Heriades crucifera Cockerell, 1897

Rojas-Arias, Laura, Griswold, Terry, Hinojosa-Díaz, Ismael, Morrone, Juan J. & Barajas, Ricardo Ayala, 2025, Neotropical bees of the genus Heriades Spinola, 1808 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Osmiini) with description of nine new species, Zootaxa 5570 (2), pp. 201-259 : 224-226

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5570.2.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7177B69B-6132-485D-87C7-4EA807692757
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14751018
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/D838E015-FFB3-B04A-FF5D-C3D7923C7F69
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Heriades crucifera Cockerell, 1897
status

Treatment

Heriades crucifera Cockerell, 1897 View in CoL

( Figs. 2 O View FIGURE 2 , 12–13 View FIGURE 12 View FIGURE 13 )

Heriades crucifera Cockerell, 1897 View in CoL . The New Mexico bees of the genus Heriades View in CoL and a new Halictus View in CoL :137. Contributions from the New Mexico Biological Station, Vol. XII.

Type locality: Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 18. (Cockerell).

Holotype: USNM No. 1546

Diagnosis. Bees with projection on malar area, especially large and strong in female ( Fig. 13C View FIGURE 13 ); OPR large (3.4 times OD); head, mesosoma and metasoma with large punctures; T3 with medium-sized punctures (0.7 DOP of scutum), strongly coarse and dense ( Fig. 13B, D View FIGURE 13 ). Male: posterior margin of S1 rounded, with posterior small emargination ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 Ob) and low ventral angle in one third of distance from apex to base or less ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 Oa); posterior margin of S5 with two rectangular lobes, subtriangular medially, two rounded tufts with capitate hairs directed medially, and simple short hairs directed towards sides ( Fig. 13E View FIGURE 13 ); S6 with right-angled posterior margin, with two subapical tufts with several simple, short, thin hair, directed downward ( Fig. 13F View FIGURE 13 ), similar to H. leavitti and H. texana , but differ from first by angle in malar area, and from second in less hairs overall, particularly on basal area of clypeus, and bigger space between tufts of capitate hairs on S5. Female: large body size, mandibles long, pointy and outer surface with rounded carina from base to dorsal margin ( Fig. 13C View FIGURE 13 ).

Additional material examined: MEXICO: Chihuahua, Casas Grandes , 2079 m, 30.11278 -108.30235, 18/ IX/2013, E. Esquivel ( ECOAB 1♀) GoogleMaps . Madera , 2027 m, 29.06429 -108.03692, 22/IX/2013, E. Esquivel ( ECOAB 1♀) GoogleMaps , 1858 m, 27.4425 -108.0108333, 06/IX/1969, T. A. Sears et al. ( BBSL 1♀) GoogleMaps .

Distribution. This species is mainly distributed in the United States, but a few specimens were found in northern Mexico, in areas that correspond to the northern limit of tropical elements and areas with desert and grasslands, in the Sierra Madre Occidental biogeographic province ( Morrone et al. 2022) ( Fig. 12 View FIGURE 12 ). Altitudinal range: 1546 to 2079 m.

Comments. Males with S5 and S6 similar to H. micropthalma Michener, 1954 , H. texana , H. leavitti , H. cristina sp. nov., H. vulcanica sp. nov., but can be recognize by other external characteristics presented in the diagnosis. In Michener (1938), Fig. 20 View FIGURE 20 of S6 belongs to H. variolosa ( Cresson, 1872) and not H. crucifera . Males are slightly similar to H. micheneri but can be recognized by large ocelli and process on S1, in posterior view with one rounded cusp.