Andrena (Leimelissa) claves, Wood, 2023

Wood, Thomas James, 2023, New Old World Andrena species, with a focus on Turkey (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5266 (1), pp. 1-72 : 28-30

Andrena (Leimelissa) claves spec. nov.

HOLOTYPE: KAZAKHSTAN: Džambul env. [Russian name, Dzhambul, now Taraz], Kara Tau, průsmyk [pass] Ujuk [inferred 43.1597 oN, 70.2016 oE], 1000 m, 3.vi.1980, 1♀, leg. Z. Pádr, OÖLM.

PARATYPES: KAZAKHSTAN: Same information as holotype, 3♀, OÖLM / TJWC .

Description: Female: Body length: 11–12 mm ( Figure 15A ). Head: Dark, 1.3 times wider than long ( Figure 15B ). Clypeus strongly flattened, medially slightly concave, with two weak and subtle longitudinal impressions; clypeus shallowly and irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 1–3 puncture diameters, broad impunctate longitudinal midline present; underlying surface strongly shagreened, dull. Process of labrum extremely broad, 5 times wider than long, basally with short latitudinal impression, medially with narrow emargination. Gena equalling width of compound eye, densely but shallowly and obscurely punctate with small punctures, punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters; ocelloccipital distance slightly exceeding 1 diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae broad, occupying three quarters distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye, filled with white hairs ( Figure 15C ). Gena, vertex, face, and scape with short white hairs. Antennae dark, A4–5 and A6 basally orange-marked ventrally; A3 =A4+5+6. Mesosoma: Scutum irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface finely shagreened, weakly shining. Scutellum smooth and shining, sparsely and irregularly punctate ( Figure 15D ). Pronotum without humeral angle, surface with shallow punctures. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum shagreened, weakly shining, densely and regularly punctate with shallow punctures, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameter; propodeal triangle impunctate, internal surface finely shagreened, more strongly shining; propodeal triangle with short inconspicuous longitudinal rugae basally ( Figure 15E ). Mesepisternum and propodeum with long white hairs, not exceeding length of scape, propodeal corbicula dorsally with dense white simple hairs, internal surface with sparse, long white hairs. Scutum and scutellum with sparse, short, simple white hairs. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments dark brown. Flocculus and femoral scopa snow-white; tibial scopa white ventrally, dark brown dorsally. Remaining pubescence of legs dark brown. Hind tarsal claws with strong inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation dark brown, nervulus postfurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark, smooth and shining, disc of T1 clearly punctate, punctures separated by 1–3 puncture diameters, discs of T2–4 more densely punctate with finer punctures, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters; marginal areas of T2–4 with smaller punctures, separated by 1 puncture diameter ( Figure 15F ). T1–4 laterally with pairs of large white hair patches overlying and obscuring underlying surface, clearly separated medially. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate dark chocolate brown, pygidial plate narrowly triangular, with obscure longitudinal raised ridge medially.

Male: Unknown.

Diagnosis: This species can be placed into the subgenus Leimelissa due to the strongly flattened clypeus ( Figure 15B ), the short and broad process of the labrum with a shallow emargination medially ( Figure 15B ), the densely punctate mesepisternum and dorsolateral part of the propodeum ( Figure 15E ), and the finely shagreened and impunctate propodeal triangle which lacks rugae ( Figure 15E ). Eight species of Leimelissa are known, predominantly from central Asia and China ( Table 2), with the new transfer of A. flagella Nurse, 1904 from the subgenus Lepidandrena (see placement of Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002) following type inspection (see below).

Andrena claves can be diagnosed by the simple scutal hairs ( Figure 15A ; with dense, short, and semi-squamous hairs in A. bairacumensis Morawitz, 1876 ), by the grey and white vestiture and dark metasomal terga ( Figure 15D ; body with extensive red vestiture, terga also yellow-red in A. westrichi Gusenleitner & Schwarz, 2000 ), by the short clypeus with the lower margin only slightly projecting beyond the lower margin of the compound eyes ( Figure 15B ; strongly and clearly projecting beyond the lower margin of the compound eyes in A. beijingensis Xu, 1994 , A. ermolenkoi Osytshnjuk, 1984 , and A. ponomarevae Osytshnjuk, 1983 ), by the short glossa and labial palpus (distinctly elongate in A. beijingensis and A. mimetes Cockerell, 1929 , lectotype designated below), and by the short ocelloccipital distance slightly exceeding the diameter of a lateral ocellus ( Figure 15C ; equal to two times the diameter of a lateral ocellus in A. ermolenkoi ).

Andrena claves is most similar to A. fallax Eversmann, 1852 (= A. ispida Warncke, 1965 , see Astafurova et al. 2022b) due to the short clypeus. It can be separated by the slightly narrower ocelloccipital distance that is as long as 1 diameter of a lateral ocellus (slightly longer than the diameter of a lateral ocellus), by the broader foveae that occupy two thirds of the distance between the lateral ocellus and the compound eye, the foveae being filled with white hairs (foveae occupying half of this distance, filled with light brown hairs), by the strongly separated hairbands on T2–4 (tergal hairbands complete at least on T3–4), and by the completely flattened and sparsely punctate clypeus (clypeus weakly domed, very densely punctate either side of an impunctate longitudinal line).

Etymology: The name is the nominative plural of the Latin noun clavis meaning ‘key’, as the pattern of white metasoma hairbands on the contrasting black terga is reminiscent of piano keys. It is a noun in apposition.

Distribution: Southern Kazakhstan.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Andrena (Leimelissa) claves spec. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Head, dorsal view, D. Dorsum, E. Propodeum, posterior view, F. Terga, dorsal view.