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Tetraloniella spissa Cresson, 1872
Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Apidae   Tetraloniella




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Tetraloniella spissa (Cresson), new combination

Extracted from Wallace E. LaBerge. 2001. Revision of the Bees of the Genus Tetraloniella in the New World (Hymenoptera: pidae). Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 36(3);67-162

Melissodes spissa Cresson, 1872, Trans. American Ent. Soc., 4:280. Xenoglossodes spissa, LaBerge, 1956, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bul., 37:1,178. Melissodes bishoppi Cockerell, 1914, Canadian Ent., 46:414 (new synonymy); Lutz and Cockerell, 1920, Bul. American Mus. Nat. Hist., 42:599.Xenoglossodes bishoppi, LaBerge, 1956, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bul., 37:1,179.

This moderate-sized bee from the southern plains region is an oligolege of plants of the genus Helianthus (Compositae). The female bee has a relatively flat, large clypeus, which often has a narrow yellow or red subapical macula occupying one-fifth or less of its median length. The female terga 2-4 are each marked by a narrow apical pale fascia and basal pale tomentum separated by inter-band zones of erect hairs. Each of the male terga 2-5 has a complete narrow apical pale fascia and sternum 6 is flat without lateral angles or teeth. Both sexes of spissa have five maxillary palpal segments, the last one being very small, and have tergum 1 with the apical area impunctate.

FEMALE. Measurements and Ratios.- N = 20; length, 10.0-12.5 mm; width, 3.5-4.5 mm; wing length, M = 2.90 0.076 mm; hooks in hamulus, M =11.20 0.172; flagellar segment 1/2, M = 1.61 0.033.

Integumental Color.- Integument black except as follows: clypeus with apical fifth or slightly less red or reddish yellow; labrum often with small mediobasal yellow spot; mandibles often with bases red to orange; terga 2-5 with apical areas translucent especially apically; distitarsi red; wing membranes hyaline, veins brownish red to red.

Structure.- Clypeus relatively flat, oculoclypeal minimal distance equals slightly more than half narrowest width of first flagellar segment, with punctures regular, small, round, separated by half a puncture width, surface moderately shiny, weakly shagreened. Supraclypeal area with punctures as in clypeus or slightly larger. Face above antennal fossae punctate. Vertex with lateral flattened areas densely punctate, moderately shiny. Genal area laterally with dense, minute, deep punctures becoming somewhat larger and sparser below mandible. Galea above moderately dulled by reticular shagreening; maxillary palpal segments 5, ratio about as 0.8:1.0:1.0:0.5:0.3. Flagellar segment 2 slightly longer than broad, about as long as segment 3, remaining segments longer than broad. Mesoscutum with punctures moderate in size, deep, dense, separated mostly by half a puncture width or less, surface shiny; scutellum similar. Propodeum with dorsal surface punctate, punctures well separated especially near midline; posterior surface shiny. Mesepisternum sculptured as mesoscutum but punctures distinctly more shallow, surface moderately shiny. Metasomal tergum 1 with punctures in median third separated mostly by half to two puncture widths, becoming smaller and dense laterally; apical area impunctate except a narrow line across tergum near base of apical area; surface moderately dulled by fine shagreening. Terga 2-4 with basal areas with small round punctures separated mostly by half a puncture width or less (tergum 2 medially slightly sparser), surfaces moderately shiny, shagreening extremely fine. Pygidial plate with apex broadly rounded, almost U-shaped.

Vestiture.- In general hair ochraceous; dorsum of thorax somewhat brighter and lateral margins of terga and lower surface of thorax paler. Metasomal tergum 1 without dark hairs apically; tergum 2 with narrow apical pale pubescent fascia, often slightly narrowed medially and extreme base with erect almost white pubescence but not dense. Terga 3 and 4 with narrow apical pale fasciae similar to tergum l and with dense pale fasciae at extreme bases; terga 2-4 with space between basal and apical fasciae with erect plumose hairs not hiding surfaces. Terga 5 and 6 with ochraceous to dark ochraceous hairs. Sternal hairs long, plumose, ochraceous. Scopal hairs highly plumose, dense but not completely hiding surface of tibia; inner hind basitarsal hairs yellow to red.

MALE. Measurements and Ratios.- N = 20; length, 9-11 mm; width, 3-4 mm; wing length, M = 2.92 0.150 mm; hooks in hamulus, M = 11.45 0.153; flagellar segment 2/1, M = 3.84 0.060.

Integumental Color. Integument black except as follows: clypeus yellow except narrow apical margin and notches at posterior tentorial pits red; labrum yellow; mandible with base red to yellow; flagellum yellow to red below; tegula hyaline, reddish yellow; wing membranes hyaline, colorless, veins yellow to red; distitarsi and often apical tips of tibiae reddish yellow; terga with apical areas hyaline, colorless.

Structure.- Head with sculpturing as in female; maxillary palpus with 5 segments, in ratio about as 0.9:0.9:1.0:0.3:0.3, last segment rarely absent; antennae relatively short, barely reaching tergum 1 in repose; second flagellar segment one-fourth to one-third as long as second segment, segments round in cross-section, not strongly crenulate if at all. Sculpturing of thorax as in female except mesepisterna with punctures smaller, as deep and more crowded than those of mesoscutum. Sculpturing of metasomal terga much as in female; pygidial plate with apex broadly rounded to slightly flattened at tip, without subapical notches laterally. Tergum 7 postgradulus with lateral arm carinate not toothed.

Terminalia (Figs. 10-14) similar to that of T. cressoniana (Figs. 82-86). Last exposed sternum (sternum 6 (Fig. 10) with strong lateral shoulders on posterior margin; median apical lobe large with strong subapical lateral carinae; hairs apical to carinae short, relatively weak, abundant. Mediobasal hairs longer, sparse. Sternum 7 with anterior margin between lateral attachment point forming a broad, shallow indentation; inner apical processes large, with extremely sparse, weak, short hairs; lateral plates of normal form. Sternum 8 with strong subapical median knob; apicolateral attachment points short.

Vestiture.- Pale ochraceous to ochraceous, darkest on vertex and dorsum of thorax, without dark hairs; terga 2-5 with narrow apical pubescent bands, without basal bands, basal hairs being more diffuse, sparser and erect, not hiding surfaces; tarsi with inner surfaces with hairs bright yellow to orange.

Type Material.- The lectotype female (PANS No. 2352) of spissa was collected by G.W. Belfrage in Bosque County, Texas. The holotype male (USNM No. 22,959) of bishoppi was collected by F.C. Bishopp in Paris, Texas.

Distribution.- Tetraloniella spissa is known to occur from Texas north to eastern Nebraska and west to Colorado (Fig. 1). It has been collected from June 4 through September 26, but chiefly during July and August. One female is labeled as collected on April 9, but the author believes it to be mislabeled. This species seems to be most abundant in Kansas and 65 females and 190 males from the following localities have been examined.

COLORADO: Chimney Gulch; La Junta; Ordway. KANSAS: Butler Co.; Clark Co.; Clay Co.; Dickinson Co.; Douglas Co.; Eureka; Hoisington; Kansas City; Kismet; Lakin; Lawrence and vicinity; Manhattan; Mead; Reece; Riley Co.; Sunflower, Douglas Co.; Topeka. NEBRASKA: Lincoln; West Point. TEXAS: Adrian (18 mi. N); Bexar Co.; Bosque Co.; Canadian; Carrizo Springs; Christoval; Dallas; Fort Davis (47 mi. NE); Geronimo (4 mi. N); Kerrville (10 mi. S); Hale Co.; Panhandle; Paris; Randall Co. Canyon; Salado Creek, Bexar Co.; San Antonio; Sherman Co.; Taylor; Tex.

Flower Records.- Tetraloniella spissa appears to be an oligolege of composites of the genus Helianthus. Out of a total of 49 collections with flower data (32 females, 113 males), 34 collections (22 females, 110 males) were from some species of Helianthus.

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