Nesagapostemon
Encyclopedia
Nesagapostemon is an extinct monotypic
genus
of sweat bee
in the Halictidae
subfamily Halictinae
. At present, it contains the single species Nesagapostemon moronei.
The genus name Nesagapostemon is derived from a combination of the Greek
nesos, meaning "island", and Agapostemon
, a very similar genus of halictids which may be related. The species is named in honor of Ettore Morone of Turin, Italy. The species is known from the holotype
, a single 9.9 millimetre (0.389763779527559 in) long female currently in the private collection owned by Morone (catalog number MACT-1172), and which was first studied by Dr. Michael S. Engel
. Engel published his type description in ZooKeys
in 2009.
The holotype is fairly well preserved in early Miocene
(Burdigalian
stage) Dominican amber
from deposits on the island of Hispaniola
. However the animal has several fractures around the metasoma. In addition, a number of small bubbles and orange debris in the amber surround the body and three Proplebeia dominicana workers, also trapped in the amber, obscure portions of the body. The forewings of the Nesagapostemon female are 9.9 millimetre (0.389763779527559 in) and held at an angle to line of the thorax. Though hard to determine because of the preservation, where visible, the specimen has a metallic coloration to the head and thorax. The antenna are dark brown while the tegula
is translucent brown and the metasomal tegra are dark brown with weak metallic green highlights. The legs are dark reddish brown and the wings are hyaline
with brown veins.
Nesagapostemon is one of only five Halictidae genera which are known from the Dominican amber record, three of which are totally extinct. Nesagapostemon has a strong keel or carina encircling the propodium. The basal area of the propodium, not slanting in profile, is only half of the length of the vertical posterior surface. The related extinct halictid genus Eickwortapis
has a longer basal area on the propodium and it does slant in profile. The middle legs have a dense covering of hairs, those on the inner surface being long enough to cover the metatibial spurs and those on the outside being long and plumose. Unlike Eickwortapis the inner metatibial spur on Nesagapostemon is hooked and the inner border of the "C" vien is double the length of the pterostigma
.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of sweat bee
Halictidae
Halictidae is a cosmopolitan family of the order Hymenoptera consisting of small to midsize bees which are usually dark-colored and often metallic in appearance...
in the Halictidae
Halictidae
Halictidae is a cosmopolitan family of the order Hymenoptera consisting of small to midsize bees which are usually dark-colored and often metallic in appearance...
subfamily Halictinae
Halictinae
Within the insect order Hymenoptera, Halictinae is the largest, most diverse, and most recently diverged of the four unique Halictidae subfamilies...
. At present, it contains the single species Nesagapostemon moronei.
The genus name Nesagapostemon is derived from a combination of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
nesos, meaning "island", and Agapostemon
Agapostemon
The genus Agapostemon is a common group of Western hemisphere sweat bees of generally green or blue appearance . There are some 45 species in the genus, ranging from Canada to Argentina. They superficially resemble various members of the tribe Augochlorini, which are typically metallic greenish in...
, a very similar genus of halictids which may be related. The species is named in honor of Ettore Morone of Turin, Italy. The species is known from the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, a single 9.9 millimetre (0.389763779527559 in) long female currently in the private collection owned by Morone (catalog number MACT-1172), and which was first studied by Dr. Michael S. Engel
Michael S. Engel
Michael S. Engel is an American paleontologist and entomologist. He has undertaken field work in Central Asia, Asia Minor, and the Western Hemisphere, and published more than 300 papers in scientific journals. He was trained at the University of Kansas where in 1993 he received a B.S. in Cellular...
. Engel published his type description in ZooKeys
ZooKeys
ZooKeys is a peer-reviewed open access academic journal for the field of zoology. It was established in 2008, and the editor-in-chief is Terry Erwin from the Smithsonian Institution...
in 2009.
The holotype is fairly well preserved in early Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
(Burdigalian
Burdigalian
The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma...
stage) Dominican amber
Dominican amber
Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic. Resin from the extinct species Hymenaea protera is the source of Dominican amber and probably of most amber found in the tropics....
from deposits on the island of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. However the animal has several fractures around the metasoma. In addition, a number of small bubbles and orange debris in the amber surround the body and three Proplebeia dominicana workers, also trapped in the amber, obscure portions of the body. The forewings of the Nesagapostemon female are 9.9 millimetre (0.389763779527559 in) and held at an angle to line of the thorax. Though hard to determine because of the preservation, where visible, the specimen has a metallic coloration to the head and thorax. The antenna are dark brown while the tegula
Tegula (anatomy)
A tegula is a small sclerite situated above the base of the costal vein in the wings of various insects such as Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Homoptera, and attached to the antero-lateral portion of the mesonotum....
is translucent brown and the metasomal tegra are dark brown with weak metallic green highlights. The legs are dark reddish brown and the wings are hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
with brown veins.
Nesagapostemon is one of only five Halictidae genera which are known from the Dominican amber record, three of which are totally extinct. Nesagapostemon has a strong keel or carina encircling the propodium. The basal area of the propodium, not slanting in profile, is only half of the length of the vertical posterior surface. The related extinct halictid genus Eickwortapis
Eickwortapis
Eickwortapis is an extinct monotypic genus of sweat bee in the Halictidae subfamily Halictinae and containing the single species Eickwortapis dominicana....
has a longer basal area on the propodium and it does slant in profile. The middle legs have a dense covering of hairs, those on the inner surface being long enough to cover the metatibial spurs and those on the outside being long and plumose. Unlike Eickwortapis the inner metatibial spur on Nesagapostemon is hooked and the inner border of the "C" vien is double the length of the pterostigma
Pterostigma
The pterostigma is a cell in the outer wing of insects which is often thickened or coloured and so stands out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonflies, but present also in other insect groups, such as snakeflies, hymenopterans and megalopterans.The purpose of the pterostigma,...
.