Triepeolus rufotegularis ( Ashmead, 1900 ), 1332

Onuferko, Thomas M., Rightmyer, Molly G., Melo, Gabriel A. R. & Roig-Alsina, Arturo, 2024, A revision of the South American species of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Triepeolus Robertson, 1901 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 931, pp. 1-50 : 38-41

Triepeolus rufotegularis ( Ashmead, 1900)

Figs 1H , 4D , 14

Epeolus rufotegularis Ashmead, 1900: 211 (♀), lectotype presently designated.

Triepeolus rufotegularis – Cockerell 1938: 280.

Diagnosis

The following morphological features in combination tell T. rufotegularis apart from all other South American Triepeolus : the T1 discal patch is reniform, T1–T4 (in females) or T1–T6 (in males) have medially interrupted bands of white to off-white tomentum, and the T2 apical transverse bands do not have lobe-like anterolateral extensions ( Fig. 14A–C ). In terms of the patterns of pubescence on the mesosoma and metasoma, T. rufotegularis most closely resembles T. verbesinae , a North American species, but in T. verbesinae the T1 discal patch is triangular with concave sides, the metasomal tergal bands are pale yellow, the T2 apical transverse bands have lobe-like anterolateral extensions, and the female S5 is strongly (as opposed to slightly) downturned apically. Males of T. rufotegularis are also similar to those of T. tuberculifer sp. nov., but in T. tuberculifer sp. nov. the pro- and mesotrochanters are distinctly (as opposed to non-) tuberculate, the free portion of each axilla is more (as opposed to less) than ⅓ as long as its entire medial length, and the T1 basal and apical transverse bands are subparallel, such that the discal patch is transversely oblong.

Etymology

Although Ashmead (1900) did not explain the etymology of his Epeolus rufotegularis , the specific epithet was presumably inspired by its orange tegulae, which do not reliably distinguish this species from similar-looking congeners.

Material examined

Primary type material

GRENADA • ♀, lectotype; Saint George, St. George’s ( Leeward side ); H.H. Smith leg.; USNM 534865 .

Secondary type material

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES • 1 ♀ [sic, actually ♂], paralectotype (studied from images); Grenadines Parish, Canouan Island ; H.H. Smith leg.; NHMUK NHMUK014022734 .

Non-type material

COLOMBIA • 1 ♀; Cesar, Valledupar; 21–24 May 1963; B. Malkin leg.; AMNH • 1 ♀; Magdalena, 7 km E of Santa Marta; 30 Nov. 1974; M. Cooper leg.; KUNHM (Donald & Madge Baker Collection) M.G.R. Database No. 3705 .

GRENADA • 2 ♀♀; Saint George, Grand Anse ; 14 Jun. 1977; L. Kimo Tanaka leg.; CAS .

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES • 1 ♀; Saint Vincent; “ 5.4.38 ”; USNM M.G.R. Database No. 1332 • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 4 May 1938; J. O. leg.; UCMC M.G.R. Database No. 1514 • 1 ♂; Saint Andrew Parish, Campden Park ( Saint Vincent); 13.1651° N, 61.2438° W; 10 May 2017; R.R. Ferrari leg.; PCYU CCDB-34570 B08 .

VENEZUELA • 1 ♂; Aragua, 2 km N of Ocumare de la Costa; 12 Jun. 1976; Menke and Carpenter leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; Guárico, Hato Masaguaral (44 km S of Calabozo); 11–19 May 1985; Menke and Carpenter leg.; USNM M.G.R. Database No. 6451 • 5 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 20–28 May 1985; A.S. Menke and D. Vincent leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; Zulia, 14 km W of Campo Mara; 18 Jun. 1976; A.S. Menke and D. Vincent leg.; USNM • 1 ♀; Zulia, 6 km W of La Concepción; 18 Jun. 1976; A.S. Menke and D. Vincent leg.; USNM .

Redescription

MEASUREMENTS OF LECTOTYPE. Body length 8.8 mm; ITW 1.9 mm; head length 2.3 mm; head width 3.2 mm; fore wing length 7.5 mm.

Both sexes

INTEGUMENT COLORATION. Dark brown to black except as follows. Mandible with apical third golden yellow. Mandible with basal two-thirds, scape, pedicel, F1, pronotal lobe, tegula, coxae to some extent, trochanters to tarsi (excluding brown meso- and metatibial spurs) entirely, metasomal terga laterally, and metasomal sterna to some extent orange. F2 with orange spot basally. Fore wing membrane subhyaline, apically dusky. Hind wing membrane dusky subhyaline to hyaline.

PUBESCENCE. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket. Tomentum slightly sparser on clypeus; upper paraocular and frontal areas and vertexal area mostly exposed. Pronotal collar with tomentum off-white to pale yellow. Mesoscutum with well-defined paramedian band of pale-yellow tomentum (tapering toward and barely attaining anterior margin in lectotype; not attaining anterior margin in paralectotype and some non-type specimens); pale tomentum otherwise mostly restricted to posterior margin. Mesopleuron with black, appressed, branched setae just anterior to hypoepimeral area and off-white, appressed, branched setae elsewhere; upper half densely setose, except behind pronotal lobe, with setae slightly sparser on hypoepimeral area; ventrolateral half sparsely setose. Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted, uniformly dark brown/gray (with varying amount of off-white tomentum in non-type specimens). Propodeal triangle mostly glabrous, with (dark brown/gray) setae restricted to small lateral patches. Metasomal terga with bands of white to off-white tomentum. T1 with basal transverse band widely separated medially into pair of anterolateral patches (narrowly interrupted medially in non-type specimen), each convex along medial margin and separated from apical transverse band (joined to apical transverse band by lateral longitudinal band in some non-type specimens); apical transverse band separated into pair of rounded lobes medially; discal patch reniform. T2–T4 with medially widely interrupted apical transverse bands without anterolateral extensions. S2–S3 with apical transverse bands of white tomentum.

SURFACE SCULPTURE. Labrum and clypeus with punctures equally dense (most i <1d); interspaces well defined, shining. Vertexal area somewhat sparsely punctate (some i> 2d), especially around ocelli. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla with punctures more or less equally dense (i≤ 1d); interspaces well defined, shining. Mesopleuron with punctures in upper half not much denser (most i <1d) than in ventrolateral half (most i ≤ 1d); interspaces shining; 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 rather short (medial length ~ ⅗ MOD). Mesoscutellum weakly bigibbous. Axilla not extending beyond midlength of mesoscutellum; tip visible but somewhat blunt, mesally unattached to mesoscutellum for less than ⅓ medial length of axilla; lateral margin relatively straight.

Female

T5 with broadly convex apical margin and large patch of white to off-white tomentum on each side lateral to pseudopygidial area. Pseudopygidial area circular, with setae glossy, predominantly grayish brown, and sparser centrally; apical margin with row of dense, appressed and suberect coppery to silvery setae. Pygidial plate orange in part and apically truncate (T6 entirely retracted in lectotype; described from non-type specimen). S4 with apical transverse band of white tomentum. S5 slightly downturned apically, with apical fimbria of coppery bristle-like setae; S5 otherwise covered in brown tomentum.

Male

T5–T6 with medially interrupted apical transverse bands of off-white tomentum. Pygidial plate reddish brown and apically rounded and slightly downturned, with basal transverse ridge rather ill-defined and lateral margin sinuate. S4–S5 each with apical/subapical fringe of dense, long (> 1 MOD), curved setae; coppery to silvery laterally (more so on S4 than S5), brown and contrasting strongly with bands of preceding sterna medially.

Distribution

Northern South America to Saint Vincent in the Lesser Antilles ( Fig. 1H ).

Ecology

Host records

Unknown.

Floral records

Unknown.

Remarks

Although Ashmead (1900) described only the female of this species, a syntype of E. rufotegularis at the NHMUK, which bears a circular label that says “Type”, was incorrectly sexed and is a male. The description of the male of T. rufotegularis is published here for the first time. Since Ashmead (1900) did not explicitly designate a holotype among the eight specimens comprising the type series, a female syntype at the USNM, which bears a red label that says “Type”, is herein designated as the lectotype of E. rufotegularis .

Figures

Fig. 1. Occurrence records (yellow circles) of species of Triepeolus Robertson, 1901 represented in South America. A. T. alvarengai Moure, 1955. B. T. atoconganus Moure, 1955. C. T. buchwaldi (Friese, 1908). D. T. cecilyae Packer, 2016. E. T. flavipennis (Friese, 1916). F. T. nemoralis (Holmberg, 1886). G. T. osiriformis (Schrottky, 1910). H. T. rufotegularis (Ashmead, 1900). I. T. tuberculifer Onuferko, Rightmyer & Roig-Alsina sp. nov.

Fig. 4. Head and mesosoma of female, oblique view. A. Triepeolus atoconganus Moure, 1955 (NHMUK NHMUK013620580). B. T. cecilyae Packer, 2016 (PCYU). C. T. buchwaldi (Friese, 1908) (AMNH M.G.R. Database No. 3707). D. T. rufotegularis (Ashmead, 1900) (USNM M.G.R. Database No. 1332). Blue arrows indicate dense, long (≥½ MOD), erect/suberect, minutely branched setae.

Fig. 14. Triepeolus rufotegularis (Ashmead, 1900). A–B, D. Female (USNM M.G.R. Database No. 1332). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Male (PCYU CCDB-34570 B08), habitus, lateral view. D. Pseudopygidial area, dorsal view.