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Triepeolus distinctus (Cresson, 1878)
Epeolus distinctus Cresson, 1878; Epeolus bardus Cresson, 1878; Triepeolus mesillae Cockerell, 1904; Triepeolus pimarum Cockerell, 1904; Triepeolus bardus (Cresson, 1878)

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Apidae   Triepeolus
Subgenus: None

Triepeolus distinctus, side
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Triepeolus distinctus, side

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Triepeolus distinctus, top
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Triepeolus distinctus, top
Triepeolus distinctus, face
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Triepeolus distinctus, face

Triepeolus distinctus, side
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Triepeolus distinctus, side
Triepeolus distinctus, top
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Triepeolus distinctus, top

Triepeolus distinctus, wing
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Triepeolus distinctus, wing
Triepeolus distinctus, m, anne arundel co, md, back
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Triepeolus distinctus, m, anne arundel co, md, back

Triepeolus distinctus, m, anne arundel co, md, face
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Triepeolus distinctus, m, anne arundel co, md, face
Triepeolus distinctus, m, anne arundel co, md, side
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Triepeolus distinctus, m, anne arundel co, md, side

Triepeolus distinctus, f, anne arundel co, md, back
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Triepeolus distinctus, f, anne arundel co, md, back
Triepeolus distinctus, f, anne arundel co, md, facewide
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Triepeolus distinctus, f, anne arundel co, md, facewide

Triepeolus distinctus, f, anne arundel co, md, side
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Triepeolus distinctus, f, anne arundel co, md, side
Triepeolus distinctus, female, axiilae
© Molly Rightmyer · 1
Triepeolus distinctus, female, axiilae

Triepeolus distinctus, female, doral habitus
© Molly Rightmyer · 1
Triepeolus distinctus, female, doral habitus
Triepeolus distinctus, female, face
© Molly Rightmyer · 1
Triepeolus distinctus, female, face
Overview
Reprinted with permission from: Rightmyer, M.G. A Review of the Cleptoparasitic Bee Genus Triepeolus (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

TRIEPEOLUS DISTINCTUS (CRESSON)

(Figs. 55–57, 244, 250, 251)

Epeolus distinctus Cresson 1878: 84 [Lectotype: Academy of Natural Sciences No. 2236; female, Georgia]; Cresson 1916: 117 [lectotype designation].

Epeolus bardus Cresson 1878: 84–85 [Lectotype: Academy of Natural Sciences No. 2237; female, Texas]; Cresson 1916: 113 [lectotype designation]. new synonymy

Triepeolus bardus; Cockerell 1903: 331.

Triepeolus mesillae var. a. Cockerell 1903: 331 [female, Las Cruces (Dona Ana Co.), New Mexico; September 22; Verbesina encelioides]. (not seen)

Triepeolus mesillae Cockerell 1904: 36–37 [Holotype: U. S. National Museum of Natural History No. 9704; female, Mesilla, (Dona Ana Co., New Mexico); 24 September]; Rozen 1966: 16, 17, Figs. 19–23 [description, illustrations of postdefecating larva]. new synonymy

Triepeolus pimarum Cockerell 1904: 36–37 [Holotype: U. S. National Museum of Natural History No. 9703; female, Alhambra, (Maricopa Co.), Arizona; Verbesina encelioides]. new synonymy

Triepeolus distinctus; Mitchell 1962: 467, Fig. 112 [redescription, floral records, illustrations of scutellum, axillae]; Wuellner and Hixon 1999: 145–147 [behavior before leaving host nest, chemical components of Dufour’s glands, venom glands, and glandular pouches]. Triepeolus distincta; Minckley et al. 1994: 1415.


Description.—Length ca. 10–12.5 mm; ITW 2.1–2.9 mm. Integument black, with red to orange usually entirely or partly on the following: mandible, labrum, clypeus (especially apically), antenna (especially basally), pronotal lobe, tegula, mesoscutum, scutellum, axilla, mesepisternum, legs, pygidial plate of both sexes; dorsum of mesosoma and metasoma with bands of yellow setae. Clypeus lacking or with weak midline; covered with golden setae. Head somewhat globular, with preoccipital carina on posterior margin of head behind vertex, as well as on gena. Paramedian band narrow, clearly separated from other pale setae on mesoscutum. Scutellum moderately bigibbous; axillar spine well surpassing midpoint of scutellum, incurved, pointed. Mesepisternum with sparse, short, erect, simple setae; irregularly punctate, with punctures relatively large, separated up to one puncture diameter in some places, with integument between punctures raised, shining. T1 discal patch small, diamond-shaped or rectangular; T2 with LLB absent or rarely weakly present, forming 90 degree angle with ATB. Female: Pseudopygidial area rectangular, with apical margin straight or weakly concave; setae uniformly dense, coarse, short, and golden-shining; apical margin usually silvery-shining; S5 straight in profile, strongly convex along longitudinal midline, with bristle-like setae present on apical margin; S2–S4 lacking apical bands of white setae or with sparse pale setae on apical margins. Male: Pygidial plate wide, with slightly upturned (lamellate) margins; medioapically often notched; lacking distinct basal transverse ridge; S2–S3 with white to pale golden setae on apical margins (often slightly extended sublaterally on S3); S4–S5 with apical fringes of golden brown setae (often white basally on apical fringe of S4).

Comments.—This species is known by the unique pseudopygidial area (see Fig. 56), pattern of pale setae on T1, and the long axillar spines.

Distribution.—USA: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Utah.

Host Records.—Dieunomia (Dieunomia) heteropoda (Say) (36 specimens from nesting sites, in Cochise Co., Arizona and Bastrop Co., Texas; Wcislo, 1993, adults observed entering nests, prepupae and pupa recovered from nests), Dieunomia (Epinomia) triangulifera (Vachal) (1 specimen entering nest in Lawrence, Kansas; 3 specimens from nesting site in Lawrence, Kansas; Rozen 1966, larvae presumably taken from nest; Wcislo et al., 1994, adults caught emerging from nests; Wuellner and Hixon, 1999, adults entering nests).

Floral Records.—Euphorbia dentata Michx., Helianthus annuus L., H. petiolaris Nutt., Heterotheca grandiflora Nutt., He. latifolia [= He. subaxillaris (Lam.) Britt. & Rusby], Monarda punctata L., Solidago speciosa Nutt., Verbena stricta Vent., Verbesina encelioides (Cav.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Gray, V. helianthoides Michx.

Seasonal Records.—10 May to 22 October.

Specimens examined.—271 female, 195 male (AUSTIN, BERKELEY, BOULDER, ITHACA, LAWRENCE, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, URBANA, TERRE HAUTE, WASHINGTON D.C.).


Reprinted with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1962 Bees of the Eastern United States. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 152.

FEMALE—Length 13.5 mm.; black, labrum and mandibles slightly reddened, tibiae dark red at base and apex on front and mid legs, tubercles and tegulae dark red; lateral ocelli separated from margin of vertex by about their own diameter; cheeks about half width of eyes, slightly narrower below, posterior margin carinate; basal segment of flagellum about equaling segment 2, following segments considerably longer than broad; median length of labrum about half the breadth, apical margin with a pair of quite distinct, acute denticles; scutellum slightly outcurved posteriorly, with a quite deep, median impression, free part of axillae slender and elongate, reaching posterior transverse line of scutellum (fig. 112); wings deeply infuscated, with the usual three submarginal cells, veins black; pubescence on face very thin and sparse, somewhat more dense and elongate around bases of antennae; margin of pronotum quite densely whitish tomentose, a similar short fringe around tubercles; scutum with a pair of anterior, very narrow, longitudinal lines of whitish tomentum, the lateral margins and scutello-mesothoracic suture very narrowly white tomentose; metanotum and adjacent margin of scutellum thinly greyish tomentose medially, becoming somewhat more densely so at each side; lateral areas of posterior face of propodeum rather densely greyish tomentose; basal abdominal tergum yellow tomentose in large part, with a small, median, sub-basal black patch which is slightly broader than its median length; terga 3-5 with rather dense, transverse, pale yellowish fasciae, these slightly separated from the somewhat yellowish, rather 4eply depressed, apical rims of the terga; tergum 5 without conspicuous pale tomentum; inner margins of tegulae very finely and densely punctate, outer rims becoming broadly polished and impunctate; punctures of face above quite coarse, deep and distinct, rather widely separated between ocelli and eyes, becoming close across vertex, back of ocelli and on cheeks, somewhat finer and closer but still deep and distinct below antennae, slightly separated on upper part of clypeus, becoming somewhat finer and closer toward apical margin; punctures coarse, deep and quite close over most of scutum, but with shining interspaces evident on each side of median area anteriorly, much finer and quite densely crowded on scutellum, but axillae with coarse, scattered, well separated punctures; punctures of pleura deep and quite coarse, well separated below, becoming quite densely rugoso-punctate above; basal abdominal tergum very finely and closely punctate throughout, punctures on discs of 2-4 becoming somewhat coarser and less close, rather well separated on 4, and somewhat finer but well separated on 5; pseudopygidium abruptly truncate apically, median length about equal to apical width, covered with very fine, pale tomentum (somewhat as on Epeolus); sternum 5 strongly convex as seen from beneath, quite strongly narrowed apically.

MALE—Answers in general to description of female; apical tomentose areas of abdominal terga somewhat more abruptly and deeply depressed; terga 5 and 6 quite densely whitish fasciate apically; apical fringes of sterna 4 and 5 composed of elongate, relatively fine and straight hairs; pygidial plate strongly elevated above disc of tergum 7, transverse ridge very low and obscure, margin carinate and rather evenly rounded apically, basal width about equal to median length.

DISTRIBUTION—Georgia and Florida; September.


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Updated: 2024-03-28 11:09:53 gmt
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