Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa (Say)

Jones, Laura J., Kilpatrick, Shelby Kerrin & López-Uribe, Margarita M., 2021, Gynandromorph of the squash bee Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Eucerini) from an agricultural field in western Pennsylvania, USA, Journal of Melittology 2021 (100), pp. 1-10 : 3

Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa (Say)

Gynandromorph

DESCRIPTION: Male and female features are patchily distributed throughout the body ( Figs. 1–7 ). Body length 11.74 mm; integument black unless otherwise noted. Head: width 4.14 mm; length 2.71 mm; clypeus width 1.69 mm; clypeus length 2.72 mm; upper interocular distance 2.44 mm; lower interocular distance 2.54 mm; compound eye length 2.16 mm; eye maximum width 0.75 mm. Left of midline displaying female-specific features; antenna with 10 flagellomeres, clypeus lacking yellow subapical maculation ( Fig. 1 ). F2 longer than F3. Mandible black, with reddish brown apically, and lacking teeth apically. Right of midline displaying male-specific features; antenna with 11 flagellomeres, clypeus with yellow subapical maculation ( Fig. 1 ). Mandible black, with yellow-brown maculation on apical fifth, and lacking apical teeth. Antennae black to dark reddish brown. Mesosoma: intertegular distance 3.30 mm ( Fig. 2 ). Legs: all consistently black to reddish brown. Left legs: all as in males, inner surface of hind basitarsus with longer setae, yet scopa lacking ( Figs. 3 , 4 ). Right legs: all as in females, scopa present on hind tibia and basitarsus ( Figs. 3 , 5 ). Metasoma: T 2 width 5.44 mm; pubescence and structures as in females, consisting of six visible terga and sterna ( Figs. 6, 7 ). T 6 with complete pygidial plate ( Fig. 6 ). Sting apparatus normal, including gonostylus, stylus, and lancet, as in females.

REMARKS: Notably, F2 is longer than F3, not shorter as in typical females of E. pruinosa . As a result, this gynander specimen keys out to E. (P.) smithi (Hurd & Linsley) when following the female couplets in Ayala & Griswold (2012). Additionally, the specimen lacks apical teeth on the right mandible; two teeth are present in most conspecific males. In regards to the apical half of the mandible, the left mandible lacks yellow maculations that most conspecific females possess in varying amounts; the extent of this maculation also varies among males. Furthermore, the setae on the left metabasitarsus appear longer, on average, compared to male conspecifics.

Figures

Figures 1–3. Mosaic gynandromorph of Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa (Say); scale bars = 2 mm. 1. Head (in frontal view) showing the distinct bilateral split between the sexes (right half female, left half male). 2. Dorsal habitus showing male and female antennae, mesosoma, and femalelike metasomal features. 3. Ventral habitus showing patchily distributed female and male fea- tures on the head and mesosoma, including the antennae and legs, and female-like metasoma.

Figures 4–7. Mosaic gynandromorph of Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa (Say); scale bars = 2 mm. 4. Left lateral habitus showing female antennae and male legs. 5. Right lateral habitus showing male antennae and female legs. 6. Metasomal terga (in dorsal view) showing T3–T6; T6 with pygidial plate. 7. Metasomal sterna (in ventral view) showing typical female features, including a lack of carinae on S6 (present in male Peponapis).