Andrena (incertae sedis) hakkariensis, WOOD, 2024

WOOD, T. J., 2024, Further revisions to the Palaearctic Andrena fauna (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5483 (1), pp. 1-150 : 132-134

Andrena (incertae sedis) hakkariensis spec. nov.

Figures 80A–F .

HOLOTYPE: TURKEY: Hakkâri, Tanin-Tanin-Pass, 37.4715 oN, 42.9220 oE, 2500 m, 2.vi.1980, ♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM.

PARATYPES: TURKEY: same information as holotype, 5♀, OÖLM/ TJWC; Tanin-Tanin-Pass, 23–2800 m, 3.vi.1980, 3♀, leg. M. Schwarz, OÖLM; Tanin-Tanin-Pass, 25.v.1988, 1♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM; Hakkâri, Suvari Halil-Pass, 2500 m, 2.vi.1980, 2♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM; Hakkâri, Suvari Halil-Pass, 2300 m, 14.vi.1981, 1♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM .

Description: Female: Body length: 5.5– 6 mm ( Figure 80A ). Head: Dark, 1.3 times wider than long ( Figure 80B ). Clypeus domed, basal ½ shagreened, weakly shining with hints of metallic blue-green reflections, apical ½ smooth and shining, surface irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, sparsest medially. Process of labrum rounded trapezoidal, 2 times wider than long, apical margin weakly emarginate. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance ⅔ diameter of lateral ocellus. Facial foveae moderately broad, occupying ⅓ space between compound eye and lateral ocellus, slightly broader than width of flagellum, slightly narrowing ventrally at level of antennal insertions; foveae filled with light brown hairs ( Figure 80C ). Face, gena, vertex, and scape with white hairs, none equalling length of scape. Antennae basally dark, A4–12 ventrally lightly lightened by presence of grey scales; A3 slightly exceeding A4+5, shorter than A4+5+6.

Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum with dense uniform granular shagreen, weakly shining, surface irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–4 puncture diameters ( Figure 80D ). Pronotum rounded. Mesepisternum with uniform granular microreticulation, weakly shining.Dorsolateral parts of propodeum with granular microreticulation, weakly shining, sculpture overlain by weak network of raised rugosity. Propodeal triangle narrow, laterally delineated by fine carinae, medially slightly depressed, internal surface covered with network of raised rugae in basal ⅔ ( Figure 80E ). Mesepisternum with sparse long white hairs, longest equalling length of scape, scutum and scutellum with shorter sparse white hairs. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, dorsal fringe composed of sparse whitish plumose hairs, internal surface with scattered long white simple hairs. Legs dark, pubescence whitish to light brownish. Flocculus incomplete, composed of white plumose hairs; femoral and tibial scopae composed of white simple hairs. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus interstitial.

Metasoma: Tergal discs dark, marginal areas broadly lightened hyaline white-yellow-brown ( Figure 80F ). Tergal discs basally shagreened, sculpture weakening apically, marginal areas smooth and shining; tergal discs sparsely punctate, puncture separated by 3–4 puncture diameters. Tergal discs with scattered white hairs of varying lengths, T2–3 laterally with obscure white hairbands. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate brown. Pygidial plate rounded triangular, surface obscurely punctate, dull.

Male: Unknown.

Diagnosis. Andrena hakkariensis presents a combination of characters that do not fit with any existing subgeneric characters, or more precisely, A. hakkariensis presents no distinctive characters, rendering recognition challenging. The pronotum is rounded, the hind tibial spur is parallel-sided, there are no thorns on the posterior face of the hind femur, there are no modified or specialised hairs on the body (including the pollen collecting hairs), the foveae are neither broad nor strongly narrowed, the propodeal triangle is simple and without strong wrinkles, but also is not entirely shagreened and without structure, the integument is dark and lacking red colouration or metallic reflections except for very subtle blue-green metallic reflections as the base of the clypeus, and the pygidial plate is dull and featureless. Historically, it may have been placed in the subgenus Poecilandrena Hedicke, 1933 , but this is unwise as many unrelated species have been lumped into this polyphylectic subgenus ( Pisanty et al. 2018; 2022b) because it lacks strong defining characters. For example, A. hakkariensis has sparsely punctate terga, whereas confirmed Poecilandrena species tend to have densely punctate terga and some taxa previously placed there which have sparsely punctate or impunctate terga fall elsewhere ( Pisanty et al. 2018; 2022b). Although these patterns do not always hold true (leading to the unsatisfactory classification of the subgenus), and some sparsely punctate Poecilandrena are likely appropriately classified here such as A. kilikiae Warncke, 1969 and A. saturata Warncke, 1975 , these species have strongly metallic terga. Andrena hakkariensis is therefore best placed as incertae sedis at the present time, particularly since the male is unknown.

Diagnosis is therefore best made to morphologically similar species. Due to the strongly shagreened, weakly shining, and sparsely punctate scutum ( Figure 80D ), the small body size, the relatively narrow facial foveae that occupy <½ the space between the compound eye and lateral ocellus ( Figure 80C ), the narrow, weakly defined, and somewhat medially constricted propodeal triangle ( Figure 80E ), and the weakly sculptured and sparsely punctate terga with apical rims lightened hyaline-yellow ( Figure 80F ), A. hakkariensis is closest to A. (incertae sedis) hosseiniiae Wood & Monfared, 2022 from southern Iran. The two species are easily separated, as A. hakkariensis has the clypeus relatively short, only slightly projecting beyond a line drawn between the lower margins of the malar areas (in A. hosseiniiae with the clypeus elongate, clearly projecting beyond a line drawn between the lower margins of the malar areas), and the surface of the clypeus is basally shagreened, becoming smooth and shining in apical ½, irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, sparsest medially (in A. hosseiniiae with the clypeus polished and shining over the majority of its area, very sparsely punctate, punctures separated by 1–4 puncture diameters).

Etymology. From the Turkish province Hakkâri with the Latin suffix -ensis, indicating “originating from”.

Distribution. South-eastern Turkey (province of Hakkâri).

Figures

FIGURE 80. Andrena (incertae sedis) hakkariensis spec. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Face, frontal view; C. Head, dorsal view; D. Scutum, dorsal view; E. Propodeum, dorsal view; F. Terga, dorsal view.