Anthophora (Micranthophora) escalante Orr & Pitts & Griswold 2018, SP. NOV.
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 escalante

description: Anthophora (Micranthophora) escalante, SP. NOV.
(Figs. 40C, 45C, 50C, 55C, 60C, 65C, 70C, 75C)
Anthophora (Micranthophora) escalante (holotype: ♂; GSENM, Tibbett loop, The Scorpion, 6.5 air km E, Utah, USA; colls. M.C. Orr & D. Denlinger, 12 Sep. 2015, at Ericameria nauseosa; BBSL, BBSL1026857 / HOLO101).
Verbatim: “ USA:UT Kane Co. GSENM; Tibbett loop; The Scorpion, 6.5 air km E N37.1968 W111.6247 12 sep 2015 M.C. Orr, D. Denlinger Ericameria nauseosa BBSL1026857” “ HOLOTYPE Anthophora escalante male Orr BBSL1026857.”
Diagnosis. This species is presently only known from the Colorado Plateau. Males may be determined by the following character combination: galea reaching well past foretrochanter in repose, nearly reaching halfway to midtrochanter; scutum with shiny, impunctate areas; tergal surfaces unusually tessellate, dull, with only very weak reflections; T1–T4 with apical appressed setal bands, absent on T5–T6; T7 with medial longitudinal carina and both lateral and medial projections sharp (Fig. 60C). Females may be determined by the following character combination: galea reaching well past foretrochanter in repose, nearly reaching halfway to midtrochanter; scutum with shiny, impunctate areas; tergal surfaces unusually tessellate, dull, with only very weak reflections if any; T2– T4 with undulate apical setal bands, with T3 band sometimes and T4 band regularly interrupted medially; T5 without appressed setae; and anal fimbria dark, blackish.
Male description. Head: Facial maculations richly yellow. Galea reaching well past foretrochanter in repose, sometimes almost halfway to midtrochanter; dark brown; moderately tessellate to smooth, usually with moderate reflections. Mandible with inferior tooth weakly triangular, running near parallel to main blade; maculated from base to middle of inferior tooth (Fig. 50C). Labral rim tridentate; fully maculated. Clypeal maculation a thin band, not reaching lateral sides, filling less than a third the height of the clypeus (Fig. 50C); punctation moderately sparser within maculation than without. Paraocular area immaculate. Supraclypeal area immaculate. Scape usually immaculate; sometimes with small mark basally. Mesosoma: Scutum shiny; with impunctate areas, sometimes weak or obscured by flattened setae. Tegula transparent, tan to light brown. Basitibial plate usually appearing present; weak and sometimes indistinct. Metasoma: T1 with slight apical appressed setal band, setae sparser basally; T2–T4 with apical setal bands, usually interrupted medially on T4; T5 onward without appressed setae. Terga exceptionally tessellate between punctures, only weakly reflective if at all; not apparent through appressed setae. Tergal rims translucent, dark to medium brown. Male T7 (Fig. 60C) with weak medial longitudinal carina, often somewhat obscured by dark simple setae; lateral projections strongly recurved, sharp; medial projections relatively thin, tips narrowly rounded. Male S5 (Figs. 38A, 38C) setal arrangement unremarkable, without large, distinctive patches, at most longer along rim. Male S6 (Fig. 38A) clearly medially emarginate. Male S7 (Fig. 65C) with setae absent or nearly so around midpoint of length; slightly widening from midpoint to tip, apical half widest clearly before pointed lateral tips; apical half resembling owl head, rim roughly flat. Male S8 (Fig. 70C) lateral projections distinct; medial projection narrowing to tip, apically emarginate, may appear entire at some angles. Male genital capsule (Fig. 75C) with outer corners, where gonocoxite tips curve inward, marked by relatively low but distinct flange of about 90 degrees, best seen in profile; from corner to apex, in profile, gonocoxite relatively unmodified, concave or straight; tip, in profile, rounded and abruptly bent ventrally, with minor dorsal projection clearly pointed; gonostylus tip position significantly exceeding that of gonocoxite, measured from above along primary axis of latter. Pubescence: See Fig. 55C. Appears brown overall. Setae slightly tan to slightly orange dorsally and lighter toward venter, except as follows: vertex with moderate to strong dark intermix; scutum with significant intermixed dark, most prevalent medially; leg inner faces orange; tergal basal zones dark.
Female similar to male, except: Head: Mandible with inferior tooth ridge-like (Fig. 40C). Labral rim rounded. Clypeal maculation thicker, filling a third to half of clypeal height (Fig. 40C). Scape immaculate. Mesosoma: Tegula more often transparent tan. Midtibial spur apically curved; tan to orange. Basitibial plate circular distally, teardropped overall. Metasoma: T1 covered in appressed setae; T2–T4 with thicker, strongly undulate setal bands, though often interrupted on T3–T4; T5 without appressed setae. T4 impunctate rim of extended length medially, triangular. Anal fimbria strongly triangular, covering over third and up to around half of T5 length medially. Pubescence: See Fig. 45C. Vertex darker; hindbasitarsal brush medium to dark brown; terga lighter where appressed setae absent, though still appearing dark; anal fimbria black to dark brown, sometimes invaded by light below.
Distribution. See Fig. 14. Appears rare and highly-restricted in range. Found exclusively in Utah’s Colorado Plateau. In fact, currently only known from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Given nearby inventory projects in Zion National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and Utah’s San Rafael Desert, potentially limited to Colorado Plateau (perhaps including northern Arizona and southwestern Colorado). Ecoregional habitance is as follows, based on 19 specimen records: Colorado Plateau shrublands (19=100%).
Phenology. Recorded from September–October, all but one record from September. Univoltine.
Nesting biology. Unconfirmed, possible sandstone nester.
Floral specialization. Likely specialist on Asteraceae, plausibly narrowly specialized on Ericameria. Primary recorded visits by 12 females include: Family Asteraceae (100%); Genus Ericameria (83%), Chrysothamnus (16%); Species Ericameria nauseosa (83%). 13 total floral records include: Asteraceae (1 ♂ 12 ♀): Chrysothamnus sp. 1 ♀, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus 1 ♀, Ericameria nauseosa 1 ♂ 10 ♀.
Etymology. The name “ escalante ” is applied for this species’ endemism to the Colorado Plateau, as it is currently only known from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and its periphery. Note that this species is called “ aff. erythrothorax ” on determination labels prior to the choice of a species name (this name was also used for some specimens of A. chihuahua). The epithet is a noun in apposition.
Comments. The character states given in this species account and key were described liberally because the few specimens available may not represent the full variation of this species.
Paratypes: USA: UTAH: Garfield County: Alvey Wash, 7 km S Escalante: 1 ♂, 12 Sep 2002, M.E. Irwin, F.D. Parker; Horse Pasture, 3.9 mi S: 1 ♀, 13 Sep 2000, A. Worley; Kane County: GSENM; Tibbett loop; The Scorpion, 13.1 air km ESE: 1 ♀, 24 Sep 2014, M.C. Orr; GSENM; Tibbett loop; The Scorpion, 6.5 air km E: 3 ♀, 24 Sep 2014, M.C. Orr; 2 ♂, 12 Sep 2015, M.C. Orr, D. Denlinger; 1 ♀, 12 Sep 2015, M.C. Orr, D. Denlinger; GSENM; Tibbett loop; The Scorpion, 7.6 air km E: 1 ♀, 24 Sep 2014, M.C. Orr; GSENM; Tibbett loop; The Scorpion, 9 air km E: 2 ♀, 24 Sep 2014, M.C. Orr; GSENM; Tibbett loop; The Scorpion, 9.7 km E: 1 ♀, 24 Sep 2014, M.C. Orr; Kitchen Corral Spr., 1.0 mi N: 1 ♀, 25 Sep 2003, J. Tolliver; Tibbet Canyon: 1 ♀, 8 Oct 2002, O.J. Messinger; 1 ♀, 25 Sep 2003, A. Johansen; 1 ♀, 25 Sep 2003, O.J. Messinger.
Other specimens examined: USA: UTAH: Kane County: GSENM; Mollies Nipple, 6.5 air km W: 1 ♀, 25 Sep 2014, M.C. Orr.
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 59-60, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4511.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3770979