First record of the orchid bee genus Eufriesea Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Euglossini) in the United States

Abstract

The orchid bee genus Eufriesea Cockerell is documented for the first time from the southwestern United States, extending its apparent range north well beyond its previous tropical/subtropical boundaries. Eufriesea coerulescens (Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau 1841) is recorded from the Guadalupe Mountains of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, USA. Whether E. coerulescens is resident in the USA, or merely a vagrant from Mexico, remains unclear. Distinctive morphological traits shared with the holotype are enumerated and illustrated. In addition, observations that question the current species concept and distribution of E. coerulescens are provided.

On the identity of the adventive species of Eufriesea Cockerell in the USA: systematics and potential distribution of the coerulescens species group (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

“…In contrast, they found low to complete absence of suitable habitat in southernmost Texas and southern Arizona for E. polychroma, thus supporting the idea of a long-distance dispersal event, as Minckley and Reyes (1996) inferred based on the heavily worn wings of the captured specimen. Unlike the specimen of E. polychroma, the two males of Eufriesea collected in the USA displayed no signs of major wing damage, and thus Griswold et al (2015) suggested that these specimens might be members of a persistent bee population, rather than long-distance transient vagrants. If this were correct, a SDM would predict highly suitable habitat for this species of Eufriesea in the southern USA, as in the case of E. dilemma.…”

“…In the Andes, except for the monotypic genus Aglae Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau & Serville, specimens of one or two species of the remaining four genera of Euglossini have been collected at elevations above 2500 m (Gonzalez and Engel 2004, Perger 2015. In the USA, in addition to Eufriesea, two other orchid bee species have been documented: Euglossa dilemma Bembé & Eltz [as E. viridissima (Friese)] in southern Florida and Eulaema polychroma (Mocsáry) in southern Arizona and southernmost Texas (Minckley and Reyes 1996, Búrquez 1997, Skov and Wiley 2005, Griswold et al 2015.…”

“…Griswold et al (2015) tentatively identified them as E. coerulescens (Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau), a rarely collected bee from Mexico whose species limits and true geographical distribution are unclear. The name E. coerulescens has been applied to specimens of both sexes with a short tongue (not exceeding the third sternum in repose) and concolorous tagmata, ranging from metallic green or blue to violet.…”

“…The name E. coerulescens has been applied to specimens of both sexes with a short tongue (not exceeding the third sternum in repose) and concolorous tagmata, ranging from metallic green or blue to violet. However, while addressing the identity of the USA specimens, Griswold et al (2015) noted a number of morphological variations including tongue length among the male and female specimens standing in collections under E. coerulescens sensu Kimsey (1982), which not only questioned its species limits, but also suggested the existence of undescribed species. Although literature records suggest that E. coerulescens is widely distributed in Mexico, possibly occurring south as far as Honduras and Guatemala, records from the last two countries and others from Central America listed by Kimsey (1982), Roubik and Hanson (2004), and Moure et al (2007) remain unconfirmed (Griswold et al 2015).…”

“…However, while addressing the identity of the USA specimens, Griswold et al (2015) noted a number of morphological variations including tongue length among the male and female specimens standing in collections under E. coerulescens sensu Kimsey (1982), which not only questioned its species limits, but also suggested the existence of undescribed species. Although literature records suggest that E. coerulescens is widely distributed in Mexico, possibly occurring south as far as Honduras and Guatemala, records from the last two countries and others from Central America listed by Kimsey (1982), Roubik and Hanson (2004), and Moure et al (2007) remain unconfirmed (Griswold et al 2015). Kimsey (1982) separated E. coerulescens, along with the Mesoamerican E. anisochlora (Kimsey) and the South American species E. fragrocara (Kimsey) and E. brasilianorum (Friese), in the species group "XII" "or caerulescens group [sic]".…”