Anthophora (Micranthophora) squammulosa Dours 1870
Creators: name: Orr, Michael C.
name: Pitts, James P.
name: Griswold, Terry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Apidae
Anthophora
Anthophora squammulosa

description: Anthophora (Micranthophora) squammulosa Dours, 1870
(Figs. 42F, 47F, 52F, 57F, 62F, 67F, 72F, 77F)
Anthophora squammulosa Dours, 1870: 78 (lectotype (Orr et al., 2014): ♀, “ Mexique ”; coll. Sichel; MNHN, BBSLID93389).
Anthophora usticauda Cockerell, 1912: 22 (holotype: ♀, Antigua, Guatemala; coll. W.P. Cockerell; USNM, type 23248, USNM ENT 00534172). Syn. Orr et al., 2014.
Anthophora usticauda cinerior Cockerell, 1949: 470 (holotype: ♀, Antigua, Guatemala; coll. Pelen, Dec.; USNM, type 58873, USNM ENT 00534147). Syn. Brooks, 1988.
Anthophora franciscana Cockerell, 1949: 470 (holotype: ♀, San Francisco finca, Zamorano Valley, Honduras; coll. Vidales, Nov.; USNM, type 58874, USNM ENT 00534150). Syn. Orr et al., 2014.
Anthophora zamoranella Cockerell, 1949: 471 (holotype: ♂, Zamorano, Honduras; coll. W.P. Cockerell, 23 Nov.; USNM, type 58875, USNM ENT 00534173). Syn. Orr et al., 2014.
Anthophora bispinosa Cockerell, 1949: 472 (holotype: ♂, San Francisco finca, Zamorano Valley, Honduras; coll. T.D.A. Cockerell, 10 Nov.; USNM, type 58877, USNM ENT 00534145). Syn. Orr et al., 2014.
Diagnosis. This species is only known from the Mexican state of Sinaloa southward. Males are immediately separable from all species but A. curta by the apically truncate medial projection on T7 (Fig. 62F) and the presence of setae in the first submarginal cell. Males may be otherwise determined by the following character combination: galea moderately to strongly tessellate, dull; clypeal maculation large, regularly filling more than half of clypeal height at middle (Fig. 52F); scape fully maculated below; scutum and propodeum tessellate, dull; and T1–T5 with thin apical appressed setal bands. Females may be determined by the following character combination: mandible relatively elongate, somewhat broadened, though as strongly as in A. peritomae (Fig. 42F); scutum and propodeum tessellate, dull; T1 with erect setae black in part; T4 with very narrowly transparent apical rim medially; and T5 with appressed setae beside dark anal fimbria.
Male description. Head: Facial maculations pale yellow to yellow-green or richly yellow. Galea reaching start to end of foretrochanter in repose; medium to dark brown; weakly to moderately tessellate, usually with moderate reflections. Mandible with inferior tooth ovular, running roughly parallel to main blade; maculated from base to around middle of inferior tooth (Fig. 52F). Labral rim tridentate. Clypeal maculation a thick band, not depressed medially, most often reaching lateral sides, usually filling over half of clypeal height (Fig. 52F); punctation significantly sparser within maculation than without. Paraocular area almost always immaculate; small dot if present. Supraclypeal area sometimes maculated; typically a small dot. Scape maculated; fully along length and most of width below. Mesosoma: Scutum clearly tessellate; uncommonly with small impunctate areas. Tegula translucent to nearly opaque, dark brown to medium brown. Basitibial plate present; strong. Metasoma: T1–T6 with apical appressed setal bands thinner, sometimes not undulate, T6 sometimes weaker. Terga moderately to weakly tessellate between punctures, with some weak to moderate reflections; not often apparent through appressed setae. Tergal rims translucent, dark to medium brown. Male T7 (Fig. 62F) unusual: lateral projections strongly recurved, sharp; medial projections apparently fused into single, apically truncated point. Male S5 (Figs. 38A, 38C) setal arrangement unremarkable, without large, distinctive patches, at most longer along rim. Male S6 resembling Fig 38A, clearly medially emarginate to a rounded or pointed middle, but shallower overall. Male S7 (Fig. 67F) with setae absent or nearly so around midpoint of length; widening from midpoint to tip, apical half widest clearly before pointed lateral tips; apical half vaguely resembling owl head, rim roughly flat, with slight medial emargination. Male S8 (Fig. 72F) lateral projections distinct; medial projection slightly widened at tip, apically entire or nearly so. Male genital capsule (Fig. 77F) with outer corners, where gonocoxite tips curve inward, [marked by obvious flange of about 90 degrees or slightly less, best seen in profile; from corner to apex, in profile, gonocoxite relatively unmodified, concave or straight; tip, in profile, rounded and weakly curved ventrally, with minor dorsal projection broad and rounded; gonostylus tip position slightly to significantly exceeding that of gonocoxite, measured from above along primary axis of latter. Pubescence: See Fig. 57F. Appears dark gray overall, primarily because of dark tergal basal zones, but also often with some orangish or gold dorsally. Setae gold dorsally and lighter toward venter, except as follows: vertex and scutum usually with some dark intermixing; leg inner faces dark brown to blackish; tergal basal zones dark.
Female similar to male, except: Head: Facial maculations less commonly richly yellow. Mandible main blade enlarged into a scoop; inferior tooth large, vaguely ovular but usually slightly concave above, moderately angled off main blade; maculated from base to before start of inferior tooth (Fig. 42F). Labral rim rounded; fully maculated. Clypeal maculation a band of highly variable size but typically shorter medially, sometimes fully interrupted there, reaching lateral sides or very nearly so, typically filling around a third of clypeal height medially (Fig. 42F). Supraclypeal maculation more often present and usually larger, sometimes amorphous. Scape immaculate. Mesosoma: Scutum more commonly with small impunctate areas present, but often covered by flattened setae. Midtibial spur apically curved; orange to near brown. Basitibial plate flattened distally, otherwise teardropped overall. Metasoma: T1 with thin appressed setal band; T2–T4 with appressed setal bands of variable width, narrow to quite broad, usually strongly undulate; T5 with extensive appressed setae, uncommonly reduced. T4 impunctate rim of short length medially, often barely visible. Anal fimbria strongly triangular, covering over third to about half of T5 length medially. Pubescence: See Fig. 47F. More often appears golden overall. Leg inner faces dark brown to blackish, setae there often unusually long and visible posteriorly; hindbasitarsal brush dark brown; anal fimbria dark brown to blackish; S5 mostly dark.
Distribution. See Fig. 29. Not present in USA. Overall distribution spans from Central Mexico into Nicaragua, with most southerly distribution in subgenus. Known from following Mexican states, in alphabetical order: Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sinaloa, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Zacatecas, and likely many intervening or bordering states; and following additional countries: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. One likely-mislabeled specimen recorded from Ecuador (Brooks 1988; Orr et al. 2014). Found primarily in drier areas. Ecoregional habitance is as follows, based on 310 specimen records: 19 total ecoregions: Sinaloan dry forests (197=64%), Balsas dry forests (33=10.1%), Bajio dry forests (21=6.8%), Central American pine-oak forests (10=3.2%), Jalisco dry forests (8=2.6%), Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests (8=2.6%), Central American dry forests (6=1.9%), Central American montane forests (6=1.9%), Central Mexican matorral (4=1.3%), Veracruz moist forests (3≤1%), Chiapas Depression dry forests (2≤1%), Costa Rican seasonal moist forests (2≤1%), Motagua Valley thornscrub (2≤1%), Sierra Madre del Sur pine-oak forests (2≤1%), Southern Pacific dry forests (2≤1%), Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests (1≤1%), Meseta Central matorral (1≤1%), Chiapas montane forests (1≤1%), Tehuacan Valley matorral (1≤1%).
Phenology. Recorded from August–May, primarily late fall and winter, better fitting activity patterns of Central America. Potentially bivoltine.
Nesting biology. The nesting biology of A. squammulosa was recently described (Erenler et al. 2016). This species is now known to nest upon the rim of active volcanoes, directly beneath the path of a degassing cloud. Further details on this record will be presented in a subsequent review of the group’s nesting biology. As this species’ range precludes volcanic nesting in some areas, additional, non-volcanic nest sites of this species are being actively sought for comparative studies.
Floral specialization. Specialist on Asteraceae. More records needed to confirm breadth, but likely relatively generalized, similar to A. curta. Primary recorded visits by 32 females include: Family Asteraceae (94%); Genus Cosmos (56%), Bidens (25%), Anthemis (13%); Species Cosmos sulphureus (34%), Bidens aurea (19%). 34 total floral records from three families include: Apiaceae (1 ♂): Pastinaca sativa 1 ♂, Asteraceae (1 ♂ 30 ♀): Anthemis sp. 4 ♀, Bidens aurea 6 ♀, Bidens sp. 2 ♀, Cosmos sp. 7 ♀, Cosmos sulphureus 11 ♀, Melanthera nivea 1 ♂, Fabaceae (2 ♀): Dalea sp. 1 ♀, Petalostemon sp. 1 ♀.
Comments. This species and the related A. curta were recently reviewed in Orr et al. (2014). It should be noted that Brooks (1988) examined a specimen of “ A. squammulosa ” in the Berlin Museum from Guayaquil, Ecuador and concluded that it was likely mislabeled. At present this is the most reasonable conclusion. Further collection in the intervening countries may shed light on this possibility. In this regard, the absence of the species in the extensive collections of Costa Rican bees is suggestive of a label error.
Specimens examined: EL SALVADOR: La Libertad: Quezaltepeque: Quezaltepeque, 5.3 km E, Cerro Las Mesas: 1 ♀, 3 Jan 1965, M.E. Irwin; La Paz: San Juan Tepezontes: San Juan Tepezontes: 1 ♂, 14 Dec 1964, M.E. Irwin; San Salvador: Apopa: San Salvador: 4 ♂, Oct 1965, N.L.H. Krauss; San Salvador, University El Salvador: 1 ♂, 5 Jan 1965, M.E. Irwin. GUATEMALA: El Progreso: El Rancho: 1 ♂, 15 Feb 1932, C.N. Ainslie; San Agustin Acasaguastlan: 1 ♂, 20 Oct 2009, T.L. Griswold; El Quiche: Pachalum, Los Cipresales: 1 ♂, 30 Sep 2005, M. Vasquez, Volando; Guatemala: Guatemala City: 1 ♀, 25 Nov 1975, S.W.T. Batra; Sacatepequez: Antigua: 2 ♀, Oct 1965, N.L.H. Krauss; 1 ♂, 8 Jan 1980, G.E. Bohart; Solola: Lake Atitlan: 1 ♀, 27 Feb 1932, C.N. Ainslie. HONDURAS: Choluteca: Pespire: 1 ♂ 1 ♀, 28 Oct 1963, A.E. Michelbacher, M.M. Michelbacher; Francisco Morazan: Tegucigalpa: 1 ♂, 20 Nov 1917, F.J. Dyer. MEXICO: Chiapas: Simojovel: 1 ♂, 17 Mar 1953, E.I. Schlinger; Soyalo, 7 mi SE: 1 ♂, 27 Mar 1953, R.C. Bechtel, E.I. Schlinger; Tuxtla Gutierrez: 1 ♀, 5–6 Jan 1975, D. Green, P. Craig; Venustiano Carranza: San Francisco Pujilitic, 3 km N: 1 ♂, 21 Apr 1993, collector unknown; Colima: Colima: 1 ♀, 25 Nov 1963, A.E. Michelbacher; Vulcano: 1 ♂, date unknown, L. Conradt; Guerrero: Cacahuamilpa, 3 km S: 1 ♀, 29 Oct 1991, T.L. Griswold; Iguala, 22 mi S: 1 ♀, 18 Aug 1981, J. Chemsak, A.&M. Michelbacher; Mexcala: 3 ♀, 20 Aug 1969, C.R. Rotger; Jalisco: 3.4 km SE Jocotopec: 5 ♀, 12 Sep 1976, collector unknown; 5.6 km E Plan de Barranca: 1 ♀, 25 Sep 1976, collector unknown; Chapala: 7 ♂, 15 Oct 1968, G.E. Bohart; El Tuito, 3 km W: 4 ♂, 6 Nov 1987, T.L. Griswold; El Tuito, 7 km W: 1 ♂, 12 Nov 1996, J.A. Chemsak; Guadalajara: 1 ♀, 2 Oct 1966, G.E. Bohart, A.S. Bohart; 1 ♀, 16 Oct 1968, G.E. Bohart; Guadalajara, 10 mi N: 2 ♂, 16 Oct 1968, G.E. Bohart; Guadalajara, 15 mi NE: 1 ♂, 17 Sep 1970, G.E. Bohart; 4 ♀, 17 Sep 1970, G.E. Bohart, R.M. Bohart; Guadalajara, 8 mi. S: 1 ♂, Sep 1954, F.X. Williams; Guadalajara, 9.2 km W: 1 ♂, 8–9 Sep 1976, R.R. Not not Use Snelling; Jocotepec, 3.4 km SE: 1 ♀, 12 Sep 1976, C.D. George, R.R. Not not Use Snelling; Plan de Barranca: 1 ♀, 26 Sep 1976, C.D. George, R.R. Not not Use Snelling; 10 ♀, 26 Sep 1976, collector unknown; Plan de Barranca, 5.6 km E: 1 ♀, 25 Sep 1976, C.D. George, R.R. Not not Use Snelling; Puente Barranquitas, 18 mi NW Magdalena: 1 ♂, 10 Oct 1975, J.A. Powell, J.A. Chemsak; Sayula: 1 ♀, Nov year unknown, collector unknown; Tequila, 11 mi SE: 1 ♂, 20 Dec 1963, M.J. Tauber, C.A. Toschi; Zapotlanejo: 1 ♂, 3 Oct 1966, G.E. Bohart; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, 3 Oct 1966, G.E. Bohart, A.S. Bohart; Mexico: Chapingo: 1 ♂, 28 Aug 1970, S.W.T. Batra; Michoacan: Arteaga, 3 km N: 1 ♀, 1 Nov 1987, T.L. Griswold; Los Amates, 26 km N Playa Azul: 2 ♀, 2 Nov 1987, T.L. Griswold; 1 ♀, date unknown, Kellerman; Nueva Italia, 12 mi S: 1 ♂, 21 Aug 1954, J. MacSwain; Playa Azul, 26 km N, Los Amates: 1 ♀, 2 Nov 1987, T.L. Griswold; Playa Azul, 40 km N: 1 ♀, 2 Nov 1987, T.L. Griswold; Presa Zicuiran, 8 km NE Zicuiran: 1 ♂ 1 ♀, 30 Oct 1987, T.L. Griswold; Tuzantla: 5 ♀, 8 Oct 1961, D.J. Pletsch; Zicuiran, 8 km NE, Presa Zicuiran: 2 ♂, 30 Oct 1987, T.L. Griswold; Morelos: Emiliano Zapata: Yautepec, 7.3 mi S: 1 ♀, 16 Aug 1962, collector unknown; None: Cuernavaca: 1 ♂, 25 Aug 1944, N.L.H. Krauss; 2 ♀, 8 Nov–6 Dec 1987, F.D. Parker; 2 ♂, 19–21 Nov 1987, F.D. Parker; 3 ♀, 27–29 Nov 1987, F.D. Parker; Tlayacapan: 3 ♂, 28 Oct 1991, T.L. Griswold; Nayarit: 13 km E of San Blas: 72 ♀, 21 Oct 1973, T.W. Taylor; Acaponeta: 7 ♀, 12 Oct 1968, G.E. Bohart; Ahuacatlan: 2 ♀, 14 Sep 1970, G.E. Bohart, R.M. Bohart; Chapalilla: 4 ♀, 1 Oct 1966, G.E. Bohart, A.S. Bohart; Ixtlan: 83 ♀, 1 Oct 1966, G.E. Bohart, A.S. Bohart; Ruiz: 2 ♀, 29 Sep 1966, G.E. Bohart, A.S. Bohart; San Blas, 13 km E: 2 ♀, 21 Oct 1963, T.W. Taylor; 1 ♀, 21 Oct 1973, T.W. Taylor; Santa Isabella, 9 mi NW: 1 ♂, 10 Mar 1972, F.D. Parker, D. Miller; Tuxpan, Rio San Pedro: 1 ♀, 4 May 1953, R.C. Bechtel, E.I. Schlinger; Oaxaca: Monte Alban: 1 ♀, day and month unknown 1985, L. Packer; Monte Albon: 1 ♂, 21 Dec 1984, J.A. Chemsak; Puebla: Izucar de Matamoros: Izucar de Matamoros, 32 km E: 1 ♀, 4 Jan 1989, collector unknown; Izucar de Matamoros, 8 km W: 1 ♀, 4 Jan 1989, collector unknown; None: Acatlan, 20 km NW: 2 ♂, 1 Nov 1991, T.L. Griswold; Petlalcingo, 1 km SW: 1 ♂, 1 Nov 1991, T.L. Griswold; Petlalcingo, 3 mi NW: 1 ♀, 4 Mar 1972, F.D. Parker, D. Miller; Tepexco, 1 km NE: 1 ♂, 31 Oct 1991, T.L. Griswold; Sinaloa: Chupaderos, 9 mi NE: 1 ♂, 12 Mar 1972, F.D. Parker, D. Miller; Concordia: 1 ♂, 30 Oct 1965, G.E. Bohart, A.S. Bohart; 1 ♀, 17 Dec 1988, G.E. Bohart; Concordia, 10 mi W: 2 ♂, 30 Oct 1965, G.E. Bohart, A.S. Bohart; Cosala: 1 ♂, 25 Sep 1967, G.A. Marsh; Tlaxcala: Huamantla: Camino Huamantla-La Malinche Barranca: 1 ♂, 11 Sep 1999, T.L. Griswold; Veracruz-Llave: Carrizal, 8 km. S: 1 ♂ 2 ♀, 5 Nov 1991, T.L. Griswold; Zacatecas: Jalpa, 10 mi S: 1 ♀, 17 Sep 1970, G.E. Bohart, R.M. Bohart; Tobasco, 5 m N: 2 ♂, 18 Sep 1970, G.E. Bohart. NICARAGUA: Masaya: Masaya National Park, Jino Cuava: 1 ♂, 19 Dec 2011, H. Erenler; Masaya National Park, old car park: 1 ♀, 6 Feb 2013, H. Erenler.
description: Published as part of Orr, Michael C., Pitts, James P. & Griswold, Terry, 2018, Revision of the bee group Anthophora (Micranthophora) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with notes on potential conservation concerns and a molecular phylogeny of the genus, pp. 1-193 in Zootaxa 4511 (1) on pages 124-126, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4511.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3770979