J. HYM. RES. Vol. 13(2), 2004, pp. 250-261 Hooked Hairs and Not So Narrow Tubes: Two New Species of Colletes Latreille from Texas (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae) John L. Neff Central Texas Melittological Institute, 7307 Running Rope, Austin, Texas 78731; email: [email protected] Abstract. —Two new species, Colletes bumeliae Neff and Colletes inuncantipedis Neff, are de- scribed from central Texas, U.S.A. Both have arrays of specialized, recurved setae on their foretarsi which are used to extract pollen from flowers of Sideroxylon lanuginosum (A. Michaux) Pennington (Sapotaceae), their primary floral host. Nests and provisioning behavior are described for C. in- uncantipedis. Colletes is a nearly cosmopolitan genus pers. com.). In addition, females of some of bees consisting of more than 440 species Mesoamerican Colletes (including C. isth- (Michener 2000, Kuhlmann 2003). Rough- micus Swenk and C. mexicanus Cresson) ly 100 species have been recorded from have a metasomal scopa comprised of se- North and Central America, making Col- tae with hooked apices (Griswold et al. letes one of the larger genera of American 1995). I here add to this short list by de- bees (Michener et al. 1994). While many scribing two distinctive new species from species of Colletes are believed to be oli- central Texas. Females of both species golectic (Stephen 1954, Moldenke 1979, have unusual arrays of hooked setae on Mader 1999, Muller and Kuhlmann 2003) their foretarsi which are employed in the very little has been reported on either collection of pollen from the partially hid- den anthers of flowers of Lin- their pollen collecting behavior or any Sideroxylon morphological features which may en- naeus (Sapotaceae). hance pollen harvesting by these bees. This is MATERIALS not particularly surprising since AND METHODS most North American Colletes lack obvi- Morphological nomenclature follows ous specializations for pollen harvesting Michener (2000) with the addition of the beyond the usual branched body hairs terms clypeal apicomedial and apicolater- and tarsal and tibial of brushes simple se- al fovea for the sensillae bearing fovea on tae (Thorp 1979). The few exceptions in- the apical margin of the clypeus. Defini- clude the sternal setal brushes of females tions for abbreviations and measurements of some members of the consors of group are as follows: UIOD—upper interocular used for Stephen (1954) pollen collection distance (minimal distance between com- during vibratile pollen from harvesting pound eyes on upper part of face); the flowers of Chamaesaracha, and — Quincula LIOD lower interocular distance (mini- (all Physalis Solanaceae) 1954, J. mal (Stephen distance between compound eyes on L. Neff pers. obs.), and of hooked arrays lower portion of face); MIOD—maximal setae on the and frons of an clypeus un- interocular distance (maximal distance be- described Mexican that aid in col- tween species compound eyes); OCD—ocellar di- from the nototribic anthers lecting pollen ameter; PW—puncture width; Tl, T2, T3 of flowers of the Lamiaceae (G. Dieringer, -Metasomal Tergum 1, Tergum 2, Ter- Volume 13, Number 2, 2004 251 .. — 3 . S3 ... Metasomal Ster- C. C. simulans gum ; SI, S2, scopiventer Swenk, Cresson, . — num 1, Sternum 2, Sternum 3 ; BL C. skinneri Viereck, C. sleveni Cockerell, C. body length (length front of vertex to pos- sivenki Stephen, C. texanus Cresson, C. terior margin of T2); FW—forewing length thoracicus Smith, C. willistoni Robertson, C. (measured from base of the—radial cell to wihnattae Cockerell and C. wootoni Cock- apex of marginal cell); HW head width erell. (maximal width in frontal view). Acro- — Colletes bumeliae Neff, new species nyms used include: BFL Brackenridge — Field Laboratory of The University of Tex- Diagnosis. The female of Colletes bume- as, Austin, Texas; SEMC—Natural History liae is easily distinguished from all other Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Nearctic Colletes, except C. inuncantipedis, Kansas; TAMU—Entomology Collection by the distinctive arrays of hooked hairs of Texas A & M University, College Sta- on its forebasitarsi. It fails at couplet 71 in tion, Texas and J.L.N.—J.L.Neff. the female key of Stephen (1954) due to The lengths of the foretarsi (and femora the absence of dark hairs on the meso- and tibiae) of female Colletes bumeliae and scutum and scutellum; mesepisternum C. inuncantipedis were compared with strongly punctate, not rugose; and absence those of females lacking the specialized of basal fascia on T2. The male runs to Col- hooked hairs. Lengths were adjusted for letes kansensis Stephen (couplet 71 in Ste- size by dividing the appropriate leg length phen's key) but is readily distinguished by by head width. Adjusted tarsal and other the shape of the 7th sternite, the puncta- leg length measures did not differ be- tion of Tl fine and sparse medially, and tween C. bumeliae and C. inuncantipedis so the tegulae translucent brown, not black. they were combined for further analyses. Colletes bumeliae is clearly closely related to For comparative purposes, I also used two C. inuncantipedis. The form of the genitalia measures of forewing length as the divi- and the metapleural prominence suggest sor: as defined above and, in unworn kansensis may be the closest relative to specimens, from the base of the radial cell these two species. Unfortunately, the fe- to the distal wing apex). Seventy-five in- male of kansensis is unknown. — = dividuals from 39 species (two or rarely Description. 9. Measurements: (N one female per species), were used for the 9) BL: 7.0-8.2 mm; FW: 4.5-5.2 mm; HW analysis (11 females were excluded due to 2.8-3.1 mm. Head: Face 1.24-1.29 X wider extensive wing wear for the second wing than long, greatest distance between eyes length analysis). Colletes species included exceeding eye length, inner orbits strongly in the tarsal length analysis are: C. aesti- convergent below and arched inward valis Patton, C. algarobiae Cockerell, C. az- above (UIOD 1.11-1.15 X LIOD, UIOD tekus Cresson, C. aridus Stephen, C. bea- 0.81-0.89 X MIOD). Malar space about Va merorum Stephen, C. birkmanni Swenk, C. as long as wide. Clypeus slightly pro- brevicomis Robertson, C. cercidii Timber- duced with depressed, flattened, impunc- lake, C. clypeonitens Swenk, C. compactus tate, apical margin; clypeal disk shining, Cresson, C. delicatus Metz, C. deserticola densely, striately punctate, often with Timberlake, C. eulophi Robertson, C. fulgi- small, shining, impunctate medioapical dus Swenk, C. gilensis Cockerell, C. gypsi- area; punctures smaller, denser and non- colens Cockerell, C. hyalinus Provancher, C. striate basally and laterally. Clypeal api- intennixtus Swenk, C. louisae Cockerell, C. comedial fovea large and round, apicola- latitarsis Robertson, C. mandibularis Smith, teral fovea smaller and much weaker. Disc C. mitclielli Stephen, C. nigrifrons Titus, C. of supraclypeal area raised, surface dull paniscus Viereck, C. perileucus Cockerell, C. and microstriate with sparse, moderate, prosopidis Cockerell, C. saritensis Stephen, punctures; punctation of lateral surfaces of Hymenoptera Research 252 Journal smaller and much denser. Median line punctures; interspaces shining; hypoepi- meral area Me- carinate from above supraclypeal area to shining, sparsely punctate. median ocellus. Disc of labrum rounded, tepisternum shining, quadrately pitted; median small, rugose, shining, impunctate, without metapleural prominence with short, curved, carinate rim groove. Frons with punctures strong, opaque, above small dense and nearly contiguous. Facial fovea shining declivity. Propodeum but with dorsal area pit- deeply impressed, broadest medially shining, quadrately surface of trian- restricted above, curving inward towards ted; posterior propodeal surface lateral ocellus; upper margin of fovea at gle shining; posterior propodeal summits of outside pos- or slightly above line between triangle coarsely roughened, of fovea nar- terolateral of weakly eyes, upper inner margin margins propodeum subrectan- rowed, within 1 OCD of lateral ocellus, fo- carinate. Fore basitarsis broad, width 0.37 X fore bas- vea tapering below, extending to level just gular (basal length, X fore hind bas- above upper margin of antennal fossae; itarsal length 0.58 tibia); as broad as surface dull, microstriate. Vertex shining, itarsis broad, roughly 3x long, sides Abdomen: shin- densely, minutely punctured except shin- subparallel. Terga with narrow ing impunctate area between lateral ocelli ing, impunctate margins; and facial fovea. Gena narrow, broadest punctation of Tl fine and dense laterally in below; genal width 0.5 X eye width at lev- but much sparser, nearly impunctate medial lA to Y discal of distal el of antennal insertion; punctures dense 5; punctation Puncta- above becoming striate below and on hy- terga uniformly fine and dense. postomal area. Scape slender, length 5 X tion of S 1-2(3) moderately dense, slightly first coarser than finer on dis- apical width. Minimal length flagellar terga, becoming of sterna with segment short, minimal length slightly tal sterna, apical margins translucent. of S6 less than apical breadth. Middle antennal narrowly Apex slightly surface with of segments slightly longer than broad. Tho- depressed, shining density Ves- rax: Pronotal spine short but sharp; broad punctures decreasing towards apex. titnre: Pile of face dense and basally, abruptly narrowing to acute tip. white, par- frons but Tegulae sparsely punctate, most punc- tially obscuring surface on x tures in apical