Ashmeadiella spur anatomy question

[Elsa Youngsteadt]

Hi Everyone, 
Here's a super basic anatomy question that is bothering me. I hope someone can set me straight!

When a key is talking about the 'outer face of the inner tibial spur' on the hind leg of an Ashmeadiella...is the outer face of that spur determined:

- relative to the axis of the leg (i.e., I should look at the side of the spur that is facing the abdomen)? 

- relative to the axis of the body (i.e., I should look at the side of the spur that is facing toward the outer tibial spur and away from the body)? 

I think it's the latter, but I keep having doubts. 

(The keys in question are Michener 1939, and Hurd & Michener 1955.)

Thanks for any help!
Elsa

[laurence packer]

Greetings

 

I've not used those keys, but in general the "outer surface" of a tibia or its spur is the

one facing away from the metasoma when the legs are arranged kind of posteriorly. My preference is to use anterior and posterior rather than outer and inner (after all, a tibia is kind of a cylindrical structure and to see the inner surface you have to crack it open). This takes the leg as being oriented laterally. I find the paper below useful in this regard.

 

hope this helps

 

Zootaxa 2415: 54–62 (2010)
www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Article
The spatial complexity in describing leg surfaces of Hymenoptera (Insecta),
the problem and a proposed solution
ALEXANDRE P. AGUIAR1 & GARY A. P. GIBSON2

Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 9:12 AM

From: "Elsa Youngsteadt" <eyoung...@gmail.com>

To: "Bee Monitoring" <beemon...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: [Beemonitoring] Ashmeadiella spur anatomy question

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[Zarrillo, Tracy]

Hi all,

Can someone please send me a copy of the Aguir and Gibson 2010 article below? Thank you in advance!

Best,

Tracy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tracy Zarrillo

Assistant Agricultural Scientist 1

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

123 Huntington Street

New Haven, CT 06511

Tracy.Z...@ct.gov

(203) 974-8473 (office)

(203) 654-1541 (cell)

 

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