Andrena (Brachyandrena) alisadra, Ariana, Ardeshir, Scheuchl, Erwin, Tadauchi, Osamu & Gusenleitner, Fritz, 2009

Ariana, Ardeshir, Scheuchl, Erwin, Tadauchi, Osamu & Gusenleitner, Fritz, 2009, A taxonomic revision of the subgenus Andrena (Brachyandrena) (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 2281, pp. 21-39 : 29-33

Andrena (Brachyandrena) alisadra sp.n.

( Figs. 7 , 8 , 10 A)

Female (holotype). BL = 7.6 mm, WL = 6.6 mm.

Color. Flagellum brown, paler beneath; mandible with apical half reddened; wing membrane subhyaline, darker at apical area; veins and pterostigma brown to dark brown; posterior part of tegula translucent, reddish brown, anterior part black; the rest of body black.

Pubescence. Hairs on head and thorax short, moderately dense; those on clypeus 200–300 µm long, white; those on antennal area dense, white; those on vertex pale brownish, short (300 µm); those on genal area white; facial fovea light brown. Hairs on mesoscutum and scutellum short (100–200 µm), anterior margin of mesoscutum with scale-like hairs, whitish; those on mesepisternum longer, white; propodeal corbicula not well developed, with dull white long plumose dorsal fringes, internal area with simple hairs, without anterior fringes; trochanteral flocculus nearly perfect, white; femoral flocculus perfect; tibial scopa relatively short, with loose simple hairs; whitish. Hairs on metasomal terga scanty, T1–3 with broadly incomplete hair bands, T4– 5 with complete whitish hair bands. Caudal fimbriae brownish, S2–5 with white subapical fimbriae.

Structure. Head: HL/HW = 0.78, HW:MsW:MtW = 3:2.9:3. Vertex narrow, as wide as ocellar diameter, densely punctate; distinct smooth and shiny impunctate area in outer side of lateral ocellus, OOD:POD:OCD = 2:1.5:0.5; FL1 = FL2+FL3, FL2 = FL3; inner margin of eyes subparallel; facial fovea in upper part occupying 1/2 of distance between compound eye and lateral ocellus, not exceeding the lower level of antennal socket, FVL = 0.88 mm, FVW = 0.26 mm, facial quadrangle broader than long. Face above antennal fossae reticulate without longitudinal rugulae, interrugal space smooth and shiny. Clypeus slightly convex, with large shallow punctures (Pd = 55 µm, IS<0.1), without impunctate median line, shiny and smooth; CPL = 0.7 mm. Process of labrum emarginated; galea truncate, weakly tessellate and without distinct PP; the last maxillary palpi (MXP3–6) distinctly protruding beyond apex of galea; lower paraocular area with very dense, coarse shallow PP (Pd = 60 µm), IS<0.1. Malar space linear. Genal area equal to eye, surface with very dense and nearly coarse PP (Pd = 35 µm), IS<0.1 near eye.

Mesosoma: Pronotum without humeral angle, with deep dorsolateral suture, smooth and shiny with scattered PP, median part of dorsal area with dense and smaller PP. Mesoscutum with dense and irregular punctures in size, surface smooth and shiny, scutellum similar to mesoscutum but with sparser PP. Propodeal enclosure medium sized, not well indicated by boundary line, strongly rugose with strong carina, interrugal surface smooth and shiny. Mesepisternum with dense PP, anterior part reticulate, posterior part with coarse PP, surface smooth and shiny; anterior part of tegula smooth, with PP.

Metasoma: Metasomal terga with dense, small PP, completely smooth and shiny; posterior depression of T2–5 distinct; pygidial plate U-shaped, tessellate, without internal raised area; S2–5 smooth and shiny with fine and deep PP.

Male [West Alisadr env., Hamedan Prov., Iran, 14.v.1999 (K. Deneš sen.)]: BL = 6.5 mm, WL = 5 mm.

Color. Flagellum reddish brown beneath; mandible with apical third reddened; wing membrane subhyaline, veins and pterostigma brown; posterior part of tegula translucent, yellowish, anterior part dark brown; legs and metasomal terga brown; rest of body black.

Pubescence. Hairs on head and thorax short, not dense; those on clypeus 200–300 µm, dull whitish; those on antennal area sparse, dull whitish; those on vertex dull whitish, short, 300 µm; those on genal area dull whitish; hairs on mesoscutum and scutellum as in female, peripherally longer, 350–450 µm; those on mesepisternum with the same color and size. Hairs on metasomal terga and sterna as in female.

Structure. Head: HL/HW = 0.8, HW:MsW:MtW = 4.5:4:4.3. Vertex as in female; OOD:POD:OCD = 1.4:1.3:0.6; FL1 = FL2+FL3, FL2<FL3; inner margins of eyes as in female; facial quadrangle quadrate. Face above antennal fossae as in female. Clypeus as in female; CPL = 0.5 mm. Process of labrum quadrangle, apically rounded; galea and Malar space as in female. Genal area narrower than eye (2:2.5), surface with very dense PP (Pd = 10–20 µm), IS<0.1 near eye. Mandibles not crossing at rest.

Mesosoma: Pronotum without humeral angle, smooth and shiny with scattered PP, laterally with weak wrinkles. Mesoscutum and scutellum with dense deep PP (Pd = 10–20 µm), IS<0.1, surface as in female. Propodeal enclosure, mesepisternum and tegula as in female.

Metasoma: Metasomal terga as in female; genitalia and S7–8 as shown in Fig. 8 ; S2–5 smooth and shiny with distinct and shallow PP.

Type material: Holotype: female, West Alisadr env., Hamedan Prov., Iran, 14.v.1999 (K. Deneš sen.). Depository: Oberösterreichische Landesmuseen/Biologiezentrum, Linz, Austria.

Paratypes: 4 females and 1 male, West Alisadr env., Hamedan Prov., Iran, 14.v.1999 (K. Deneš sen.); 1 male, Chalus-Karaj, Marzanabad, Mazandaran Prov., Iran, 1.vi.1997 (M. Kafka); 1 female, Selmish, 1600m, 25km NW Khoramabad, Lurestan Prov., Iran, 14.v.1975 (leg. C. Holzschuh and F. Ressl); 1 female, 1700m, 50km S. Khoramabad, Lurestan Prov., Iran, 15.v.1975 (leg. C. Holzschuh and F. Ressl), 1 male, 1700m, Khoramabad, Lurestan Prov., Iran, 16.v.1976 (leg. C. Holzschuh and F. Ressl); 1 male Minudasht, 50–70 km östl., Golestan Forest, 450–700 m, Nord-IRAN, 27.v.1975 (leg. C. Holzschuh and F. Ressl).

Remarks: This new species is very similar to Andrena colletiformis Morawitz , but is separated by the small smooth and shiny impunctate area in outer side of lateral ocelli, the pronotum with dorsolateral suture, the smooth and shiny area without lateral roughened surface in female and straight line in inner side of S8, near the tip ( Fig. 10 A).

Distribution: Iran (West and North).

Variation: The impunctate region of vertex near lateral ocelli differs in area. Pygidial plate in female shows variation from V-shaped with microscopic PP to concave U-shaped with larger PP. In male, color of metasoma and legs differe from brown to completely black, process of labrum entire to weakly emarginated.

Etymology: This species is named based on its collecting area where possesses the most famous cave, Ali Sadr cave, in Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Andrena alisadra sp. n., female: (A, B) lateral and dorsal view of body; (C) metasoma; (D) portrait of head with small spots near lateral ocelli; (E) scutellum; (F) pronotum with dorsolateral suture and mesepisternum; (G) starshaped wrinkles of the surface of propodeal corbicula; (H) propodeum (propodeal triangle area not well delimited).

FIGURE 8. Male of Andrena alisadra sp. n., male: (A – C) dorsal, lateral, and ventral views of genitalia; (D, E) dorsal and ventral views of S 8; (F) dorsal view of S 7.

FIGURE 10. (A) Ventral view of S 8 of Andrena alisadra sp. n. (B) Ventral view of S 8 of A. colletiformis Morawitz. (C) Dorsal view of male genitalia of A. limonii Osytshnjuk (from Osytshnjuk et al. 2005, reproduced with permission granted by the authors and the publisher).