Epeolus floridensis 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 : 79-83

23. Epeolus floridensis Mitchell, 1962 Figs 49, 50, 97B

Epeolus floridensis Mitchell, 1962. N. C. Agric. Exp. Stn. Tech. Bull. 152: 446 (♀).

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. floridensis apart from all other North American Epeolus : the axilla is large, with the tip extending as far back as or beyond the posterior margin of the mesoscutellum, dilated laterally, and like the mesoscutellum ferruginous; the mesopleuron is closely (i≤1d) and evenly punctate; T1 is (with few exceptions) ferruginous and with a distinct, although sometimes medially-interrupted, basal fascia; the mesoscutum and metasomal terga have bands of pale gray to white short appressed setae; at least the T1-T3 apical fasciae are distinctly interrupted medially; and the pseudopygidial area of the female is lunate with the apex <2 × the medial length. Epeolus floridensis is similar to E. howardi , but in E. howardi the mesoscutum and metasomal terga have bands of bright or pale yellow short appressed setae and the metasomal terga (including T1) are black. Epeolus floridensis is also similar to E. packeri , but in E. packeri the T1 basal fascia is absent or reduced to a pair of small patches of pale tomentum, the metasomal terga (including T1) are black, and the pseudopygidial area of the female is lunate with the apex>2 × the medial length.

Redescription.

FEMALE: Length 7.5 mm; head length 2.1 mm; head width 2.7 mm; fore wing length 5.5 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, metapleuron, propodeum, legs, T1, T5, pygidial plate, and metasomal sterna. Mandible with apex darker than rest of mandible; preapical tooth slightly lighter than mandibular apex. Antenna brown and orange in part. Pronotal lobe and tegula pale ferruginous to amber. Mesoscutum almost entirely reddish brown. 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 to pale gray short appressed setae. Mesoscutum with paramedian band. Mesopleuron sparsely hairy, but tomentum moderately dense along margins. Metanotum with tomentum uninterrupted, 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. T1-T4 with apical fasciae interrupted medially and somewhat broader laterally, T2 with fascia without anterolateral extensions of tomentum. T5 with two patches of pale tomentum lateral to and contacting pseudopygidial area. T5 with pseudopygidial area lunate, 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 not extending beyond apex of sternum by more than 1/4 MOD.

Surface sculpture. Punctures dense. Labrum with larger and sparser punctures (i=1-2d) than clypeus (i<1d). Upper paraocular and frontal areas, and vertexal area with punctures equally dense. Impunctate spot lateral to lateral ocellus absent in holotype, but shiny spot present in non-type specimens. 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), the interspaces shining; mesopleuron with punctures more or less equally dense throughout. Metasomal terga with punctures very fine, dense (i=1-2d), evenly distributed on disc; the interspaces shining somewhat.

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 = 1.6). Preoccipital ridge not joining hypostomal carina, from which it is separated by about 1.5 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 as far back as apex of horizontal dorsal portion of mesoscutellum; axilla with tip clearly visible, but unattached to mesoscutellum for less than 1/3 the medial length of axilla; axilla with lateral margin arcuate. Fore wing with three submarginal cells. Pygidial plate apically truncate.

MALE: Description as for female except for usual secondary sexual characters and as follows: upper paraocular area very finely and sparsely punctate in part, the interspaces shining; F2 shorter, but still longer than wide (L/W ratio = 1.3); S4 and S5 with much longer coppery to silvery subapical hairs; pygidial plate apically rounded, with large deep punctures closely clustered basomedially and sparser apically and laterally, with the interspaces shining.

Distribution.

Florida peninsula (Fig. 50).

Ecology.

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

FLORAL RECORDS: Mitchell (1962) indicated a floral association with Eriogonum tomentosum Michx. ( Polygonaceae ). Labels of examined voucher specimens further indicate associations with Licania michauxii Prance ( Chrysobalanaceae ), Ptilimnium capillaceum (Michx.) Raf. ( Apiaceae ), and Sabal etonia Swingle ex Nash ( Arecaceae ).

Discussion.

Epeolus floridensis exhibits very little intraspecific morphological variation. However, one specimen was observed in which T1 is as dark as the remaining terga rather than bright ferruginous, the usual state. Also, in some males the upper paraocular area has comparatively fewer punctures than in females while in other specimens punctures are similarly dense between the sexes. Based on examined records, adults of E. floridensis appear to be most active in spring, although Mitchell (1962) lists some paratypes that were collected in mid-July.

Material studied.

Type material. Primary: USA: Florida: Arcadia (DeSoto County), 27.iv.1955, H.E. and M.A. Evans (holotype ♀ [CUIC, catalog number: 00015349]).

Secondary: USA: Florida: Arcadia (DeSoto County), 27.iv.1955, H.E. and M.A. Evans (allotype ♂ [CUIC, catalog number: 00015348]), 27.iv.1955, H.E. and M.A. Evans (paratypes 1♀, 1♂, NCSU).

DNA barcoded material with BIN-compliant sequences.

Available. BOLD:ACZ9059. Specimens examined and sequenced.-USA: Florida: Archbold Biological Station (Highlands County), 28.iv.-18.v.2008, S.M. Paiero (1♀, 1♂, DEBU); Lake Placid (Highlands County), 17.v.2014, S. Lenberger (1♀, FSCA).

Non-barcoded material examined.

USA: Florida: Archbold Biological Station (27.1838°N; 81.3532°W) (Highlands County), 28.v.2010, M. Deyrup (1♀, ABS); Lake Wales Ridge State Forest (27.6611°N; 81.3964°W) (Polk County), 30.iv.2009, M. Deyrup, A. May, and H. Otte (1♀, ABS); Lake Wales Ridge State Forest (27.6933°N; 81.4279°W) (Polk County), 30.iv.2009, M. Deyrup, A. May, and H. Otte (1♂, ABS); Lake Wales Ridge State Forest (27.6915°N; 81.4282°W) (Polk County), 06.v.2009, M. Deyrup, A. May, and H. Otte (1♀, ABS); N FWC Carter Creek (27.5313°N; 81.4104 °W) (Highlands County), 15.v.2010, J. Dunlap, M. and N. Deyrup, and K. Dearborn (1♂, ABS); Saddle Blanket Lakes (27.6696°N; 81.5758°W) (Polk County), 07.v.2009, M. Deyrup (1♂, ABS); Saddle Blanket Lakes (27.6716°N; 81.5759°W) (Polk County), 08.v.2009, M. Deyrup, A. May, and H. Otte (1♀, ABS); Walk-In-The-Water State Forest (27.7613°N; 81.4877°W) (Polk County), 29.v.2010, M. Deyrup (1♀, ABS).