Epeolus splendidus, 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 : 143-147

41. Epeolus splendidus sp. n. Figs 85, 86, 102A

Epeolus politus Brumley, 1965. M.S. thesis, Utah State University, Logan 60 (♀) [nomen nudum].

Diagnosis.

The following morphological features in combination can be used to tell E. splendidus apart from all other North American Epeolus : the propodeum (except the textured metapostnotum) is highly polished and (except along the lateral margins) hairless, and T1 has a complete white basal fascia whereas T1-T4 have complete bright yellow apical fasciae. As in E. canadensis , E. compactus , and E. ferrarii , in E. splendidus the mesoscutum has a small anteromedial patch of tomentum, although it is bright rather than pale yellow. However, in E. splendidus T1 lacks a distinct black discal patch and in females F2 is shorter, as long as wide. In all four species, the axilla does not attain the midlength of the mesoscutellum, and the axilla (except sometimes the tip) and mesoscutellum are black.

Description.

FEMALE: Length 8.4 mm; head length 2.1 mm; head width 3.0 mm; fore wing length 6.6 mm.

Integument coloration. Mostly black; notable exceptions as follows: partially to entirely ferruginous on mandible, antenna, pronotal lobe, tegula, legs, metasomal terga (including pygidial plate), and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex and preapical tooth darker than rest of mandible. Antenna brown except scape and pedicel orange in part. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber. Wing membrane subhyaline, apically dusky. Legs with brown or black more extensive than reddish orange.

Pubescence. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket. Dorsum of mesosoma and metasoma with bands of off-white and bright yellow short appressed setae. Pronotal collar with tomentum sparser medially, uniformly bright yellow. Mesoscutum with anteromedial chevron-shaped patch of bright yellow tomentum. Mesopleuron with upper half densely hairy, except beneath base of fore wing (hypoepimeral area); ventrolateral half sparsely hairy. Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted, uniformly off white. T1 with broad, off-white basal fascia, complete bright yellow apical fascia, and narrow and extremely short discal patch of dark brown tomentum. T2-T4 each with complete bright yellow fascia, T2 and T3 with fasciae with anterolateral spots of sparser off-white tomentum. T5 covered in off-white tomentum except for line of separation from pseudopygidial area. 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 ~2/5 MOD.

Surface sculpture. Punctures dense. Labrum with larger and sparser punctures (i=1-2d) than clypeus (i<1d). Small impunctate shiny 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) 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. Labrum with pair of small subapical denticles, each preceded by small discrete longitudinal ridge. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.9 × greatest width. F2 as long as wide (L/W ratio = 1.0). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it is separated by no less than 1 MOD at its terminal. Mesoscutellum weakly bigibbous. Axilla small to intermediate in size, its lateral margin (L) less than half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.3) 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, nearly as long as wide (L/W ratio = 0.95); S4 and S5 with much longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs; pygidial plate apically rounded, with large deep punctures closely clustered basomedially and sparser apically and laterally, with the interspaces shining.

Etymology.

The name is in reference to the uniquely smooth, shiny propodeum of this species. From the Latin, “splendidus” (bright).

Distribution.

Known to occur in all major hot North American deserts (Fig. 86).

Ecology.

HOST RECORDS: The female PCYU paratype (see Material studied) was collected in the spring of 2015 along the Catalina Highway in Pima County, Arizona, USA where possible host Colletes visiting Eriogonum Michx. were collected and observed. Using Stephen’s (1954) key, collected females were identified as C. wootoni Cockerell (one of which was sequenced and assigned the same BIN [BOLD:AAI9255] as a male from New Mexico whose terminalia were excised for identification) whereas collected males (one of which was sequenced and assigned the following BIN: BOLD:ABZ4837) were identified (based in part on examination of the terminalia, which were excised) as C. eulophi .

FLORAL RECORDS: Labels of examined voucher specimens indicate floral associations with Baileya Harv. & A. Gray ex A. Gray, Encelia farinosa A. Gray ex Torr. ( Compositae ), Eriogonum inflatum Torr. & Frém., Larrea Cav., Parkinsonia L. ( Leguminosae ), and Prosopis velutina , and BugGuide (http://www.bugguide.net/) indicates an association with Erigeron .

Discussion.

This southwestern species was identified as unique by Brumley (1965), and the colors and patterns of pubescence on the mesosoma and metasoma clearly set it apart from other Epeolus in North America. There is very little morphological variation among examined specimens, and sequenced material was assigned the same BIN. Based on known records, adults of E. splendidus are active in spring.

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: USA: Arizona: Usery Mountains (Mesa, Maricopa County), iv.2009, J. Alcock (holotype ♀ [CCDB-28230 D07], AMNH).

Secondary: Mexico: Durango: Reserva de la Biósfera de Mapimí (26.6803°N; 103.7408°W), 24.iii.1995, R. López (paratype ♂, BBSL); Jalisco: Plan de Barrancas, 24.iii.1962, F.D. Parker (paratype ♂, UCBME).

USA: Arizona: 11 mi SW Congress (Yavapai County), 29.iv.1990, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♂, AMNH); 14 mi SW Apache (Cochise County), 22.v.1988, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♀, AMNH); 2 mi E Tanque Verde (Pima County), 14.iii.??54, F. Werner (paratype ♂, LACM); 20 mi NE Mesa (Maricopa County), 28.iv.1988, P. Robinson (paratype ♂, CUM); 8 km E Robles Junction (32.0667°N; 111.2500°W) (Tucson, Pima County), 15-27.iv.1996, D. Yanega (paratype ♀, UCR); Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum/Tucson Mountain Park (Pima County), 11-12.iv.1988, K. Krombein and B. Norden (paratypes 2♂, USNM); Catalina Hwy (32.3631°N; 110.7137°W) (Santa Catalina Mountains, Coronado National Forest), 29.v.2015, A.T. Onuferko (paratype ♀ [CCDB-22013 E11], PCYU); E Calle del Prado & N Palo Verde Ave (Tucson, Pima County), 09.iv.1997, R. Minckley (paratype ♂, BBSL); Mouth of Bear Canyon (Tucson, Santa Catalina Mountains), 29.iii.1964, F.G. Werner (allotype ♂, KUNHM); Nogales (Santa Cruz County), 20.iv.1967, P. Torchio and N. Youssef (paratype ♂, BBSL); Phoenix (33.6185°N; 111.9917°W) (Maricopa County), 17-19.iv.2009, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♀, AMNH); Sabino Canyon (near Tucson, Pima County), 03.iv.1972, B. Simpson (paratype ♂, LACM); Tucson (Pima County), 07.v.1987, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♀, AMNH); California: Clark Mountain (35.5217°N; 115.6428°W) (San Bernardino County), 23.v.2001, D. Yanega (paratype ♂, UCR); Texas: Alpine (Brewster County), 29.v.1952, M. Cazier, W. Gertsch, and R. Schrammel (paratype ♀, AMNH).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Available. BOLD:ACX0474. See Type material for specimens examined and sequenced (indicated by unique CCDB-plate and well number).