Euphoria fascifera

Euphoria fascifera (LeConte, 1861)

(Appendix 4: Fig. 29)

Euryomia fascifera LeConte 1861: 336. Original combination.

Holotype at MCZ, examined.

Euphoria fascifera trapezium Casey 1915: 324. New synonymy.

Lectotype at USNM designated by Hardy (2001), examined. Two paralectotypes at USNM, one examined.

Description (n = 215). Length 11.5–15.0 mm; width 6.2–8.6 mm. Color: Dorsal surface light yellow to light orange, shiny or tomentous. Pronotum light yellow to light orange, with 1 large black marking at middle covering most of surface, or with 4 small, medial spots; 1 small, dark, semicircular, anterolateral mark on each side. Elytra with 3 transverse, black bands extending across suture. Ventral surface, including legs, shiny black to dark brown. Head: Frons slightly raised at middle, densely punctate; punctures deep, moderate in size, confluent, becoming increasingly elongated towards sides, glabrous to sparsely setose; setae minute to short, yellowish. Clypeus subquadrate, surface as on frons, sides strongly raised in males, weakly to moderately raised in females; apex truncate to vaguely sinuate in dorsal view, strongly reflexed in males, weakly in females. Antennal club as long as or longer than stem in males, shorter in females. Pronotum: Surface glabrous, moderately densely punctate; punctures small, lunulate to round. Small tubercle present behind anterior margin at center. Sides at base subparallel to convergent toward apex. Base in front of scutellum moderately to strongly emarginate. Scutellum glabrous, impunctate. Elytra: Surface glabrous, moderately densely punctate; striae bearing 3 rows of small, lunulate punctures. Costae evident to weak, rugae limited to apical umbone. Pygidium: Surface concentrically striate, glabrous to sparsely setose; setae short, yellowish. Legs: Protibiae slender in males, robust in females, apical and medial teeth closer to each other than to basal tooth in males, equidistant in females, basal tooth frequently obsolete in males, rarely obsolete in females. Mesotibial carina weakly to moderately developed, carina often ending in sharp spine. Metatibiae not apically expanded in males, weakly expanded in females; metatarsi longer than metatibiae in males, as long as or shorter in females; apical spurs slender in males, at least one thick or expanded in females. Venter: Mesometasternal process slightly to strongly extended anteriorly beyond mesocoxae, weakly laterally constricted, apex variably rounded or truncate, glabrous. Metasternum rugose, weakly to moderately setose laterally, glabrous and impunctate at middle, median sulcus vaguely to weakly impressed. Abdomen with a strong, medial, longitudinal depression in males, strongly concave in lateral view in males, strongly convex in females. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 29c.

Diagnosis. This species is easily separated from other species in the group based on the dorsal color pattern, strongly concave (in lateral view) abdomen of males, strongly concentrically striate pygidium, and form of the parameres. Euphoria fascifera and E. schotti are the only species in the group that occur in the United States.

Notes. Three different color forms occur within the species (Fig. 29a, d, e). Specimens from Arizona and New Mexico, USA and Chihuahua, Mexico have the pronotum generally with four small discal markings (Fig. 29a). Adults from Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico generally exhibit a single large discal marking on the pronotum (Fig. 29d). The third color form corresponds to tomentous specimens with a large discal marking on the pronotum that are found in Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico (Fig. 29e). While geographically relatively constant, specimens of two color forms are occasionally found in the same locality. Other than color, pattern, and tomentous cover, no other characters were found to separate these forms.

Taxonomic History. LeConte (1861) described the species from Baja California Sur, Mexico. He included the species in the genus Euryomia following Lacordaire’ s (1856) idea that Burmeister’ s (1842) genera were based solely on geographic distribution. Casey (1915) described Euphoria fascifera trapezium which I consider an additional color variant from Arizona, USA, and it is here reduced to synonymy.

Natural History. Adults have been collected on Baccharis sp., Haplopappus sp. (Asteraceae), Allenrolfea occidentalis (Watson) (Chenopodiaceae), Prosopis glandulosa Torreyana, Quercus sp., and in fruit traps. Adults have also been observed feeding on the beans of P. juliflora. Sleeper and Hardy (1964) observed that adults were attracted to a solution of molasses. The larvae have been found in nests of Neotoma sp. nests. Specimens have been taken between 140–1,610 m elevation.

Temporal Distribution. June (6), July (62), August (64), September (32), October (9), November (2) (Fig. 29f).

Geographic Distribution. Known from southwestern United States to the Baja California Peninsula and the states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Sonora in Mexico (Fig. 29g).

Specimens Examined (215). Type material: Euryomia fascifera LeConte, 1861; holotype male at MCZ labeled “ E. fascifera Lec. // Type 3784// [silver disc with edge cut. LeConte’ s designation for Baja California]”. Euphoria fascifera trapezium Casey, 1915; lectotype male at USNM labeled “San Bernardino/ Ranch 3750 ft. // CASEY/ bequest/ 1925// TYPE USNM/ 48684// trapezium/ Csy// LECTOTYPE / Euphoria / fascifera/ trapezium/ Casey = By/ A.R. Hardy’78”; paralectotype female at USNM labeled “Congress Jc/ Ariz. July./ F. H. Snow// 5908// CASEY/ bequest/ 1925// trapezium. 2/ PARATYPE USNM/ 48684// PARATYPE / Euphoria / fascifera/ trapezium Csy”. Other material: MEXICO (78): BAJA CALIFORNIA: Rancho El Progreso (19), El Arenoso (1), Misión San Fernando (1), Santa Rosa (1); BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR: Bahía Santa María (1), Cabo San Lucas (3), El Triunfo (3), Guerrero Negro (1), La Burrera (4), La Paz (1), Ligui (8), Loreto (2), Punta Prieta (2), Ramal de los Naranjos (5), Rosarito (1), San Antonio (5), San Bartolo (12 km W) (5), San Isidro (1), San José del Cabo (2), San Pedro (1), Santa Anita (2), Todos Santos (2); CHIHUAHUA: Moctezuma (1); SINALOA: Los Mochis (1); SONORA: El Carrizo (5), Navojoa (1). USA (134): ARIZONA: Coconino Co.: Grand Canyon (1); Cochise Co: Douglas (10), Gleeson (1), Portal (1), Rodeo (3), San Bernardino Ranch (1), Willcox (2); Gila Co.: Cutter (6), Globe (27), Hayes Mountains (1), Pinal Mountains (2), Rice (1), San Carlos Lake (1), Tonto (1); Graham Co.: Aravaipa (1); Maricopa Co.: Gila Bend (26 mi. S) (1), Granite Reef Dam (1), Phoenix (3), Tempe (2); Navajo Co.: Winslow (1); Pima Co.: Colossal Cave Mountain Park (3), Green Valley (1), Lower Madera Canyon (1), Tucson (7), Sabino Canyon (5); Pinal Co.: Florence (3), Marana (1); Yavapai Co.: Congress Junction (3); Yuma Co.: Hoodoo Well (1), Yuma (1). CALIFORNIA: Imperial Co.: Glamis (1); Kern Co.: Edwards Air Force Base (10); Riverside Co.: Cactus City (3); San Diego Co.: Borrego Sink (1), Scissors Crossing (1); San Bernardino Co.: Barstow (1), Joshua Tree (5), Joshua Tree National Park (3), Providence Mountains State Park (10), Vidal (1), Warner Springs (1). NEW MEXICO: Hidalgo Co.: Granite gap (1), Lordsburg (1), Rodeo (2).