Heriades vulcanica Rojas-Arias, Griswold & Ayala. 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Rojas-Arias, Laura
name: Griswold, Terry
name: Hinojosa-Díaz, Ismael
name: Morrone, Juan J.
name: Barajas, Ricardo Ayala
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Heriades
Heriades vulcanica

description: Heriades vulcanica Rojas-Arias, Griswold & Ayala. sp. nov.
(Figs. 2K, 32–33)
Diagnosis. Large-sized bees (males 7.2–7.7, n=3; female 6.8 mm); head and mesosoma with plumose, long, think, scattered, white, spread hairs; posterior terga with hairs yellow to orangish; tergal fasciae with rows of thin hairs; T3 with small punctures (0.1 times OD) (Fig. 33B, D). Male: head slightly subtriangular, face with plumose, thin, scattered, white to yellowish hairs, antenna black with thick scape (Fig. 33A); S1 produced to median rounded angle (Fig. 2 Kb), in profile, with soft ventral angle one third of distance from apex to base (Fig. 2 Ka); posterior margin of S5 with two subtriangular lobes, and two rounded tufts of capitate hairs (Fig. 33E); S6 with two subapical tufts of several, short, thin hairs directed downward and medially (Fig. 33F), similar to that on H. crucifera, H. leavitti, H. texana and H. cristina sp. nov. but different in the other characters mentioned. Female: outer surface of mandible with very strong, angulated tubercle forming a subtriangular shape on ventral margin of mandible (Fig. 33C) (Fig. 33C), similar to H. texana but different in color of hairs on T3 and malar area without projection.
Description. Male: Body length, 7.2 mm (7.2–7.7, n=3); forewing length, 5.6 mm (5.1–5.6, n=3).
Head. Length 1.7 mm (1.2–1.7, n=3), width 1.9 mm (1.9–2.1, n=3); eyes about 3.3 times longer than broad, 1.4 times wider than gena in profile; lower interocular distance 0.9 mm (0.9–1, n=3); upper interocular distance 1.2 mm (1.2–1.3, n=3); interantennal distance 1.9 times antennocular distance; lateral ocelli large (Fig. 3C), 3 times DOP in interocellar area; interocellar distance 1.9 times OD, ocellocular distance 1.9 times OD; OPR 2.1 times OD; labrum with basal, medial, elevation; clypeus 1.8 times broader than long, lower third convex in profile, apical margin without emargination; juxtantennal carina absent but strongly angulated; scape black, length 0.8 times alveolocellar distance, 2.7 times longer than wide; pedicel as long as broad, black, as long as F1 and about 0.4 times longer than F2; flagellum black; F1 broader than long, remaining flagellomeres 2.3 longer than first; F11 dark brown 2.4 times longer than broad (Fig. 33A). Mesosoma. Scutum 2.5 times longer than scutellum, 2.8 times longer than tegula, and 3.4 longer than axilla; intertegular distance 1.4 mm (1.4–1.6, n=3); metanotum with transverse ridge, in posterior view straight. Propodeum with large pits, 0.1 mm long; legs black. Metasoma. T1 1.7 mm broad (1.5–2, n=3); T3 2 mm broad (1.8–2, n=3); T6 with posterior margin projected (Fig. 33B); posterior margin of S1 produced to median rounded angle, without emargination (Fig. 2 Kb), in profile, with posterior margin not projected and soft ventral angle one third of distance from apex to base (Fig. 2 Ka).
Sculpturing. Clypeus with small (at base 0.2 times OD), contiguous, coarse punctures; supraclypeal area with punctures bigger, more rounded and slightly sparser than on base of clypeus; frons with smaller, coarser and denser punctures than those on supraclypeal area; vertex with bigger, slightly sparser punctures than on supraclypeal area, with micropunctures between punctures; hypostomal area with punctation as on clypeus; pronotum anterior surface with punctures bigger and sparser than on clypeus, denser on pronotal lobes; disc of scutum with slightly smaller (0.3 times OD), punctures than on vertex, with micropunctures between punctures; rest of mesosoma as on scutum except: scutellum with punctures sparser; mesepisternum with equal DOP as on scutum but sparser on its entire surface; metepisternum with notably smaller punctures, less dense and coarse; T1 and T2 with smaller (0.2 times OD), slightly denser punctures than on scutum; T2 with punctures smaller and sparser than on T1; T3 with smaller punctures than on T1, rounded shape, separated by less than half DOP; T4 with bigger, denser and coarser punctures than on T3; T5 with smaller and denser punctures than on T4; dorsal surface of T6 with punctures as on T5, on posterior surface with notably smaller and slightly sparser punctation, DBP one half DOP; sides of S1 with punctation as on T1, and in process smaller; sides of S2 with punctures as on T1, disc of S2 microreticulate without punctation.
Vestiture. Supraclypeal area with plumose, thin, white, long hairs directed medially; frons with plumose, thin, orangish, long hairs directed dorsally (Fig. 33A); dorsolateral angles with pubescence not forming continuous, linear tuft with hairs on anterior margin of scutum, and without tuft of thick, short hairs; disc of scutum and mesepisternum with plumose, thin, long, white, scattered hairs, evenly distributed; disc of metepisternum without tuft of thick, short, white hairs; tergal fasciae with rows of thin, long, orange hairs; T1 to T3 with simple, short, thin, orangish hairs in punctures; disc of T4 to T6 with simple, long, thick, orange hairs in punctures increasing in length towards posterior terga (Fig. 33B).
Terminalia. S6 with right-angled apex, with two subapical tufts of several, short, thin hairs directed downward and medially (Fig. 33F); capsule in dorsal view 1.3 mm length, and 0.6 mm width, 2.3 times longer than wide, gonobase 0.09 mm length,5.8 times wider than long, and gonocoxite 0.5 mm length, gonostylus 1.2 mm length with rounded apex, penis valve 0.8 mm length (Fig. 33G).
Female: Body length 6.8 mm; forewing length 4.9 mm. Similar to male except: Head. Length 1.9 mm, width 2.1 mm; eyes about 3.5 times longer than broad, 1.1 times wider than gena in profile; lower interocular distance 1.2 mm; upper interocular distance 1.3 mm; interantennal distance 1.1 times antennocular distance; interocellar distance 1.6 times OD, ocellocular distance 1.9 times OD, OPR 2.5 times OD; labrum with rounded, basal, medial tubercle; mandible on outer surface with outer and condylar ridge parallel, with strong, angulated tubercle forming a subtriangular shape on ventral margin of mandible; dorsal margin of mandible with carina; clypeus with medial small subtriangular emargination (Fig. 33C), in profile elevated on lower fifth; scape 3.1 times longer than broad; pedicel 1.3 longer than broad, about 1.6 times longer than F1 and 1.3 longer than F2, remaining flagellomeres 1.6 times longer than F1. Mesosoma. Scutum 2.5 times longer than scutellum; intertegular distance 1.5 mm. Metasoma. T1 1.5 mm broad. T3 1.8 mm broad.
Sculpturing. Mandibles with carinae and tubercle smooth and shiny; clypeus with medium-sized (0.2 times OD), contiguous, coarse, punctures, shiny and smooth between punctures; supraclypeal area with punctures smaller than base of clypeus; frons with bigger, coarser, and denser punctation, with micropunctures between punctures than on supraclypeal area: frons in front of ocelli with slightly smaller punctures than those on frons; vertex slightly bigger, sparser, and coarser than on clypeus, with micropunctures between punctures; gena evenly punctate, bigger and denser than on frons in front of ocelli; scutum with slightly bigger and denser punctures than on vertex; rest of mesosoma as on scutum except: scutellum with sparser punctures; mesepisternum with slightly sparser punctures; metasomal terga bright; T1 with smaller (0.7 times OD), slightly denser punctures than on scutum, with rounded shape; T2 with smaller, sparser than on T1, rounded shaped punctures; T3 with punctures smaller, sparser (0.3 times DOP), notably less coarse, than on scutum, semicircular shaped, and sparser (1 time DOP); dorsal surface of T6 with smaller, denser, and more coarsely punctures than on T5; sterna with punctation smaller and sparser than on scutum, with integument microreticulate on posterior margin.
Vestiture. Clypeus, frons, paraocular area and gena with plumose, long, scattered, white hairs (Fig. 33C); disc of T1 to T6 with simple, scattered, thin, orangish hairs in punctures, increasing in length towards posterior terga; subapical margin of T6 with linear tuft of plumose, short, whitish hairs (Fig. 33D).
Type material: Holotype male (No. LR 0007): MEXICO: Chiapas, San Cristobal de las Casas 39miE, [2361 m, 16°45’42”N 92°38’01”W], 1/VIII/1952, E. E. Gilbert, C. D. MacNeil (BBSL). Allotype (LR0008): MEXICO: Quintana Roo, Allen Pt Ascension Bay, 6 m, 19°48’34”N 87°28’39”W, 11/IV/1960, J. F. G. Clarke (USNM). Paratypes: MEXICO: Chiapas, Amatenango del Valle, 2087 m, 16.5067 -92.38, 2/VII/2012, P. Sagot (ECOAB 2♂). San Cristobal de las Casas 39miE, [2361 m, 16°45’42”N 92°38’01”W], 1/VIII/1952, E. E. Gilbert, C. D. MacNeil (BBSL 1♂). Quintana Roo, Allen Pt Ascension Bay, 6 m, 19°48’34”N 87°28’39”W, 11/IV/1960, J. F. G. Clarke (USNM 1♀ 1♂).
Additional material examined: MEXICO: Yucatán, Progreso, 3 m, 21°16’52”N 89°39’55”W, 22/VII/1964, J. C. & D. Pallister (AMNH 4♂). Puerto Sisal, 5 m, 21°10’00”N 90°01’28”W, 25/VII/1964, J. C. & D. Pallister (AMNH 1♂).
Distribution. This species is present in the Yucatán Peninsula and Chiapas, being endemic to Mexico, mostly in the Yucatán Peninsula biogeographic province (Morrone et al. 2022) (Fig. 32). Altitudinal range: sea level to 2361 m.
Etymology. This species is dedicated to María Rojas Arias, and “La Vulcanizadora”, a film production company, founded by her and Andrés Jurado. She is a visual artist and filmmaker from Colombia, she works with official and unofficial archival materials working with events that constituted national speeches, war policies, and colonization.
Comments. On scutum DBP of males vary, from 0.2 to less. It was not possible to add more morphological information of female as there was just one specimen. This species is one of the few with large body size for the subgenus, and with orange hairs on posterior margin of posterior terga.
description: Published as part of Rojas-Arias, Laura, Griswold, Terry, Hinojosa-Díaz, Ismael, Morrone, Juan J. & Barajas, Ricardo Ayala, 2025, Neotropical bees of the genus Heriades Spinola, 1808 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Osmiini) with description of nine new species, pp. 201-259 in Zootaxa 5570 (2) on pages 253-255, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5570.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14734877