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Extracted from: Onuferko TM (2018). A revision of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Epeolus Latreille for Nearctic species, north of Mexico (Hymenoptera, Apidae). ZooKeys 755: 1–185. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.755.23939
Diagnosis. The following morphological features in combination (excluding any that
are specific to the opposite sex of the one being diagnosed) can be used to tell E. asperatus apart from all other North American Epeolus except E. americanus and E. barberiellus: in females, F2 is not more than 1.1 × as long as wide; the mesoscutum has distinct
paramedian bands; the axilla is small to intermediate in size, not extending beyond
the midlength of the mesoscutellum and the free portion is less than 1/4 as long as the
entire medial length of the axilla, and like the mesoscutellum black; the mesopleuron is
closely (most i<1d) and evenly punctate; T1 has a quadrangular discal patch, in dorsal
view the longitudinal band is at least as wide as the breadth of the apical fascia; and the
T1 and T2 apical fasciae are interrupted or at least greatly narrowed medially. Whereas
in E. barberiellus the legs, at least from the tibiae to tarsi (sometimes the trochanters
and femora as well), are reddish orange and the metasomal terga are fasciate, in E.
asperatus the legs are brown or black and the T3 and T4 fasciae are broken or at least
greatly narrowed laterally, as well as medially into separated or narrowly connected
oval patches. Epeolus asperatus is most similar to E. americanus, but in E. americanus
the mesopleuron has sparser punctures ventrolaterally (i≤1d) than that of E. asperatus,
with the interspaces shining, and the T3 and T4 fasciae are complete or broken medially and/or laterally, but rarely into separated oval patches.
Redescription. FEMALE: Length 7.8 mm; head length 2.0 mm; head width
2.8 mm; fore wing length 5.4 mm.
Integument coloration. Mostly black; notable exceptions as follows: at least partially
ferruginous on mandible, labrum, antenna, pronotal lobe, tegula, and legs. Mandible
with apex darker than rest of mandible; preapical tooth lighter than mandibular apex
(difficult to see in the E. asperatus holotype; described from non-type specimens). Antenna brown except F1 and F2 orange in part. Flagellum slightly lighter than conspicuously dark brown scape and pedicel, primarily due to extensive pilosity on flagellum.
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 to pale yellow short appressed setae.
Mesoscutum with paramedian band. Mesopleuron with upper half hairy, ventrolateral
half nearly bare. Metanotum with tomentum rubbed off medially in the E. asperatus
holotype, but somewhat sparser medially and uniformly off white in non-type specimens. T1 with median quadrangular black discal patch enclosed by pale tomentum,
except for medial separation at apex, and narrow, such that longitudinal band nearly
half as wide as width of discal patch in dorsal view. T2–T4 with fasciae interrupted medially and with anterolateral extensions of sparser tomentum. T3 and T4 with fasciae also interrupted laterally, appearing as pair of oval patches between medial and lateral
interruptions. T5 with two patches of pale tomentum lateral to and separate from
pseudopygidial area (difficult to see in the E. asperatus holotype because T5 mostly
retracted; described from non-type specimens). 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 not extending beyond apex of sternum by more than 1/4 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 (i<1d). Mesopleuron with ventrolateral half densely punctate (i<1d);
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 with blunt tip. 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 about 1.5–2 MOD at its terminal (difficult to see in the E. asperatus holotype; described from non-type specimens). Mesoscutellum moderately bigibbous. Axilla small
to intermediate in size, its lateral margin (L) less than half as long as mesoscutellar
width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.4) and tip not extending beyond midlength of mesoscutellum; axilla with tip 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 second submarginal crossvein incomplete in the E. asperatus holotype;
with submarginal cells two or three and closed or second submarginal crossvein incomplete in non-type specimens. 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 = 0.8); S4 and S5 with much
longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs; pygidial plate V-shaped but apically rounded,
with large deep, well-separated punctures, with the interspaces shining.
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