Notocyrtus Burmeister 1835

Notocyrtus Burmeister, 1835

The genus Notocyrtus Burmeister, 1835 was initially revised by Carvalho and Costa (1992, 1993). Costa and Gil-Santana 2001, and Gil-Santana and Costa 2001 described additional new species, having Notocyrtus 23 valid species. Despite the revision and subsequent description of additional species, it is clear that there is still a proportion of the diversity of Notocyrtus that remains undescribed.

Species of Notocyrtus have been recognized as mimetics of meliponine bees (Jackson, 1973; Gil-Santana 2008), in which the mimicry is enhanced by an inflated pronotum (Haviland 1931; Jackson 1973). Some species of this genus are variable in color, particularly in the pronotum, which may be a result of mimicking different meliponine bees in different localities (Jackson 1973). On the other hand, the general size, the structure of the head, the shape of the pronotum and tibiae, and, to a lesser extent, the color patterns on head, pronotum, and legs seem to be good features for separating species of Notocyrtus (Carvalho & Costa 1992, 1993).

PLATE 7. Figs. 26–27. Orbella exceptio, male genitalia in situ, 26, lateral view, 27, posterior view.