Epeolus flavofasciatus Smith, 1879

Onuferko, Thomas M., 2018, A revision of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Epeolus Latreille for Nearctic species, north of Mexico (Hymenoptera, Apidae), ZooKeys 755, pp. 1-185 : 75-78

22. Epeolus flavofasciatus Smith, 1879 Figs 2C, 47, 48

Epeolus flavofasciatus Smith, 1879. Descr. New Species Hymen.: 103 (♀, ♂), new lectotype designation.

Triepeolus flavofasciatus Cockerell 1904. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 13: 36.

Triepeolus agaricifer Cockerell, 1907c. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 20: 60 (♂).

Diagnosis.

The following morphological features in combination can be used to tell E. flavofasciatus apart from all other North American Epeolus : the dorsum of the mesosoma and metasoma have bright or pale yellow pubescence, the mesoscutum has distinct paramedian bands, the axilla does not attain the midlength of the mesoscutellum, and T1 has a median triangular or semicircular discal patch. Epeolus canadensis resembles E. flavofasciatus in that the integument is mostly black, the axilla does not attain the midlength of the mesoscutellum, and T1 has a median triangular or semicircular discal patch, but in E. canadensis the mesoscutum has a distinct anteromedial patch of pale tomentum instead of paramedian bands. Epeolus flavofasciatus is quite large for Epeolus (≥9 mm in length), and the pygidial plate of the male is narrower than that in most species, so males may be confused with Triepeolus . However, in E. flavofasciatus the mandible has a blunt, obtuse preapical tooth, whereas in all Triepeolus the mandible is simple.

Redescription.

FEMALE: Length 9.6 mm; head length 2.4 mm; head width 3.3 mm; fore wing length 8.5 mm.

Integument coloration. Mostly black; notable exceptions as follows: partially to entirely ferruginous on mandible, antenna, pronotal lobe, tegula, axilla, legs, and pygidial plate. Mandible with apex darker than all but extreme base; preapical tooth lighter than mandibular apex (difficult to see in the E. flavofasciatus lectotype because mandible closed; described from non-type specimens). Antenna brown except scape, pedicel, and F1 extensively orange. F2 with orange spot basally. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber. Wing membrane dusky subhyaline, slightly darker at apex. Legs more extensively reddish orange than brown or black.

Pubescence. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket. Tomentum slightly sparser on clypeus; upper paraocular and frontal areas, and vertexal area mostly exposed. Dorsum of mesosoma and metasoma with bands of off-white and bright to pale yellow short appressed setae. Mesoscutum with paramedian band. Mesopleuron sparsely hairy except mesally with densely hairy sigmoid patch and ventrally. Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted, uniformly black (uniformly pale yellow in the E. agaricifer holotype and multiple non-type specimens, uniformly black or to varying degrees bright or pale yellow laterally and black medially in other non-type specimens). T1 with median semicircular black discal patch enclosed by pale tomentum (basal fascia widely separated medially and with much tomentum rubbed off in the E. flavofasciatus lectotype, but conspicuously arched and narrowly interrupted medially in non-type specimens). T2-T4 with fasciae complete, T2 with fascia without anterolateral extensions of tomentum. T5 with two large patches of pale tomentum lateral to and separate from pseudopygidial area. T5 with pseudopygidial area lunate, its apex more than twice as wide as medial length, indicated by silvery setae on disc of apicomedial region elevated from rest of tergum. S5 with apical fimbria of coppery to silvery hairs not extending beyond apex of sternum by much more than 1/4 MOD.

Surface sculpture. Punctures dense. Labrum with larger punctures than clypeus, but punctures of both equally dense (i<1d). Small impunctate matte spot lateral to lateral ocellus. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla coarsely and densely rugose-punctate. Tegula very densely punctate mesally (i<1d), less so laterally (i=1-2d). Mesopleuron with ventrolateral half densely punctate (i<1d); mesopleuron with punctures more or less equally dense throughout. Metasomal terga with punctures very fine, dense (i≈1d), evenly distributed on disc.

Structure. Labral apex with pair of small denticles preceded by submedial pair of small denticles and separated by shallow concavity. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.7 × greatest width. F2 noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.4). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it is separated by about 1.5-2 MOD at its terminal (difficult to see in the E. flavofasciatus lectotype; described from non-type specimens). Mesoscutellum moderately bigibbous. Axilla small to intermediate in size, its lateral margin (L) less than half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.4) and tip not extending beyond midlength of mesoscutellum; axilla with tip clearly visible, but unattached to mesoscutellum for less than 1/3 the medial length of axilla; axilla with lateral margin relatively straight and without carina. Fore wing with three submarginal cells. Pygidial plate apically truncate.

MALE: Description as for female except for usual secondary sexual characters and as follows: F2 shorter, but still longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.2); S3-S5 with much longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs, which individually are often darker apically; pygidial plate unusually narrow ( Triepeolus -like) and apically rounded, with large deep punctures closely clustered.

Distribution.

Mexico, excluding the Baja California Peninsula, and southwestern United States to central America (Fig. 48).

Ecology.

HOST RECORDS: The host species of E. flavofasciatus is/are presently unknown.

FLORAL RECORDS: Labels of examined voucher specimens indicate floral associations with Heterotheca subaxillaris and Vicia L. ( Leguminosae ).

Discussion.

Smith (1879) described E. flavofasciatus from both sexes, represented by two syntypes (one female and one male) deposited at the NHMUK. Both specimens were examined, and the female is herein designated as the lectotype because it is in better condition, because most Epeolus spp. are represented by female name-bearing types, and because Smith (1879) provided a more complete description of the female. The male syntype at the NHMUK is herein designated as the lectoallotype. Cockerell (1907) described this species under the name Triepeolus agaricifer , which Rightmyer (2008) synonymized under E. flavofasciatus . I have examined the male holotype specimen of T. agaricifer , and agree with Rightmyer’s treatment. Two specimens (both males) were barcoded, one of which is from Southeast Arizona, USA (nearer the type locality of T. agaricifer : Beulah, New Mexico, USA) and the other is from Jalisco, Mexico (nearer the type locality of E. flavofasciatus : Oaxaca, Mexico), and both were assigned the same BIN. Brumley also described this species under the manuscript name Epeolus artus [nomen nudum] in 1965.

There is some intraspecific variation in the pubescence on the metanotum, which ranges from entirely yellow to medially or mostly black, and T1, in which the apical fascia is either complete or interrupted medially, with differences not conforming to any discernable geographic pattern. Based on examined records, the range of this species appears to be quite continuous from the American Southwest to Central America.

Among the examined specimens of this species is one that appears to be the first known example of bilateral gynandromorphism in Epeolus (see Material studied). De scriptions and images of the aberrant features exhibited by the specimen are published separately ( Onuferko 2018).

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: Mexico: Oaxaca: ( E. flavofasciatus lectotype ♀ [NHMUK, catalog number: 010812212]).

USA: New Mexico: Beulah, viii.????, T.D. Cockerell ( T. agaricifer holotype ♂ [USNM, catalog number: 534034]).

Secondary: Mexico: Oaxaca: ( E. flavofasciatus lectoallotype ♂ [NHMUK, catalog number: 010812250]).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Available. BOLD:ACZ9233. Specimens examined and sequenced.-Mexico: Jalisco: 8 km N Atemajac de Brizuela, 08.x.2008, L. Packer (1♂, PCYU).

USA: Arizona: vic. Hannagan Meadow (33.6300°N; 109.3200°W) (Greenlee County), 19-20.vii.1998, B. Harris (1♀, LACM).

Non-barcoded material examined.

Guatemala: Escuintla: Volcán Pacaya, 30.xi.1975, S.W.T. Batra (1♀, USNM).

Mexico: Chiapas: San Cristóbal de las Casas, 29.v.1969, W.R.M. Mason (1♀, CNC); Durango: Coyotes (Durango Dist.), 08.viii.1947, D. Rockefeller Exp. Michener (1♀, BBSL);

Navíos (26 mi E El Salto), 02.viii.1964, L.A. Kelton (1♀, CNC); Michoacán: 17 mi N Hidalgo, 29.vii.1962, Univ. Kans. Mex. Expedition (2♀, KUNHM); Hidalgo, 12.vii.1963, F.D. Parker and L.A. Stange (1♂, UCBME); Morelos: 10 mi N Cuernavaca, 15.viii.1954, Univ. Kans. Mex. Expedition (1♀, KUNHM); Sinaloa: Las Palmitas, 13.ix.1977, E.I. Schlinger (2♀, EMEC); Tlaxcala: 8 mi WNW Apizaco, 18.vi.1961, Univ. Kans. Mex. Expedition (1♀, KUNHM).

USA: Arizona: Catalina Mountains (19 HkHy), 25.vii.1954, G.D. Butler (1♂, KUNHM); Catalina Mountains (24 HkHy), 26.vii.1954, G.D. Butler (1♂, KUNHM); Catalina Mountains (25 HkHy), 14.viii.1954, G. Bohart and G. Butler (1♂, KUNHM); Catalina Mountains (26 HkHy), 14.viii.1954, G. Bohart and G. Butler (1♂, KUNHM), 25.viii.1954, G.D. Butler (1♀, BBSL), 25.viii.1954, G.D. Butler (1♀, KUNHM); Flagstaff (Coconino County), 25.vii.1952, M. Cazier, W. Gertsch, and R. Schrammel (1 chimera, AMNH); Grand Canyon, 19.viii.??39 (1♀, BBSL); Mount Graham (Graham County), 29.viii.1995, J.G. Rozen and S.A. Budick (1♀, AMNH); Pinaleno Mountains (Graham County), 22.viii.1989, Rozen, Foster, and Brewster (1♀, AMNH); Ramsey Canyon (Huachuca Mountains, Cochise County), 1954, W.M. Mann (2♂, USNM); Rose Peak (30 mi N Clifton, Greenlee County), 16.viii.1964, C.D. Michener (1♂, KUNHM); San Francisco Mountains (Flagstaff, Coconino County), 15.viii.1934, E.L. Bell (1♀, AMNH); Santa Catalina Mountains (Pima County), J.L. Neff (1♂, LACM); New Mexico: Sapello Canyon (San Miguel County), 26.vii.??02 (1♂, USNM), 27.vii.??02 (1♀, USNM), 31.vii.-01.viii.1963, T.C. Emmel (1♀, LACM); Texas: Big Bend National Park (Brewster County), 14.viii.1976, R.T. Ross (1♂, UCBME).