Neocorynura electra
Encyclopedia
Neocorynura electra is an extinct species
of sweat bee
in the Halictidae
genus Neocorynura.
N. electra is named from the Latin
electrum meaning "amber". The species is known from a single female specimen, the holotype
, deposited in the American Museum of Natural History
, and which was first studied by Dr. Michael S. Engel
. He published his type description in the Journal of the New York Entomological Society volume 103 published in 1995. Extremely well preserved in early Miocene
Burdigalian
stage Dominican amber
from the island of Hispaniola
, the female individual is very slightly compressed along the legs and head but without apparent destruction of details and the specimen is free from "schimmel", a type of white mold sometimes present on arthropods in amber.
Though a fracture does cross the specimen the bee is not harmed, with the fracture running along the bee from the head down the body to the mesothorax. The wings of the female are either slightly folded or crumpled and held at an angle to line of he thorax. Overall N. electra has a total length, not including antennae, of just over 7 millimetre (0.275590551181102 in) and a forewing length of 4.9 millimetre (0.192913385826772 in). As a whole the female has a metallic gold-green coloration to the head and thorax. The antenna and some of the region above the mouth are black while the pronotum is black with metallic green highlights. The legs are dark brown to black with strong metallic green highlights, while the wings are hyaline
.
N. electra is the only species of Neocorynura known from fossils and one of only a few extinct Halictidae which are known from the amber record. N. electra can be identified from the extinct halictid genus Oligochlora
by differences in the mesoscutum and carinate pronotal ridge. Although similar to the associated Dominican amber species Eickwortapis dominicana the mesoscutum is again different between the two species.
The modern Greater Antilles
do not have any native species of Neocorynura. The closest living species is an undescribed species which is found on St. Vincent
and Trinidad
, known from specimens in the National Museum of Natural History
. The relationship between N. electra, the only known species from the Greater Antilles, and species in Central and South America is not clear. The rarity of N. electra in the Dominican amber record may be in part due to the general habit of Neocorynura species bees to nest in the ground and not collect resin as other bees thus making contact and preservation unlikely.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sweat bee
Sweat bee
Sweat bee is the common name for any bees that are attracted to the salt in human sweat. In its strict application, the name refers to members of the Halictidae, a large family of bees that are common in most of the world except Australia and Southeast Asia, where they are only a minor faunistic...
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...
genus Neocorynura.
N. electra is named from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
electrum meaning "amber". The species is known from a single female specimen, 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...
, deposited in the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, 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...
. He published his type description in the Journal of the New York Entomological Society volume 103 published in 1995. Extremely 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 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...
, the female individual is very slightly compressed along the legs and head but without apparent destruction of details and the specimen is free from "schimmel", a type of white mold sometimes present on arthropods in amber.
Though a fracture does cross the specimen the bee is not harmed, with the fracture running along the bee from the head down the body to the mesothorax. The wings of the female are either slightly folded or crumpled and held at an angle to line of he thorax. Overall N. electra has a total length, not including antennae, of just over 7 millimetre (0.275590551181102 in) and a forewing length of 4.9 millimetre (0.192913385826772 in). As a whole the female has a metallic gold-green coloration to the head and thorax. The antenna and some of the region above the mouth are black while the pronotum is black with metallic green highlights. The legs are dark brown to black with strong metallic green highlights, while 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...
.
N. electra is the only species of Neocorynura known from fossils and one of only a few extinct Halictidae which are known from the amber record. N. electra can be identified from the extinct halictid genus Oligochlora
Oligochlora
Oligochlora is an extinct genus of sweat bee in the Halictidae subfamily Halictinae. The genus currently contains six species, all of which are known from the early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola....
by differences in the mesoscutum and carinate pronotal ridge. Although similar to the associated Dominican amber species Eickwortapis dominicana the mesoscutum is again different between the two species.
The modern Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
do not have any native species of Neocorynura. The closest living species is an undescribed species which is found on St. Vincent
Saint Vincent (island)
Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean. It is the largest island of the chain called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada. It is composed of partially submerged volcanic mountains...
and Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, known from specimens in the National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
. The relationship between N. electra, the only known species from the Greater Antilles, and species in Central and South America is not clear. The rarity of N. electra in the Dominican amber record may be in part due to the general habit of Neocorynura species bees to nest in the ground and not collect resin as other bees thus making contact and preservation unlikely.