Species Account taken from "A Revision of the Genus Neolarra (Hymenoptera: Nomadidae)
Author(s): Charles D. Michener Source: Transactions of the American Entomological Society (1890-), Vol. 65, No. 4 (Dec., 1939),pp. 347-362"
This is a largely black species, with white pubescence. It
differs from mallochi, cockerelli, and coloradensis by the rounded
axillae and the white pubescence which covers the entire dorsum
of the abdomen, not being confined to the posterior margins of
the tergites. This anomalous species falls between Neolarra
s.str. and Phileremulus, and its characteristics support the treat
ment of Phileremulus as a subgenus of Neolarra. The scutellum
is about as in typical Neolarra) the axillae are intermediate
between those of Neolarra s.str. and Phileremulus, being rounded
but rather narrowly so, and the notches on each side of them
being deep ; the wing venation is as in Phileremulus.
Male. Head: Eyes separated by distinctly less than length of an eye; distance from median ocellus to posterior edge of vertex less than half distance from median ocellus to bases of antennae; first segment of flagellum broader than long and shorter than pedicel; antennae testaceous, base of scape black, upper side of flagellum darker than lower; anterior margin of clypeus narrowly testaceous; labrum testaceous, suffused with blackish medially; mandibles testaceous, red at apices, Thorax: Width across prothoracic tubercles less than across mesepisterna; tegulae pale
testaceous; axillae narrowly arcuate (figure 2); process of metanotum narrow, slightly bilobed; one recurrent and one transverse cubital vein, recurrent vein three-fourths of distance from base of apex of marginal cell; tibiae, tarsi, and apices of femora reddish testaceous. Abdomen: Black, posterior margins of tergites rather broadly reddish testaceous; abdomen with considerable white pubescence, which is denser along posterior margins of tergites one to six than elsewhere, forming weak fasciae; process of seventh tergite testaceous, moderately broad, and narrowly rounded at apex, tapering throughout (somewhat narrower than figure 9). Length, 5 mm.
Female. Similar to male; antennae entirely testaceous; clypeus largely testaceous; legs and abdomen ruf o-testaceous ; posterior margin of fifth tergite nearly straight; posterior margin of sixth tergite with a deeper emargination than in other species (Fig. 7). Length, 4 mm.
Holotype male, (loan deposit to California Academy of
Sciences), from five miles west ["north" on label] of Indio,.
Riverside County; California, (at junction of La Quinta and
Palm Springs to Indio Roads) ; April 10, 1936; (C. D. Michener).
Allotype female and one male paratype from Palm Canyon,
Riverside County, California, [U.S.N.M.]. One male paratype
from Coachella, Riverside County, California, April 23, 1927,
(P. H. Timberlake; on flowers of Prosopis juliflora). One female
paratype from Mecca, Riverside County, April 13, 1934, (P. H.
Timberlake; on flowers of Heliotropium curassavicum).
In the Palm Canyon paratype the scape and pedicel are black,
the upper side of flagellum is dark brown, and the abdomen is
dusky testaceous. The Coachella paratype is less than 4 mm.
long, while the Mecca paratype is over 5 mm. long. Four speci
mens from Dos Palmos, Riverside County, California, March 28,
1936 [Bohart collection] present still further variations. They
differ from the above descriptions thus: Testaceous portions very
pale yellowish; antennae pale testaceous; clypeus largely testa
ceous in both sexes ; trochanters of males testaceous ; femora pale, the dark areas of preceding description reduced and merely in fuscated; abdomen in both sexes ruf o-testaceous. These speci
mens are somewhat smaller than the types. Since there are
many species of Perdita in the region, it seems possible that the
differences may be due to differences in hosts. On the other
hand, it is possible that we are dealing with more than one species of Neolarra.
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