Species account taken from: "A Revision of the Genus Ashmeadiella (Hymen., Megachilidae) Author(s): Charles D. Michener Source: American Midland Naturalist,Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jul., 1939), pp. 1-84"
This is a rather large, black, sparsely pubescent form, distinguished from all other species by the large, depressed, very coarsely punctate area on the sixth, sternite which extends to the posterior margin of the sternite. There is a similar although smaller depression which does not attain the posterior margin of the sternite in prosopidis. A. foveata is distinguished from the cactorum group, to which it is possibly most closely related, by the fine, close punctation, in addition to the foveate sixth sternite.
Female: Inner margins of eyes converging toward clypeus; facial line shorter than transfacial; flagellum dark brown beneath; clypeal truncation distinctly concave, shiny matgined, its ends rounded, distinctly shorter than distance from ends to eye margins; clypeus shiny and coarsely punctate except for preapical area which is dull and more finely and closely punctate; man- dibles dark reddish subapically, with distance from first to third tooth much less than greatest width of eye, and less than length of last three antennal segments together; cheeks narrower than eyes, seen from side, and very finely punctate; vertex and frons, especially the latter, finely and closely punctate; anterior ocellus distinctly behind midpoint between antennal bases and pos- terior edge of vertex; distance between posterior ocelli about equal to distance to eyes or to posterior edge of vertex. Scutum punctured like vertex, without pair of pubescent spots anteriorly; tegulae dark rufotestaceous; mesepisterna punctured like scutum; wings faintly dusky; inner margin of inner hind tibial spurs with about fifteen somewhat oblique teeth, outer margin with about ten similar teeth; outer hind tibial spurs with about seven teeth on each margin. Abdominal tergites rather strongly punctate, more finely so than scutum, punctures of dorsum of second tetgite separated by slightly less than their diameter; tergites one to five with apical bands of white pubescence; scopa short, sparse, yellowish white, nearly absent on sixth sternite, which has a large, shining depression, nearly as broad as the sternite and extending nearly to posterior margin of sternite; punctures of this depression very large, rather widely separated, especially medially, and rather irregularly shaped. Length 7 mm. (5 mm. in one paratype)
Holotype: Tamalpias, California, June 20, 1926 (O. H. Swezey). One paratype, same locality and date, on Erigeron miser, (P. H. Timberlake); one paratype, Green Vaalley, California, June 9, 1933, on Diplacus auran- tiacus (P. H. Timberlake). Two additional specimens are from Oak Creek Canyon, near Independence, Inyo County, California, June 11, 1937 (E. C. Van Dyke, C. D. Michener). These are slightly more coarsely punctate than the type material
|
