Andrena (Melandrena) marmora Nurse, 1904

WOOD, T. J., 2024, Further revisions to the Palaearctic Andrena fauna (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5483 (1), pp. 1-150 : 53-55

Andrena (Melandrena) marmora Nurse, 1904

Andrena transcaspica Radoszkowski, 1893 (nec. Andrena transcaspica Radoszkowski, 1886 ): 56, ♀ [ Turkmenistan, ZMHB, not examined]

Andrena radoszkowski Dalla Torre, 1896 (nec. Andrena radoszkowski Schmiedeknecht, 1883 ): 149, nom. nov. for A. transcaspica Radoszkowski, 1893

Andrena marmora Nurse, 1904: 562 , ♀ ♂ [ Pakistan, NHMUK, examined]

Andrena ducis Cockerell, 1907: 50 , nom. nov. for A. transcaspica Radoszkowski, 1893

Andrena chionospila Cockerell, 1917: 283 , ♀ ♂ [ Pakistan, USNM, photograph examined] syn. nov.

Andrena pullipennis Alfken, 1931: 828 , ♀ [ Tajikistan, ZMHB, examined] syn. nov. ( Figures 34A–F )

Andrena gussakovskii Lebedev, 1932: 65 , ♀ [ Uzbekistan, ZISP, examined by photograph]

Remarks. Andrena marmora has been misinterpreted by some authors, but is a valid species found in dry parts of the Middle East and Central Asia ( Wood & Monfared 2022; Wood 2023a). Astafurova et al. (2024) recently synonymised A. gussakovskii with A. marmora following type illustration. Cockerell (1917) described A. chionospila from what is now north-western Pakistan, comparing it to A. (Melandrena) albopunctata (Rossi, 1792) , but indicating the weaker and sparser metasomal punctation. No comparison is made to A. marmora which was described from Pakistan by Nurse (1904), and the two species are clearly conspecific (type material of A. marmora illustrated by Wood 2023a), and hence are synonymised here. The photographed specimen in the USNM is a syntype, as Cockerell described both sexes of A. chionospila .

In a similar manner, Alfken (1931) described A. pullipennis from a single specimen from the Pamir mountains in Tajikistan ( Figure 34 ). He indicated that the species can be recognised due to its white hairs of the face, mesosoma, and terminal fringe. He noted that he could not diagnose the systematic position of the species without seeing the male, possibly contributing to the lack of confident subgeneric placement by Gusenleitner & Schwarz (2002). Inspection of the type shows that A. pullipennis is a Melandrena , and that it is conspecific with A. marmora syn. nov.; although the lateral white hair patches on the terga are weak to absent, it is otherwise structurally identical.

Finally, it was not possible to locate the type of A. transcaspica Radoszkowski, 1893 in Berlin, the suggested type repository ( Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002). Warncke (1967) did not examine the type, but mentioned an oral communication from Grünwaldt who said that the two taxa were conspecific. It is not clear if Grünwaldt examined the type material, but the synonymy is plausible based on the description and the examination of material from Turkmenistan; in any case, A. ducis (the replacement name later proposed by Cockerell (1907)) is junior to A. marmora . Searches must be made in the PASK collection.

Material examined. ISRAEL: Negev , 15 km S of Be’er Sheva, 31.iii.1988, 1♀, leg. R. Leys, RMNH ; KYRGYZSTAN: Kadamžoj [Kadamjay], 5.v.1978, 2♀, leg. J. Víša, OÖLM ; PAKISTAN: Menserah , N.W. Provinces, India, March 1906, 1♀, leg. F. Benton, USNM (syntype of A. chionospila ; type no. 23137, examined by photograph) ; Peshin , iv.1903, 1♀, leg. C.G. Nurse, NHMUK (syntype) ; TAJIKISTAN: W-Pamir, 3580 m, Maz [ Alfken (1931) adds the note “westl. Täler” which is inferred to be Talbar, 38.5947 oN, 70.3644 oE], 15.viii.1928, 1♀, leg. W.F. Reinig, ZMHB (holotype of A. pullipennis ) ; TURKMENISTAN: Annau / Kara-kum , 26.iv.1977, 1♀, leg. Dr. A. Svozil, OÖLM; Firjuza , iv.1977, 1♀, leg. J. Strejček, OÖLM ; UZBEKISTAN: 80 km SE Karschi [ Qarshi ], 30.iv.1991, 1♀, leg. J. Halada, OÖLM; Daganadzham env., II, near Surxondaryo , 973 m, 9.iv.2022, 4♂, leg. D. Benda, NMPC ; Kul’-Kishlak env., Kashkadarya reg., 752 m, 10.iv.2022, 2♂, leg. D. Benda, NMPC ; Tangimush env., Surxondaryo reg., 722 m, 13.iv.2022, 1♂, leg. D. Benda, NMPC ; Charbaq env., Surxondaryo reg., 1178 m, 13.iv.2022, 1♂, leg. D. Benda, NMPC ; YEMEN: Sanaa [Sana’a], 16.iv.1982, 1♂, leg. I.L. Hamer, NHMUK .

Distribution. Israel, Yemen *, Russia (Western Siberia), Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan *, Kyrgyzstan *, Iran, Pakistan ( Osytshnjuk et al. 2008; Proshchalykin et al. 2017; Wood & Monfared 2022).

Figures

FIGURE 34. Andrena (Melandrena) pullipennis Alfken, 1931 holotype female. A. Label details; B. Habitus, lateral view; C. Face, frontal view; D. Head, lateral view; E. Hind tibia, lateral view; F. Terga, dorsal view.