3 replies to this topic

[dspdrew]

1. Location of collection:  Ocotillo Wells, California.
2. Date of collection:  5-16-2015.
3. Habitat of collection:  Desert sand dunes.
4. Length (from head to gaster):  6 mm.
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture:  Light orange, with solid black gaster.
6. Distinguishing characteristics: 
7. Anything else distinctive: 
8. Nest description:

 

 

 

 

[dspdrew]

I tried keying this out, but can't seem to figure it out at all.

 

I know this is of the subgenus Endiodioctes.

 

1.Less hairy species: fewer than 20 erect hairs on malar area in frontal view, usually fewer than 6 (clearly)..... 6

 

6. Malar area, in frontal view, with six or more erect hairs evenly distributed between eye and base of mandible (clearly)...... 7

 

7. First three terga uniformly, densely pubescent (can't be this, because third and fourth have absolutely no pubescence at all).

 

    Third tergum apubescent or at least conspicuously less pubescent than first two; (clearly) clypeus slightly shiny, distinctly tessellate; frontal lobes slightly shiny, distinctly tessellate, with scattered coarse punctures and dense micropunctures; HW of majors 1.03-1.63 mm (not sure, but this would be M. intonsus, which does not occur here.)

 

Other than the color being slightly darker in the images on AntWeb, these look like M. insonsus, but they supposedly are only found in southern Baja California Sur.

 

I'm stumped.

[James C. Trager]

See if this fits M. kosoi or M. kennedyi.

[dspdrew]

M. koso clearly has the same amount of pubescence on all of the first three terga, while my specimen's third tergum has no pupescense at all. I'm no biologist, but that seems like a pretty significant difference.

 

M. kennedyi I think would fit if it wasn't for couplet 6. (I'm at work so I can't look at those hair lengths right now)

• Malar area, in frontal view, with six or more erect hairs evenly distributed between eye and base of mandible . . . . . 7

• Malar area, in frontal view, with not more than four erect hairs, these confined to lower half, near base of mandible . . . . . 11

According to that, it would need to have four or less hairs on the malar area, and even in the pictures you can count about eight.

 

Am I correct about the gaster and am I looking in the right spot for the malar hairs?

 

I also was wondering about the difference between what is considered to be pubescence and what is considered to be hairs. I think I have a pretty good idea, but I'm not sure. Could you explain the difference?

 

Edit: After looking at it again, M. kennedyi fits perfectly if it wasn't for couplet 6.

Edited by dspdrew, May 25 2015 - 2:13 PM.