Epeolus brumleyi, Onuferko, Thomas M., 2018

Onuferko, Thomas M., 2018, A revision of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Epeolus Latreille for Nearctic species, north of Mexico (Hymenoptera, Apidae), ZooKeys 755, pp. 1-185 : 44-48

13. Epeolus brumleyi sp. n. Figs 2B, 28, 29, 103B

Epeolus brevicornus Brumley, 1965. M.S. thesis, Utah State University, Logan 38 (♀) [nomen nudum].

Diagnosis.

The following morphological features in combination can be used to tell E. brumleyi apart from all other North American Epeolus : the frontal carina is weakly convex, such that the supraclypeal area is barely protuberant in lateral view; the mesoscutum has distinct paramedian bands; the axilla is small to intermediate in size, not extending much beyond the midlength of the mesoscutellum (extending to <2/3 its length) but the free portion is at least 1/4 as long as (and less than 2/5) the entire medial length of the axilla, relatively straight along the medial margin, and ferruginous to some degree whereas the mesoscutellum is typically all black; the fore wing has three submarginal cells; the T1 basal and apical fasciae are subparallel; T2-T4 have complete fasciae; and the T2 fascia has a pair of anterolateral extensions of tomentum that are weakly convergent basally. Epeolus brumleyi most closely resembles E. australis , but in E. australis the frontal carina is strongly convex and the pygidial plate of the male is narrower (the medial length is ~1.5 × the basal width) than in E. brumleyi (the medial length ≈ the basal width).

Description.

FEMALE: Length 7.6 mm; head length 1.9 mm; head width 2.7 mm; fore wing length 5.8 mm.

Integument coloration. Mostly black; notable exceptions as follows: partially to entirely ferruginous on mandible, labrum, antenna, pronotal lobe, tegula, axilla, legs, metasomal terga (including pygidial plate), and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex darker than rest of mandible; preapical tooth slightly lighter than mandibular apex (difficult to see in holotype because mandible closed; described from paratypes). Antenna brown and orange in part. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber. Wing membrane subhyaline, apically dusky. Legs more extensively reddish orange than brown or black.

Pubescence. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket. Clypeus, upper paraocular and frontal areas, and vertexal area mostly exposed. Dorsum of mesosoma and metasoma with bands of off-white to pale yellow short appressed setae. Mesoscutum with paramedian band. Mesopleuron densely hairy, except for two almost entirely bare patches (one beneath base of fore wing (hypoepimeral area), a larger circular patch occupying much of ventrolateral half of mesopleuron). Metanotum with tomentum rubbed off medially in holotype, but uninterrupted and uniformly off white in paratypes. T1 with discal patch elliptical and very wide, the basal and apical fasciae only narrowly joined laterally. T1 with basal fascia complete and apical fascia interrupted medially, T2-T4 with fasciae complete, T2 with fascia with anterolateral extensions of sparser tomentum. T5 with two large patches of pale tomentum lateral to and contacting pseudopygidial area. T5 with pseudopygidial area lunate, its apex more than twice as wide as medial length, indicated by silvery setae on impressed disc of apicomedial region elevated from rest of tergum. S5 with apical fimbria of coppery to silvery hairs not extending beyond apex of sternum by much more than 1/4 MOD.

Surface sculpture. Punctures dense. Labrum with areas of sparser punctures (i=1-2d) than clypeus (i<1d). Small impunctate shiny spot lateral to lateral ocellus. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla coarsely and densely rugose-punctate. Tegula densely punctate mesally (i≤1d), less so laterally (i=1-2d). Mesopleuron with ventrolateral half densely punctate (i≤1d) to rugose, the interspaces shining; mesopleuron with punctures more or less equally dense throughout. Metasomal terga with punctures very fine, dense (i≈1d), evenly distributed on disc.

Structure. Preapical tooth blunt and obtuse. Labrum with submedial pair of small denticles, apex edentate. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.8 × greatest width. F2 as long as wide (L/W ratio = 1.0). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it is separated by no less than 1 MOD at its terminal (difficult to see in holotype; described from paratypes). Mesoscutellum moderately bigibbous. Axilla small to intermediate in size, its lateral margin (L) less than half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.4) and tip not extending beyond midlength of mesoscutellum; axilla with tip visible, but unattached to mesoscutellum for less than 2/5 the medial length of axilla; axilla with lateral margin relatively straight and without carina. Fore wing with three submarginal cells. Pygidial plate apically truncate.

MALE: Description as for female except for usual secondary sexual characters and as follows: F2 shorter, nearly as long as wide (L/W ratio = 0.9); S4 and S5 with much longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs; pygidial plate apically rounded, with large deep punctures closely clustered.

Etymology.

This species is named after its discoverer, Richard L. Brumley, who recognized it and five other Epeolus formally described here ( E. axillaris , E. chamaesarachae , E. diadematus , E. splendidus , and E. tessieris ) as new species.

Distribution.

Arizona to Texas and presumably Mexico, given the close proximity of some collection localities (e.g., Douglas, Arizona) to the Mexico–United States border (Fig. 29).

Ecology.

HOST RECORDS: Four representatives of this species were collected at a single site in southeast Arizona in the spring of 2016 (see Material studied), from or flying near patches of Chamaesaracha (A. Gray) Benth. ( Solanaceae ), which were visited by large numbers of Colletes (presumably the host species). Using Stephen’s (1954) key, collected females were identified as C. scopiventer Swenk (a species known only from females) whereas males were identified (based in part on examination of the terminalia, which were excised) as C. wickhami Timberlake (a species known only from males), and sequenced specimens of both sexes were assigned the same BIN (BOLD:AAJ7578).

FLORAL RECORDS: Labels of examined voucher specimens indicate floral associations with Chamaesaracha coniodes (Moric. ex Dunal) Britton and Physalis L. ( Solanaceae ).

Discussion.

Epeolus brumleyi is a southwestern species that exhibits very little intraspecific morphological variation. Adults have been collected in every month from March to September, and barcoded specimens collected in early May, June, and late August were assigned the same BIN.

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: USA: Texas: Davis Mountains, 10.vii.1942, E.C. Van Dyke (holotype ♀, CAS).

Secondary: USA: Arizona: 1 mi E Douglas (Cochise County), 08.v.1989, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♀ [CCDB-28315 G10], AMNH); 14 mi SW Apache (Cochise County), 14.v.1988, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♀, AMNH); 3 mi NE Portal (Cochise County), 18.viii.1970, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♂, AMNH); 3-7 mi S San Simon (Cochise County), 21.v.1988, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♀, AMNH); 9 mi E Douglas (Cochise County), 17.ix.1976, J.G. Rozen (paratype ♂, AMNH); Hwy 80 (31.4450°N; 109.4722°W) (~8 mi NE Douglas, Cochise County), 10.v.2016, T.M. Onuferko (allotype ♂, PCYU), 10.v.2016, T.M. Onuferko (paratypes 2♀ (1 barcoded [CCDB-24580 B11]), 1♂, PCYU); S Blue Sky Road (4 mi E Willcox, Cochise County), 30.viii.2015, J.S. Francis (paratype ♂ [CCDB-28238 A04], PCYU); New Mexico: 0.7 km E Longview Spring (32.1007°N; 104.6137°W) (Eddy County), 22.vi.2010, A. Druk and J.D. Herndon (paratype ♀, BBSL); 1 mi W Animas (Hidalgo County), 30.viii.1977, R.W. Brooks (paratype ♀, KUNHM); 1.1 km SW by W Oak Spring (32.1743°N; 104.4580°W) (Eddy County), 11.viii.2010, J.D. Herndon (paratype ♀, BBSL); 4 mi S Animas (Hidalgo County), 24.viii.1974, Rozen and Favreau (paratype ♂, AMNH); Loving (Eddy County), 28.v.1945, J.W. MacSwain (paratype ♂, BBSL); Walnut Canyon (32.1872°N; 104.3936°W) (2.6 km SE by S Cottonwood Spring, Eddy County), 03.vi.2010, A. Druk and J.D. Herndon (paratype ♀, BBSL); Texas: 18 km N Coleman (Coleman County), 01.vi.1989, B.N. Danforth (paratype ♀ [CCDB-28315 C09], KUNHM); 2 mi S Falfurrias (Brooks County), 13.iii.1999, J.L. Neff, A. Hook, and C. R. Riley (paratype ♂, CTMI); Davis Mountains, 28.vi.1942, E.C. Van Dyke (paratype ♂, BBSL), 17.iv.1954, R.H. Beamer (paratype ♂, BBSL); Sarita (Kenedy County), 15.iv.1976, J.E. Gillaspy (paratype ♀, BBSL).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Available. BOLD:ACZ9234. See Type material for specimens examined and sequenced (indicated by unique CCDB-plate and well number).