Anthrax cintalapa Cole 1957

Anthrax cintalpa Cole

Argyramoeba oedipus.—Osten Sacken, 1877, p. 243 [part].—Osten Sacken, 1878, p. 90.—Osten Sacken, 1886, p. 102 [part].—Coquillett, 1894, p. 95 [part].—Kertész, 1909, p. 66 [part] [not Fabricius, 1805; misidentification].

Anthrax oedipus.—Edwards, 1930, p. 173 [part] [not Fabricius, 1805; misidentification].

Anthrax cintalpa Cole, 1957, p. 200.—Painter and Painter, 1965, p. 431.

MALE.—Head with fine black setae and black and white lanceolate scales, sometimes with a few brown scales. Basal antennal segments brown to red orange; second segment short, saucer shaped, apical margin produced as sharp flange (Figure 14; Plate 1l).

Mesonotum and scutellum with linear or lanceolate, black and white scales; often with some brown scales, especially in anterior patch on disc of scutellum. Scales on mesopleuron, sternopleuron, and anterior half of pteropleuron black, brown, white, or mixed. Pile on prosternum, propleuron, and anterior margin of mesonotum black, white, or mixed, often some brown hairs present. Postalar tuft of pile black, often with some white hairs and rarely entirely white. Scales on coxae white, or mixed black and white.

Cells C and Sc of wing (Plate 1e), with alternating pigmented and hyaline areas. Remainder of wings with numerous irregular dark brown spots, sometimes coalesced into preapical, submedial, and basal transverse bands, sometimes largely discrete. Discrete spots mostly rounded, few elongated transversely. Basal part of vein Cu1 one-fifth to one-third as long as entire vein. Spur at basal angle of vein R4 very rarely connected with vein R2+3 forming a sectoral crossvein.

Femora usually black, occasionally reddish brown; tibiae black to reddish yellow. Scales on femora lanceolate and ovate-truncate, usually black anteriorly and white posteriorly. Middle femur without a bristle anteriorly above anteroventral row (Figure 36).

Lateral margins of first abdominal tergum with white pile and few black setae; second tergum with black pile, setae, and erect, lanceolate- and/or oblanceolate-truncate scales laterally; lateral margins of remaining terga with black setae and scales anteriorly, and white or golden-brown scales posteriorly, especially on posterior terga. Posterior margin of first tergum with white scales laterally and black scales medially; discs of remaining terga with linear black scales anteriorly, sometimes with a few golden-brown or white scales; posterior margins with obovate-truncate white scales in submedial and sublateral patches, patches sometimes coalesced on two and five, sometimes reduced or absent on four, and expanded over six and seven. Venter of abdomen with sparse black setae and linear scales, predominantly black in specimens from southern Mexico, predominantly white in specimens from United States.

FEMALE.—Similar to male.

MALE GENITALIA (Figure 8).—Apical part of gonocoxites about three times longer than basal part; distal segment of gonostylus about three times as long as wide. Apex of epiphallus with sharp dorsal flange extending ventrally as sharp carina, a serrate process present above apex of aedeagus. Apex of aedeagus not flared, gonopore ventral. Epandrium rounded apically in dorsal view; cercus projecting apically beyond epandrium.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figure 47).—Tenth tergum with nine spines apically on each side; ventral extensions at base broadened at right angle apically. Apical part of sclerite on each side of gonopore twisted, lateral lobe arising mesally, narrow, acute apically; ventral extension narrow, slightly acuminate and curved mesally. Ducts of spermathecae united into medial tube before emptying into genital chamber; ducts with six or seven convolutions before expanding to bulbs; bulbs S-shaped basally, widest postmedially, sharply constricted to nipple-like apices.

BODY LENGTH.—6.2 to 10.6 mm.

WING LENGTH.—6.2 to 10.8 mm.

DISTRIBUTION.—Anthrax cintalpa occurs in forested areas from southwestern United States through Mexico and Central America into Venezuela (Map 2). The distribution probably is limited on the south by the Amazonian rain forest in Venezuela and by the Andes Mountains in Colombia. In the United States it is limited by the Great Plains and eastern deciduous forests. The northern limit is approximately at the 41st parallel except for a population in northwestern Nebraska.

MAP 2.—Distribution of Anthrax cintalpa.

TYPES.—Anthrax cintalpa was described from four specimens collected at Francia, 8 mi. NE of Cintalpa, Chiapas, Mexico, by R. C. Bechtel and E. I. Schlinger. The types are in the University of California (Berkeley) collection. The paratypes have been studied by the author.

BIOLOGY.—Cole (1957) stated that the type specimens of A. cintalpa were reared from the nests of Melitoma euglossoides Lepeletier and Serville (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Other specimens have been reared from Megachile chilopsidis, M. concinna, and Dianthidium sp. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). This species has been collected in several localities in Mexico by the author, always along steep embankments.

Anthrax cintalpa Cole

Cole (1957) stated that the type specimens of cintalpa were reared from nests of Melitoma euglossoides Lepeletier & Serville (Hymenoptera: Apidae). One paratype studied by the author has the pupal skin pinned with it. Additional specimens with pupal skins were reared from nests of Megachile concinna and Dianthidium sp. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Specimens with pupal skins are in the collections of R. H. Painter, the author, and the University of California at Berkeley.

Integument of pupa yellowish hyaline with yellow setae and reddish brown black-tipped tubercles. Medial cephalic tubercle (Plate 1C) formed outside a line between tips of anterior and posterior tubercles; line through tips of medial and posterior tubercles parallel to or at slight angle to meson; anterior tubercle slender, tapering to sharp apex, with sharp mesoventral and dorsolateral ridges and with indistinct dorsomesal ridge; medial tubercle broad basally, tapering to sharp apex, with sharp ventrolateral ridge; posterior tubercle short, curved upward, and tapering to sharp apex, with sharp dorsal and ventromesal ridges and blunt ventrolateral ridge. Facial sclerite about five times longer than narrowest width, with shallow emargination at posterior end; anterior facial tubercles anteroposteriorly flattened, with bluntly angled lateral apices, joined by sharp ridge mesally; posterior facial tubercle formed as low transverse ridge, rounded or indistinctly binodal. Anterior facial setae arising distinctly anterior to bases of anterior facial tubercles.

Thoracic spiracle with about seven sections, posterior ones reduced, with sharp flange around anterior two-thirds. Abdominal spiracles with about six sections, anteroventral ones reduced; flange arising posteriorly, becoming broad dorsally, narrowing anteriorly and broadening again ventrally; flange evenly rounded posterodorsally.

Sixth and seventh terga without spines between setae. Eighth tergum without spines dorsally, with setae in front of line between dorsolateral tumidities. Medial process on ninth tergum high and broadly rounded apically or low and tapering to sharply rounded apex. Each anal tubercle (Plate 4H) four to five times longer than medial width, narrowly separated mesally or meeting at preapical denticles. Sharp dorsal and ventral denticles present at base of each tubercle, ventral denticle not connected by ridge; mesoventral ridge not forming denticles apically, not connected to ventrobasal denticles; dorsal preapical denticles well developed, sharp or bluntly rounded, ventral preapical denticles poorly developed, blunt; apices tapering outward from preapical denticles.

The similarities of the pupae of A. cintalpa to the pupae of irroratus irroratus, cordillerensis, and peruvianus are discussed under irroratus.