|
Sphecodes autumnalis Mitchell, 1956 Life Insecta Hymenoptera Apoidea Halictidae Sphecodes Subgenus: None |
See
| IDnature guides | Index |
Notes on female holotype by Droege... Striations on the propodeal triangle do not go quite to the rim. The rim rounded. Subapical tooth a bit more like an angle in the edge of the mandible than a tooth. The setae on the dorsal edge of the rear tibia are white and appear to be about the same height, or nearly so, of the nearby hairs. These hairs with almost no barbs. A bit difficult to see as the specimen is not in great shape. Mound below the base of the front wing shiny and pitted.
| Overview |
Reprinted with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1960 Bees of the Eastern United States. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 141.
| FEMALE-Length 4 mm.; head and thorax black, abdomen brownish-testaceous, more or less suffused with piceous; head much broader than long; eyes very slightly convergent below; clypeus slightly conwx; labrum broadly rounded, slightly broader than long, yellowish- testaceous; mandibles with a slight, inner, subapical tooth, brown-kstaceous, becoming reddened at tip; antennae dark basally, flagellum more brownish-ferruginous, the more basal segments considerably broader than long, becoming nearly as long as broad apically; lateral ocelli slightly nearer to each other than to eyes; face below ocelli shining, punctures very minute but quite distinct, slightly separated but not sparse, those on lower portion of face obscured by whitish tomentum, supraclypeal area rather dull, very finely and rather closely punctate, punctures on clypeus fine and rather close and obscure along upper margin, becoming somewhat more distinct but still very fine and rather sparse apically; vertex between eyes and ocelli shining, punctures exceedingly minute and obscure, rather widely separated, hind margin obscurly roughened, cheeks above somewhat shining, with scattered, minute and rather indistinct punctures, ,lower surface smooth and shining; wings lightly infuscated, with the usual three submarginal cells, veins and stigma brownishtestaceous; tegulae yellowish-hyaline; legs brownish-testaceous; scutum and scutellum shining, punctures on scutum minute and rather widely separated but not sparse, somewhat more sparse on scutellum; pleura dull, finely rugose, hypoepimeral area smooth and shining, with a few scattered, exceedingly minute and obscure punctures; dorsal area of propodeum rather broad, completely but rather finely striate, lateral faces rather smooth but dull, becoming rather coarsely rugosostriate posteriorly, and posterior face with a few irregular reticulations; abdominal terga smooth and shining, basal tergum impunctate, 2nd and 3rd with minute and rather close punctures over most of disc, becoming somewhat more sparse apically, the apical margins rather broadly impressed, yellowish-hyaline. MALE-Length 4-5 mm.; head and thorax black, abdomen feruginous, becoming blackened apically; head slightly broader than long; eyes very slight& convergent below; clypeus rather broad, broadly conwx; mandibles brownish-testaceous, tips becoming reddened; antennae blackish, flagellum becoming brownish- piceous beneath apically, segments 1 and 2 slightly broader than long, following segments about as long as broad; lateral ocelli subequally distant from eyes and each other; lower half of face obscured by dense, white tomentum, upper portion shining, very finely but rather distinctly punctate, punctures slightly separated, becoming minute and obscure on vertex between eyes and ocelli where the surface is shining, becoming obscurely substriate posteriorly; cheeks shining, minutely punctate, punctures rather close just back of eyes, becoming more sparse posteriorly and below, lower surface smooth and shining; wings hyaline, with the usual three submarginal cells, veins pale testaceous, stigma more brownish-testaceous; tegulae yellowishhyaline; legs piecous, tarsi more or less brownish-testaceous; scutum and scukllum shining, punctures very fine but rather distinct, well separated but not sparse, evenly distributed over most of scutum, those on scutellum somewhat more widely separated; pleura dull but quite smooth, rugose anteriorly but becoming smooth and somewhat shining posteriorly, hypoepimeral area shining, with a few, minute and obscure punctures; dorsal area of propodeum finely, irregularly and incompletely striate, hind margin smooth and rounded, lateral faces somewhat shining, rather smooth, becoming substriate below, posterior face with a few obscure reticulations; abdominal terga sinooth and shining, basal tergum with a few scattered, exceedingly minute punctures, 2nd and 3rd minutely but more distinctly and closely punctate over most of discs, apical margins of all rather broadly impressed, entirely irnpunctate, bright yellowish-hyaline; gonastyli (fig. 117) barely attaining tips of penis valves, slender and simple, very slightly dilated apically, lower surface of gonocoxite narrowly fringed with short pubescence. DISTRIBUTION - Michigan, Ontario and New York, south to North Carolina; August to October.
FLOWER RECORDS-Chrysopsis and
Haplopappus.
There i s a strong resemblance of this
species to brachycephalus. The narrower
head in azctumnalis, with the more completely
striate dorsal area of the propodeum
will usually serve to distinguish it. Also, in
autumnalis the space between the upper
clypeal margin and the antenna1 fossa is
much greater than the diameter of the
fossa. In brachycephalus this space is very
little greater t h a n t h e fossal diameter. As
out in the original description, the pressed
distribution in both time and space is considerably
different, autumnalis being more
nor thern i n its range and flying during the late
summer and fall.
Names |
| Scientific source: | |
Top
Updated: 2024-10-07 06:14:04 gmt © Designed by The Polistes Corporation |