D I S C O V E R    L I F E   
Bee Hunt! Odonata Lepidoptera 
  HomeAll Living ThingsIDnature guidesGlobal mapperAlbumsLabelsSearch
  AboutNewsEventsResearchEducationProjectsStudy sitesHelp


Andrena perimelas Cockerell, 1905
Andrena meadowsi Cockerell, 1938; Andrena (Gymnandrena) perimelas Cockerell, 1905

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Andrenidae   Andrena
Subgenus: Melandrena


Click on map for details about points.

Links
Overview
Reprinted with permission of the American Entomological Society from: Bouseman, J. K., LaBerge, W. E. 1978. A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Part IX. Subgenus Melandrena. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 104: 275-390.

Please report text errors to: leah at discoverlife dot org.

This western species is among the largest species of North American Melandrena. It can be recognized in either sex by the dull first tergum, as contrasted with subsequent terga (usually the first tergum is the shiniest and subsequent terga progressively duller in shagreened species), and the wide facial quadrangle. In the male the clypeus is slightly less than one-third as long as the interocular distance at the level of the antennal fossae.

FEMALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 20; length, 12-17 mm; width, 4-6 mm; wing length, M = 5.62 ± 0.170 mm; FL/FW, M = 0.90 ± 0.007; FOVL/ FOVW, M = 3.04 ± 0.034.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — Black except as follows: mandible with tip and extreme base rufescent or entirely dark rufescent; tegula rufescent at summit; flagellar segments dark brown below; wing membranes deeply infumate, brown, veins dark brown but pterostigma usually rufescent; terga and sterna with slightly rufescent reflections; distitarsi rufescent; basal leg segments usually with dark rufescent reflections; tibial spurs piceous.

STRUCTURE. — Scape length as in vie/no; flagellar segment 1 as long as following two and one-third segments; segment 2 about as long as segment 3, quadrate; segments 4-10 longer than broad. Eyes, mandible, malar space and galea as in vicina. Maxillary palpus as in vicina but segmental ratio about as 0.8:1.0:0.8:0.7:0.6:0.6. Labial palpus as in vicina but ratio as 1.0:0.6:0.5:0.4. Labral process entire, usually rounded, occasionally trapezoidal, with distinct transverse striae in basal half to three-fourths or more; labrum below process with transverse sulcus crossed by strong median crista and several weak or incomplete lateral cristae. clypeus relatively flat and short,, with small round punctures separated mostly by half a puncture width or less, without median impunctate line or only a trace basally, surface dulled by fine shagreening at least in basal third. Supraclypeal area, face above antennal fossae and facial fovea as in vicina. Vertex above lateral ocellus equals about one and one-half ocellar diameters or slightly more, dulled by small punctures and tessellation. Genal area as in vicina.

Thoracic form and sculpturing as in vicina except mesoscutum and scutellum with small puncture more abundant than in vicina, in anterior half of mesoscutum separated mostly by half a puncture width or less. Wing venation, tarsal claws and tibial spurs as in vicina.

Metasomal tergum 1 with punctures (apically and basally) small, shallow, obscured by coarse reticular shagreening. Tergum 2 with basal area with small but distinct punctures separated by half to one puncture width or less, surface reticularly shagreened but slightly shiny; apical area similar but punctures slightly sparser and shagreening not much dulling surface; often tergum 2 quite shiny, shagreening weak. Terga 3 and 4 similar to 2 but progressively shinier, shagreening weak to absent. Pygidial plate V-shaped with round apex, internal raised triangular area absent. Sterna much as in vicina but shiny to moderately so.

VESTITURE. — Generally black with dorsum of thorax, posterior pronotal lobe, uppermost angle of mesepisternum pale ochraceous to dull ferruginous or fox-red (usually ochraceous); vertex and dorsum of propodeum often with some pale hairs mixed with dark. Distribution and form of hairs as in vicina but dorsal thoracic hairs short, dense.

MALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 20; length, 11-15 mm; width, 2.5-4.5 mm; wing length, M = 4.87 ± 0.198 mm; FL/FW, M = 0.81 ± 0.005; FS1/FS2, M = 1.17 ± 0.019.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — Black except as follows: mandible with tip rufescent; flagellar segments 2-11 dark brown below; tegula rufescent at summit; wing membrane slightly to moderately infumate, yellow to yellowish-brown, veins red to brown, pterostigma usually red; terga 1-5 with broad apical areas translucent to hyaline, brown to yellow (especially terga 5-7); sterna with apical areas hyaline, yellow-brown; distitarsi dark brown to reddish-brown; tibial spurs rufescent to piceous.

STRUCTURE. — Antenna moderately long; scape length equal to first two and one-half flagellar segments; flagellar segment 1 slightly longer than segment 2, usually slightly longer than segment 3; segment 2 slightly longer than broad; segments 3-10 about one and one-third times as long as broad. Eyes each about three and one-third times as long as broad, inner margins converging toward vertex. Mandible slightly decussate, in repose surpassing midlabrum by about one-third its own length, bidentate. Malar space and galea as in vicina. Maxillary palpus as in vicina but segmental ratio about as 1.0:1.0:0.8:0.7:0.7:0.6. Labial palpus as in vicina but ratio about as 1.0:0.7:0.5:0.6. Labral process and labrum as in vicina. Clypeus relatively flat, median length equals slightly less than one-third interocular distance at level of lower margins antennal fossae; sculptured as in female but punctures often shallower. Supraclypeal area, face above antennal fossae, vertex and genal area as in female.

Thoracic form and sculpturing as in female except as follows; mesoscutal and scutellar punctures sparser (much as in vicina); propodeum with dorsal enclosure often roughened only at extreme base or not at all to entirely roughened; propodeum outside of enclosure with distinct punctures roughening surface. Wing venation, tarsal claws and tibial spurs as in vicina.

Metasomal tergum 1 with apical area moderately shiny, impunctate in apical half or more, apical area with distinct punctures separated mostly by two puncture widths, surface dulled by coarse reticular shagreening or fine tessellation. Terga 2-5 similar but basal areas progressively shinier, more weakly shagreened, often even tergum 2 moderately shiny basally. Pygidial area extremely narrow. Sterna 2-5 sculptured as in vicina but shiny, shagreening weak. Sternum 6 with apical margin shallowly and broadly emarginate medially.

Terminalia as in figures 74-78; note gonocoxite with dorsal lobe blunt, sternum 7 with broad, shallow emargination, and sternum 8 with broad barely emarginate tip.

VESTITURE. — Generally pale to dark ochraceous except as follows: dorsum of thorax and vertex often dull fox-red; head hairs entirely dark brown to pale with dark hairs on face along inner margins compound eyes, on face above antennal fossae, often on clypeus at least medially and mixed with pale on genal areas; thorax often with pleural areas and propodeum entirely dark brown, entirely pale or mixed dark and pale; tergal vestiture entirely pale to dark brown or at least apical three Of four terga brown; sternal hairs dark but often pale near apical areas; legs brown or brown and pale mixed on trochanters, coxae, femora and often outer surface tibiae.

Names
Scientific source:

Supported by

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Hydrophyllaceae  Phacelia sp @ BBSL (1)
Papaveraceae  Eschscholzia californica @ BBSL (2)
Rosaceae  Cotoneaster @ UCRC_ENT (1)

go to Discover Life's Facebook group

Updated: 2024-03-29 09:10:56 gmt
Discover Life | Top
© Designed by The Polistes Corporation