Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata Engel & Michez, 2020

Engel, Michael S. & Michez, Denis, 2020, A new vernal species of Hesperapis from the lower Midwestern United States (Hymenoptera: Melitidae), Journal of Melittology 2020 (98), pp. 1-11 : 4-9

Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata Engel & Michez , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:20135604-5B7C-47F8-8F28-C9C37C3C1001

( Figs. 1–14 )

DIAGNOSIS: Hesperapis infuscata is the only vernal species in the carinata group known to occur in the lower midwestern United States. Among species of the carinata group, H. infuscata differs from H. carinata and H. oraria by the infuscate wings, and from H. rodecki by the rounded pronotal lobe. It can be distinguished among other Carinapis by the following combination of traits in females and males: pronotal lobe rounded, not produced and spine-like (spine-like with spine acute, subapically flattened, and recurved in H. rodecki ); wings notably infuscate apically (uniformly hyaline in H. carinata and H. oraria ; lightly infuscate basally, apically lighter and milky in appearance in H. oliviae ); and propodeal enclosure shiny, without conspicuous punctation (dull and contiguously punctured in H. macrocephala ). In females the species can be further differentiated by the following characters: largely yellowish to lightly fulvous; mesotibial spur yellowish, with coarse, well-separated branches (whitish and finely serrate, with serrations sharp, contiguous, and inclined in H. oliviae ); metatibial scopa yellowish ( Fig. 1 ) to lightly tawny or even light brownish (reddish in H. carinata and H. oraria ; dark in H. oliviae ; golden in H. rodecki ), without primary vestiture (with primary vestiture in H. rhodocerata , H. fulvipes , H. macrocephala , and H. oliviae ); basal triangle of pygidial plate broad, with apical angle>45° (narrow with angle <45° in H. rhodocerata and H. fulvipes ). Additional distinguishing features in males include: flagellum brown below (at least partly light reddish below in H. carinata , H. oraria , and H. rodecki ; somewhat orange in H. macrocephala ), and the plesiomorphic retention of a pygidial plate (absent or reduced to median carina in H. oliviae , H. rhodocerata , and H. fulvipes ). The male terminalia are as depicted in figures 7–13.

DESCRIPTION: ♀: Total body length 12–14 mm; head wider than long, length about 0.78× width. Labrum length about 0.28× width, upper surface strongly, transversely convex; mandible preapical tooth at apical quarter of mandible length, apex narrowly rounded; galea outer edge strongly curved apically, inner edge straight; labial palpus about 1.15× length of glossa, about 0.45× length of prementum and about 1.3× length of maxillary palpus; ratio of lengths of labial palpomeres: 24:16:10:8. Clypeus weakly protuberant, clypeal disc distinctly convex; ratio of lengths of basal four flagellomeres: 25:12:15:15; median flagellomeres about 0.90× as long as wide; inner compound eye margins weakly convergent below, upper third faintly, broadly emarginate; vertex gently convex. Pronotal lobe rounded, not greatly produced and apically acute. Mesotibial spur with coarse, separated, short branches. Metabasitibial plate well developed, broadly ovoid, margin weakly incrassate. Pygidial plate apically subtruncate with weak median notch, laterally weakly sinuate, apical third weakly concave; surface of distal third strongly concave and with coarse longitudinal striae originating at carinate margin of elevated basal triangle; surface of basal triangle finely and irregularly rugose or papillose and with margins forming angle of about 80° apically.

Integument shiny. Labrum smooth basally, anteriorly with minute, piligerous punctures. Galea upper surface finely tessellate, with widely scatered, minute piligerous punctures. Punctures of face small, coarse, shallow, scatered, separated by about 1–2× a puncture width except sparser medially on clypeus and supraclypeal area and denser laterally on clypeus, similar setae on face, gena posteriorly, and vertex behind ocelli; punctures more minute and denser on upper face, anterior to ocelli, and vertex, such punctures more spaced in ocellocular area. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and metanotum densely punctured, punctures nearly contiguous, punctures of mixed sizes; mespisternum punctured as on mesoscutum except punctures of more uniform sizes and becoming slightly sparser posteriorly; metepisternum with larger punctures dorsally, smaller ventrally; lateral and posterior surfaces of propodeum with sparsely punctate; propodeal enclosure smooth and shiny (without faint reticulae). Metasomal terga largely finely imbricate, except anterior-facing surface of tergum I smooth, otherwise with dense, minute, piligerous punctures and some widely spaced, larger, shallow, piligerous punctures; hyaline margins impunctate; sterna finely imbricate with widely spaced, shallow, piligerous punctures like those of terga.

Head and mesosoma dark reddish brown to black, sometimes lighter on pleura and posterior surface of propodeum; mandible dark reddish brown in apical third, basal two-thirds lighter reddish brown (almost dark testaceous in some individuals); labrum dark reddish brown, nearly black apically; maxilla dark brown to black; antenna primarily black but paling to dark brown beneath on flagellum; legs reddish brown to dark reddish brown, spurs amber; dark reddish brown on basal terga, becoming nearly black on apical terga, terga I–IV sometimes paler brownish across middle; tergal margins lighter brown and semi-translucent to hyaline beneath apical setal bands; pygidial plate dark reddish brown subapically, basally and along apical margin dark reddish brown to black. Wing membranes lightly infuscate, with apical area more conspicuously infuscate; veins amber brown to brown except Sc+R darker.

Pubescence entirely pale, off-white to yellowish or lightly fulvous; long, suberect, minutely barbulate setae numerous around antennal toruli, lower face, and laterally and apically on clypeus, shorter, sparser, and more semi-decumbent elsewhere, although becoming long, erect, and dense again on vertex posterior to ocelli, gena, and postgena; setae on gena bordering compound eye short and subappressed to suberect; labrum anteriorly with sparse, short, thick setae set in minute punctures, apical margin fringed with long, simple, golden setae; galea outer edge with fringe of short, simple, sparse setae, apex with long setae, inner edge without fringe, upper surface with erect, long, simple setae set in minute punctures. Setae of mesosoma entirely long, dense, and minutely barbulate, barbs longer and more conspicuous than those on head; setae largely off-white, more lightly fulvous dorsally and lightly fuscous centrally on mesoscutum and mesoscutellum; metepisternum with long erect setae dorsally, becoming short and appressed to subappressed elsewhere; patch of similarly short, albeit erect, setae on propodeum bordering upper portion of metepisternum. Mesotibial setae of outer surface off-white and dense, almost obscuring integument, setae mostly long and semi-decumbent, with some equally long simple setae near margins, subapically along posterior margin setae lightly fuscouse, inner surface glabrous; mesobasitarsus outer surface densely covered with pale, long, suberect setae that do not obscure surface. Metabasitibial plate disc covered with oblique, pale setae; metatibial scopa without primary vestiture, secondary vestiture composed of long, off-white to lightly tawny (although lightly brownish in one population), gently arched, suberect, more spaced (creating somewhat more open scopa) setae, setae barbulate along one edge only; metabasitarsus with setae like those of metatibia. Metasoma with short, appressed, simple, brownish setae; long, pale, erect setae shorter or absent except basally on tergum I and laterally on terga II–VI; apical setal bands composed of long, dense, apically directed, minutely barbulate setae; sterna with short, scatered, suberect, minutely barbulate setae.

♂: As described for female except as follows: Total body length 10.5–13 mm; head slightly broader than in female, length about 0.69–0.74× width. Labrum with preapical setal patch denser and somewhat subtriangular; mandible as in female but subapical tooth area broadened and somewhat blade like; maxilla and labium as in female but smaller; ratio of lengths of labial palpomeres: 20:16:8:7. Clypeus broadly convex but with weak longitudinal median sulcus,sulcus weakest distally; ratio of lengths of first four flagellomeres: 7:14:18:18; median flagellomeres 1.25× as long as wide; inner compound eye margins strongly convergent below ( Fig. 6 ). Metabasitibial plate more subacute apically. Pygidial plate subtriangular, strongly elevated and sharply carinate posteriorly, apex minutely and acutely pointed. Terminal sterna and genitalia as depicted in figures 7–13.

Color largely as in female; antenna color largely as in female, sometimes slightly lighter, flagellum brown beneath.

Punctation as in female except that of clypeus somewhat coarser and denser. Pygidial plate surface primarily finely and faintly tessellate, but with sparse, coarse punctures bearing fine short, appressed setae basolaterally.

Pubescence of clypeus, supraclypeal area, and face distinctly longer, denser (nearly obscuring integument, particularly on clypeus), and covering more area than in female (cf. Figs. 5, 6 ), such setae typically more yellowish than in female. Mesosomal pubescence generally longer and denser than in female, particularly centrally on mesoscutum and mesoscutellum. Pubescence of tibiae and basitarsi generally somewhat sparser, particularly along posterior margins. Metasomal apical setal bands somewhat narrower and more diffuse than in female, particularly on tergum I.

HOLOTYPE: ♀, TEXAS: Goliad County: 16 mi E Goliad, 8 May 1953, R. H. Beamer , taken on Gaillardia sp. [28.6681, -97.1244] ( SEMC).

PARATYPES: TEXAS: Goliad County: 11♀♀, 2♂♂, 16 mi E Goliad , 8 May 1953, R. H . Beamer, taken on Gaillardia sp. [28.6681, -97.1244] ( SEMC); 10♀♀, 1♂, 16 mi E Goliad , 7 May 1953, R. H . Beamer , taken on Gaillardia sp. [28.6681, -97.1244] ( SEMC) .

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: KANSAS: Sedgwick County: 1♀, Wichita, June 1949, C . D. Michener [37.69222, -97.33733] ( SEMC) .

OKLAHOMA: Carter County: 1♂, Ardmore vicinity, 3 June 1961, University of Kansas Mexico Expedition, on flowers of Rudbeckia [34.17417, -97.14333] ( SEMC). Jackson County: 1♂, 15 mi S of Altus , 2 June 1979, C. D. Michener [34.42121, -99.33361] ( SEMC) .

TEXAS: Bastrop County: 4♀♀, 11♂♂, McDade, 10 May 1954, L. D. Beamer, taken on Gaillardia [30.2836, -972375] ( SEMC); 2♂♂, McDade, 10 May 1954, L. D. Beamer, taken on Opuntia [30.2836, -972375] ( SEMC); 13♂♂, McDade, 10 May 1954, R. H. Beamer, taken on Gaillardia [30.2836, -972375] ( SEMC). Dimmit County: 2♀♀, Catarina, 11 April 1950, Michener, Rozens, Beamers, Stephen, taken on Gaillardia [28.3453, -99.6131] ( SEMC). Goliad County : 1♀, 2♂♂, Weser [misspelled on two labels as “Wiser”], 9 May 1953, R. H. Beamer, taken on Gaillardia [28.865, -97.3672] ( SEMC). Howard County: 1♂, Big Spring, 21 June 1947, D. Rockefeller Expedition, C. D. Michener [32.2433, -101.4752] ( AMNH). Wilbarger County: 2♀♀, 15 mi N Vernon , C. D. Michener [34.3713, -99.2647] ( SEMC). Willacy County: 1♀, Raymondville, 17 April 1952, Michener, Beamers, Wille, LaBerge, taken on Helianthus annuus [33,8139, -96.5569] ( SEMC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to the apically infuscate wings.

Figures

Figures 1–2. Female of Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata, new species. 1. Lateral habitus. 2. Dorsal habitus.

Figures 3–4. Male of Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata, new species. 3. Lateral habitus. 4. Dorsal habitus.

Figures 5–6. Facial views of Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata, new species. 5. Female. 6. Male.

Figures 7–9. Male terminalia of Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata, new species. 7. Sixth sternum. 8. Seventh sternum. 9. Eighth sternum.

Figures 10–13. Male genitalia of Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata, new species. 10. Ventral view. 11. Dorsal view. 12. Lateral view. 13. Apical view.

Figure 14. Map of lower Midwestern states, with confirmed occurrences of Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata, new species, mapped. Mapped using SimpleMappr (Shorthouse, 2010).