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© Richard Orr · 9
Melissodes dentiventris |
© Copyright Laurence Packer 2014
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Melissodes dentiventris FEM CFP |
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© Copyright Laurence Packer 2014
· 7
Melissodes dentiventris MALE CFP- |
© Copyright source/photographer
· 5
Melissodes dentiventris, F, back, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
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© Copyright source/photographer
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Melissodes dentiventris, F, back, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
© Copyright source/photographer
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Melissodes dentiventris, F, face, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
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© Copyright source/photographer
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Melissodes dentiventris, F, side, Maryland, Anne Arundel Co |
© Copyright source/photographer
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Melissodes dentiventris, M, back, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
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© Copyright source/photographer
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Melissodes dentiventris, M, face, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
© Copyright source/photographer
· 5
Melissodes dentiventris, M, side, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
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© Copyright source/photographer
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Melissodes dentiventris, F, back, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
© Copyright source/photographer
· 5
Melissodes dentiventris, F, face, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
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© Copyright source/photographer
· 5
Melissodes dentiventris, F, side, Maryland, Anne Arundel Co |
© Copyright source/photographer
· 5
Melissodes dentiventris, M, back, Maryland, Anne Arundel County |
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Overview |
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 10.5-14.5 mm., breadth of abdomen 5-5.5 mm.; black, the mandibles with an elongate, testaceous, subapical maculation; segments of flagellum beyond the 2nd more brownish-piceous beneath; apical tarsal segments somewhat more brownish apically, spurs pale testaceous; tegulae brownish-testaceous; wings very slightly but quite uniformly darkened, veins brownish to piceous; cheeks much narrower than eyes; clypeus only slightly protuberant, its median length somewhat less than half the distance between eyes below; eyes slightly convergent below; basal segment of flagellum about one and a half times longer than segment 2 which is considerably longer than broad; clypeus dull, punctures coarse, close and deep, those on labrum much finer, rather sparse laterally; supraclypeal area shining and impunctate, the more lateral areas of face below antennae rather finely and closely punctate, lateral areas above shining and largely impunctate, the median area below ocelli rather dull, with rather fine, distinct, scattered punctures; vertex very finely and closely punctate behind ocelli, punctures sparse laterally, cheeks shining, with very minute but rather close punctures; scutum and scutellum with coarse and deep punctures, rather well separated on scutum posteriorly, becoming closer and somewhat finer laterally and anteriorly, quite close over most of scutellum; pleura rather dull, punctures coarse and quite close but rather shallow; posterior face of propodeum dull, with rather fine and close punctures, dorsal area becoming rather densely rugose toward each side, lateral faces quite uniformly finely and closely punctate; disc of basal abdominal tergum quite fully punctate, only the narrow apical margin impunctate, punctures quite coarse, deep and close throughout; basal half of discs of terga 2 and 3 quite deeply and rather closely punctate, apical impressed areas more finely and sparsely but rather fully punctate, only the narrow apical rims impunctate, punctures of 2 somewhat coarser than those of 3, terga 4 and 5 much more densely punctate across base, 4 punctate nearly to apical rim; pygidium rather broadly triangular, apex rather broadly rounded; vertex with a transverse band of erect and elongate blackish hairs, a few blackish hairs along margins of eyes intermixed with pale, and clypeus with short but rather copious and erect fuscous pubescence, face and cheeks otherwise with pale ochraceous pubescence and vertex fringed posteriorly with the same color; scutum, scutellum, propodeum and upper part of pleura largely covered with ochraceous pubescence, but scutum and scutellum with a limited area of fuscous hairs medially, those on scutum in center of posterior half; pleura below and legs in large part black pubescent, hind tibial scopa pale ochraceous, the hairs densely plumose; basal abdominal tergum with copious, elongate, pale ochraceous pubescence anteriorly, posterior half of disc with short, suberect rather conspicuous fuscous pubescence; tergum 2 with a basal, whitish fascia which is largely covered by the preceding plate, apical impressed area narrowly bordered on each side with a few pale hairs, forming a narrow, usually poorly developed, oblique fascia, disc otherwise covered with very short suberect blackish pubescence, terga 3-5 entirely covered with blackish or fuscous pubescence, largely suberect but with some longer erect black hairs more evident toward each side.
MALE�Length 10.5-12 mm., breadth of abdomen 4-4.5 mm.; black, including labrum and base of mandibles, clypeus yellow, with upper margin narrowly blackened, mandibles with an apical testaceous maculation; antennal flagellum brownish-testaceous beneath, piceous above; apical tarsal segments becoming brownish-testaceous, the spurs pale yellow; tegulae quite dark, becoming narrowly yellowish posteriorly; wings subhyaline, veins testaceous; apical margins of abdominal terga becoming narrowly yellowish-hyaline; cheeks slightly narrower than eyes; clypeus only very slightly protuberant, its median length slightly more than half the distance between eyes below; eyes rather strongly convergent below; basal segment of flagellum but little longer than pedicel, segment 2 six or seven times longer; punctures of clypeus rather close, coarse and deep, those on labrum slightly finer but more distinct, supraclypeal area largely smooth and impunctate, lateral areas of face below antennae quite closely and finely punctate, punctures becoming somewhat more minute above, where the surface is shining between eyes and ocelli, median area below ocelli quite closely and distinctly punctate; vertex very closely and finely punctate behind ocelli, punctures somewhat more sparse laterally, cheeks with quite deep, distinct and rather close punctures posteriorly, the punctures becoming very fine toward margin of eye; scutum and scutellum somewhat shining between quite deep and coarse punctures, these slightly separated on scutum posteriorly, becoming much closer and somewhat finer laterally and anteriorly, quite close on scutellum; pleura somewhat less shining, punctures quite coarse, deep and distinct, close in large part; posterior face of propodeum rather dull, punctures deep, distinct and quite close but not very coarse, those on dorsal area becoming somewhat coarser medially, lateral areas more rugose or reticulate, lateral faces quite uniformly, closely and rather finely punctate; disc of basal abdominal tergum quite fully punctate, the more basal punctures quite coarse, deep and slightly separated, punctures becoming more minute, sparse and indefinite toward the rather narrowly impunctate apical rim; terga 2-4 quite deeply, distinctly and rather closely punctate basally, the punctures somewhat more widely separated on 2, becoming progressively closer on 3 and 4, apical impressed areas more minutely and sparsely punctate, the narrow rims impunctate; tergum quite densely and finely rugoso-punctate across base, with an obscure, obtuse angle on each extreme side; tergum 6 with a corresponding, triangular, apical spine; entire head, thorax and legs pale ochraceous pubescent, with no dark hairs in evidence; basal abdominal tergum pale pubescent anteriorly, with some erect fuscous hairs intermixed among the pale across central and apical portions of disc; terga 2-6 with largely blackish pubescence, rather short and inconspicuous on the more basal terga, tergum 2 with an obscure, basal, whitish fascia and obscure, oblique, whitish fascia bordering the apical impressed area on each side; median length of pygidial plate somewhat greater than basal width, lateral margins strongly carinate, slightly converging apically to the abruptly constricted apical third which is truncate; sterna 7 and 8 and genital armature as shown (fig. 84).
DISTRIBUTION � The New England States, south to Georgia and Texas, July to October.
FLOWER RECORDS�According to LaBerge (1961) Aster is the chief source of pollen for dentiventris, but species of the following genera are known to be visited:
Bidens, Boltonia, Coreopsis, Chrysopsis, Eupatorium, Helianthus, Isopappus, Lespedeza, Lippia, Polygonum, Solidago, Verbena, Vernonia and Veronica.
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Identification | |
Extracted from: Robertson, C. (1897). North American Bees - Description and Synonyms. Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis. Vol. 7. No. 14.
♀.- Black, pubescence on head, thorax and basal segment
of abdomen above long and fulvous; on the clypeus, labrum,
head beneath, some hairs on vertex and a few short ones on
disc of mesothorax and scutellum, thorax beneath, legs and abdomen the pubescence is black ; some hairs on bases of
anterior and middle tibiae at base, pale ochraceous; hind
tibiae and exterior base of their tarsi with pale yellowish hair;
on the second segment of abdomen a narrow basal line and an
oblique one on each side of middle, sometimes also on third,
of appressed pale pubescence; mandibles with a yellow stripe
at apex, flagellum beneath, except three basal joints, dull testaceous. Length ♂, 10-13 mm.; ♀, 12-14 mm.
The female closely resembles M. desponsa. In M. desponsa
the pubescence above is short and pale, less abundant on first
segment of abdomen, no oblique fasciae on second segment,.
four anterior legs with pubescence more entirely black, etc.
The males agree so well with the description of M. americana Lep., that, but for the hairs of the apex of the abdomen
and ventral surface being black, I would say it was the same
species. The third and fourth segments have a faint indication of a narrow fusco-ferruginous curved fascia. This may
become a synonym.
The M. desponsa var., which Smith supposed to be the
female of M. americana, also indicates a close relationship.
here.
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Updated: 2024-04-19 08:28:03 gmt
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