mm.
128
NO. 259
ever, is immediately recognizable by the peculiar modification of the clypeal apical margin that is strongly flexed forward below the
level of the lower tangent of the compound
eyes. Moreover, the projecting portion of the
clypeal apical margin possesses a strong medial cleft.
DESCRIPTION: Female. Total body length
3.10 mm; forewing length 2.65 mm. Head
wider than long (length 1.02 mm, width 1.22
mm). Upper interorbital distance 0.83 mm;
lower interorbital distance 0.75 mm. Interocellar distance 0.23 mm; ocellocular distance
0.28 mm; median to lateral ocellus 0.07 mm.
Apical margin of clypeus strongly bent apically, with distinct medial cleft. Intertegular
distance 0.83 mm. Basal vein basad cu-a by
two times vein width; 1rs-m distad 1m-cu by
six times vein width; 2rs-m distad 2m-cu by
three times vein width; first submarginal cell
shorter than second and third combined;
length of anterior border of second submarginal cell one-third that of posterior border;
length of anterior border of third submarginal
cell half of that of posterior border, twice
length of anterior border of second submarginal cell; five distal hamuli, arranged in a
single, evenly spaced series.
Integument of head, mesosoma, and metasoma smooth and impunctate.
Coloration not preserved. Wing membrane
hyaline; veins strong and brown.
Pubescence generally pale. Setae of face
sparse, simple, suberect, and short, although
such setae becoming erect on vertex. Mesoscutum with sparse, simple, short setae. Pubescence of scutellum as described for mesoscutum except longer on posterior border.
Pleura with sparse, simple, short setae. Pubescence of legs generally simple and scattered except inner surfaces of mesotrochanter
and mesofemur without pubescence and outer surface of mesotibia with dense, branched
setae; inner surface of metafemur and metatrochanter without pubescence except apical
quarter of metafemur with dense field of keirotrichiae; inner surface of metatibia with
keirotrichiate zone; comb rows on inner surface of metabasitarsus, each composed of
stiff, elongate, simple setae; outer surface
with scattered, long, simple setae. Terga and
sterna with exceedingly sparse, minute, simple, appressed or subappressed setae.
2001
129
130
NO. 259
Figs. 106108. Leg structures of holotype female of Melissites trigona, new species. 106. Outer
surface of metatibia and metabasitarsus. 107. Inner surface of metatibia and metabasitarsus. 108. Claw
and arolium. Scale bar 5 0.5 mm (figs. 106, 107); 0.25 mm (fig. 108).
without pubescence and outer surface of mesotibia with dense, branched setae; inner surface of metafemur and metatrochanter without pubescence except apical quarter of metafemur with dense field of keirotrichiae; inner surface of metatibia with keirotrichiate
zone; corbicular setae simple; seven comb
rows on inner surface of metabasitarsus, each
composed of stiff, elongate, simple setae;
outer surface with scattered, long, simple setae. Terga and sterna with short, simple,
sparse setae.
MATERIAL: One specimen. Holotype. Female, worker caste, B-JH 102 (AMNH) labeled: Baltic amber: Eocene, Kaliningrad,
Yantarny // Holotype, Melissites trigona
Engel.
ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is taken
(as a noun in apposition) from the genusgroup name Trigona (Meliponini) and is a
2001
131
Figs. 109110. Wings of holotype female of Melissites trigona, new species. 109. Forewing. 110.
Hind wing. Scale bars 5 1 mm (a 5 fig. 109; b 5 fig. 110).
reference to the overall, superficial resemblance of this species to some stingless bees.
Genus Roussyana Manning, status novus
Electrapis (Roussyana) Manning, 1960: 306.
Type species: Apis palmnickenensis Roussy,
1937, original designation. Zeuner and Manning, 1976: 233.
Russyana Petrov, 1992: 361. Lapsus calami.
DIAGNOSIS: Roussyana most closely resembles Melissites; both genera have the distinctive banding of the metasoma owing to
the apical margins of the terga being very
pale brown in comparison to the remainder
of the terga, which are dark brown. The genus can be separated from Melissites by the
strongly narrowed second submarginal cell,
basal vein basal to cu-a, and the approximately parallel compound eyes.
DESCRIPTION: Malar space short, shorter
than basal mandibular width. Epistomal sulcus forming obtuse angle; clypeus without
132
NO. 259
2001
DIAGNOSIS: Among living taxa the Meliponini are allied to the honey bees (tribe Apini); both tribes share the complete loss of
metatibial spurs and outer mandibular
grooves and possess a jugal lobe in the hind
wing. The meliponines differ from Apini by
the absence of an auricle, absence of an inner
tooth on the claw, the reduced forewing venation, and the reduction of the sting, among
other characters. Numerous ethological traits
similarly serve to differentiate the tribes (reviewed by Michener, 1990: as subfamilies).
Among the fossil taxa meliponines most
closely resemble the tribe Melikertini but differ notably by the aforementioned characters
as well as the complete loss of metatibial
spurs (melikertines retain a single metatibial
spur).
133
134
NO. 259
2001
135
136
NO. 259
Fig. 112. Right lateral view of head of holotype female of Liotrigonopsis rozeni, new species.
Scale bar 5 0.5 mm.
abcissa of Rs after separation from M present, M terminating shortly thereafter without apical bend.
Integument of head, mesosoma, and legs
smooth and impunctate. Terga and sterna
finely imbricate and impunctate.
Head and mesosoma dark brown except
scape light brown (remainder of antenna dark
brown). Legs and metasoma light brown or
ferruginous. Wing membrane hyaline; veins,
when present, light brown.
Pubesence golden, sparse, and simple. Setae not apparent on head. Mesosoma with
sparse, simple, short, erect setae. Setae of
legs simple and scattered; inner surface of
metatibia densely covered by keirotrichiae
except narrow (ca. 0.75 OD) glabrous posterior border; rastellar bristles of moderate
length, tapering at apices, not flattened. Terga
with exceedingly sparse, short, suberect setae; setae of sterna sparse, restricted to apical
thirds, and moderately long.
MATERIAL: One specimen. Holotype. Female, worker caste, B-JH 79 (AMNH) labeled: Baltic amber: Eocene, Kaliningrad,
Yantarny // Holotype, Liotrigonopsis rozeni Engel. The specimen is partially preserved along the edge of the amber piece
with the left half of the head and left anterior
portion of the mesosoma missing. Enough of
2001
137
Figs. 113115. Mesosomal structures of Liotrigonopsis rozeni, new species. 113. Forewing. 114.
Outer surface of metatibia and metatarsus. 115. Metadistitarsus, claw, and arolium. Scale bars 5 0.5
mm (a: for fig. 113) (b: for fig. 114); 0.25 mm (b: for fig. 115).
level of family. I have listed them here simply as a record of the families and for the
total number of individual bees recognized
in Baltic amber.
APIDAE gen. et sp. indet.: One female,
MB.I.1938 (ZMHB) labeled: Museum fur
Naturkunde Berlin, Palaontologisches Museum, Inv. Nr. MB.I.1938 (No. 53) // 53
// Apidae indet., det. M. S. Engel. One
female, Nr. 2616 (CCGG) labeled: Nr.
2616 // Apidae indet., det. M. S. Engel.
MEGACHILIDAE gen. et sp. indet.: One
138
COMMENTS: The description and illustrations of this specimen are adequate to determine that the species was not an Andrena or
even an andrenid. It is possible that the species was a melittid of some sort that has not
subsequently been discovered among newer
material. Although the melittid hypothesis is
perhaps the best possibility, the original description and particularly Salts figure of the
wing venation are enigmatically suggestive
of an electrapine. Although the figure of the
hind tibia does not show a corbicula, the description provided of the hind leg by Salt
does not match his figure and is somewhat
suggestive: . . . tibiae triangular, much widened apically, . . . (Salt, 1931: 142). The
wing venation is quite similar to species of
both Electrapis and Protobombus (if an electrapine, Andrena wrisleyi would fall close to,
or in, Electrapis owing to the elongate metabasitarsus). It seems hard to imagine but it
is possible that Salts specimen was actually
an unknown corbiculate apine in the Electrapini! The holotype was deposited in the illfated University of Konigsberg and was not
subsequently located in any other institution.
None of the bees before me can be readily
associated with Salts Andrena and so I
have not designated a neotype. The name
must be relegated to incertae sedis.
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2001
139
TABLE 10
140
TABLE 11
NO. 259
Fig. 116. Phylogeny of Lithurginae based on cladistic anlaysis of data presented in table 11 (Length
11, CI 0.88, RI 0.90). Black dots are unreversed changes; white dots homoplastic character transitions.
The character number is indicated above the branch and the state change is indicated below. Fideliinae
is the outgroup.
2001
141
TABLE 12
142
NO. 259
Fig. 117. Phylogeny of Xylocopinae based on cladistic analysis of data presented in table 13 (Length
16, CI 1.00, RI 1.00). Black dots are unreversed changes; white dots homoplastic character transitions.
The character number is indicated above the branch and the state change is indicated below. Exomalopsis
is the outgroup.
gate first flagellomere. The Ceratinini, Allodapini, and Boreallodape are grouped together in a well-supported clade (fig. 117). This
group is most notable for the abruptly narrowed mandibular structure (e.g., fig. 54).
The analysis demonstrates that Boreallodape
is most closely related to the Allodapini, both
groups sharing the presence of two submarginal cells and the absence of the metabasitibial plate. As discussed above (under the
description of the tribe Boreallodapini) differences between the Allodapini and Boreallodape are significant and inclusion of the
latter as the basalmost member of the former
would mask the enigmatic features of the
fossil among xylocopines. Boreallodape is as
distinctive as any of the other tribes of the
subfamily and recognition of a separate tribe
for this group is well supported. It is biogeographically interesting to note that Boreallodape is sister to the Allodapini, a group
today primarily distributed in sub-Saharan
Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among the allodapines only the genus Exoneuridia occurs
in the West Palearctic and extends as far
north as the Mediterranean region in the
southeastern half of Turkey (Terzo, 1999).
However, a historical biogeographic analysis
of the allodapines derived from the recent
cladogram of Reyes (1998) suggests that the
extant groups of the tribe as a whole are per-
2001
143
144
TABLE 14
NO. 259
2001
145
TABLE 15
Data Matrix for Analysis of Tribal Relationships Within the Corbiculate Apinae
(Character descriptions presented in table 14)
Fig. 118. Phylogeny of corbiculate Apinae based on cladistic analysis of data presented in table 15 (Length 65, CI 0.81, RI 0.93). Black dots
are unreversed changes; white dots homoplastic character transitions. The character number is indicated above the branch and the state change is
indicated below. Anthophora, Centris, and Xylocopa are the outgroups.
146
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2001
147
Fig. 119. Distribution of social ethotypes among the corbiculate apines as well as fossils exhibiting
worker morphologies. The euglossine genera (Euglossa, Eufriesea, and Eulaema) are generally communal or solitary, while the outgroups (not depicted here) are solitary. Extinct genera are italicized.
al., 1999; Mardulyn and Cameron, 1999). Interestingly, a simultaneous analysis of morphological characters and of the sequence
data published by Koulianos et al. (1999)
produces a single origins topology. These
sequence data are particularly problematic in
that they employ mitochondrial DNA regions
(like the earlier studies of Cameron, 1991,
1993) commonly used in species-level anal-
148
yses owing to high levels of interspecific variation. For example, analysis of the earlier
mitochondrial DNA data for relationships
among species within a given genus were
more internally congruent than when examining older relationships (Engel and Schultz,
1997; Schultz et al., 1999). That the corbiculate tribes are undoubtedly ancient only
serves to reinforce the need for careful selection of gene regions when undertaking an
analysis, particularly in a group that extends
back into the Mesozoic [the divergence
among the tribes being at least 75 Ma owing
to the presence of a true meliponine in Late
Cretaceous amber (Engel, 2000b)]. The data
of Mardulyn and Cameron (1999) are an improvement over those of previous studies by
attempting to select relatively conserved
gene regions, but Ascher and Danforth (in
rev.) have demonstrated that there are numerous other critical problems with these sequence data and analyses. Moreover, all of
these studies have suffered from poor taxon
sampling and choice of outgroups. Thus, the
available sequence data are not at all reliable
and a well approached (e.g., choice of ingroup taxa, choice of outgroup taxa, number
of taxa examined, number of informative
characters, choice of gene region) molecular
analysis remains to be undertaken for the
corbiculate Apinae.
Perhaps one of the more interesting morphological implications of the fossil corbiculate taxa and the cladistic analysis presented here concerns the evolution of the metatibial spurs. The apomorphic absence of
metatibial spurs in the Apini and Meliponini
has often been used as one of several traits
uniting these two tribes in analyses of the
living taxa; the presence of two metatibial
spurs is plesiomorphically found in the outgroups, euglossines, and bombines. Those
Baltic amber corbiculate genera that do not
cladistically fall into any of the extant tribes
have a single, often reduced, metatibial spur
(difficult to see in many specimens). The
taxa exhibiting this one spur characterstate form a paraphyletic assemblage derived
from a two-spurred ancestor and subsequently giving rise to the Apini and Meliponini,
neither of which have metatibial spurs. This
pattern itself is intuitively pleasing in that it
implies a gradual reduction in the number of
NO. 259
2001
149
Fig. 120. Hypothesis of relationship for the corbiculate bees as envisioned by Cockerell (reproduced
from Cockerell, 1908b). He did not include tribe Euglossini and the ages he used for particular deposits
are now understood to be as follows: Calyptapis [considered as a junior subjective synonym of Bombus
by Zeuner and Manning (1976)] is from early Oligocene deposits of Florissant, while the genera Sophrobombus, Chalcobombus, Protobombus, and Electrapis, all in Baltic amber, are middle Eocene in
age. Most species of Synapis (a subgenus of Apis) are from Oligocene strata but at least two species
are from early Miocene deposits (Engel, 1999c, unpubl. data). Meliponorytes (described by Tosi, 1896)
is either a true fossil in Miocene amber from Sicily or perhaps misidentified in African copal and
congeneric with living meliponines (see appendix 1).
150
OF
BEES
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2001
151
152
NO. 259
selves either originated in the earliest Cretaceous (Crane et al., 1995) or the uppermost
Jurassic (Sun et al., 1998). Thus, the available evidence suggests quite the opposite
scenario from those of the aforementioned
authors. Bees arose sometime after the origin
of flowering plantsa long-standing conclusion arrived at by numerous authors (e.g.,
Michener, 1979; Engel, 1996, 2000b; Grimaldi, 1999) and the only one with available
evidence.
Interestingly, the radiation of bees coincides nicely with the period in which angiosperm diversity increased dramatically. The
oldest fossil bee presently recorded is Cretotrigona in Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
amber from New Jersey8 (Engel, 2000b).
Cretotrigona is a derived apine of the tribe
Meliponini (Apidae: Apinae). Thus, the cladogenetic events that produced all of the lineages between the origin of bees and the
branch that eventually gave rise to the meliponines must have taken place prior to the
Late Cretaceous. If a cladogram of bee families is overlayed on the geological column
and the oldest possible age for bees assumed
(fig. 121), then the diversification of bees
into higher lineages must have coincided
with the angiosperm radiations that took
place from 13090 Ma (Crane et al., 1995),
with a particularly dramatic increase in generic diversity 11590 Ma (Lidgard and
Crane, 1988; Crane and Lidgard, 1990).
Even if the bees are somewhat younger than
the 125 Ma date hypothesized here, they still
must have radiated prior to the Late Cretaceous [simply owing to the presence of Cretotrigona and the existence of plants today
tightly associated with Apinae in 90 Ma deposits (Crepet and Nixon, 1998)]. Thus, the
window for both the origin and early diversification of bees into higher lineages lies between ca. 125 Ma and 100 Ma. This period
of diversification for bees accords nicely
with similar periods in the evolution of derived floral characters associated with insect
pollination (Crepet, 1996). There is, at pre8 The Cretaceous age of this amber was questioned by
Rasnitsyn (In Rasnitsyn and Michener, 1991) and considered to be Paleocene. Grimaldi (1999), however, has
argued convincingly for a Cretaceous age of this deposit
and the Late Maastrichtian age (6570 Ma) is adopted
here [see also Engel (2000b)].
2001
153
Fig. 121. Phylogeny of bee families overlaid on the geological column. The shaded area indicates
the period of angiosperm diversification. Although flowering plants originated earlier than the shaded
area indicates, the geological record does not show a dramatic increase in angiosperm diversity until
when first indicated in the figure.
154
NO. 259
2001
at an earlier date) in these xeric regions (Raven and Axelrod, 1974; Taylor and Hickey,
1992). Associating this hypothesized ancestral bee habitat with the supposed area of
origination for angiosperms implicates western Gondwanaland as the most likely regional candidate. As hypothesized by Grimaldi
(1999), the significant xeric diversity of pollinating insects (including bees) may represent Cretaceous refugia. That the most
plesiomorphic and presumably ancient bees
of the paraphyletic subfamily Colletinae are
most diverse in temperate South America
and Australia is perhaps indicative of this
origination in Gondwanaland (colletines are
also represented in southern Africa by Colletes and Scrapter, but to a much lesser degree than elsewhere). It is perhaps also significant that many basal groups of the various
families show globally disjunct or, in some
cases, primarily Gondwanan distributions.
For example, aside from Colletinae, there are
the subfamilies of Halictidae (themselves
each likely ancient) that perhaps originated
early and subsequently diversified in different regions. The Andreninae are found mostly in the Laurasian continents and perhaps
diversified there after having moved out of
western Gondwanaland. The remaining basal
subfamilies of Andrenidae and basal tribes of
Panurginae are southern in distribution (the
subfamily Euherbstiinae is the sole representative of non-panurgine andreninds in southern South America with Alocandreninae
slightly farther north in Peru). The Panurginae are diverse in xeric regions and the Old
World tribes (i.e., Panurgini, Melitturgini,
and Meliturgulini) perhaps invaded through
Africa during the breakup of the continents
and then subsequently returned to western
North America in the Tertiary (i.e., within
the Panurgini). Primitive megachilids of the
Fideliinae (which occur in southern South
America and southern Africa except for one
species in Morocco) and Xylocopinae in the
Apidae also demonstrate similar patterns of
diversity. These patterns, however, must be
taken with caution since some of these
groups may have been once more diverse
than they are today. For instance, on the basis
of living taxa alone, the Lithurginae, with
basal living groups most diverse in temperate
South America, would appear to hold this
155
pattern. However, the most plesiomorphic lithurgine, P. ditomeus (see Cladistic Analyses
above), is present in Baltic amber indicating
extinct, basal lineages that were once more
globally distributed. Extinction has certainly
been a significant factor in bee evolution and
must be taken into consideration when attempting to explain present day distributions
(refer also to Grande, 1985; Grimaldi, 1992).
There is a possible taphonomic outcome
of the original habitat preference of bees that
may pose difficulties when trying to locate
mid-Cretaceous fossils. If bees originated in
xeric regions and subsequently invaded more
forested and tropical habitats, then it may become increasingly difficult to find older bee
fossils in amber since these are not the paleoenvironments thought to eventually produce amber deposits. The original bees may
simply not have occurred in regions where
amber was being formed. If this is the case,
then there will be a heavy reliance on compression fossils for locating the earliest bees.
Furthermore, the minute details needed to
distinguish an early bee from a spheciform
wasp would perhaps be hard to discern in a
mid-Cretaceous amber inclusion. Such a distinction among taxa may be overwhelmingly
difficult even in the finest of compression
fossils. Therefore, it may become increasingly challenging to piece together progressively
more ancient bee faunas.
How the transition from a prey-hunting
spheciform wasp to vegetarian bee took
place is, of course, entirely conjectural. Despite our inability to ever know how such a
significant evolutionary transition might
have unfolded, it is interesting to speculate
on this event as well as those groundplan features most likely to have characterized the
Urbiene or proto-bee. Several authors
have hypothesized about the traits of the
proto-bee with varying degrees of speculation on processes (e.g., Malyshev, 1968;
Radchenko and Pesenko, 1994a, 1994b,
1996; Michener, 2000a, 2000b). The following account presented herein is generally in
accord with most of those prior views and I
have therefore kept this discussion and my
speculative scenarios to a minimum.
By undertaking a cladistic reconstruction
for the Apiformes (figs. 122, 123) it is possible to obtain a generalized picture of the
156
Fig. 122.
NO. 259
groundplan morphological and biological attributes that were likely present in the ancestor of all bees. The Colletidae are indeed the
most basal family of the Apiformes (figs.
121, 122) but the clade consisting of the
wasp-like subfamilies Hylaeinae, Eury-
2001
Fig. 123.
157
158
NO. 259
2001
159
160
halictine in the Baltic amber fauna, Electrolictus, is indicative of not only this tribes antiquity, but of that for the whole family.
From the available paleomelittological information it would appear that the bees underwent at least two periods of diversification.
The first was either at their origin or shortly
thereafter and produced the array of taxa that
eventually gave rise to families we recognize
today. The second radiation appears to have
been in the Tertiary. As mentioned repeatedly above, those taxa from the Eocene and
earlier all belong to extinct genera and,
where information is available, most belong
to higher categories (i.e., tribes, subfamilies,
and families) that are no longer extant. Immediately following the Eocene and by the
earliest Miocene the bee fauna becomes remarkably modern in appearance, with most
fossils belonging to living genera. There are
no extinct suprageneric lineages in Oligocene
or younger deposits. The bees in the Eocene
and perhaps older deposits were presumably
remnants of originally Cretaceous diversifications. At the end of the Eocene those enigmatic higher lineages were perhaps dwindling and, at least in Europe, their eventual
disappearance was possibly aided by the
changing global climate at the time. Thus, at
the Eocene-Oligocene transition there was a
dramatic shift in the tribal composition of the
bee fauna to entirely modern tribes and essentially modern genera that either originated
or first experienced their greatest radiation at
that time. Thus, the bee fauna we are familiar
with today appears to have had its compositional origin in the Oligocene Epoch.
It is significant that there is such a remarkable diversity of advanced eusocial corbiculate bees in the Eocene fauna and more
so that most of these taxa represent higher
lineages that have since become extinct (Engel, in press-b). A general, epoch-by-epoch
overview of the geological history of the corbiculate Apinae (e.g., Engel, 2000c) shows a
decrease in diversity at higher categorical
levels (e.g., genera and tribes), particularly
between the Eocene and Oligocene Epochs.
During this transition period numerous tribes
and genera of advanced eusocial lineages
disappeared so that by the Oligocene the corbiculate bee fauna was essentially modern in
character and, in fact, the bee fauna as a
NO. 259
2001
161
162
NO. 259
2001
163
164
1907.
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1911a.
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1913a.
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1914.
1917.
1921.
1923.
1925.
1930a.
1930b.
1931.
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Weitschat, W.
1997. Bitterfelder BernsteinEin eoza ner
Bernstein auf miozaner Lagerstatte.
Metalla, Bochum 66: 7184.
Weitschat, W., and W. Wichard
1998. Atlas der Pflanzen und Tiere im Baltischen Bernstein. Munchen [Munich]:
Verlag Friedrich Pfeil.
Wenner, A. M., and R. W. Thorp
1994. Removal of feral honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies from Santa Cruz Island.
NO. 259
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APPENDIX 1
176
APPENDIX 1(Continued )
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APPENDIX 2
178
APPENDIX 2(Continued )
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APPENDIX 2(Continued )
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APPENDIX 3
Catalog of Family- and Genus-Group Names
for Fossil Bees
The following catalog presents all known family- and genus-group names proposed for fossil
bees (amber inclusions and compression fossils).
Not all of the names are currently recognized as
valid (e.g., Sophrobombus is a synonym of Protobombus; Paleoeuglossa is a synonym of Eufriesea) or are confidently assigned to higher categories (e.g., Protomelecta); thus this list should
not be taken as a classification. At the end of the
list I have included two genus-group names originally proposed as fossil bees but subsequently
recognized to be insects other than bees. A catalog of the worlds species of fossil bees (both amber inclusions and compression fossils) will be
presented elsewhere (Engel, in prep.).
The format is generally that of Michener (1986)
for family-group names and Michener (1997) for
genus-group names. For family-group names I
have indicated the higher group to which a given
taxon belongs. The number that indicates the location of the name in the system of Michener
(1986: with additions and corrections by Michener, 1997) is appended at the end of each entry.
The citation Engel (2001) in the following
list refers to the present monograph and those
names newly proposed in the body of the text;
thus, this reference will not be found in the bibliography.
Family-Group Names
(10 names)
Boreallodapini Engel, 2001: 77. Type genus:
Boreallodape Engel, 2001. Stem: Boreallodap-.
Apidae: Xylocopinae [M86/97120.2].
Chalicodomopsini Engel, 1999d: 4. Type genus: Chalicodomopsis Engel, 1999d. Stem: Chalicodomops-. Megachilidae: Megachilinae [M86/
9767.2]. Nomen nudum.
Ctenoplectrellina Engel, 2001: 54. Type genus: Ctenoplectrella Cockerell, 1909a. Stem:
Ctenoplectrell-. Megachilidae: Megachilinae
[M86/9767.3].
Electrapina Engel, 1998a: 99. Type genus:
Electrapis Cockerell, 1908b. Stem: Electrap-. Apidae: Apinae [M86/97129.1].
Electrobombini Engel, 2001: 88. Type genus:
Electrobombus Engel, 2001. Stem: Electrobomb-.
Apidae: Apinae [M86/97129.2].
Eomacropidini Engel, 2001: 46. Type genus:
Eomacropis Engel, 2001. Stem: Eomacropid-.
Melittidae: Macropidinae [M86/9757.2].
Glyptapinae Cockerell, 1909b: 13. Type ge-
2001
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Non-Bees
Palaeapis Hong, 1984: 37. Type species: Palaeapis beiboziensis Hong, 1984, monobasic and
original designation. Originally proposed in Apidae; presently a junior synonym of Archisphex
(Rasnitsyn et al., 1998). Sphecidae.
Sinostigma Hong, 1983: 9. Type species: Sinostigma spinalata Hong, 1983, monobasic and
original designation. Originally proposed in Melittidae; later transferred to Megachilidae (Hong,
1985). Vespidae?.
APPENDIX 4
Full Journal Titles Abbreviated in References
The following list provides full journal titles for
abbreviations in the References section. Abbreviations are listed in alphabetical order in boldface, followed by the expanded title. Specific series or report numbers are replaced in this list by
#.
Acta Zootaxon. Sinica Acta Zootaxonomica
Sinica
Am. Chem. Soc. American Chemical Society
Am. J. Bot. American Journal of Botany
Am. Midl. Nat. American Midland Naturalist
Am. Mus. Novitates American Museum Novitates
Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Ann. Geol. Pays Helleniques Annales Geologiques des Pays Helleniques
Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. # Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series #
Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden
Ann. Natal Mus. Annals of the Natal Museum
Ann. Soc. Entomol. Fr. Annales de la Societe
Entomologique de France
Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics
Annu. Rev. Entomol. Annual Review of Entomology
Appl. Spectrosc. Rev. Applied Spectroscopy
Reviews
Arch. Bienenkd. Archiv fur Bienenkunde
Arq. Mus. Parana. Arquivos do Museu Paranaense
Aust. J. Sci. Australian Journal of Science
2001
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184
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186
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Plate 1. Families Halictidae, Paleomelittidae, and Melittidae. a. Electrolictus antiquus Engel, holotype female (MB.I.1952 ZMHB), right lateral view. b. E. antiquus, holotype female, left lateral view.
c. Paleomelitta nigripennis Engel, holotype female (B-JH 101 AMNH), frontodorsal oblique view. d.
P. nigripennis, holotype female, dorsal view. e. Eomacropis glaesaria Engel, holotype female (SAMH),
frontal view of head. f. E. glaesaria, holotype female, left lateral view with arrow indicating staphyliniform larva on dorsum.
2001
187
Plate 2. Families Paleomelittidae and Megachilidae (Lithurginae and Glyptapina). a. Amber block
with inclusions of Paleomelitta nigripennis Engel (B-JH 101 AMNH), position of holotype indicated
by arrow (visible dimensions of block: width 5.5 cm, length 13.5 cm). b. Protolithurgus ditomeus Engel,
holotype female (B-W 157 AMNH), dorsal view. c. P. ditomeus, holotype female, right lateral view. d.
P. ditomeus, holotype female, frontal view of head. e. Glyptapis mirabilis Cockerell, holotype female
(K72 IMGP), dorsal view. f. G. disareolata Engel, holotype female (B-JH 104 AMNH), ventral view.
188
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189
Plate 4. Family Apidae: Xylocopinae. a. Boreallodape baltica Engel, holotype female (B-JH 152
AMNH), dorsal view. b. B. baltica, holotype female, ventral view. c. B. striebichi Engel, holotype
female (B-BS 153 AMNH), dorsal view. d. B. striebichi, holotype female, ventral view. e. B. mollyae
Engel, holotype female (B-JH 81 AMNH), right lateral view. f. Amber block with inclusions of B.
striebichi, holotype female is the uppermost specimen to the left of a flower fragment and highlighted
by light source (visible dimensions of block: maximal width 2.1 cm, length 3.7 cm).
190
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2001
191
Plate 6. Family Apidae: Electrapini and Melikertini. a. Protobombus indecisus Cockerell, neotype
female (B-JH 98 AMNH), right lateral view; neotype is individual in left of photograph, the head of a
second specimen is visible along the lower margin near the hind wing apex of the neotype. b. P.
indecisus, neotype female, frontal view of head. c. Electrapis meliponoides (Buttel-Reepen), neotype
female (B-JH 97 AMNH), dorsal view. d. Melissites trigona Engel, holotype female (B-JH 102 AMNH),
left lateral view.
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Plate 7. Family Apidae: Melikertini and Meliponini. a. Melikertes clypeatus Engel, holotype female
(B-JH 77 AMNH), right lateral view. b. Succinapis proboscidea Engel, paratype female (B-JH 99
AMNH), left lateral view. c. S. micheneri Engel, holotype female (B-JH 103 AMNH), right lateral view
(arrow indicates clypeal protusion). d. S. goeleti Engel, holotype female (B-JH 90 AMNH), right lateral
view. e. Kelneriapis eocenica (Kelner-Pillault), holotype female (NB.I.1946 ZMHB), left lateral view.
f. Liotrigonopsis rozeni Engel, holotype female (B-JH 79 AMNH), right lateral view.