Andrena (Carandrena) planti, Dubitzky, Andreas, 2006

Dubitzky, Andreas, 2006, New palearctic species of the bee genus Andrena (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 1284, pp. 1-27 : 3-10

Andrena (Carandrena) planti sp. n.

( Figs 1 A, 3B, G, 4B)

Male. BL: 6.8–7.4 mm. FWL: 5.3 mm.

Structure. Head nearly round, 1.1 times broader than long in frontal view. Galea truncate, tesselate and dull, without distinct punctation. PMX3–PMX6 distinctly protruding beyond apex of galea. Mandibles extremely long, falcate, without preapical tooth. PLR small, trapezoid, smooth and shiny. Clypeus smooth and shiny, about 1.3 times as broad as long with distinct punctation dense along margins (<1) and more dispersed on disc (>1.5). Apical part of clypeus strongly elongate, protruding ventrally. Apical margin of clypeus slightly curled up, concave, only 0.3 times as wide as maximum width of clypeus. POA smooth and shiny, with distinct, dense punctation (<1) except area along inner margin of compound eye, which has minute, dispersed punctation. SCA distinctly tesselate, dull to weakly shiny, with indistinct punctation. Frons weakly shiny, with weak longitudinal ridges and indistinct punctation (=1). GA slightly tesselate, shiny, with indistinct weak punctation (1), about as wide as compound eye in lateral view. GA distinctly concave when seen dorsally. GA with strong, broad triangular projections ventrally ( Fig. 1 A). Vertex slightly tesselate, weakly shiny, with indistinct dispersed punctation (1). Distance from hind margin of LO to hind margin of vertex 1.4 times as wide as OD. Hind margin of vertex strongly concave in dorsal view, weakly carinate in the middle. AS 3 about twice as long as broad, as long as following two AS together. AS 4 truncate, slightly broader (1.2 times) than long. AS 5– AS 12 slightly longer than broad ( AS 5– AS 7: 1.2 times; AS 8– AS 12: 1.3 times), AS 13 1.6 times longer than broad. Pronotum strongly tesselate, dull to weakly shiny, with distinct dorsolateral angle. Scutum and scutellum smooth and shiny with dispersed minute punctation (>1) on disc. Metanotum strongly tesselate, dull. PT strongly tesselate to granulate all over. DLP, LP and declivous part of propodeum strongly tesselate, dull to weakly shiny. Mesepisternum tesselate weakly shiny, with indistinct punctation. Claws bidentate. T polished, shiny, with minute and dispersed punctation (> 2) on disc. S weakly tesselate, shiny, with indistinct minute punctation. Apical margin of S6 strongly curled ventrally. Structure of S7, S8 and genitalia as in Figs 3 B, G and 4B.

Integument colour. Mandibles black, apically reddish. Clypeus ivory except black area along apical margin and blackish C­shaped maculation along basal margin. POA with small ivory maculation apically. AS blackish­brown except AS 5– AS 13 bright orange on underside. Other parts of head, as well as thorax, dark green to blue metallic. Coxa to femur of all legs dark brownish, tibia and tarsal segments bright yellowish­brown. Spurs bright yellowish­grey transparent. Claws yellowish­grey basally, brownish apically. Wing veins and stigma bright brownish. T blackish brown on disc, bright brownish transparent on marginal zone. S uniformly brownish.

Pubescence. Head and thorax with medium­long to long greyish­white to yellowishwhite hairs. Legs with sparse greyish­white pubescence of varying length. Terga with greyish­white pubescence of short hairs forming weak incomplete hairbands along apical margin. S2–S5 with pale, extremely short and weak pubescence on disc and complete whitish hairbands along apical margin. Apical margin of S6 with dense brush of short, bright yellowish hairs.

Female. BL: 7.0 mm. FWL: 5.7 mm.

Structure. As in male except for usual secondary sexual characteristics and as follows: Clypeus 1.6 times as broad as long, distinctly tesselate, shiny. Punctation of clypeus more sparse and regular than in male (>1). Apical margin of clypeus 0.5 times as wide as maximum width of clypeus. FOV nearly parallel sided, becoming slightly narrower at lower margin, reaching from hind margin of compound eye to level of middle of antennal socket. Maximum width of FOV 1.5 times OD. Vertex weakly rounded. GA as wide as compound eye in lateral view, weakly tesselate with indistinct minute punctation. AS 3 about 2.2 times as long as broad, slightly longer (1.2 times) than following two AS together. AS 4– AS 11 about as long as broad, AS 12 1.4 times longer than broad. Dorsolateral angle of pronotum only weakly developed, forming indistinct broadly rounded carina. Scutum shiny, distinctly tesselate anteriorly, polished on disc, with more dense and distinct punctation (1) than in male. Scutellum with denser and more distinct punctation (1). Claws with minute inner tooth, inconspicuously bidentate. Pygidial plate shiny, with elevated triangular area in the middle. S weakly tesselate, shiny, with indistinct punctation.

Integument colour. Head and thorax dark green metallic except following structures: Mandibles black, apically reddened. Upper part of clypeus with reddish to yellowish oily shimmer. AS blackish­brown except AS 6– AS 12 bright orange on underside, bright brownish dorsally. Coxa to femur of all legs dark brownish. Tibia of front and mid leg brownish, hind tibia brownish with bright yellowish­brown maculation apically. Tarsal segments of all legs conspicuously yellow. Spurs bright yellowish­grey transparent. Claws yellowish basally, reddish­brown apically. Basitibial plate reddish­brown. Tegula yellowish­brown transparent. Veins of wings, as well as stigma, bright yellowish­brown, distinctly paler than in male. T blackish­brown with weak metallic gleam on disc, bright brownish transparent on marginal zone. Pygidial plate bright reddish­brown basally, blackish­brown apically. S uniformly blackish­brown.

Pubescence. Hairs of head and thorax distinctly shorter than in male, especially the scutum and scutellum with conspicuously short hairs. LP with few long and simple hairs intermixed with extremely short ones. Femoral, tibial and basitarsal scopa of hind leg consisting of simple hairs. Pubescence of T distinctly longer and more dense than in male. Prepygidial, as well as pygidial fimbria, with bright yellowish­grey hairs. S with inconspicuous short (disc) to medium­long (apical margin) greyish pubescence.

Diagnosis. The following character combination unambiguously identifies the new species as a member of the subgenus Carandrena: Metallic glitter of the cuticle; finely granulated structure of the PT; general shape of male genitalia, S7 and S8; yellowish coloured clypeus in the males; elongated, falcate male mandibles; rather narrow FOV in the female (less than twice OD). Within the subgenus Carandrena, Andrena planti is most similar to A. (Carandrena) deserta Warncke, 1974 from Algeria from which it can be distinguished by the following characters (character states of A. deserta in parentheses): Mandible of males without preapical tooth (with minute preapical tooth); clypeus elongate, 1.6 times (female) and 1.3 times (male) as broad as long (clypeus normally long, 1.8 (female) and 1.7 times (male) as broad as long); GA of male with strong, broad triangular projection ventrally (without projection ventrally); POA of male with ivory maculation apically (POA without ivory maculation); AS 3 slender, about twice as long as broad, 0.72 times as long as scape ( AS 3 truncate, only 1.3 times as long as broad, 0.38 times as long as scape); distance from hind margin of LO to hind margin of vertex 1.4 times as wide as OD (only 0.83 times as wide as OD); FOV of females hardly narrowed below (strongly narrowed below); claws of female with minute, hardly visible inner tooth (claws distinctly bidentate); T of females with weak metallic gleam (T with distinct metallic gleam); T smooth (distinctly tesselate); pygidial plate of female with elevated triangular area in the middle (pygidial plate flat, without elevated area in the middle).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of my dear friend John Plant for his great knowledge and contributions to bee systematics and morphology. His valuable assistance has been enormously helpful in particular for my understanding of bee systematics and cladistic work.

Type material. Holotype: ɗ, Turkmenistan, Umg. Aschghabat, 22.IV.1996, ex coll. Grünwaldt ( ZSM). Paratypes: 1ɗ, 1Ψ, same data as Holotype ( ZSM, CAD).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Head and head structures, part I. A: Profile of male of A. planti sp. n.; B: Profile of female of A. susanneae sp. n.; C: Portrait of female of A. christineae sp. n.; D: Portrait of female of A. scheuchli sp. n.; E: Dorsal view of female head of A. christineae sp. n.; F: Dorsal view of female head of A. scheuchli sp. n.; G: Left FOV of female of A. christineae sp. n.; H: Left FOV of female of A. scheuchli sp. n. Dotted lines in Figs E – H indicate outline of FOV. Scale bars: 500 µm (A – F), 250 µm (G – H).

FIGURE 3. S 7 (A – E, ventral side) and S 8 (F – K) of male. A: A. heinzi sp. n.; B: A. planti sp. n.; C: A. susanneae sp. n.; D: A. yangi sp. n.; E: A. cheni sp. n.; F: A. heinzi sp. n. (dorsal side); G: A. planti sp. n. (ventral side); H: A. susanneae sp. n. (left dorsal, right ventral side); I: A. yangi sp. n. (left dorsal, right ventral side); J: A. nantouensis sp. n. (left dorsal, right ventral side); K: A. cheni sp. n. (left dorsal, right ventral side). Scale bars: 250 µm.