Epeolus attenboroughi, 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 : 20-24

5. Epeolus attenboroughi sp. n. Figs 3B, 12, 13, 94B, 95B, 96A

Diagnosis.

The following morphological features in combination can be used to tell E. attenboroughi apart from all other North American Epeolus except E. rufulus : the mandible has a blunt, obtuse preapical tooth; the preoccipital ridge does not join the hypostomal carina; the mesoscutum is largely obscured by pale tomentum; 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 is closely (most i<1d) and evenly punctate; and T1-T4 have complete apical fasciae. Whereas in E. rufulus the discal patch is so wide that the longitudinal band is barely visible in dorsal view and in females F2 is noticeably longer than wide, in E. attenboroughi T1 has a comparatively narrow discal patch (the longitudinal band is more than half as wide as the breadth of the apical fascia in dorsal view) and in females F2 is less than 1.2 × as long as wide. Epeolus attenboroughi is also similar to E. ainsliei in that in both species the axilla is dilated laterally and the free portion is distinctly hooked, and the T1-T4 apical fasciae are complete; however, in E. ainsliei the mandible is simple, the preoccipital ridge joins the hypostomal carina, and the mesoscutum has distinct paramedian bands.

Description.

FEMALE: Length 6.8 mm; head length 1.7 mm; head width 2.2 mm; fore wing length 4.5 mm.

Integument coloration. Black in part, at least partially ferruginous on mandible, labrum, clypeus, antenna, pronotal lobe, tegula, axilla, mesopleuron, legs, metasomal terga (including pygidial plate), and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex darker than rest of mandible; preapical tooth slightly lighter than mandibular apex. Antenna brown and orange in part. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber. Wing membrane subhyaline, apically dusky. Legs entirely reddish orange.

Pubescence. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket, slightly sparser on clypeus, upper paraocular and frontal areas, and vertexal area. Dorsum of mesosoma and metasoma with bands of off-white to pale yellow short appressed setae. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla largely obscured by pale tomentum. Mesopleuron densely hairy, except for sparsely hairy circular patch occupying much of ventrolateral half of mesopleuron. Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted, uniformly off white. T1 with median quadrangular reddish-brown discal patch entirely enclosed by pale tomentum and narrow, such that longitudinal band more than half as wide as breadth of apical fascia in dorsal view. T2-T4 with fasciae complete, T2 with fascia with anterolateral extensions of sparser tomentum. T5 with two patches of pale tomentum lateral to and separate from pseudopygidial area. T5 with pseudopygidial area lunate, its apex more than twice as wide as medial length, indicated by silvery setae on impressed 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 and clypeus with punctures equally dense (i<1d). Impunctate spot lateral to lateral ocellus absent. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla coarsely and densely rugose-punctate. Tegula very densely punctate (i<1d). 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. Labrum with pair of small subapical denticles not preceded by carinae. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.7 × greatest width. F2 not noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.1). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it is separated by no less than 1 MOD at its terminal. Mesoscutellum weakly 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 approximately half its medial length; axilla with lateral margin arcuate and carinate. 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, as long as wide (L/W ratio = 1.0); mesopleuron almost entirely obscured by white tomentum; S4 and S5 with much longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs, which individually are often darker apically; pygidial plate apically rounded, with large deep, well-separated punctures, with the interspaces shining.

Etymology.

This species is named in honor of English broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough in recognition of his inspiring books and television programs on natural history.

Distribution.

New Mexico and southern Colorado (Fig. 13).

Ecology.

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

FLORAL RECORDS: Unknown.

Discussion.

Epeolus attenboroughi is similar in overall appearance to E. ainsliei and E. rufulus , and the ranges of the three species overlap to some extent. Although BIN-compliant sequences are presently not available for E. attenboroughi , partial sequences 421 bp and 289 bp in length are available for two specimens (male and female respectively) collected at the same locality and within one day of each other, and there is virtually no divergence (<1%) between the two. Moreover, the 421 bp sequence does not cluster closely with any sequences from other Epeolus species in a NJ tree of sequences>300 bp in length (Suppl. material 2). The longer of the two partial sequences is most similar (95.2%) to sequences from E. glabratus and E. lectoides (very different species).

In general, there is little morphological variation among examined specimens except in integument coloration; the axillae and mesoscutellum range from entirely black to partially ferruginous. Based on known records, adults of E. attenboroughi are active in summer.

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: USA: Colorado: Great Sand Dunes National Monument (Alamosa County), 03-13.vii.1989, W.J. Bell (holotype ♀, KUNHM).

Secondary: USA: Colorado: Great Sand Dunes National Monument (Alamosa County), 10.vii.1991, B. Cutler (paratype ♀, KUNHM), 03-13.vii.1989, W.J. Bell (paratypes 1♀, 1♂, KUNHM), 11.vii.1991, B. Alexander and B. Cutler (allotype ♂, KUNHM), 11.vii.1991, B. Alexander and B. Cutler (paratypes 3♂, KUNHM); New Mexico: 24 km W Quemado (Catron County), 02.ix.1990, T.L. Griswold (paratype ♀, BBSL).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Unavailable.