Epeolus zonatus Smith, 1854

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 : 150-164

43. Epeolus zonatus Smith, 1854 Figs 89, 90, 97H

Epeolus zonatus Smith, 1854. Cat. Hym. Brit. Mus. 2: 257 (♀, ♂), new lectotype designation.

Diagnosis.

The following morphological features in combination (excluding any that are specific to the opposite sex of the one being diagnosed) can be used to tell E. zonatus apart from all other North American Epeolus except E. erigeronis , E. ilicis , and E. inornatus : the mandible is simple; the axilla does not attain the midlength of the mesoscutellum but the free portion is distinctly hooked, with the tip unattached to the mesoscutellum for more than 1/3 of the entire medial length of the axilla; and the pseudopygidial area of the female is distinctly campanulate with the apex <2 × the medial length. Whereas in E. erigeronis , E. ilicis , and E. inornatus the pronotal collar and metasomal terga are black, as are sometimes the axilla and mesoscutellum, in E. zonatus the pronotal collar, axilla, mesoscutellum, T1, and T2 are ferruginous. Also, in E. zonatus the dorsum of the mesosoma and metasoma is commonly with much less pale pubescence.

Redescription.

FEMALE: Length 9.7 mm; head length 2.3 mm; head width 3.1 mm; fore wing length 6.2 mm.

Integument coloration. Black in part, at least partially ferruginous on mandible, labrum, clypeus, antenna, pronotal collar, pronotal lobe, tegula, axilla, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, metanotum, mesopleuron, legs, T1, T2, and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex darker than all but extreme base. Antenna brown and orange in part. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber. Mesoscutum reddish-brown along lateral margin and with pair of reddish-brown markings near posterior margin between midline and parapsidal line. Wing membrane dusky subhyaline, slightly darker at apex. 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. Mesoscutum without pale tomentum. Dorsum of metasoma with bands of off-white short appressed setae. Mesopleuron nearly bare, except along margins. Metanotum with tomentum sparser medially, uniformly off white. T1 with discal patch quadrangular and very wide, the basal and apical fasciae at most only narrowly joined laterally (not joined in lectotype and multiple non-type specimens). T1 with basal and apical fasciae and T2-T3 with apical fasciae widely separated medially, the apical fasciae reduced to pairs of small patches somewhat broader laterally, T2 with fascia without anterolateral extensions of tomentum. T4 with fascia much more narrowly interrupted medially than on pre ceding terga. T5 with two faint patches of pale tomentum lateral to and contacting pseudopygidial area at apex, diverging from pseudopygidial area basally. T5 with pseudopygidial area campanulate, its apex less 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 extending beyond apex of sternum by ~2/5 MOD.

Surface sculpture. Punctures dense. Labrum with larger and sparser punctures (i=1-2d) than clypeus (i<1d). Small impunctate matte spot lateral to lateral ocellus. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, and axilla coarsely and densely rugose-punctate. Tegula very densely punctate mesally (i<1d), less so laterally (i=1-2d). Mesopleuron with denser (i≤1d) punctures in upper half than ventrolateral half (i≤2d), the interspaces shining; mesopleuron with punctures similar in size throughout. Metasomal terga with punctures very fine, dense (i=1-2d), evenly distributed on disc; the interspaces shining somewhat.

Structure. Mandible without preapical tooth. Labrum with pair of small subapical denticles not preceded by carinae. Frontal keel not strongly raised. Scape with greatest length 1.9 × greatest width. F2 noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.4). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it is separated by no less than 1 MOD at its terminal. Mesoscutellum moderately bigibbous. Axilla intermediate in size, its lateral margin (L) nearly half as long as mesoscutellar width (W) (L/W ratio = 0.4-0.5) and tip not extending beyond midlength of mesoscutellum; 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 relatively straight and carinate. 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, not noticeably longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.1); S4 and S5 with much longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs; pygidial plate apically rounded, with large deep punctures more or less evenly spaced throughout, with the interspaces shining.

Distribution.

Florida and coastal Georgia (Fig. 90).

Ecology.

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

FLORAL RECORDS: Mitchell (1962) indicated floral associations with Crataegus L. ( Rosaceae ) and Prunus L. Labels of examined voucher specimens further indicate associations with Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. ( Compositae ), Aralia spinosa , Clinopodium ashei , Ilex cassine L., I. glabra , Licania michauxii , Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng. ( Lauraceae ), Prunus angustifolia , and Serenoa repens .

Discussion.

Smith (1854) described E. zonatus from both sexes, represented by three syntypes (all females) deposited at the NHMUK. The male description is actually based on a female specimen (see E. zonatus paralectotype [catalog number: 010812211] under Type material) of another species ( E. bifasciatus ). All three specimens were examined, and one of the two females of the true E. zonatus is herein designated as the lectotype, the one that is in better condition that fits Smith’s (1854) original description of the female.

Structurally, E. zonatus and E. ilicis are identical, but in E. zonatus the pronotal collar, axilla, mesoscutellum, and discs of T1 and T2 are ferruginous, whereas in E. ilicis at least the pronotal collar and metasomal terga are entirely black. These are the exact same features that separate E. glabratus (another species restricted to peninsular Florida and coastal Georgia) from E. lectoides . Presently, only a single 422 bp sequence is available for E. ilicis (a male specimen from Florida, USA), which clusters with sequences of E. zonatus (Suppl. material 2), and all were as signed the same BIN. However, as the morphological differences between the two species are consistent, and because there appears to be little overlap in the ranges of both species, I have opted to treat E. ilicis and E. zonatus as heterospecific, despite the apparent lack of evidence of genetic divergence. This is another example of red-marked Hymenoptera in Florida with black congeners elsewhere (see Deyrup and Eisner 2003).

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: USA: Florida: ( E. zonatus lectotype ♀ [NHMUK, catalog number: 010812210]).

Secondary: USA: Florida: St. Johns Bluff ( E. zonatus paralectotypes 2♀ (1 numbered [NHMUK, catalog number: 010812211])).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Available. BOLD:ACM5887. Specimens examined and sequenced.-USA: Florida: Archbold Biological Station (Highlands County), 17-23.iv.2007, S.M. Paiero (1♀, DEBU); Georgia: Cumberland Island National Seashore (30.8264°N; 81.4369°W) (Camden County), 02.iv.2012, D. Hoffman (1♀, RSKM).

Non-barcoded material examined.

USA: Florida: A. Bolter (1♀, LACM); A.T. Solsson (1♂, AMNH); Alachua County, v.??49 (1♀, FMNH); Archbold Biological Station (Highlands County), 17-23.iv.2007, S.M. Paiero (1♂, DEBU); Archbold Biological Station (near Lake Annie, Highlands County), 14.iii.2016, M. Deyrup (1♂, ABS); Austin Cary Forest (Gainesville, Alachua County), 20.v.1976, G.B. Fairchild (1♀, UCBME); Dunedin (Pinellas County), 04.iv.1914 (2♀, AMNH); Gainesville (Alachua County), 02.iv.1976, W.H. Pierce (1♀, UCBME); Lake Louisa State Park (12 km S Clermont, Lake County), 05.iv.2014, K.A. Williams (2♀, FSCA); Lake Placid (Archbold Biological Station, Highlands County), 07.iv.1984, R.M. Bohart (2♂, UCBME); Leesburg (Lake County), 01-11.iii.1954, M. Statham (1♂, AMNH); N FWC Carter Creek (27.5313°N; 81.4104°W) (Highlands County), 11.v.2010, J. Dunlap, M. and N. Deyrup, and K. Dearborn (2♂, ABS).

Key to species of the genus Epeolus in Canada and the United States of America