Halictoides holocyaneus Cockerell, 1925: 199 (♂ description).
Diagnosis. The main diagnostic characters of this species are the metallic blue integument and the tri-dentate mandible (mandible bi-dentate in all other species) for both sexes. These characters are unique to this species among the Canadian species of Dufourea.
8) pubescence rather long and copious on mesosoma laterally, dorsally shorter, thin, dark brown-black, and quite dense, central area of mesoscutum not as densely pubescent, hairs mostly mixed dark and pale on dorsal surfaces, but pale, long, and highly branched on lateral surfaces, especially on lateral and posterior areas of propodeum. 9) mesoscutum somewhat shiny, punctures fine, quite closely spaced (1-2pd), becoming rather sparse in center of disc posteriorly (>3pd), but not crowded even between notaulice and tegula; mesoscutellum shiny, very faintly impressed medially, punctures of two sizes, smaller punctures very fine, dense near margins (1-2pd) and sparse in central disc (>3pd), and larger punctures sparsely distributed throughout (>2pd); metanotum densely punctate (1-2pd); mesopleuron shiny with larger punctures evenly distributed and somewhat obscure (3-4pd) and minute shallow punctures unevenly distributed; hypoepimeral area entirely shiny, punctures fine above (2-3pd) becoming sparse to impunctate on lower ¼; propodeal triangle 2/3 as long as mesoscutellum, shiny and completely rugosostriate; lateral and posterior propodeal surfaces smooth but rather dull, with only very minute and obscure punctures at all evident. 10) legs black, metallic reflections most evident on fore and mid legs; spurs, especially the mid and hind pair, very long and slender, entirely dark; mid tibial spur about 2/3 as long as mid basitarsus. 11) tegula shiny, metallic blue anteriorly, becoming dark brown; punctures sparse on anterior 1/3 (>4pd), becoming impunctate posteriorly. 12) wings lightly infuscated, veins and stigma more brownish-red, recurrent veins entering 2nd submarginal cell about equally distant from base and apex.
13) terga quite smooth and shiny, with minute and rather close punctures separated by 1-2pd basally, becoming slightly more sparse apically (~3pd), and larger punctures present throughout apical ¾ separated by 1-2pd, apical impressed areas entirely impunctate; T4-T5 with somewhat coarser and rather close punctures, apical impressed areas smooth and impunctate, somewhat dulled, metallic greenish brown, with very short, pale apical fasciae, discal pubescence very short and obscure, sub-erect, entirely dark, becoming longer and more dense on the more apical terga. 14) sterna shiny, punctures minute and well separated on apical half (>2pd), basal half with very shallow obscure punctures separated by 1-2pd; S5 with basal half dull, non-metallic brown, entirely impunctate, with a slightly raised apical margin; dark, erect pubescence present on apical half.
1) head slightly broader than long, 1.17:1; compound eyes slightly convergent below; OVD = 2MOD, OOD = 2.5MOD, IOD = 2.5MOD. 2) supraclypeal area protuberant in lateral view, most strongly between antennae; clypeus protuberant, broader than long; labrum broader than long, somewhat apically rounded. 3) mandible tri-dentate. 4) genal area nearly as wide as compound eye. 5) pubescence largely pale, with black erect hairs among the pale ones on vertexal area, genal area, paraocular area, and between antennae; the strongly convex supraclypeal area densely pubescent with white vertical fringe of hairs extending to bare impunctate area above antenna. 6) punctures below ocelli fine and densely crowded (<1pd), becoming slightly more coarse and relatively sparse along inner margin of compound eye on each side (1-3pd); area directly above antenna concave, entirely bare, impunctate and dull; supraclypeal area nearly impunctate apically, becoming densely punctate basally, punctures largely hidden beneath the dense pubescence; clypeus with coarse punctures crowded beneath the dense pubescence (<1pd); vertexal area with punctures fine, somewhat more separated medially than on face, becoming well separated on each side towards compound eyes (3-4pd); genal area above closely and rather obscurely punctate (1-2pd), the lower part becoming shiny and sparsely punctate (>4pd). 7) IAD slightly smaller than AOD, antennal socket separated from upper margin of clypeus by more than its diameter, all segments longer than broad, F1 about twice as long as pedicel and less than half as long as F2, the following segments longer, F2 about three times as long as broad, median and apical segments not quite so long, about 2 times as long as broad; F2-F11 with basal depression.
8) pubescence whitish laterally and dorsally, longer laterally; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with sparse, dark, erect hairs among the dense pale ones. 9) mesoscutum and mesoscutellum shiny, very finely punctate, punctures more separated in center of mesoscutum (3-4pd), becoming very close, but not crowded, near margins (<2pd); mesoscutellum sparsely punctate basally (>3pd), becoming more densely punctate apically (<2pd); mesopleuron smooth, shiny, larger punctures separated by >2pd, minute punctures unevenly distributed throughout; propodeal triangle coarsely rugosostriate, slightly depressed on either side of the carinate median line, almost as long as mesoscutellum; hypoepimeral area shiny, punctures well separated (2-4pd); propodeal triangle 1.3 times as long as mesoscutellum, shiny and rugosostriate, adjacent lateral areas densely and coarsely punctate; lateral and posterior propodeal surfaces minutely imbricate, anterior lateral and upper posterior areas somewhat shiny. 10) legs dark, hind trochanter triangularly produced beneath, hind femur slightly robust, somewhat curved, lower surface flattened and smooth, hind tibia slender basally, becoming somewhat flattened and club-shaped apically, mid tibial spur less than 1/3 as long as mid basitarsus; mid and hind basitarsus slender, parallel-sided, much shorter than tibia, spurs entirely dark. 11) tegula metallic blue anteriorly, becoming brown-hyaline posteriorly, anterior third sparsely punctate (3pd), nearly impunctate posteriorly, with sparse pale hairs anteriorly and along inner margin. 12) wings lightly infuscated, veins and stigma brownish-red, recurrent veins entering 2nd submarginal cell about equally distant from base and apex.
13) terga shiny, minutely punctate, punctures well separated on basal areas (~1pd), becoming slightly larger and more separated in apical ¾ (<3pd), minute punctures sparsely distributed throughout; apical impressed areas shiny, entirely impunctate, somewhat brownish with faint metallic reflections; discal pubescence suberect, thin and obscure, largely pale on the more basal terga, becoming darker and more erect and somewhat conspicuous on the more apical terga. 14) S1-S5 relatively simple, S2 and S3 and with slightly raised areas laterally, S4 with lateral spine pointed, S5 with lateral spine less produced, S6 with pale basal triangular area flattened and somewhat translucent, ventral process, shiny and bare, slightly curved apically.
Dufourea holocyanea genitalia, ventral view |
In Canada, this species is known from southern British Columbia (see Map).