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Epeolus pusillus Cresson, 1864 Life Insecta Hymenoptera Apoidea Apidae Epeolus Subgenus: None |
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| IDnature guides | Overview |
Extracted with permission from: Onuferko, T.M. 2017. Cleptoparasitic Bees of the Genus Epeolus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Canada. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification No. 30: March 30, 2017. doi:10.3752/cjai.2017.30
| http://cjai.biologicalsurvey.ca/o_30/o_30.html
Diagnosis. Among Canadian species, E. pusillus most closely resembles E. scutellaris. Both species exhibit the following similarities: axilla large and robust, its tip attaining or surpassing line of pale tomentum marking posterior margin of mesoscutellum, and its lateral margin arcuate; T1 with discal patch very wide; and metasomal fasciae rather thin.
FEMALE: Length 9 mm.; black, antennal scape brownish-testaceous anteriorly, mandibles testaceous, becoming reddened at tips; tegulae and legs testaceous, mid and hind spurs piceous, tubercles and axillae more or less infused with ferruginous; lateral ocelli separated from margin of vertex by a space somewhat less than their diameter; cheeks very narrow, subcarinate posteriorly, becoming still narrower below; labrum nearly twice as broad as median length, with a pair of distinct, subapical tubercles; inner margin of mandibles with a quite distinct submedian angle; hind margin of scutellum very slightly out-curved, much exceeded by the robust, sub- triangular axillae which are very broadly joined to lateral margins of scutellum and sub-carinate laterally (fig. 110); wings with the usual three submarginal cells, subhyaline basally, becoming faintly infuscated apically, veins brownish; face quite densely pale tomentose around bases of antennae, over clypeus and cheeks, more thinly so above where it is more yellowish; margin of pronotum and tubercles, a pair of anterior longitudinal lines and extreme lateral margins of scutum, metanotum, and adjacent margin of scutellum, quite densely, pale yellow tomentose; lateral portions of posterior face of propodeum rather thinly pale tomentose, becoming more densely so beneath wing bases above; abdominal terga 1-4 with entire, transverse, yellow tomentose fasciae, these only sub-interrupted medially, somewhat separated from apical margin of discs except on 4, anterior face of tergum 1 densely yellow tomentose, median area black, basal and apical tomentose areas narrowly connected at each extreme side; tergum 5 with a subapical area of pale tomentum which encloses the small pseudopygidium; punctures deep, close and rather coarse on upper part of face, becoming very minute and densely crowded on clypeus and lower part of face, and on cheeks; pleura closely punctate below but with some definite, irregular, shining interspaces evident, very densely crowded above; scutum closely and quite coarsely punctate throughout, punctures more distinct anteriorly, densely crowded posteriorly and over entire scutellum and axillae; tegulae with very fine and close punctures throughout; abdominal terga with minute and very close, uniformly distributed punctures, these obscured by black, plumose tomentum; pseudopygidium very narrow, median length about equal to apical width. MALE: Answers in general to description of female, but face around and below antennae very densely silvery tomentose, and entire ventral and lateral surfaces of mesothorax, as well as hind coxae, very densely silvery tomentose; pygidium subtriangular, rather narrowly rounded apically, margin carinate, basal width about equal to median length, surface rather sparsely and minutely punctate, with a few very short, suberect hairs.
DISTRIBUTION: Wyoming and Texas to Maine and Florida; April and May in Florida, August to October in the North.
FLOWER RECORDS: Aster, Erigeron, Eupatorium, Haplopappus, Helenium, Melilotus and Solidago. This is recorded by Robertson (1929) on Bidens, Boltonia, Coreopsis, Helianthus and Polygoneum.
Identification |
Extracted from: Brumley R.L., (1965). A Revision of the Bee Genus Epeolus Latreille of Western America North of Mexico. All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 2682
| Female. Length 6 to 9 mm; forewing length 4 to 6.5 mm; labrum black to reddish orange ; clypeus black to reddish mahogany; antennae bright reddish orange to partially reddish orange on scape, pedicel, flagellomere I, with remaining flagellomeres brownish mahogany; pronotal lobes, tegulae, legs bright reddish orange, except coxae, trochanters occasionally mahogany; thorax black, except often reddish on mesopleuron, lateral, apical margins of axillae; metasomal terga black to reddish orange under black , appressed pubescence ; pygidium reddish orange; clypeus, frons with varying amounts of silvery, appressed pubescence; squamiform pubescence sparse, off-white to coppery on vertex, more dense on pronotum, posterior face of scutellum, metanotum, lateral margins of posterior face of propodeum; mesopleuron with appressed, silvery pubescence dorsally, less pubescent ventrally, often nearly nude; off-white scutal pubescence varying from uniformly pubescent to bands on posterior, lateral margins with two antero-median, longitudinal bands, often contiguous with pubescence of lateral margins, often extending nearly to posterior margin of scutum; metasomal tergite I with whitish or yellowish pubescence, except black antero- laterally, large, transverse band on disc: tergite II with subapical , whitish or yellowish fascia, broadened antero-laterally forming an angle of less than 90 degrees with subapical fascia; tergites Ill, IV with yellowish or whitish, apical or subapical fasciae ; tergite V with sub-silvery pubescence anterior, lateral to pseudopygidium; sternite V with a long, golden to silvery, apical fimbria; pseudopygidium about one and one half times broader than long; clypeus finely, densely punctate ; frons , vertex, scutum, scutellum moderately rugoso-punctate; mesopleuron moderately rugoso-punctate dorsally, interspaces often slightly larger than a puncture diameter, punctures often finer , denser ventrally; propodeal enclosure moderately rugose dorsally, finely, transversely, irregularly striate medially; remainder of posterior face of propodeum finely rugoso-punctate; forewings with three submarginal cells, rarely two, hyaline to subhyaline basally, more pubescent, darker apically , veins dark ferruginous to mahogany ; labrum often with weak, longitudinal carinae extending from subapical tubercles; preoccipital ridge gradually rounded dorsally, transverse depression behind compound eye lacking; flagellomere II nearly two-thirds as broad as long; axillae large, extending slightly beyond essentially horizontal dorsal face of scutellum, arcuate on outer margins; scutellum with a weak median emargination.
Male. Length 6 to 9 mm; forewing length 4 to 6 mm; This sex agrees well with description of female but differs as follows: flagellomere II three-fourths as broad as long; clypeus often densely pubescent; mesopleuron often uniformly pubescent; subapical hairs of sternites IV, V sparse, golden to silvery; pygidium large, reddish orange, with few, shallow punctures.
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