Agapostemon (Agapostemon) angelicus Cockerell, 1924

Portman, Zachary M., Arduser, Mike, Lane, Ian G. & Cariveau, Daniel P., 2022, A review of the Augochloropsis (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) and keys to the shiny green Halictinae of the midwestern United States, ZooKeys 1130, pp. 103-152 : 103

Agapostemon (Agapostemon) angelicus Cockerell

Diagnosis.

Females of Agapostemon angelicus can be recognized by the unique double-punctate scutum (as in Fig. 5A ), a character they share with Agapostemon texanus . Our efforts to find characters to separate the females of these two species for the most part have been fruitless, and like workers before us ( Roberts 1972), we consider females of Agapostemon angelicus and Agapostemon texanus to be morphologically indistinguishable. Males of Agapostemon angelicus can be separated from males of Agapostemon texanus using the leg and genitalia characters given in the key.

Remarks.

Agapostemon angelicus is primarily a western species, though Roberts (1972) records it from central Iowa and extreme eastern Kansas. As far as we have been able to determine, there are no recent records of Agapostemon angelicus east of the 98th Meridian. A 2018-2019 statewide survey of Kansas bees by Morphew (2017) did not find any Agapostemon angelicus males (verified by MSA) east of the central part of the state, with the easternmost records from Ellsworth and Rice counties. Recent survey efforts in eastern Nebraska have not found any Agapostemon angelicus east of the Grand Island area (Hall Co.). No confirmed recent records are known from Minnesota, Missouri, or Iowa, despite extensive collection efforts in those states. However, care should be taken to look for it and more work needs to be done to confirm the eastern extent of the range of Agapostemon angelicus . In areas where the two species may overlap, it is recommended that females identified morphologically as Agapostemon angelicus or Agapostemon texanus be treated as a single morphospecies. The two species can also be separated by DNA barcodes.1

Figures

Figure 5. Agapostemon female pronotal collar and scutum A Agapostemon texanus doubly punctate B Agapostemon sericeus rugosopunctate with sharp pronotal angle outlined in red C Agapostemon splendens densely punctate with obtuse pronotal angle outlined in red.