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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 species is readily recognized in both sexes by its extremely
coarse punctation on all parts of the body. Areas which are nor-
mally impunctate or finely punctate in Melissodes, such as the genal
areas lateral to the eyes, in M. tuckeri have crowded, deep, coarse
punctures. M. tuckeri is not closely related to any of the foregoing
species, but judging from the male antennae, the male terminalia
and the punctation, it is probably closest to M. composita.
Female. Measurements and ratios: N, 12; length, 10-12 mm.;
width, 3.5-4.0 mm.; wing length, M = 3.72 0.215 mm.; hooks in
hamulus, M = 13.83 0.322; flagellar segment 1/segment 2, M =
1.80 0.025.
Male. Measurements and ratios: N, 8; length, 9-11 mm.; width,
2.5-3.5 mm.; wing length, M = 3.37 0.375 mm.; hooks in hamu-
lus, M = LL. 75 0.250; flagellar segment Pecement 1, M= 4.44
OATS.
Structure and color: Integument as in M. lupina except eyes
green and wing membranes somewhat infumate, yellow to yellow-
ish brown. Clypeus with large punctures separated by less than
half a puncture width, surface shiny, unshagreened or slightly so:
supraclypeal area with a few large punctures or impunctate medially, surface shiny to somewhat dulled by delicate shagreening;
vertex with flattened areas posteromesad of compound eyes with
small, crowded, deep punctures separated by less than one punc-
ture width, surface dulled by fine reticular shagreening; genal areas
lateral to compound eyes with deep round punctures separated
mostly by half a puncture width; face coarsely punctate everywhere
except narrow zone just mesad of upper half of compound eye
and these zones usually dulled by fine tessellation; ultimate flagel-
lar segment longer than broad; galeae moderately shiny above,
dulled by fine reticular shagreening at least in apical half; maxil-
lary palpal segments in ratio of about 3.5:3.5:3.0:1.0. Mesoscutal
punctures extremely coarse, separated everywhere by half a punc-
ture width or less, near parapsidal lines separated by one-fourth of
a puncture width, surface unshagreened; scutellar punctures simi-
lar to mesoscutal but slightly smaller; mesepisternum with punc-
tures of lateral surface extremely large, shallow, almost confluent
with only a narrow ridge separating one from another, bottoms of
punctures usually finely tessellate; metanotum with punctures al-
most as large as scutellar; propodeum with dorsal surface reticulo-
punctate, posterior surface with impunctate upper triangular area
and coarsely punctate elsewhere, lateral surfaces coarsely punctate,
surfaces dulled by coarse tessellation. Metasomal tergum 1 with
basal half or slightly less with small round deep punctures sepa-
rated by one-half to one puncture width, apical to this punctures
become progressively smaller and sparser and apical one-fourth or
less impunctate, surface shiny, with extremely fine reticulotransverse
shagreening; tergum 2 with interband and basal zones punctate as
at base of tergum 1 but punctures slightly smaller, with apical area
with conspicuous punctures which are smaller and sparser medially
and become smaller and sparser apically, with narrow apical im-
punctate margin; tergum 3 similar to tergum 2 but apical punctate
area restricted to median third and punctures slightly more crowded;
tergum 4 as in tergum 3 but without apical area and punctures
smaller and more crowded; pygidial plate broadly V-shaped with
rounded apex.
Hair: Vestiture as in composita with the following differences:
pale hairs, especially of vertex and dorsum of thorax, usually darker
ochraceous; vertex with more abundant dark brown hairs: mesoscu-
tal dark patch extends forwards to a transverse line at anterior mar-
gins of tegulae; tegulae brown; terga 1 to 3 with apical areas with
short, suberect to appressed dark brown hairs; tergum 2 with in-
terband zone with suberect to appressed dark brown hairs and
white distal and basal bands not or only narrowly connected at
sides, with distal pale band interrupted medially by at least width
of lateral fascia; tergum 3 with distal band interrupted medially or
with rounded posterior median notch which almost interrupts pale
band, without white pubescence in interband zone; terga 5 and 6
dark brown to black except long pale lateral tufts; sternal hairs
brown to reddish brown medially; legs with dark brown to dark
reddish brown hairs on fore tarsi, on fore and middle tibiae near
apices of outer surfaces, on inner surfaces of basitarsi and sur
rounding basitibial plates.
Distribution. This species is distributed from Montana south to
Texas in the prairies (Fig. 6). It is seemingly a rare species and
has been collected infrequently during the months of September
and October. A total of 13 females and 8 males, including the
holotype, have been examined. The collection data for these is
given in full, since so few specimens are involved.
Extracted from: Melissodes tuckeri Cockerell 1909 Can. Ent. 41. p. 129
Female. Runs in my tables to M. perplexa, Cresson, which it very greatly resembles. It differs from perplexa and all the allied species by the character of mesothorax, which is shining, and closely beset with very deep and large punctures. Compared with a co-type of perplexa, the abdomen appears at first sight to be the same, but there are the following differences: Dorsal region of the first segment, except the apical portion strongly and quite closely punctured (very feebly in perplexa); middle of second segment below the band distinctly through delicately punctured (impunctate in perplexa); nude margin beyond the white hair-band on third segment very narrow (broad in perplexa). The white hair on second segment takes the form of broad oblique bands at the sides, failing in the middle; this is nearly as in perplexa, and entirely different from the straight bands (a broad one basal and a narrow one in the middle) of M. communis. The legs are practically as in perplexa; the hind legs have the scopa very large, strongly plumose, pale ochraceous, with the hair on inner side of hind basitarsus brown-black; the wings are strongly dusky, the tint blackish; tegulae shining piceous, with a patch of velvety dark fuscous pile, surrounded by pale hairs, in front. The very pale ochraceous hair of the front of the thorax extends back to the level of the tegulae. The head is like that of perplexa, except that the vertex is more strongly punctured, and the flagellum, except at base, is red beneath.
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