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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 can be used to tell E.
lectus apart from all other North American Epeolus: the mesopleuron has sparser punctures ventrolaterally (most i>1d) than in upper half, with the interspaces shining; the
metasomal terga have coarse, deep punctures; and T2–T4 have complete and evenly
broad fasciae. Epeolus lectus is most similar to E. lectoides, and in both species the free
portion of the axilla is distinctly hooked and the pseudopygidial area of the female is
distinctly campanulate with the apex <2 × the medial length, but in E. lectoides the
metasomal terga have minute, shallow punctures and the T2–T4 fasciae are conspicuously narrowed or interrupted medially.
Redescription. FEMALE: Length 9.2 mm; head length 2.3 mm; head width 3.1
mm; fore wing length 7.2 mm.
Integument coloration. Mostly black; notable exceptions as follows: partially to entirely ferruginous on mandible, antenna, tegula, axilla, mesoscutellum, legs, and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex darker than all but extreme base; preapical tooth
lighter than mandibular apex (difficult to see in the E. lectus holotype; described from
non-type specimens). Flagellum brown and (except F1) slightly lighter than partially
dark brown (otherwise orange) scape and F1 and entirely dark brown pedicel, primarily due to extensive pilosity on flagellum. F2 with orange spot basally. Wing membrane
dusky subhyaline, slightly darker at apex. Legs from trochanter to tarsus extensively
reddish orange, coxae brown.
Pubescence. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket. Tomentum
slightly sparser on clypeus; upper paraocular and frontal areas, and vertexal area mostly
exposed. Dorsum of mesosoma and metasoma with bands of off-white to pale yellow
short appressed setae. Mesoscutum with paramedian band. Mesopleuron with upper
half sparsely hairy, ventrolateral half nearly bare. Metanotum with tomentum sparser
medially, uniformly off white. T1 with discal patch elliptical and very wide, the basal and apical fasciae only narrowly joined laterally. T1 with basal and apical fasciae and
T2–T3 with apical fasciae complete (T4 entirely retracted in the E. lectus holotype, but
with complete fascia in non-type specimens), T2 with fascia with faint anterolateral
extensions of sparser tomentum. T5 with two large patches of pale tomentum lateral to
and contacting pseudopygidial area at apex. T5 with pseudopygidial area campanulate,
its apex less 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, but those of head and mesosoma sparser in some
areas, larger, deep, and distinct. Labrum with larger punctures than clypeus, but punctures of both equally dense (i<1d). Small impunctate shiny spot lateral to lateral ocellus.
Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla very coarsely and densely punctate; the interspaces shining. Tegula very densely punctate mesally (i≤1d), less so laterally (i=1–2d).
Upper half of mesopleuron and anterior margin with denser (i≤1d) punctures than rest
of mesopleuron (i>1d), the interspaces shining. Metasomal terga with punctures coarse,
dense (i≈1d), evenly distributed on disc; the interspaces shining somewhat.
Structure. Preapical tooth blunt and obtuse. Labrum with pair of small subapical
denticles, each preceded by small discrete longitudinal ridge. Frontal keel not strongly
raised. Scape with greatest length 1.7 × greatest width. F2 noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.5). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it
is separated by no less than 1 MOD at its terminal (difficult to see in the E. lectus
holotype; described from non-type specimens). Mesoscutellum moderately bigibbous.
Axilla large, its lateral margin (L) half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio
= 0.5) and tip not extending much beyond midlength of mesoscutellum (extending
to <2/3 its length in the E. lectus holotype and all examined non-type specimens; extending to ~2/3 its length in the E. agnathus holotype); 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 relatively straight 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, but still longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.2); S4 and S5 with
much longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs; pygidial plate apically rounded, with
large deep punctures closely clustered medially and sparser laterally, with the interspaces shining.
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