Triepeolus parahirsutus, Onuferko & Rightmyer, 2024

Onuferko, Thomas M. & Rightmyer, Molly G., 2024, A revision of the simplex species group of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Triepeolus Robertson, 1901 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 950 (1), pp. 1-106 : 58-61

Triepeolus parahirsutus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A06B47B8-CDD7-4E83-9B51-D3C829AA9347

Figs 6B , 12I , 24

Proposed common name

Texas bristly triepeolus.

Diagnosis

The following morphological features in combination tell T. parahirsutus sp. nov. apart from all other Triepeolus in the simplex species group except T. hirsutus sp. nov.: the mesopleura have sparse, pale-yellow, erect/suberect, simple setae (reaching about ½ MOD in length) in addition to the usual appressed, branched setae ( Figs 6B , 24A, C ); the legs are entirely reddish orange from trochanters to tarsi ( Fig. 24A–C ); and the T1 discal patch is trapezoidal with an inverted U- or horseshoe-shaped anteromedial projection ( Fig. 24B ). Females of T. parahirsutus and T. hirsutus are readily distinguished from each other by the pseudopygidial area, which in the former does not have distinct subregions of differentiated setae but rather setae that are golden to silvery and relatively uniform in density ( Fig. 24D ) and in the latter has three subregions of differentiated setae—a basal patch of dense, golden setae, a darker subapical band of sparser, coppery brown setae, and an apical row of dense, suberect, silvery setae. Additionally, T. parahirsutus is generally larger (body length 8.0–12.0 mm; ITW 1.7–2.5 mm) ( Fig. 24A–C ) than T. hirsutus (body length 5.5–9.0 mm; ITW 1.2–1.7 mm) and in the former the axillae commonly (as opposed to almost never) have reddish tips ( Fig. 24B ). Although it might not be possible to separate certain males morphologically, T. parahirsutus can easily be separated from T. hirsutus by geography; the former is known only from Central and South Texas whereas the latter is known only from the Southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico. Additionally, T. parahirsutus may be confused with T. segregatus due to their similar size and trapezoidal discal patch with an inverted U- or horseshoe-shaped anteromedial projection and as the ranges of both species overlap to some extent, but in T. segregatus the mesopleura laterally do not have erect/suberect, simple setae or have only sparse, short (<¼ MOD), erect/suberect, simple setae in addition to the usual appressed, branched setae.

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to this species’ similarity to T. hirsutus sp. nov. The Greek prefix ‘ para- ’ means ‘near’.

Material examined

Primary type material

USA • ♀, holotype; Texas, McAllen Botanical Gardens ( McAllen ), Hidalgo County; 28 Jul. 1984; C. Porter leg.; FSCA .

Secondary type material

USA – Texas • 1 ♀, paratype; Texas; Belfrage leg.; USNM • 1 ♀, paratype; 2 mi S of El Sauz , Starr County; 28 May 1980; Webb and Lisowski leg.; INHS 7838 • 1 ♀, paratype; Dallas ; ZMB 21261 • 1 ♂, allotype; same data as for preceding; ZMB 21261 • 1 ♀, paratype; Fedor , Lee County; 18 Sep. 1897; Birkmann leg.; USNM • 1 ♀, paratype; same data as for preceding; 24 Sep. 1897; Birkmann leg.; ZMB • 1 ♀, paratype; Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge ( Island Fields Loop ), Cameron County; 26.2231° N, 97.3525° W; 20 Apr. 2017; M. Buck leg.; BOLD sample ID: CMNTO_313 ; RAM pmae00140925 • 1 ♀, paratype; Laguna Madre ; 10 Apr. 1945; D.E. Hardy and V.L. Wooley leg.; USNM • 1 ♀, paratype; McAllen Botanical Gardens (McAllen), Hidalgo County; 16–30 May 1974; C. Porter leg.; FSCA • 1 ♀, paratype; same data as for preceding; 1 Jul. 1983; C. Porter leg.; FSCA .

DNA barcoded material

Available. BIN: BOLD:AEM8829. See type material for specimens examined and sequenced (indicated by unique BOLD sample ID).

Description

MEASUREMENTS OF HOLOTYPE. Body length 11.6 mm; ITW 2.5 mm; head length 2.7 mm; head width 3.9 mm; fore wing length 8.6 mm.

Both sexes

INTEGUMENT COLORATION. Dark brown to black except as follows. Mandible with apical half golden yellow (entirely dark brown/black in some paratypes). Labrum entirely (partially to entirely dark brown/ black in some paratypes), clypeus along lower and lateral margins (entirely dark brown/black in some paratypes), scape, pedicel, F1 entirely and succeeding flagellomeres to some extent, pronotal lobe (entirely dark brown/black in some paratypes), tegula, axilla with tip (entirely dark brown/black in some paratypes), coxae to some extent, trochanters to tarsi (excluding brown meso- and metatibial spurs) entirely, metasomal terga laterally, pygidial plate to some extent (difficult to see in holotype because T6 mostly retracted; described from paratypes), and metasomal sterna to some extent reddish orange. Fore wing membrane subhyaline, apically dusky. Hind wing membrane dusky subhyaline to hyaline.

PUBESCENCE. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket. Clypeus, upper paraocular and frontal areas, and vertexal area mostly exposed. Pronotal collar with tomentum uniformly pale yellow. Mesoscutum with well-defined paramedian band of pale-yellow tomentum; pale tomentum otherwise mostly restricted to lateral and posterior margins. Mesopleuron with off-white to pale-yellow, appressed, branched setae; upper half densely setose, except behind pronotal lobe, with setae slightly sparser on hypoepimeral area; ventrolateral half sparsely setose. Mesopleuron with sparse, pale-yellow, erect/ suberect, simple setae (reaching about ½ MOD in length) in addition to usual appressed, branched setae. Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted, uniformly pale yellow. Propodeal triangle mostly glabrous, with (pale) setae restricted to small lateral patches. Metasomal terga with bands of pale-yellow tomentum. T1 with basal and apical transverse bands interrupted medially (former more widely than latter) and subparallel, discal patch trapezoidal. T2–T4 with complete apical transverse bands, those of T2–T3 medially somewhat narrowed and removed from apical margins of terga, that of T2 with pair of basomedially convergent anterolateral extensions. S2–S3 with apical transverse bands of white tomentum.

SURFACE SCULPTURE. Labrum with punctures nearly contiguous (most i <1d). Clypeus densely punctate (most i≤ 1d) but interspaces well defined, shining; with many small punctures among larger ones. Vertexal area somewhat sparsely punctate (some i>2d), especially around ocelli. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla with punctures more or less equally dense (most i≤ 1d); interspaces well defined, shining. Mesopleuron with punctures in upper half denser (i ≤1d) than in ventrolateral half (i ≤3d); interspaces somewhat dull due to tessellate surface microsculpture; punctures similar in size throughout. Discs of metasomal terga with punctures very fine, dense (i ≈1d), and evenly distributed; interspaces shining somewhat.

STRUCTURE. Labrum with pair of small subapical denticles, each preceded by discrete longitudinal ridge. Pronotal collar somewhat elongate (medial length ~ ¾ MOD). Mesoscutellum moderately bigibbous. Axilla extending little if at all beyond midlength of mesoscutellum; tip distinctly pointed, but mesally unattached to mesoscutellum for less than 2/5 medial length of axilla; lateral margin relatively straight. Fore wing with three submarginal cells.

Female

Paramedian band tapering slightly toward but not attaining anterior margin of mesoscutum. T5 with concave apical margin and large patch of pale-yellow tomentum on each side lateral to pseudopygidial area. Pseudopygidial area with underlying integument to some extent reddish orange, with triangular region of posteriorly directed golden to silvery setae (relatively uniform in density) within larger trapezoidal space of posteromedially directed dark brown setae. Pygidial plate apically truncate. S4 with apical transverse band of white tomentum. S5 straight in lateral view, with apical fimbria of coppery bristle-like setae.

Male

Paramedian band anteriorly joined to lateral transverse band of equally dense pale-yellow tomentum along anterior margin of mesoscutum. T5–T6 with complete apical transverse bands. Pygidial plate relatively flat and apically rounded, with lateral margin somewhat sinuate. S4–S5 each with apical/ subapical fringe of dense, long (> 1 MOD), curved setae, those of S4 coppery to silvery, those of S5 coppery and contrasting with apical transverse bands of white tomentum of preceding sterna.

Distribution

Central and South Texas ( Fig. 12I ).

Ecology

Host records

Unknown.

Floral records

Unknown.

Remarks

In addition to the diagnostic morphological features that separate T. parahirsutus sp. nov. from similar species, its status as a separate species is supported by a separate BIN and large barcode sequence divergence (5.6%) from its nearest neighbor, T. hirsutus sp. nov. (see Supp. file 4).

Figures

Fig. 6. Mesosoma of male, lateral view. A. Triepeolus melanarius Rightmyer, 2008 (CSUC), which ventrolaterally has dense, long (≥½ MOD), erect/suberect, minutely branched setae (blue arrow). B. T. parahirsutus sp. nov., allotype (ZMB 21261), which ventrolaterally has sparse, long (≥½ MOD), erect/suberect, simple setae among the usual appressed, branched setae (blue arrow). C. T. joliae Rightmyer, 2008 (CNC 1801918). D. T. eumeniformis sp. nov., paratype (ECOSUR ECO-TA-E-41271), which does not have dense, long (≥ ½ MOD), erect/suberect setae.

Fig. 12A–D (continued on next page). Distribution maps. A. All species in the Triepeolus simplex group. B. T. apache sp. nov. C. T. eumeniformis sp. nov. D. T. hirsutus sp. nov. Approximate geographic ranges are indicated in orange and were estimated from occurrence records known to the authors (yellow and blue circles, with the latter indicating localities of DNA barcoded specimens).

Fig. 24. Triepeolus parahirsutus sp. nov.A–B. Holotype, ♀ (FSCA). A. Habitus, lateral view.B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Allotype, ♂ (ZMB 21261), habitus, lateral view. D. Paratype, ♀ (USNM) pseudopygidial area, dorsal view.