|
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. novomexicanus apart from all other North American Epeolus except E. basili, E. nebulosus,
and E. pusillus: the axilla is large, with the tip extending well beyond the midlength of
the mesoscutellum but at most to the band of pale tomentum along its posterior margin, dilated laterally, and ferruginous to some degree whereas the mesoscutellum is typically all black; the axilla’s free portion is clearly less than 2/5 as long as its entire medial
length; the mesopleuron is closely (most i<1d) and evenly punctate, that of the female
is obscured by white tomentum only in the upper half (with a large, sparsely hairy circle occupying much of the ventrolateral half) whereas that of the male (excluding the
hypoepimeral area) is entirely obscured by white tomentum; T2–T4 have complete and
evenly broad fasciae; the T2 fascia has lobe-like anterolateral extensions of tomentum;
and the pseudopygidial area of the female is lunate and wider than long (the apex ≤2 ×
the medial length). Epeolus basili, E. nebulosus, E. novomexicanus, and E. pusillus are all extremely similar to one another. Epeolus novomexicanus is most similar to E. nebulosus,
but in E. nebulosus the mesoscutum is entirely obscured by pale tomentum and the
metasomal terga (excluding the brown translucent apical margins) are entirely black
whereas in E. novomexicanus the mesoscutum usually has distinct paramedian bands
and at least the integument beneath the T1 apical fascia is ferruginous, as are sometimes
the rest of the tergum and other terga. In E. basili the metasomal terga are also ferruginous to some degree, but the T2 and T3 (for female) or T2–T4 (for male) fasciae
are narrowed medially and removed from the apical margin (in E. novomexicanus the
T2–T4 fasciae are on or very little removed from the apical margin), and the pseudopygidial area of the female is ≥2 × the medial length. Whereas in E. pusillus the flagellum,
except sometimes F1, and metasomal sterna are consistently brown or black and clearly
not the same reddish-orange color as the legs (tibiae to tarsi), in E. novomexicanus the
flagellum, at least ventrally, is the same reddish-orange color as the legs (tibiae to tarsi)
as are usually the metasomal sterna. Epeolus novomexicanus is also similar to E. scutellaris
in that the axilla is large, with the lateral margin arcuate, and that the apical fasciae are
complete. However, in E. scutellaris the pseudopygidial area of the female is much wider
(the apex ~2.5–3 × the medial length) than in E. novomexicanus, and the mesopleuron
of both the female and male is obscured by white tomentum only in the upper half
(with a large, sparsely hairy circle occupying much of the ventrolateral half).
Redescription. MALE: Length 6.1 mm; head length 1.7 mm; head width 2.3
mm; fore wing length 4.4 mm.
Integument coloration. Mostly black; notable exceptions as follows: at least partially
ferruginous on mandible, labrum, antenna, pronotal lobe, tegula, axilla, legs, metasomal terga (including pygidial plate), and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex darker
than rest of mandible; preapical tooth slightly lighter than mandibular apex (difficult
to see in holotype because mandible closed; described from non-type specimens). Antenna brown and orange in part. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber.
Wing membrane subhyaline, apically dusky. Legs more extensively reddish orange
than brown or black. S1–S6 reddish orange.
Pubescence. Face with tomentum partly rubbed off in holotype, but white and
densest around antennal socket in non-type specimens. 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 partly obscured by surrounding pale
tomentum. Mesopleuron (excluding hypoepimeral area) entirely obscured by white
tomentum (except where rubbed off in holotype). Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted, uniformly off white. T1 with narrow and short discal patch partly obscured
by pale tomentum. T2–T5 each with complete fascia (T6 mostly retracted in holotype,
but with complete fascia in non-type specimens), T2 with fascia with wide basomedially convergent anterolateral extensions of tomentum. S4 and S5 with long coppery to
silvery subapical hairs, which individually are often darker apically.
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
densely punctate (i≤2d). 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 obtuse. Labrum with pair of small subapical denticles
not preceded by carinae. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.8
× greatest width. F2 as long as wide (L/W ratio = 1.0). 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) half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.5) and tip extending well beyond midlength of
mesoscutellum but not as far back as its posterior margin; axilla with tip clearly visible,
but unattached to mesoscutellum for less than 2/5 the medial length of axilla; axilla
with lateral margin arcuate. Fore wing with three submarginal cells. Pygidial plate apically rounded, with large deep punctures closely clustered.
FEMALE: Description as for male except for usual secondary sexual characters
and as follows: F2 noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.5); mesopleuron densely
hairy, except for two sparsely hairy circular patches (one behind pronotal lobe, a larger
one occupying much of ventrolateral half of mesopleuron); T5 with large, continuous
patch of pale tomentum bordering and contacting pseudopygidial area present only in female; T5 with pseudopygidial area lunate, 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; S4 and S5 with much shorter hairs (S5 with apical fimbria of coppery to silvery hairs extending beyond apex of sternum by ~1/3 MOD); pygidial plate
apically truncate, with small, denser punctures.
|
