Abstract
We describe a new species of the bee genusXenochloraEngel, Brooks & Yanega, 1997,X. meridionalissp. nov., based on a single female collected in the coastal forests of southeastern Brazil, in the state of Espírito Santo. The disjunct distribution exhibited byXenochlora, with species in northern South America and in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, is discussed in light of current knowledge about other taxa with similar distribution pattern.
Highlights
Xenochlora Engel, Brooks & Yanega, 1997 is a rare genus of halictine bees until recently assumed to be restricted to the Amazon Basin and the Guiana shield (Engel et al 1997, Santos and Melo 2013)
Reconstructing the phylogenetic history of Xenochlora, Megalopta, Megaloptidia Cockerell, 1900, Megommation Moure, 1943 and related genera is essential to understand the evolution of dim-light foraging in the tribe Augochlorini, which yet is possible to be interpreted in different ways
Nemésio et al (2016) recorded the genus in the same locality, Reserva Natural Vale, from the study of a female previously deposited in the Coleção Entomológica da Reserva Natural Vale (CERNV)
Summary
Xenochlora Engel, Brooks & Yanega, 1997 is a rare genus of halictine bees until recently assumed to be restricted to the Amazon Basin and the Guiana shield (Engel et al 1997, Santos and Melo 2013). Within the Augochlorini, Xenochlora has been considered as closely related to Megalopta Smith, 1853 (Engel et al 1997, Engel 2000, Tierney et al 2012, Gonçalves 2016). Nemésio et al (2016) recorded the genus in the same locality, Reserva Natural Vale, from the study of a female previously deposited in the Coleção Entomológica da Reserva Natural Vale (CERNV). They even considered the possibility of this individual to belong to a new undescribed species. This is the first species occurring outside of Amazonian Formations at northern South America
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