Abstract
The northeastern region in Brazil comprises a complex of endemic areas mostly known for the species inhabiting the dry Caatinga and wet Atlantic forests. Here, we describe the new bee species Paratetrapedia nordestina sp. nov. (Tapinotaspidini), which occurs in enclaves of semi-deciduous forests in the western limits of Ceará and in eastern Piaui state, in northeastern Brazil. A key to both males and females of the lineata group in Paratetrapedia, including the new species, is provided. We also provide a discussion about its mimetic partner, map of distribution, and main illustrations of the two involved species.
Highlights
The description of biodiversity is a continuous work of taxonomists and it is mostly supported by a gradual improvement of collections through significant actions like field expeditions, curation of collections, review of type specimens, single isolated descriptions and production of monographic revisions (Winston, 1999; Wiley and Lieberman, 2011)
Most of the northeastern region in Brazil is occupied by the Caatinga domain, a set of xeric-adapted plant formations; whereas the Atlantic Forests is mostly distributed on the eastern coast of northeastern Brazil, the Cerrado on plateaus, and Amazonian-related forests on the western and northwestern portions of this region (IBGE, 2004)
The specimens of Paratetrapedia nordestina sp. nov. collected in the RPPN Serra das Almas, at the border between Ceará and Piauí, were flying together with workers of the stingless bee Camargoia nordestina Camargo foraging on the same plants
Summary
The description of biodiversity is a continuous work of taxonomists and it is mostly supported by a gradual improvement of collections through significant actions like field expeditions, curation of collections, review of type specimens, single isolated descriptions and production of monographic revisions (Winston, 1999; Wiley and Lieberman, 2011). The order Hymenoptera represents one of the richest or perhaps the richest insect order with more than 153,000 species described, and between 400,000 to more than 1,000,000 species estimated (Aguiar et al, 2013; Forbes et al, 2018). The bees, representing one of the largest families of Hymenoptera, is a very successful group of animals, with more than 18,000 described species worldwide (Michener, 2007; Aguiar et al, 2013), over 5,000 of them found in the Neotropics, and about 1,700 in Brazil (Moure et al, 2007). Despite the extensive study of numerous specimens in monographic revisions, the discovery of new species is not uncommon especially when poorly known areas are sampled and when there are species complex with inconspicuous variation that requires a closer scrutiny of the specimens There are several smaller endemic areas that make the northeastern region of Brazil a complex mosaic, with very heterogeneous enclaves of humid and dry tropical forests, wetlands, transitional vegetation types, grasslands, and rupestrian grasslands (Queiroz et al, 2017)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
