Epeolus packeri, Onuferko, Thomas M., 2018

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 : 129-133

37. Epeolus packeri sp. n. Figs 77, 78, 92D, 97A

Diagnosis.

The following morphological features in combination can be used to tell E. packeri apart from all other North American Epeolus : the pronotal collar is predominantly ferruginous; the axilla is large, with the tip extending as far back as or beyond the posterior margin of the mesoscutellum, dilated laterally, and like the mesoscutellum ferruginous; the mesopleuron is closely (most i<1d) and evenly punctate; the metasomal terga have pale but not brownish orange pubescence; and the T1-T3 apical fasciae are interrupted medially and commonly reduced to discrete lateral patches. Epeolus packeri resembles E. andriyi , E. deyrupi , E. floridensis , and E. howardi in that the axilla is large, with the lateral margin arcuate, and like the mesoscutellum ferruginous, and that the T1-T3 apical fasciae are interrupted medially. However, in E. packeri the pseudopygidial area of the female is wider (the apex>2 × the medial length) than in E. andriyi , E. floridensis , or E. howardi (the apex <2 × the medial length), and the T1 basal fascia is absent or reduced to a pair of small patches of pale tomentum whereas in E. andriyi , E. floridensis , and E. howardi T1 has a distinct, although often medially-interrupted, basal fascia. Epeolus packeri closely resembles E. deyrupi , but in E. deyrupi the mesopleuron commonly has sparser punctures ventrolaterally (i≤2d) than that of E. packeri , with the interspaces shining or somewhat dull due to tessellate surface microsculpture, and the T1-T3 apical fasciae are (to varying degrees) brownish orange medially and off white laterally. Epeolus packeri is also similar to E. scutellaris , but in E. scutellaris the pronotal collar is predominantly black and the T1-T3 apical fasciae are complete or only very narrowly interrupted medially.

Description.

FEMALE: Length 8.3 mm; head length 2.0 mm; head width 2.8 mm; fore wing length 6.2 mm.

Integument coloration. Black in part, at least partially ferruginous on mandible, labrum, lower paraocular area, antenna, pronotal collar, pronotal lobe, tegula, axilla, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, metanotum, mesopleuron, metapleuron, propodeum, legs, and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex darker than rest of mandible; preapical tooth slightly lighter than mandibular apex (difficult to see in holotype; described from paratype). Antenna brown except scape, pedicel, and F1 extensively orange. F2 with orange spot basally. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber. Mesoscutum reddish orange except medially on anterior margin and along parapsidal line. Wing membrane dusky subhyaline, slightly darker at apex. Legs more extensively reddish orange than brown or black.

Pubescence. Face with tomentum densest on paraocular area around antennal socket, otherwise almost entirely bare. Mesoscutum without pale tomentum. Dorsum of metasoma with bands of off-white short appressed setae. Mesopleuron nearly bare, except along margins. Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted except for median bare patch in posterior half, uniformly off white. T1 and T2 with apical fasciae medially interrupted, narrowed (broader laterally), and removed from apical margin; T2 with fascia without anterolateral extensions of tomentum. Metasoma otherwise without fasciae, although T3 and T4 with few sparsely scattered pale hairs present on apical impressed areas. T5 with pseudopygidial area lunate, its apex more than twice as wide as medial length, indicated by silvery setae on flat disc of apicomedial region elevated from rest of tergum. S5 with apical fimbria of coppery to silvery hairs extending beyond apex of sternum by 1/3 MOD.

Surface sculpture. Punctures dense. Labrum with larger and sparser punctures (i=1-2d) than clypeus (i<1d). Small impunctate matte spot lateral to lateral ocellus. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla coarsely and densely rugose-punctate. Tegula dense ly punctate posteriorly (i=1-2d), sparsely punctate (i>2d) to impunctate anteriorly and along margins. Mesopleuron with ventrolateral half densely punctate (i≤1d) to rugose; mesopleuron with punctures more or less equally dense throughout. Metasomal terga with punctures very fine, dense (i≈1d), evenly distributed on disc.

Structure. Preapical tooth blunt and obtuse. Labral apex with pair of small denticles, each preceded by longitudinal carina. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.9 × greatest width. F2 noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.4). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it is separated by less than 1 MOD at its terminal (difficult to see in holotype; described from paratype). Mesoscutellum moderately bigibbous. Axilla large, its lateral margin (L) more than half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.7) and tip extending slightly beyond apex of horizontal dorsal portion of mesoscutellum; axilla with tip clearly visible, but unattached to mesoscutellum for less than 2/5 the medial length of axilla; axilla with lateral margin arcuate. Fore wing with three submarginal cells. Pygidial plate apically truncate.

MALE: Description as for female except for usual secondary sexual characters and as follows: face with more abundant pale tomentum, densest from midlength of clypeus to upper paraocular and frontal areas; F2 shorter, but still longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.2); S4 and S5 with much longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs; pygidial plate apically rounded, with large deep punctures closely clustered basally and sparser apically, with the interspaces shining.

Etymology.

This species is named in honor of my dissertation adviser, Prof. Laurence Packer, who collected the first specimen of this species I have seen.

Distribution.

Florida peninsula (Fig. 78).

Ecology.

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

FLORAL RECORDS: Labels of examined voucher specimens indicate a floral association with Solidago .

Discussion.

In Mitchell’s (1962) keys to female and male Epeolus , this species comes out as E. floridensis in which T1 is not bright ferruginous but black. However, in E. floridensis the dorsum of the mesosoma and metasoma has more abundant pale pubescence, and the pseudopygidial area is conspicuously narrower. Moreover, all examined specimens of E. floridensis (adults) were collected in spring whereas all those identified as E. packeri were collected in October.

In terms of surface sculpture, structure, and the width of the pseudopygidial area, E. packeri is most similar to E. scutellaris , and sequenced representatives of both forms share the same BIN. The two are considered to be heterospecific based on the marked abundance of red coloration coupled with a loss of pubescence (the same rationale for treating E. glabratus as distinct from E. lectoides ) in E. packeri , features that are common in Florida Hymenoptera and constitute an unexplained regional phenomenon ( Deyrup and Eisner 2003).

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: USA: Florida: Homosassa Tract (Citrus County), 19.x.2002, J. Mosley (holotype ♀, FSCA).

Secondary: USA: Florida: Butterfly Garden W McGuire Center for Lepidoptera Research (Gainesville, Alachua County), 20.x.2009, C. Whitehill (paratypes 2♂, FSCA); Gainesville (Alachua County), 14.x.2012, S. Lenberger (paratype ♂ [CCDB-30383 D04], FSCA); Gainesville (Paynes Prairie, Alachua County), 13-23.x.1997, L. Masner (allotype ♂, PCYU); Homosassa Tract (Citrus County), 19.x.2002, J. Mosley (paratypes 1♀, 1♂, ABS); W Murdoch, 20.x.1983, L. Packer (paratype ♀, PCYU); Withlacoochee State Forest (Citrus County), 19.x.2002, J. Mosley (paratypes 2♂, ABS).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Available. BOLD:AAG5250. See Type material for specimens examined and sequenced (indicated by unique CCDB-plate and well number).