Perdita (Cockerellia) boharti Portman & Griswold

Portman, Zachary M., Griswold, Terry & Pitts, James P., 2016, Association of the female of Perdita (Xeromacrotera) cephalotes (Cresson), and a replacement name for Perdita bohartorum Parker (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 4097 (4), pp. 567-574 : 572-574

Perdita (Cockerellia) boharti Portman & Griswold , New name

Perdita bohartorum Parker, 1983: 229 , ♀♂. Holotype data: ♂, Utah, Emery Co., sandy ridge E. of Little Gilson Butte, 5100’, 29 May 1981, F.D. Parker and S.F. Parker (USNM type no. 100071, not examined).

Diagnosis of male. In Timberlake’s (1954) key to Cockerellia , the male of P. boharti keys out to either P. lacteipennis lacteipennis Swenk and Cockerell (= P. albipennis albipennis (Cresson)) or P. bequaerti bequaerti Viereck , depending on choice of the color of the wing veins. In either case, the male of P. boharti is distinct from all other Cockerellia in having a large protrusion on the second sternum. Genitalia, face, and unique sternal modifications are illustrated in Parker (1983: Figs. 1 –7).

Diagnosis of female. In Timberlake’s (1954) key to Cockerellia , the female keys out to P. lacteipennis lacteipennis (= P. albipennis albipennis ). Perdita boharti can be separated by the more copious scopal hairs, the lack of a median apical emargination on the pygidial plate, and the relatively long and fine hairs on the scutum (compared to the short and thick hairs on the scutum of P. albipennis albipennis ).

Biology. According to Parker (1983), P. boharti specialize on the pollen of Scabrethia scabra (Hook.) W.A. Weber ( Asteraceae , tribe Heliantheae, badlands mule-ears). Because Scabrethia is a monotypic genus, P. boharti may be monolectic, limiting its pollen collection to a single plant species. The known flight period of P. boharti is May to June and P. boharti has only been collected in the San Rafael Desert of the Colorado Plateau ( Fig. 2 ). It is a ground-nesting bee (F.D. Parker, personal communication).

Remarks. Perdita bohartorum Parker, 1983 is a primary junior homonym of Perdita bohartorum Timberlake, 1956 . Parker (1983) did not place P. boharti into a subgenus. It is here assigned to the subgenus Cockerellia based on the following combination of characters laid out in Timberlake (1954): (1) maxillary palpi six-segmented, (2) male hind tarsal claws simple, and (3) female scopal hairs wavy and simple.

Floral records. Asteraceae : Scabrethia scabra 19 ♂ 3 ♀.

Type material examined. Paratype data: 11 ♂, Utah, Emery Co., sandy ridge E. of Little Gilson Butte, 5100’, 29 May 1981, F.D. Parker and S.F. Parker ( BBSL).

Additional Material examined. UTAH: Emery County: Big Flat Top, NE (38.5197 -110.4463): 1 ♂, 25 May 1992, T.L. Griswold; 1 ♂, 25 May 1992, T.L. Griswold, S. scabra ; Iron Wash, 2.5 mi SW (38.77495 - 110.32667): 1 ♂, 13 Jun 1983, T.L. Griswold, S. scabra ; Little Flat Top, 0.5 mi E (38.5404 -110.4813): 1 ♂, 30 May 1991, T.L. Griswold, S. scabra ; 1 ♂, 0 3 Jun 1991, T.L. Griswold, S. scabra ; Little Flat Top, San Rafael Desert (38.5333 -110.4833): 3 ♂ 1 ♀, 28 May 1985, F.D. Parker; Little Gilson Butte, 3.2 air mi NE (38.6299 -110.568): 3 ♂, 28 May 1985, D.K. Broemeling; 6 ♂, 28 May 1985, F.D. Parker; 2 ♂, 28 May 1985, R.T. Griswold; 1 ♂, 28 May 1985, T.L. Griswold; 8 ♂, 28 May 1985, T.L. Griswold, S. scabra ; 7 ♂, 30 May 1991, T.L. Griswold; Little Gilson Butte, E side (38.5921 -110.6009): 21 ♂ 7 ♀, 0 4 Jun 1982, F.D. Parker; San Rafael Desert (38.7979 - 110.4413): 1 ♂ 3 ♀, 13 Jun 1991, T.L. Griswold, S. scabra ; Wayne County: Big Flat Top, 7 mi E (38.4893 - 110.33593): 1 ♀, 29 May 1985, F.D. Parker; Hanksville, 7 mi N (38.46438 -110.67258): 3 ♂, 30 May 1991, T.L. Griswold, S. scabra ; 7 ♂ 6 ♀, 0 3 Jun 1991, T.L. Griswold; Hwy 24, 1 mi S Emery County line (38.48673 - 110.65862): 3 ♂, 30 May 1991, T.L. Griswold, S. scabra .

Etymology. Perdita boharti was chosen based on the preferences of F.D. Parker, who originally described the species. It continues the purpose of the original name honoring the brothers Bohart.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Perdita cephalotes (Cresson). (A) Small-headed male face. Scale bar = 250 Μm. (B) Large-headed male face. Scale bar = 250 Μm. (C) Female face. Scale bar = 250 Μm. (D) Male maxillary palpi, showing minute fifth palp. Maxillary palpi are similar in both sexes. Scale bar = 100 Μm. (E) Male side view. Scale bar = 1 mm. (F) Female metasoma. Scale bar = 250 Μm. (G) Female lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Distribution of P. cephalotes (circles) and P. boharti (triangles). Scale bar = 200 km.