Andrena (Euandrena) gageae Wood & Pisanty, 2022

Pisanty, Gideon, Scheuchl, Erwin, Martin, Teresa, Cardinal, Sophie & Wood, Thomas James, 2022, Twenty-five new species of mining bees (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae: Andrena) from Israel and the Levant, Zootaxa 5185 (1), pp. 1-109 : 37-40

Andrena (Euandrena) gageae Wood & Pisanty sp. nov.

( Figs. 78–85 )

Female ( Fig. 78 ).

Body length: 9–10 mm.

Colour. Body black ( Fig. 78 ). Flagellum black basally, flagellomeres 3–10 ventrally lightened by presence of grey cilia. Apical tarsal segments very slightly lightened brown. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation dark orange to orange ( Fig. 78 ). Tergal marginal zones apically lightened brown-hyaline ( Fig. 81 ).

Pubescence. Face, paraocular area and gena with black hairs ( Figs. 78–80 ). Gena immediately behind base of mandibles with tuft of long white hair intermixed among black hairs. Vertex with almost entirely long white hairs. Frons and area around antennal sockets with mixture of black and white hairs ( Fig. 79 ). Mesonotum and scutellum with long white hairs ( Figs. 78, 80 ). Mesepisternum predominantly with long black hairs, mixing with white hairs anterolaterally and ventrally ( Fig. 78 ). Propodeal corbicula incomplete, composed predominantly of black plumose hairs with occasional white hairs intermixed. Surface of corbicula with sparse simple whitish hairs. Leg hair blackish brown, femoral scopa white, tibial scopa whitish golden ( Fig. 78 ). Flocculus incomplete, composed of sparse black plumose hairs. Tergum 1 with long sparse white hairs, 2–3 with short white hairs on discs. Terga 2–3 laterally, 4–5 all over with black hairs. Terminal fringe dark brown ( Fig. 81 ).

Head ( Figs. 79–80 ). 1.3 times broader than long. Labral process short, trapezoidal, basally 3 times broader than long, apical margin straight. Clypeus flattened centrally, strongly and evenly punctured, punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters laterally, becoming slightly sparser centrally, here separated by 1 puncture diameter. Clypeal surface smooth and shining over majority of its area except for narrowly shagreened area basally ( Fig. 79 ). Paraocular area with clear punctures of same density as on clypeus, frons finely longitudinally ridged, dull. Flagellomere 1 exceeds 2+3, shorter than 2+3+4. Facial fovea dorsally occupying 0.25 distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye, narrowed below at level of antennal insertions, here narrower than width of flagellum ( Figs. 79–80 ). Fovea dorsally separated from lateral ocellus by 2.5 diameter of lateral ocellus. Ocelloccipital distance subequal to width of lateral ocellus ( Fig. 80 ). Genal area slightly exceeding width of compound eye.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 80 ). Pronotum with very subtly elevated dorsolateral angle, essentially rounded. Mesonotum and scutellum laterally shagreened and dull, this becoming weaker centrally, here weakly shining to shining; irregularly punctured with shallow punctures, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters ( Fig. 80 ). Mesepisternum and propodeal corbicula finely reticulate, weakly shining. Propodeal triangle narrow, internal surface centrally and laterally with network of fine raised rugosity, otherwise with fine granular microreticulation; lateral margins of propodeal triangle differentiated from dorsolateral parts of propodeum by change in sculpture, dorsolateral parts granularly shagreened with fine network of raised reticulation ( Fig. 80 ). Tarsal claws with strong inner tooth. Recurrent vein 1 reaching submarginal cell 2 very slightly before its middle. Submarginal crossvein 1 meets marginal cell 5 vein widths from stigma. Nervulus interstitial to slightly antefurcal ( Fig. 78 ).

Metasoma ( Fig. 81 ). Tergal discs with variable sculpturing, tergum 1 with disc and declivity smooth and shining, 2–4 with discs smooth centrally to shagreened basally; all terga with fine and sparse punctures, punctures separated by 3–5 puncture diameters. Tergal margins weakly depressed, occupying 0.3–0.4 of tergal width, with fine latitudinal granular shagreen. Pygidial plate pointed triangular, centrally slightly raised, densely punctate.

Male ( Fig. 82 ).

Body length: 8 mm.

Colour. As in the female.

Pubescence. Similar to female. Gena and base of mandibles with larger, more extensive patch of intermixed white hairs, extending to flank galea laterally in frontal view. Intermixed white hairs of face more extensive, a few extending onto base of clypeus ( Fig. 83 ). Mesepisternum with white hairs more extensive, extending dorsally to mid-way point. Terga lacking dark hairs, entirely white-haired ( Fig. 82 ).

Head ( Figs. 83–84 ). 1.3 times broader than long. Structurally as in the female, though flagellomere 1 exceeding 2, shorter than 2+3.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 84 ). Structurally as in female, though shining central area of mesonotum comparatively small ( Fig. 84 ). Nervulus clearly antefurcal.

Metasoma. As in female.

Genitalia and hidden sterna ( Fig. 85 ). Genital capsule with gonocoxa produced into small teeth, apically touching. Gonostyli flattened, with weakly raised internal margin, apically spatulate. Penis valves basally slightly broadened, narrowing medially before slightly broadened and drop-like apex ( Fig. 85 ). Sternum 8 columnar, slightly broadened apically, essentially parallel sided, apically truncate. Ventral surface with short brownish hairs projecting laterally.

Diagnosis. Andrena gageae can be placed in the subgenus Euandrena because of the characteristic drop-shaped fovea which are narrowed below, and the simple scopal hairs. Further diagnosis is highly challenging and ideally requires comparison with barcoded specimens.

Females have a similar hair colour pattern to A. bicolor Fabricius , but have white hairs on the face, the clypeus is flattened centrally and the surface is smooth and shining, and the terga are smoother with finer and sparser punctation. There are similarities to A. glabriventris Alfken known from Turkey which has the same hair colour pattern (though without intermixed pale hairs on the face), but can be separated structurally because the vertex of A. glabriventris females behind the ocellar triangle is densely punctate, whereas it is impunctate in A. gageae .

Females are identical to the description of A. hermonella Scheuchl & Pisanty females. However, this is because the sexes of A. hermonella were incorrectly associated. The male of A. gageae (confirmed by barcoding, Table 2 ) which was caught at the same locality on the same day has simple, ‘typical’ Euandrena genitalia, without the lateral hyaline extensions to the penis valves that characterise A. hermonella (see illustrations in Pisanty et al. 2016). The tergal punctation of the A. gageae male is also much less dense, further supporting this difference. Males can therefore be diagnosed by the combination of white hairs on the face, smooth and sparsely punctate terga, and simple genital capsule.

Distribution: Israel and Lebanon, from high altitude (> 2000 m) in the Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountain chains. Likely present also in Syria.

Flight period. May, presumably into June.

Flower records. Lilaceae: Gagea micrantha .

Pollen analysis. Five analysed pollen loads contained pure Gagea pollen. However, pollen loads were all from the same day, so caution should be taken before interpreting these results as representative of the entire diet. Other alpine Euandrena can show affinity with other monocotyledon plants whilst also having a generalised diet ( Praz et al. 2019).

Holotype: LEBANON: Bsharri [Bcharré], Dahr el Adib, 2585 m, 34 o 12’40.0”N, 36 o 03’35.7”E, 27.v.2017, P. Rasmont & M. Boustani, ♀ ( OLML).

Paratypes: ISRAEL: Mount Hermon , 2000 m, 22.v.1973, H. Bytinski-Salz (1♀) ; 2050 m, 31.v.1991, K. Warncke (2♀) ( A. hermonella paratype labels); LEBANON: Bsharri [Bcharré], Dahr el Adib, 2585 m, 34 o 12’40.0”N, 36 o 03’35.7”E, 27.v.2017, P. Rasmont & M. Boustani, (6♀, 1♂) ( OLML, SMNHTAU, TJW) .

Etymology. Named after the yellow star-of-Bethlehem lily Gagea micrantha . The species epithet is an adjective.

Remarks. There is a swarm of Euandrena diversity in southeastern Europe to the Levant ( Praz et al. 2019; GP, TJW and C. Praz, unpublished data), much of it probably undescribed. Extreme care must be taken when determining Euandrena in this region; barcoding specimens is essential.A further publication will resolve outstanding issues in East Mediterranean members of this subgenus.

Lebanese specimens were collected from Gagea micrantha which may be important for its ecology in the way that other monocotyledon plants are for other species of alpine Euandrena ( Praz et al. 2019). This plant taxon is also restricted to Israel, Lebanon and Syria in high altitude sites.

Other material examined: ( A. glabriventris ): HOLOTYPE: TURKEY: Ankara, 10.v.1934, A. Seitz (♀) ( SMFM) ; PARATYPES: TURKEY: same as holotype (3♀) ( SMFM) .

Figures

FIGURES 78–85. Andrena (Euandrena) gageae sp. nov. 78. female habitus, 79. female head, 80. female vertex and mesosoma, 81. female metasoma, 82. male habitus, 83. male head, 84. male head and mesosoma, 85. male genitalia.