Epeolus carolinus Mitchell, 1962

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 : 49-53

15. Epeolus carolinus Mitchell, 1962 Figs 3C, 32, 33, 92B

Epeolus carolinus Mitchell, 1962. N. C. Agric. Exp. Stn. Tech. Bull. 152: 445 (♂).

Diagnosis.

The following morphological features in combination can be used to tell E. carolinus apart from all other North American Epeolus : the mandible has a blunt, obtuse preapical tooth; the axilla is elongate, extending well beyond the midlength of the mesoscutellum but not beyond its posterior margin, and the free portion is distinctly hooked; the mesopleuron is closely (most i<1d) and evenly punctate; and the metaso mal fasciae are yellow to orange and interrupted medially. Epeolus carolinus resembles E. deyrupi in general appearance, but in E. deyrupi the axilla is larger, extending as far back as or beyond the posterior margin of the mesoscutellum, and dilated laterally but relatively straight along the medial margin, and the mesopleuron commonly has sparser punctures ventrolaterally (i≤2d) than that of E. carolinus , with the interspaces shining or somewhat dull due to tessellate surface microsculpture.

Redescription.

MALE: Length 6.5 mm; head length 1.8 mm; head width 2.4 mm; fore wing length 5.7 mm.

Integument coloration. Mostly black; notable exceptions as follows: partially to entirely ferruginous on mandible, antenna, pronotal lobe, tegula, axilla, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, legs, and pygidial plate. Mandible with apex darker than rest of mandible; preapical tooth slightly lighter than mandibular apex (difficult to see in holotype; described from paratype). Antenna brown except scape, pedicel, and F1 extensively orange. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber. Mesoscutum with orange spot anterolaterally between pronotal lobe and tegula. Wing membrane subhyaline, apically dusky. Legs more extensively reddish orange than brown or black.

Pubescence. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket. Tomentum slightly sparser on clypeus; upper paraocular and frontal areas, and vertexal area mostly exposed. Dorsum of mesosoma and metasoma with bands of off-white and yellow short appressed setae. Mesoscutum with paramedian band. Mesopleuron densely hairy, except for two sparsely hairy circular patches (one behind pronotal lobe, a larger one occupying much of ventrolateral half of mesopleuron). Metanotum with tomentum sparser medially, uniformly off white. T1 with discal patch quadrangular and very wide, the basal and apical fasciae only narrowly joined laterally by few sparsely scattered pale hairs (not joined in paratype and multiple non-type specimens). T1-T5 with apical fasciae interrupted medially, those of T2-T4 somewhat broader laterally, T2 with fascia without anterolateral extensions of tomentum. T6 with fascia complete. S4 and S5 with long coppery to silvery subapical hairs.

Surface sculpture. Punctures dense. Labrum with larger punctures than clypeus, but punctures of both equally dense (i<1d). Impunctate spot lateral to lateral ocellus absent. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla coarsely and densely rugose-punctate. Tegula very densely punctate mesally (i<1d), much less so laterally (i>2d). Mesopleuron with ventrolateral half densely punctate (i<1d) to rugose; 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 inconspicuous, blunt and obtuse. Labrum with pair of small subapical denticles not preceded by carinae. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.8 × greatest width. F2 noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.4). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it is separated by less than 1 MOD at its terminal (difficult to see in holotype; described from non-type specimens). Mesoscutellum weakly bigibbous. Axilla large, its lateral margin (L) more than half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.6) and tip extending well beyond midlength of mesoscutellum but not as far back as its posterior margin; axilla with tip conspicuously diverging from side of mesoscutellum, distinctly hooked, and axilla with free portion 2/5 its medial length; axilla with lateral margin arcuate and carinate. Fore wing with three submarginal cells. Pygidial plate apically rounded, with large deep punctures more or less evenly spaced throughout, with the interspaces shining.

FEMALE: Description as for male except for usual secondary sexual characters and as follows: F2 even longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.7); T5 with pseudopygidial area lunate, its apex more than twice as wide as medial length, indicated by silvery setae on flat disc of apicomedial region elevated from rest of tergum; S4 and S5 with much shorter hairs (S5 with apical fimbria of coppery to silvery hairs not extending beyond apex of sternum by more than 1/4 MOD); pygidial plate apically truncate, with small, denser punctures.

Distribution.

South Atlantic states (Fig. 33).

Ecology.

HOST RECORDS: The host species of E. carolinus is/are presently unknown.

FLORAL RECORDS: Mitchell (1962) indicated a floral association with Eupatorium L. ( Compositae ), and BugGuide (http://www.bugguide.net/) indicates an association with Solidago fistulosa Mill. Labels of examined voucher specimens further indicate associations with Euthamia graminifolia (L.) Nutt. ( Compositae ), Heterotheca subaxillaris (Lam.) Britton & Rusby ( Compositae ), and Spermacoce L. ( Rubiaceae ).

Discussion.

This southeastern species is quite variable in terms of integument coloration and pubescence on the metasomal terga. The mesoscutellum and disc of T1 range from entirely black to entirely ferruginous. The axillae appear to be at least partially ferruginous. Whereas T1 and T2 have prominent yellow fasciae, the fasciae on the remaining terga range from prominent to reduced or even absent. Adults of Epeolus carolinus are active in September and October.

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: USA: North Carolina: Kill Devil Hills, 12.ix.1956, T.B. Mitchell (holotype ♂ [USNM, catalog number: 534042]).

Secondary: USA: North Carolina: Kill Devil Hills, 13.ix.1956, T.B. Mitchell (paratype ♂, NHMUK); New River, 20-30.ix.1944, G.E. Bohart (paratype ♂, BBSL).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Available. BOLD:ACM5698. Specimens examined and sequenced.-USA: Florida: Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve (30.3842°N; 81.4857°W) (Duval County), 15.x.2012, C. Pontifet (1♂, BIML); South Carolina: Prince George Estates (E Hwy 17, Georgetown County), 09.x.2006, S. Paiero and S.A. Marshall (1♂, DEBU).

Non-barcoded material examined.

USA: Florida: Archbold Biological Station (Highlands County), 11.x.1978, H.V. Weems, Jr. and S.J. Chance (2♀, LACM), 08.x.1964, P.H. Arnaud, Jr. (1♂, LACM); Cedar Key (Levy County), 27.x.1974, E.E. Grissell (3♀, 1♂, UCBME); Doyle Conner Bldg (Gainesville, Alachua County), 04.x.1995, C. Porter (1♂, FSCA), 12.x.1995, C. Porter (1♂, FSCA), 17.x.1995, C. Porter (2♂, FSCA); Gainesville (Alachua County), 13.x.??48 (1♀, LACM), 25.viii.1976, W.H. Pierce (1♂, UCBME); Mason Road (Melrose, Putnam County), 11.x.2009, J.S. Ascher and H.G. Hall (1♂, AMNH); Perry (Taylor County), 1983, L. Packer (1♀, PCYU); W Murdock (Charlotte County), 20.x.1983, L. Packer (2♀, 2♂, PCYU); South Carolina: Aiken Savannah River Site (33.3449°N; 81.6614°W), 17.x.2016, S. Breland (1♀, JBWM); Prince George Estates (E Hwy 17, Georgetown County), 09.x.2006, S. Paiero and S.A. Marshall (1♂, DEBU).