Epeolus glabratus Cresson, 1878

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 : 86-90

25. Epeolus glabratus Cresson, 1878 Figs 53, 54, 93B

Epeolus glabratus Cresson, 1878. Trans. Am. Entomol. Soc. 7: 90 (♂).

Pyrrhomelecta glabrata Ashmead, 1899. Trans. Am. Entomol. Soc. 26: 66.

Diagnosis.

The following morphological features in combination (excluding any that are specific to the opposite sex of the one being diagnosed) can be used to tell E. glabratus apart from all other North American Epeolus except E. lectoides : the axilla is elongate, extending well beyond the midlength of the mesoscutellum but not as far back as its posterior margin, and the free portion is distinctly hooked; the mesopleuron has sparser punctures ventrolaterally (most i>1d) than in upper half, with the interspaces shining; the metasomal terga have minute, shallow punctures; T2-T4 are medially bare; and the pseudopygidial area of the female is distinctly campanulate with the apex <2 × the medial length. Whereas in E. lectoides the pronotal collar is black, as are sometimes the axilla and mesoscutellum, and the metasomal terga are black and fasciate, in E. glabratus the pronotal collar, axilla, mesoscutellum, and discs of T1 and T2 are ferruginous and the pale pubescence on the metasomal terga are commonly reduced to discrete lateral patches.

Redescription.

MALE: Length 8.4 mm; head length 1.8 mm; head width 2.5 mm; fore wing length 7.9 mm.

Integument coloration. Black in part, at least partially ferruginous on mandible, labrum, clypeus, antenna, pronotal collar, pronotal lobe, tegula, axilla, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, mesopleuron, metapleuron, legs, T1, T2, pygidial plate, and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex darker than rest of mandible; preapical tooth lighter than mandibular apex (difficult to see in holotype 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 to pale yellow short appressed setae. Mesoscutum with paramedian band. Mesopleuron sparsely hairy, but tomentum dense ventrally as well as between two sparsely hairy patches (one beneath base of fore wing (hypoepimeral area), a larger circular patch occupying much of ventrolateral half of mesopleuron). Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted except for median bare patch in posterior half, uniformly off white. T1 with discal patch quadrangular and very wide, the basal and apical fasciae only narrowly joined laterally. T1 with basal and apical fasciae and T2-T4 with apical fasciae widely separated medially, the apical fasciae reduced to pairs of small patches somewhat broader laterally; T2 with fascia without anterolateral extensions of tomentum, although few sparsely scattered pale hairs present. Remaining metasomal terga mostly hidden in holotype, but T5 and T6 with complete or narrowly interrupted fasciae in non-type specimens. S4 and S5 with long coppery to silvery subapical hairs.

Surface sculpture. Punctures dense, but those of head and mesosoma sparser in some areas, larger, deep, and distinct. Labrum with larger punctures than clypeus, but punctures of both equally dense (i<1d). Small impunctate shiny spot lateral to lateral ocellus. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla very coarsely and densely punctate; the interspaces shining. Tegula densely punctate (i≤2d). Mesopleuron mostly with denser (i≤1d) punctures in upper half than ventrolateral half (i>1d), the interspaces shining. Metasomal terga with punctures very fine, dense (i≥1d), somewhat evenly distributed on disc; the interspaces shining somewhat.

Structure. Preapical tooth blunt and obtuse. Labrum with pair of small subapical denticles, each preceded by small discrete longitudinal ridge. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.7 × greatest width. F2 noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.3). 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 non-type specimens). Mesoscutellum moderately bigibbous. Axilla large, its lateral margin (L) more than half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.6) and tip extending well beyond midlength of mesoscutellum but not as far back as its posterior margin; axilla with tip conspicuously diverging from side of mesoscutellum, distinctly hooked, and axilla with free portion 2/5 its medial length; axilla with lateral margin relatively straight and with tip carinate. Fore wing with three submarginal cells. Pygidial plate mostly hidden in holotype, but apically rounded, with large deep punctures more or less evenly spaced throughout with the interspaces shining in non-type specimens.

FEMALE: Description as for male except for usual secondary sexual characters and as follows: F2 even longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.5); T5 with two large patches of pale tomentum lateral to and separate from pseudopygidial area present only in female; T5 with pseudopygidial area campanulate, its apex less than twice as wide as medial length, indicated by silvery setae on impressed disc of apicomedial region elevated from rest of tergum; S4 and S5 with much shorter hairs (S5 with apical fimbria of coppery to silvery hairs extending beyond apex of sternum by ~1/3 MOD); pygidial plate apically truncate, with small, denser punctures.

Distribution.

Florida and coastal Georgia (Fig. 54).

Ecology.

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

FLORAL RECORDS: Mitchell (1962) indicated a floral association with Vicia . Labels of examined voucher specimens further indicate associations with Coreopsis L., Hyptis mutabilis (Rich.) Briq. ( Lamiaceae ), Ilex glabra , Pluchea odorata (L.) Cass. ( Compositae ), Polygonella myriophylla (Small) Horton ( Polygonaceae ), Richardia brasiliensis Gomes ( Rubiaceae ), Serenoa repens (W. Bartram) Small ( Arecaceae ), Spermacoce verticillata L., and Verbena brasiliensis Vell.

Discussion.

Sequenced specimens of E. glabratus share the same BIN as those of E. lectoides . There is virtually no divergence (<1%) between the barcode sequences of the two species, but the morphological differences are pronounced. Structurally, E. glabratus and E. lectoides are identical, but in E. glabratus the pronotal collar, axilla, mesoscutellum, and discs of T1 and T2 are ferruginous, whereas in E. lectoides at least the pronotal collar and metasomal terga are entirely black. Epeolus glabratus appears to be restricted to Florida and parts of Georgia, and the prevalence of red integument coloration among Florida Hymenoptera is a well-known unexplained phenomenon ( Deyrup and Eisner 2003). Except in some examined specimens from Georgia, in E. glabratus the metasomal fasciae are lacking; the pale pubescence is instead reduced to discrete lateral patches. By contrast, in E. lectoides the metasomal terga are always fasciate. Although both species inhabit Florida, E. glabratus (with red coloration and reduced pubescence on the metasomal terga) appears to be present only on the peninsula whereas E. lectoides (with fasciae and black metasomal terga) appears to be restricted to the Florida panhandle. Since the marked abundance of red coloration is coupled with a general loss of pubescence in E. glabratus , and since these are features restricted to specimens from a particular geographical region, I have opted to treat E. glabratus and E. lectoides as heterospecific, despite the lack of evidence of genetic divergence.

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: USA: Georgia: H.K. Morrison (holotype ♂ [ANSP, catalog number: 2230]).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Available. BOLD:AAF2273. Specimens examined and sequenced.-USA: Florida: Archbold Biological Station (27.1711°N; 81.3483°W) (Highlands County), 21-26.iv.2011, R.J. Pivar (1♂, DEBU); Archbold Biological Station (Highlands County), 07-13.v.1995, C. Darling (1♀, PCYU); N FWC Carter Creek (27.5313°N; 81.4104°W) (Highlands County), 11.v.2010, J. Dunlap, M. and N. Deyrup, and K. Dearborn (1♂, ABS).

Non-barcoded material examined.

USA: Florida: Archbold Biological Station (Highlands County), 14.iv.1963, J.G and B.L. Rozen (1♀, AMNH); Doyle Conner Bldg (Gainesville, Alachua County), 12.vi.1996, C. Porter (1♀, FSCA), 18.vi.1996, C. Porter (2♀, FSCA), 26.vi.1996, C. Porter (1♂, FSCA); Gainesville (Alachua County), 03-17.vii.1987, BRC Hymenoptera Team (1♀, PCYU), 07.vi.1976, W.H. Pierce (1♀, UCBME), 16.vi.1991, F.J. Santana (1♀, FSCA), 17.vi.1976, W.H. Pierce (1♀, 1♂, UCBME); Lake Alice (29.6442°N; 82.3630°W) (University of Florida, Gainesville, Alachua County), 05.vi.2007, J.S. Ascher and G. Hall (2♀, AMNH); Lake Placid (Highlands County), 17.v.2014, S. Lenberger (1♂, FSCA); Lake Wales Ridge State Forest (27.6611°N; 81.3964°W) (Polk County), 06.v.2009, M. Deyrup, A. May, and H. Otte (1♀, ABS); Naples (Golden Gate Estates Subdivision, Collier County), 25.v.2013, S. Lenberger (1♂, FSCA); Near Wilcox (Gilchrist County), 27.v.1981, C. Porter, L. Stange, and H. Greenbaum (1♀, FSCA); Newberry (Alachua County), 15.vii.1973, E.E. Grissell (1♂, UCBME); Royal Palm Park, 12-18.iv.1923 (1♂, AMNH); San Felasco State Hammock Preserve, 20.v.1977, G.B. Fairchild and H.V. Weems, Jr. (1♂, UCBME); Sarasota (Sarasota County), 31.v.1993, F.J. Santana (2♀, FSCA); U.S. Highway 41 S Lake City (Columbia County), 19.vi.2014, S. Lenberger (2♀, FSCA); Georgia: St Catherines Island (Liberty County), 10-15.v.1991, E. Quinter and A. Sharkov (1♂, AMNH); St Catherines Island (South Beach, Liberty County), 27.vi.1974, R.O. Schuster and E.C. Teftner (1♀, UCBME).