Andrena (Oreomelissa) submontana Wu, 1982

Gautam, R. K., Uniyal, V. P. & Wood, Thomas J., 2024, A critical revision of the Andrena Fabricius, 1775 of India, with the description of two new species (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) from Uttarakhand, European Journal of Taxonomy 948, pp. 1-59 : 35

23. Andrena (Oreomelissa) submontana Wu, 1982 *

Andrena (Oreomelissa) submontana Wu, 1982: 386 , ♀ [ China: Xizang, IZAS, not examined].

Material examined

INDIA • 3 ♀♀; Uttarakhand, Nanu Chatti, Gaundhar ; 30.61126° N, 79.2013° E; 2440 m a.s.l.; 5 Oct. 2021; R.K. Gautam leg.; WII • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; Thangu ; 3800 m a.s.l.; 1–12 Jul. 1938; Schäfer. Exped. leg.; ZMHB • 1 ♀; Thangu R.; 2 Jul. 1938; Schäfer. Exped. leg.; ZMHB .

Remarks

Specimens from Uttarakhand were collected from Geranium wallichianum Oliv. ( Geraniaceae Juss. ) ( Fig. 14 ). Females of A. submontana present partially plumose tibial scopal hairs and long spines on the posterior face of the hind femorae, along with two other Himalayan species of Oreomelissa ( Xu et al. 2000).This is reminiscent of the characters present in some members of the unrelated subgenus Avandrena Warncke, 1968 that are specialised on Erodium L'Hér. ex Aiton ( Geraniaceae ) ( Wood 2023b). Further study is required to assess whether these structures are functionally involved in pollen collection, and thus represent convergent evolution, since spined Avandrena and Oreomelissa are strongly separated phylogenetically ( Pisanty et al. 2022b). Specimens from Sikkim collected by the Schäfer Expedition were separated as “ Andrena adicyta n. sp. ”, an unpublished name.

Distribution

India * (Uttarakhand, Sikkim) & China (Xizang, Qinghai, Yunnan) ( Xu et al. 2000).

Figures

Fig. 14. A–B. Andrena (Oreomelissa) submontana Wu, 1982, ♀♀ on Geranium wallichianum Oliv. (Geraniaceae Juss.) in Uttarakhand, November 2021.