Perdita exusta Portman & Griswold, sp. n.
Creators: name: Portman, Zachary M.
name: Neff, John L.
name: Griswold, Terry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Andrenidae
Perdita
Perdita exusta

description: Perdita exusta Portman & Griswold, sp. n.
Figs. 19 C, 20D, 21D, 22C, 23D, 24E, 31B, 32, 56D, 58G–H
Diagnosis. The female of P. exusta has the metasoma yellowish-tan, often with vestigial dark spots laterally (Fig. 20 D). It can be recognized from similar species by the combination of the second medial cell present (e.g. Fig 4 A), and the pygidial plate narrowly triangular and bluntly pointed (Fig. 24 E).
Unlike the female, the metasoma of the male is dark brown with the terga more or less lightened to light brown or tan on the apical margins (Fig. 19 C). It can be distinguished from all similar species by the shape of the pygidial plate, which is quite narrow with the apex slightly truncate (Fig. 23 D). It can be further recognized by the face marks yellowish-tan, and the head broader than long and oval in shape, approaching subquadrate in some specimens (Fig. 21 D).
Description of female. Length: 3.4 mm. Forewing length: 2.1 mm.
Coloration. Head (Fig. 22 C) and mesosoma base color black with greenish-bronze or bluish metallic luster; clypeus whitish-tan, occasionally with pair of submedial faint dark vertical bars; supraclypeal mark whitish-tan, large, transverse; paraocular mark tannish-white, transverse, reaching level of summit of clypeus except in thin line along the eye not going above top of antennal socket; mandible whitish-tan, tip reddish; labrum whitish-tan, sometimes with small medial dark spot; scape tan; antenna light brown dorsally, tan ventrally; pronotal collar brown with pair of large, narrowly separated yellowish-tan transverse marks dorso-posteriorly; pronotal lobe tan; metapleuron and anterior propodeum ranging from entirely brown to entirely yellowish-tan (Fig. 32 A); propodeum generally dark, rarely with pair of reduced yellow marks dorso-anteriorly; legs yellowish tan except occasionally with poorly-defined vestigial brown marks basally on fore femur, dorsoapical spot on hind femur, medially on hind tibia, and distal hind tarsi; wing veins ranging from tan to brown; metasoma yellowish-tan, except T1 with pair of C-shaped brown marks on anterior face, T1–T5 often with pair of small apico-sublateral brown spots and even smaller baso-lateral spots, spots often reduced or absent on apical terga, joints of terga often slightly darkened Fig. 20 D); T2 fovea dark brown; pygidial plate tan.
Structure and vestiture. Head broader than long (Fig. 22 C); lateral areas and circle around antennal socket densely covered in recumbent white pubescence, vertex with combination of recumbent and erect pubescence; eyes subparallel, slightly converging ventrally; facial fovea diverging dorsally, oval, extending from top of antennal socket 2/3 distance to apex of eye, generally more or less obscured by pubescence; mandible simple; labrum quadrate, slightly less than 2X broader than long; disc of clypeus broader than high, convex, apically protruding slightly less than 1 OD from face; lateral extension reaching 1/3 distance to base of mandible; venter of head with abundant inward-facing broadly hooked hairs; mesosoma strongly tessellate, impunctate, slightly shiny; pronotal collar slightly impressed, humeral angle weak; mesepisternum and margins of scutum mostly covered by combination of recumbent and erect white pubescence; fore coxa with abundant, broadly hooked hairs; apex of mid tibia with some short, thick, curved setae; forewing with second medial cell present; metasoma suboval, wide basally, tapering apically, widest at T3 (Fig. 20 D); terga tessellate and impunctate; T2 fovea linear, 2/3 length of T2; pygidial plate narrow, triangular, apex bluntly pointed (Fig. 24 E); hairs of prepygidial fimbria thin, sparse.
Description of male. Length: 2.8 mm. Forewing length: 1.9 mm.
Coloration. Head (Fig. 21 D) and mesosoma base color black with greenish-bronze or bluish metallic luster; clypeus yellowish-tan; supraclypeal mark yellowish-tan, large, transverse; paraocular mark yellowish-tan, transverse to subtriangular, reaching level of summit of clypeus, except continuing in thin line along eye to level of top of antennal socket; mandible whitish-tan, tip reddish; labrum whitish-tan, sometimes with basomedial dark spot; scape yellowish tan, anterior face more or less brown medially; antenna light brown dorsally, tan ventrally; pronotal collar brown with pair of large, narrowly separated yellowish-tan transverse marks dorso-posteriorly; pronotal lobe yellowish-tan; legs tan except more or less marked with brown on coxae, dorsobasally on all femora, medially on hind tibia, and distal hind tarsi; wing veins dark brown; metasoma dark brown except T1–T6 more or less lightened to tan on apical margin (Fig. 19 C); T2 fovea black; pygidial plate tan or brown.
Structure and vestiture. Head oval or subquadrate, broader than long (Fig. 21 D); lateral areas and circle around antennal socket densely covered in recumbent white pubescence, vertex with combination of recumbent and erect pubescence; eyes slightly converging ventrally; mandible simple, extending to far side of labrum in repose; labrum quadrate, 1.5X broader than long; disc of clypeus broader than high, moderately convex, apically protruding 1 OD from face; lateral extension reaching 1/3 distance to base of mandible; head with sparse pubescence ventrally; mesosoma strongly tessellate, impunctate, slightly shiny; pronotal collar slightly impressed, humeral angle weak; mesepisternum and margins of scutum mostly covered by combination of recumbent and erect white pubescence; hind tibia with sparse, short, slightly thickened hairs; metasoma narrower or equal in width to mesosoma, narrowly oval, wide basally, tapering apically, widest at T3 (Fig. 19 C); terga tessellate and impunctate; T2 fovea linear, slightly thickened, 1/3 length of T2; pygidial plate narrowly triangular, apex thin, slightly truncate (Fig. 23 D); hairs of prepygidial fimbria thin, sparse.
Terminalia. S8 (Fig. 56 D) with spiculum bifurcate basally, lateral apodemes not prominent, apical portion convex, longer than broad, sides expanding medially before converging slightly towards truncate apex; a short hairs ventrally; lacking an obviously thinned area. Genital capsule as in Figs. 58 G–H. Gonostyli separated dorsally by narrow V-shape; lobes of gonostylus nearly equal in length, extending slightly beyond level of penis valve; ventral lobe slightly longer than dorsal lobe with few sparse hairs along outer margin of apex; volsella much shorter than gonostylus; cuspis with multiple spicules on apex; digitus shorter and thicker than cuspis, lacking spicules; penis valve relatively close together, slightly converging above, slightly turned outward at apex; endophallus extending slightly beyond level of penis valve.
Floral records. Boraginaceae (54 ♂ 59 ♀): Heliotropium sp. 1 ♀, Nama sp. 30 ♂ 30 ♀, Tiquilia latior 20 ♂ 24 ♀, T. sp. 4 ♂ 4 ♀, Loasaceae (1 ♀): Eucnide sp. 1 ♀.
Phenology. S pring (April and May).
Distribution. Mojave Desert (Fig. 31 B), USA. Known only from the northeastern part of Clark County, Nevada, USA.
Type material. Holotype data: ♀, NEVADA: Clark Co.: Blue Point Spr. (36.3912 -114.4295): 30 Apr 2004, S.M. Higbee, Tiquilia sp. (BBSL, accession no. BBSL 578253). Paratype data: (16 ♂ 20 ♀) NEVADA: Clark Co.: Beehive Rock, W, West Valley of Fire State Park entrance (36.4091 -114.5494): 2 ♀, 21 May 1998, M. Andres, Tiquilia latior; Blue Point Spr. (36.3912 -114.4295): 1 ♀, 30 Apr 2004, B. Hansen, T. sp.; 1 ♀, 30 Apr 2004, S.M. Higbee, T. sp.; Glendale, 20 mi E (36.4431 -114.4272): 11 ♂, 2 May 1986, P.F. & D.M. Torchio; 5 ♀, 2 May 1986, P.F. & D.M. Torchio, Nama sp.; Magnesite Wash, E (36.4928 -114.5313): 1 ♀, 6 May 1998, M. Andres, K. Keen, K. Receveur, C. Schultz; Mesquite, 14 mi SW (36.7236 -114.2453): 2 ♂, 4 May 1982, F.D. Parker; Overton, 8 mi S (36.4536 -114.4336): 2 ♂ 6 ♀, 27 Apr 1972, G.E. Bohart, F.D. Parker, P.F. Torchio, N. sp. (1 ♂ 1 ♀ UCRC); Riverside, 7.5 km SW; Virgin Valley; New Gold Butte Rd (36.68514 -114.27375): 1 ♂, 16 May 2012, Z.M. Portman, T. latior; St. Thomas Wash (36.4377 -114.4317): 3 ♀, 5 May 1998, M. Andres, C. Schultz, T. latior; 1 ♀, 5 May 1998, T.L. Griswold, T. latior.
Additional material examined. Total specimens: 71 ♂ 49 ♀. NEVADA: Clark Co.: Beehive Rock, W, West Valley of Fire State Park entrance (36.4091 -114.5494): 3 ♂ 3 ♀, 21 May 1998, M. Andres, Tiquilia latior; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, 21 May 1998, M. Andres, K. Keen, K. Receveur, C. Schultz; Blue Point Spr. (36.3912 -114.4295): 2 ♂, 30 Apr 2004, B. Hansen, T. sp.; 2 ♂ 1 ♀, 30 Apr 2004, S.M. Higbee, T. sp.; Glendale, 20 mi E (36.4431 -114.4272): 7 ♂, 2 May 1986, P.F. & D.M. Torchio; 5 ♀, 2 May 1986, P.F. & D.M. Torchio, Nama sp.; Glendale, 32 mi SE(36.3217 - 114.4936): 1 ♀, 1 May 1986, P.F. & D.M. Torchio, Eucnide sp.; Las Vegas Dunes (36.2853 -114.9642): 1 ♂ 3 ♀, 1 May 1998, K. Keen, C. Schultz, T. latior; 1 ♂ 3 ♀, 28 May 1998, K. Keen, C. Schultz; Las Vegas Dunes (36.286 - 114.9667): 2 ♂ 5 ♀, 22 May 1998, M. Andres, K. Keen, K. Receveur, C. Schultz; Logandale (36.622 -114.4844): 1 ♀, 27 Apr 1972, G.E. Bohart, F.D. Parker, P.F. Torchio, Heliotropium sp.; Mesquite, 14 mi SW (36.7236 - 114.2453): 8 ♂, 4 May 1982, F.D. Parker; Overton, 8 mi S (36.4536 -114.4336): 28 ♂ 14 ♀, 27 Apr 1972, G.E. Bohart, F.D. Parker, P.F. Torchio, N. sp.; Riverside to Freeway (36.7541 -114.2312): 1 ♂, 16 May 1983, F.D. & J.H. Parker; St. Thomas Wash (36.4377 -114.4317): 4 ♂ 2 ♀, 5 May 1998, M. Andres, C. Schultz, T. latior; 9 ♂ 4 ♀, 5 May 1998, T.L. Griswold, T. latior; Valley of Fire State Park (36.4435 -114.528): 2 ♂ 6 ♀, 21 May 1998, K. Keen, K. Receveur, T. latior.
Etymology. From Latin exustus meaning “burned” or “burned out” in reference both to the color of the metasoma and the Valley of Fire where it was found.
Remarks. Perdita exusta was originally reported by Griswold et al. (1999) and again in Griswold et al. (2006) in reports to the Nature Conservancy and Clark County, NV. However, the species has not been described until now.
The structure of the male terminalia indicates that P. exusta is a close relative of P. arenaria and the other species with a yellow metasoma with dark spots. Apparently P. exusta has largely lost the distinctive spotted pattern.
description: Published as part of Portman, Zachary M., Neff, John L. & Griswold, Terry, 2016, Taxonomic revision of Perdita subgenus Heteroperdita Timberlake (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), with descriptions of two ant-like males, pp. 1-97 in Zootaxa 4214 (1) on pages 43-46, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4214.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/253086