Lasioglossum clastipedion
L . clavicorne
L . clematisellum
L . julipile
L . perditum
The ‘ red-tailed’ Lasioglossum (Dialictus) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) of the western Nearctic
Gardner, Joel
Gibbs, Jason
European Journal of Taxonomy
2020
2020-11-27
725
1
242
3SDYH
Cockerell
1904
[249,629,264,293]
Insecta
Halictidae
Lasioglossum
Animalia
Hymenoptera
221
222
Arthropoda
species
clematisellum
Species included Lasioglossum clastipedion sp. nov., L. clavicorne sp. nov., L. clematisellum, L. julipile sp. nov., and L. perditum sp. nov.
Diagnosis The Lasioglossum clematisellumspecies complex comprises several morphologically and genetically similar species found in deserts of the southwestern United Statesand northern Mexico. Females can be fairly easily diagnosed by the combination of wings pale with extremely short, inconspicuous white hairs, metapostnotal rugae strong and usually reaching the posterior margin, punctures of the face, hypoepimeron, and mesepisternum all distinctly separated, and T2 without dark spiracular spots. Males are small (< 5 mm), with the metasoma relatively narrow and all black to brown, rims of T1–3 largely impunctate, flagellomeres relatively long (F2–11 1.5–2 times as long as broad), head and mesosoma usually shiny with distinctly separated punctures, and metapostnotum usually with strong rugae reaching the posterior margin and extending onto the dorsolateral slope. In addition, males of this group often lack the second submarginal crossvein in one or both forewings, therefore possessing only two submarginal cells, and in one species ( L. perditum sp. nov.) this is the usual condition. The male of L. clavicorne sp. nov.is unusual and lacks many of these diagnostic characters; L. clavicorne sp. nov.is included in this group mainly based on female morphology. These species are usually challenging to distinguish morphologically, but most are limited geographically and so collection locality may be used as an aid to identification. Lasioglossum clematisellumis the only species in this group with a very large distribution.