Triepeolus paucipunctatus, Onuferko & Rightmyer, 2024

Onuferko, Thomas M. & Rightmyer, Molly G., 2024, A revision of the simplex species group of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Triepeolus Robertson, 1901 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 950 (1), pp. 1-106 : 61-63

Triepeolus paucipunctatus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9B1A5AAE-DA84-497C-8467-623DD1F80D2F

Figs 12J , 18B, 25

Proposed common name

Oaxaca triepeolus.

Diagnosis

The following morphological features in combination tell T. paucipunctatus sp. nov. apart from all other Triepeolus in the simplex species group: the T1 discal patch is crescent-shaped ( Fig. 25B ) and the ventrolateral halves of the mesopleura are sparsely punctate (some i>4d) and have sparse, pale-yellow, erect/suberect, simple setae (reaching about ½ MOD in length) in addition to the usual appressed, branched setae ( Figs 18B , 25A ). Triepeolus paucipunctatus most closely resembles specimens of T. alvarengai that have an apical transverse band on T1, T. eumeniformis sp. nov., and T. segregatus , but in the latter three species the mesopleura are more densely punctate (i≤ 3d) and laterally do not have erect/suberect, simple setae or have only sparse, short (<¼ MOD), erect/suberect, simple setae in addition to the usual appressed, branched setae, and in T. alvarengai and T. eumeniformis the T2 apical transverse band does not have well-defined basomedially convergent anterolateral extensions.

Etymology

The specific epithet is a compound adjective that combines the Latin ‘pauci’ (meaning ‘few’) and ‘punctatus’ (meaning ‘punctate’) and refers to the sparsely punctate mesopleura.

Material examined

Primary type material

MEXICO • ♀, holotype; Oaxaca, 3 mi W of El Camarón ; 5 Aug. 1963; L.A. Stange leg.; UCBME M.G.R. Database No. 1216 .

DNA barcoded material

Unavailable.

Description

MEASUREMENTS OF HOLOTYPE. Body length 8.0 mm; ITW 1.6 mm; head length 2.0 mm; head width 2.9 mm; fore wing length 6.4 mm.

Female

INTEGUMENT COLORATION. Dark brown to black except as follows. Mandible with middle quarter in basal half reddish brown. Scape to some extent, pedicel and F1 extensively, tegula, coxae to femora to some extent, and tibiae (excluding metatibial spurs) and tarsi extensively orange. F2 with orange spot basally. Fore wing membrane dusky subhyaline throughout. Hind wing membrane dusky subhyaline to hyaline. Pseudopygidial area with apical margin and pygidial plate reddish brown.

PUBESCENCE. Face with tomentum densest around antennal socket. Tomentum slightly sparser on clypeus; upper paraocular and frontal areas and vertexal area mostly exposed. Pronotal collar with tomentum uniformly pale yellow. Mesoscutum with well-defined paramedian band of pale-yellow tomentum, tapering slightly toward but not attaining anterior margin; pale tomentum otherwise mostly restricted to lateral and posterior margins. Mesopleuron with pale-yellow, appressed, branched setae; upper half densely setose, with setae slightly sparser on hypoepimeral area; ventrolateral half nearly bare, except along margins. Mesopleuron with sparse, pale-yellow, erect/suberect, simple setae (reaching about ½ MOD in length) in addition to usual appressed, branched setae. Metanotum with tomentum sparser medially, uniformly off-white. Propodeal triangle mostly glabrous, with (pale) setae restricted to small lateral patches. Metasomal terga with bands of pale-yellow tomentum. T1 with basal transverse band narrowly interrupted medially, arched, and continuous with (and indistinguishable from) lateral longitudinal band; apical transverse band broadened submedially and separated into pair of rounded lobes medially; discal patch crescent-shaped. T2–T4 with complete apical transverse bands, those of T2–T3 medially somewhat narrowed and removed from apical margins of terga, that of T2 with pair of basomedially convergent anterolateral extensions. T5 with large patch of pale-yellow tomentum on each side lateral to pseudopygidial area. Pseudopygidial area with triangular region of posteriorly directed coppery setae within larger trapezoidal space of posteromedially directed silvery setae; apical margin with row of dense, suberect, silvery setae. S2–S4 with apical transverse bands of white tomentum. S5 with apical fimbria of coppery bristle-like setae.

SURFACE SCULPTURE. Labrum with punctures nearly contiguous (most i <1d). Clypeus densely punctate (most i≤ 1d) but interspaces well defined, shining; with many small punctures among larger ones. Vertexal area somewhat sparsely punctate (some i>2d), especially around ocelli. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla with punctures more or less equally dense (most i≤ 1d); interspaces well defined, shining. Mesopleuron with punctures in upper half much denser (most i≤ 2d) than in ventrolateral half (some i>4d); interspaces shining; punctures similar in size throughout. Discs of metasomal terga with punctures very fine, dense (i=1–2d), and evenly distributed; interspaces shining.

STRUCTURE. Labral apex with pair of very small denticles, each preceded by discrete longitudinal ridge. Pronotal collar somewhat elongate (medial length ~¾ MOD). Mesoscutellum weakly bigibbous. Axilla extending little if at all beyond midlength of mesoscutellum; tip distinctly pointed and hooked (i.e., concave along medial margin), mesally unattached to mesoscutellum for approximately half medial length of axilla; lateral margin somewhat arcuate. Left fore wing with second submarginal crossvein incomplete and thus two submarginal cells, right fore wing with three submarginal cells. T5 with concave apical margin. Pygidial plate apically truncate. S5 straight in lateral view.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Presently known only from the type locality in Oaxaca, Mexico ( Fig. 12J ).

Ecology

Host records

Unknown.

Floral records

Unknown.

Remarks

This species is known and described only from the holotype, despite extensive search efforts for additional exemplars in existing entomological collections. Although it is undesirable to describe new species from limited material, the multiple unusual morphological features exhibited by the specimen clearly set it apart from other members of the T. simplex group and thus support its treatment as a separate species.

Figures

Fig. 12A–D (continued on next page). Distribution maps. A. All species in the Triepeolus simplex group. B. T. apache sp. nov. C. T. eumeniformis sp. nov. D. T. hirsutus sp. nov. Approximate geographic ranges are indicated in orange and were estimated from occurrence records known to the authors (yellow and blue circles, with the latter indicating localities of DNA barcoded specimens).

Fig. 25. Triepeolus paucipunctatus sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (UCBME M.G.R. Database No. 1216). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Head, frontal view. D. Pseudopygidial area, dorsal view.

Fig. 18. Mesosoma of female, lateral view. A. Triepeolus hirsutus sp. nov., paratype (AMNH). B. T. paucipunctatus sp. nov., holotype (UCBME M.G.R. Database No. 1216). C. T. saturninus Cockerell & Sandhouse, 1924 (UCBME). D. T. simplex Robertson, 1903 (PCYU). Blue arrows indicate long (≥½ MOD), erect/suberect, simple setae.