Stelis paiute
Creators: name: Parker, Frank D.
name: Griswold, Terry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Stelis
Stelis paiute

description: Stelis paiute, n. sp
(Figs. 5, 15, 25, 35)
Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from most Nearctic Stelis by the combination of the black body with light tergal markings but no markings on the head, the second recurrent vein basad of the second transverse cubital vein, and the terga with distinct apical pubescent bands found at least laterally. Among females with these traits only S. anthocopae and S. paiute have S6 not produced apically and T6 surrounding S6; S. paiute differs from S. anthocopae by its smaller size (<5mm vs. ≥ 7mm) and diffuse creamy white lateral maculae connected by amber bands rather than well defined white continuous or narrowly interrupted tergal bands. Males differ by the combination of the forewing, which is stained apically including the distal portion of the marginal cell; the white markings on the terga; and the medially indented ridge of S4, which lacks a central depression.
Description. Female. Length 4.3 mm; forewing 3 mm long. Black, following parts reddish to light brown: mandible medially, pronotal lobe, tegula, base of wing veins, between femora and tibiae, tibiae apically, tarsi, T1 – T5 with variably sized median band, S1 – S6 mostly; T1 – T5 with median yellowish-white markings within reddish bands; wings lightly stained. Pubescence white; thick plumose pubescence on face, gena, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum, metepisternum, propodeum anterolaterally; T1 – T5 with lateral apical pubescent bands only, width of band diminishing on apical ones; vertex, scutum with recumbent finely plumose hairs and longer erect ones; terga with long lateral bristles, on T4 – T6 bristles extending across surface; S1 – S5 with plumose pubescence, bordered apically by more plumose pubescent bands; S6 clothed with short flat hairs. Punctation coarse, punctures large, close, deep on head, mesosoma, metasoma; on propodeum laterally finer, shallower; femora less punctate, mostly shiny, T6 more closely punctate, S6 with smaller contiguous punctures. Head wider than long; F1, F2 equal in length, combined lengths of F1 and F2 subequal to F10; F1 apically, most of F2 contrasting in sculpturing with other flagellomeres; IOD> (1.2X) OOD, OOD> (1.2X) OPD, IOD> (3.4X) LMOD, DLID> (1.1X) BLID; width of gena less (0.7X) than width of compound eye in lateral view; pronotal lobe without anterior carina; scutellum overhanging metanotum; second recurrent vein basad second transverse cubital vein; T2 – T5 about 3X as wide as long; T6 wider (1.4X) than long, pseudomargin rounded apically, with fringe of short pubescence (Fig. 15); S6 wider (2.3X) than long, pseudomargin apically rounded, with fringe of short pubescence; S1 – S5 with submedian swelling across summit, surface obscured by punctures; in lateral view T2 – T5 only slightly indented subapically, bordered by narrow impunctate bands.
Male. Similar to female except: sternal depression formed by S4 – S6; thick plumose hair bands apically on S1 – S4, hair less numerous, plumose on S5, S6; apical margin of S1 rolled down, flat; S3 with median basal depression, apically with small median swelling, margin flat (Fig. 25); S4 with minute median comb (about 0.1X as wide as width of sternum), medioapically on S4 – S5 with line of plumose pubescence delineated by V-shaped carina (Fig. 35); apical margin of S5 V-shaped; S6 with medioapical impunctate area, apical margin round medially.
Type Material. Holotype female. “ARIZ Mohave Co Oatman 3mS Reared F. D. Parker”/”Rearing No. 7858” [ex nest of Ashmeadiella bigeloviae]. Paratypes. UTAH, Washington Co: 1 3, 3 Ƥ, Hurricane, reared, F.D.Parker, ex nests of A. bigeloviae (F.D. Parker). ARIZONA: 2 3, 2 Ƥ, 2 – 5 mi E Verde River Bridge, Highway 87, ex galls on Hilaria rigida (Thurb.), collected 22 Feb 1963, Cazier, Mortensen; 1 3, 2 Ƥ, same except collected 20 Mar 1963. CALIFORNIA, Inyo Co: 1 Ƥ, Little Lake, 11 May 1974, B Villegas; 2 Ƥ, Mesquite Spring, 1.5 mi S, 16 Apr 1993, T Griswold; San Bernardino Co: 1 3, Afton, 15 Apr 1977, T Griswold; 1 3, Baker, 12 mi S, 15 Apr 1959, RM Bohart; 1 3, Hole-in-the-Wall, 4150', 10 Apr 1980, T Griswold; 1 3, Willow Wash, 3500', 24 Apr 1980, T Griswold; 1 Ƥ, Paiute Range, 29 May 1980, T. Griswold; Riverside Co: 1 Ƥ, Banning, 9 mi SW, reared, FD Parker; 1 3, North Palm Springs, 7 mi W, 20 Mar 1975, T Griswold; 1 3, White Water Canyon, reared, F.D.Parker, ex nest of A. bigeloviae. NEVADA. Clark Co: 1 3, Elbow Range, 2.34 mi S, 29 Apr 2005, SM Higbee; 1 Ƥ, Jean Lake, 2.24 mi ENE, 14 Apr 2004, ED Rentz, L Saul; 1 Ƥ, St Thomas Gap, 15 May 1983, RC Bechtel, TE Smigel; 1 3, Sunrise Mtn, 5 mi NE, 11 Apr 2005, SM Higbee; Lincoln Co: 1 Ƥ, Garden Wash, 10 Apr 1984, RC Bechtel, JB Knight. Holotype deposited in BBSL, paratypes in BBSL, EMEC.
Biology. Stelis paiute parasitizes Ashmeadiella bigeloviae.
Distribution. Mojave Desert of the southwestern USA.
Etymology. Named for the Paiute who occupied much of the range of this species.
description: Published as part of Parker, Frank D. & Griswold, Terry, 2013, New species of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Stelis (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae, Anthidiini) from the Nearctic Region, pp. 529-544 in Zootaxa 3646 (5) on pages 534-535, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3646.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/220406