Epeolus seraxensis Radoszkowski, 1893

Bogusch, Petr, 2021, The cuckoo bees of the genus Epeolus Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) from the Middle East and North Africa with descriptions of two new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 84, pp. 45-68 : 45

Epeolus seraxensis Radoszkowski, 1893 stat. nov.

Figure 3

Epeolus transitorius var. seraxensis Radoszkowski, 1893: 54-55 (syntypes: ♀♀, ♂♂, Serax, Turkmenistan, NHMB, ISZP).

Material examined.

Syntypes: Turkmenistan, Serax , date unknown, (1 ♂, 1 ♀), Radoszkowski’s collection (NHMB), examined. The female is designated here as a lectotype .

Other material. Iran: Anaesthal , date unknown, (1 ♂), Ritter ; Ghezir ( Gherir ), 4.X.1975, (1 ♀), collector unknown; 30 km west of Karaj, 19.VII.1975, (1 ♂, 3 ♀), 15 km south of Karaj, 21.VII.1975, (1 ♀), P. F. Torchio [all P. Bogusch det.] (OLML) . Israel: Arad , 500 m n. m., 24.V.1975, (1 ♀), K. M. Guichard [M. Schwarz det.] (BMNH) .

Differential diagnosis.

This species is probably closely related to E. transitorius and E. iranicus , and all three species are characterised by the presence of apical (as opposed to submedial) labral tubercles (Fig. 3d ) and yellowish to reddish antennal segments, especially F1 and F2 (Fig. 3c ). The body is reddish in colour except the head and mesoscutum in both sexes, which are black. Epeolus seraxensis can be separated from E. iranicus by the denser tomentum on the body, which covers entire clypeus, frons, mesopleura and legs (Fig. 3a, b ), and by the longer F1 (Figs 1c and 3c for comparison), and unbroken bands on the metasomal terga. The body construction in both sexes is more robust and similar to that of E. transitorius . The frons is densely punctate but with shiny interspaces (Fig. 3c ). The male pygidium is wide and emarginated on the apical part, different from that of E. iranicus (Figs 1i and 3i ). From E. transitorius , this species differs as follows: in E. seraxensis the metasomal bands are uninterrupted and most of body is brownish in colour and covered with whitish tomentum. The length of F1 in both sexes and shape of male pygidium support the treatment of E. seraxensis as a separate species. It is also close to Epeolus laticauda Bischoff, 1930 by dense tomentun on sterna, unbroken tergal bands, wide and bilobed pygidial plate (but in E. seraxensis wider and more distinctly bilobed). In E. laticauda labral tubercles are positioned very close to apex, not on the apical margin as in E. seraxensis .

Description.

Female. Body length: 9 mm (Fig. 3a ).

Head. Length to width ratio = 1.3. Mandible light reddish, mandibular apex and preapical tooth dark brown (Fig. 3c ). Labrum light reddish, semitransparent, shiny, coarsely and sparsely punctate, apically with pair of small teeth separated by medial shallow emargination, apex with prominent whitish hair, with sides convex (Fig. 3d ). Clypeus reddish, matt and with very fine and dense punctation, interspaces smaller than puncture diameters. Clypeus entirely covered by whitish tomentum. Face black with basal part from clypeus to antennal tubercles reddish, with dense whitish hair around antennal socket, and with well-developed and sharp frontal keel. Vertex black, with dense punctures, interspaces shiny and smaller than puncture diameters. Antenna reddish with flagellomeres dorsally partly brownish. Flagellomeres slightly longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.2), F2 longer than other flagellomeres (L/W ratio = 1.7) (Fig. 3c ).

Mesosoma. Pronotum reddish-brown and entirely obscured by whitish tomentum. Mesoscutum black, reddish only laterally, with whitish tomentum laterally and white paramedian bands reaching from the base somewhere behind the middle part of mesoscutum. Punctation coarse and dense, interspaces narrower than puncture diameters but shiny. Mesoscutellum reddish, round, densely and coarsely punctate, punctures twice as larger as on mesoscutum, axillar tooth (free portion of axilla) long and acute but slightly shorter than mesoscutellum. Mesoscutellum with posterior margin extending over propodeum (Fig. 3e ). Propodeum reddish, very finely sculptured, matt, dorsally and laterally with whitish tomentum. Mesopleuron reddish, entirely obscured with dense whitish tomentum, coarsely and densely punctate, with interspaces shiny and smaller than puncture diameters (but ill visible under the tomentum) (Fig. 3f ). Wings brownish with dark brown venation. Legs light reddish or orange, on dorsal side entirely covered by whitish tomentum, only tarsal claws brown, tibial spurs on middle and hind legs yellow.

Metasoma. Metasoma entirely reddish. T1 finely and sparsely punctate, interspaces shiny and larger than puncture diameters. T1 with whitish tomentum at the base and an unbroken apical band, T2-T4 with unbroken apical bands of tomentum. T2-T4 densely but finely punctate with shiny interspaces and well-developed depressions. T5 shiny with very fine and dense punctation, whitish tomentum on sides, pseudopygidial area short, with silver pubescence (Fig. 3g ). T6 reddish with slightly curved apex, bearing wide reddish pygidial plate, with long yellowish hair. S2 finely and sparsely punctate, interspaces wider than puncture diameters. Other sterna more finely and densely punctate. S2-S4 entirely covered by whitish tomentum. S5 wide and straight (see from side) (Fig. 3h ). Processes on sides of S6 normal, with short projections, reddish.

Male. Body length: 10 mm (Fig. 3b ).

Head. Length to width ratio = 1.25. Mandible light reddish, mandibular apex and preapical tooth dark brown. Labrum similar to that of female. Clypeus reddish, matt and with very fine and dense punctation, interspaces smaller than puncture diameters. Clypeus entirely covered by whitish tomentum. Frons black with basal part from clypeus to antennal tubercles reddish, with dense whitish hair around antennal socket, and with well-developed and sharp frontal keel. Vertex black, with dense punctures, interspaces shiny and smaller than puncture diameters. Antenna reddish with flagellomeres dorsally partly brownish. Flagellomeres slightly shorter than wide (L/W ratio = 0.95), F2 longer than other flagellomeres (L/W ratio = 1.4).

Mesosoma. Pronotum reddish-brown with black line in the middle, and entirely obscured by whitish tomentum. Mesoscutum black, with whitish tomentum laterally and ill-developed white paramedian bands reaching from the base to the middle part of mesoscutum. Punctation coarse and dense, interspaces narrower than puncture diameters but shiny. Mesoscutellum reddish, round, densely and coarsely punctate, punctures twice as large as on mesoscutum, axillar tooth (free portion of axilla) long and acute but slightly shorter than mesoscutellum. Mesoscutellum with posterior margin extending over propodeum. Propodeum black, very finely sculptured, matt, dorsally and laterally with whitish tomentum. Mesopleuron black, entirely obscured with dense whitish tomentum, coarsely and densely punctate, with interspaces shiny and smaller than puncture diameters (but ill visible under the tomentum). Wings brownish with dark brown venation. Legs light reddish or orange, on dorsal side entirely covered by whitish tomentum, only tarsal claws brown, tibial spurs on middle and hind legs yellow.

Metasoma. Metasoma dark brown. T1 finely and sparsely punctate, interspaces shiny and larger than puncture diameters. T1 with whitish tomentum at the base and an unbroken apical band, T2 with C-shaped pattern of whitish tomentum on each side, apically connecting into an unbroken apical band. T3-T6 with unbroken apical bands of tomentum. T2-T5 densely but finely punctate with shiny interspaces and well-developed depressions. T7 reddish, bearing reddish wide and apically bilobed pygidial plate, with long brown hair on basal part (Fig. 3i ). S2-S3 finely punctate with interspaces larger than puncture diameter, with white tomentum on apex, S4-S5 with prominent thick yellowish hair on apex.

Distribution.

Turkmenistan (type location), in the Middle East currently reported from Iran and Israel.

Figures

Figure 1. Epeolus iranicus sp. nov. a, c-h holotype, female b, i paratype, male a, b habitus, dorsal view c head, frontal view d labrum, frontal view e mesosoma, dorsal view f mesopleuron, lateral view g metasoma, dorsal view h ventral view i pygidium, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (a-c, e-h); 0.1 mm (d, i).

Figure 3. Epeolus seraxensis stat. nov. a, c-h lectotype, female b, i syntype, male a, b habitus, dorsal view c head, frontal view d labrum, frontal view e mesosoma, dorsal view f mesopleuron, lateral view g metasoma, dorsal view h ventral views i pygidium, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (a-c, e-h); 0.1 mm (d, i).