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Extracted from: LaBerge, W. E., 1961. A Revision of the Bees of the Genus Melissodes in North and Central America. Part III (Hymenoptera, Apidae). The University of Kansas Science Bulletin, Vol. 43. 1-107.
This distinctive bee is clearly related to the foregoing three
species (lupina, plumosa and metenua), but probably most closely
to plumosa. The females are as pale in color as plumosa, but are
readily distinguished from all species of the subgenus Callimelis-
sodes by the weakly branched scopal hairs. The males are easily
confused with those of either metenua or plumosa. The males of
clarkiae are distinguished from those of lupina by the longitudinal,
dorsolateral depressions of the flagellum being present on segments
3 through 10 and usually 11 as well. They can be separated from
the males of plumosa and metenua by their shorter antennae, and
specifically, by the penultimate flagellar segment being no more than
twice as long as broad and usually shorter.
Female. Measurements and ratios: N, 7; length, about 11 mm.;
width, about 3.5 mm.; wing length, M = 3.39 0.197 mm.; hooks
in hamulus, M = 11.71 0.286; flagellar segment 1/segment 2,
M = 2.02 0.038.
Male. Measurements and ratios: N, 10; length, 8-11 mm;
width, 2.0-2.5 mm.; wing length, M = 2.90 0.253 mm.; hooks in
hamulus, M — 10.60 0.267; flagellar segment 2/segment 1, (9)
M.= 3.46 0.100.
Structure and color: Integumental color as in M. lupina. Sculp-
turing and structure as in lupina with the following difterences:
clypeus with punctures smaller, round and regular in size, sepa-
rated mostly by less than half a puncture width, surface dulled
especially posteriorly by reticular shagreening, but moderately
shiny; supraclypeal area shiny, delicately or not at all shagreened:
flattened lateral areas of vertex with minute round punctures sep-
arated mostly by one to two puncture widths, surface shagreened;
apical flagellar segment distinctly longer than broad, rounded
apically; maxillary palpal segments in ratio of about 3.2:3.2:3.4:1.0,
palpi longer in total length than in lupina; galeae moderately shiny
above, dulled by finely reticular shagreening, usually less so in
apical third. Mesoscutum not shagreened laterally and anteriorly,
usually with small posteromedian impunctate area; metanotum
often with dorsomedian area shiny, unshagreened; mesepisternum
with lateral surface slightly or not at all shagreened, punctures
round, deep, separated mostly by half a puncture width. Meta-
somal tergum 2 with basal area with minute round punctures
separated mostly by more than one puncture width and often by
more than two puncture widths, interband zone with punctures
separated mostly by one to two puncture widths, not much sparser
medially than laterally, apical area impunctate; tergum 3 with
narrow apical area impunctate; pygidial plate U-shaped with arms
diverging in basal half or less and subparallel apically.
Hair: On head and thorax cinereous except dark brown on vertex,
mesoscutum with large posteromedian brown patch extending for-
ward to a line at anterior margins of tegulae or almost so, and
scutellum brown medially. Vestiture of metasoma as in M. lupine
except as follows: metasomal terga 2 and 3 with apical areas with
suberect hairs more abundant; tergum 3 separated from apical
margin across all or most of tergum; tergum 4 without suberect
simple hairs medially near apical margin; terga 5 and 6 with hairs
pale brown except large lateral cinereous tufts; sternal hairs golden
brown medially to white laterally. Legs with white or pale ochra-
ceous hairs except as follows: fore basitarsi and often distitarsi
and often middle and hind basitarsi dark brown; fore and middle
tibiae and middle basitarsi with inner surfaces yellow to red; hind
basitarsi and tibiae with inner surfaces yellow to reddish-orange;
scopal hairs white except pale brown on and near basitibial plates,
with rachises extending far beyond plumose part, with branches
sparse, usually one or two on each side of rachis, and long.
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