Andrena (incertae sedis) sulfurea Wood, 2022

Pisanty, Gideon, Scheuchl, Erwin, Martin, Teresa, Cardinal, Sophie & Wood, Thomas James, 2022, Twenty-five new species of mining bees (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae: Andrena) from Israel and the Levant, Zootaxa 5185 (1), pp. 1-109 : 97-100

Andrena (incertae sedis) sulfurea Wood sp. nov.

( Figs. 242–250 )

Female ( Fig. 242 ).

Body length: 8–8.5 mm.

Colour. Body black ( Fig. 242 ). Flagellum black basally, becoming orange from segment 2 onwards, particularly ventrally ( Fig. 243 ). Apical parts of basitarsi and tarsal segments orange brown. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange ( Fig. 242 ). Tergal margins apically lightened translucent orange-yellow ( Fig. 245 ).

Pubescence. Face, gena, vertex and scape with dense white hairs of moderate length, none substantially exceeding half of length of scape ( Figs. 242–243 ). Clypeus apically, mandibles and labrum with short golden hairs ( Fig. 243 ). Fovea with short white hairs. Mesonotum and scutellum with semi-squamous whitish-yellowish hairs, very short dorsally, longer anterolaterally ( Figs. 242, 244 ). Mesepisternum with long white hairs. Propodeal corbicula complete, surface of corbicula with sparse, long white simple hairs. Leg hair white, scopal hairs white, simple ( Fig. 242 ). Flocculus complete, short, composed of white plumose hairs. Tergal discs with very short white hairs visible in lateral view, margin of disc 1 laterally with small white hair tuft, 2–4 with complete or only slightly interrupted thick white hairbands that obscure underlying surface. Prepygidial fimbria whitish, pygidial fimbria golden ( Fig. 245 ).

Head ( Figs. 243–244 ). 1.3 times broader than long. Labral process narrow, slightly longer than wide. Clypeus very weakly domed, shagreened, dull, densely punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters ( Fig. 243 ). Paraocular area and frons finely longitudinally ridged, dull. Flagellomere 1 as long as 2+3. Facial fovea dorsally occupying half distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye, very slightly narrowed below, essentially parallel-sided ( Fig. 243 ). Fovea dorsally separated from lateral ocellus by 1.5 diameter of lateral ocellus. Ocelloccipital distance subequal to width of lateral ocellus. Genal area slightly exceeding width of compound eye ( Fig. 244 ).

Mesosoma ( Fig. 244 ). Pronotum without elevated dorsolateral angle or lateral carina. Mesonotum and scutellum smooth and shiny, almost without shagreen, densely punctured, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters ( Fig. 244 ). Mesepisternum and propodeal corbicula finely reticulate, impunctate, weakly shining. Propodeal triangle wide, inner surface finely reticulate with delicate pattern of fine raised carinae, laterally delineated by fine carina; posterolateral part of propodeum with similar structure. Inner side of hind femur rounded, not carinate. Tarsal claws with small inner tooth. Recurrent vein 1 reaching submarginal cell 2 at its middle. Submarginal crossvein 1 meets marginal cell 2 vein widths from stigma. Nervulus slightly antefurcal ( Fig. 242 ).

Metasoma ( Fig. 245 ). Tergal discs densely and evenly shagreened, weakly shining. Marginal zones slightly depressed, structurally identical, occupying 0.3 of tergal length. Pygidial plate flat, rounded triangular.

Male ( Fig. 246 ).

Body length: 6.5–7 mm.

Colour. Similar to female, though antennae darker brown, never becoming orange, pubescence more obviously white, never whitish-yellow ( Fig. 246 ).

Pubescence. Hairs of head as in female, though longer, longest equaling length of scape ( Figs. 246–248 ). Mesonotum and scutellum without semi-squamous hairs, hairs long, longest equaling length of scape ( Figs. 246, 248 ). Terga with hair bands composed of longer hairs, covering margins of terga 2–5 and extending onto following terga by same distance again ( Fig. 249 ).

Head ( Figs. 247–248 ). As in female, though with labral process apically with strong emargination, flagellomere 1 exceeds 2, shorter than 2+3.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 248 ). As in female, except nervulus slightly less clearly antefurcal ( Fig. 246 ). Tarsal claws more obviously bidentate, with comparatively larger inner tooth.

Metasoma ( Fig. 249 ). As in female, but with dense punctures on tergal discs in shagreenation, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, not extending onto tergal margins.

Genitalia and hidden sterna ( Fig. 250 ). Gonocoxites produced into strong, blunt and apically rounded dorsal lobes. Gonostyli with raised internal margin, apically spatulate. Penis valves basally broad, apically narrowing abruptly to point ( Fig. 250 ). Sternum 8 narrow, columnar, essentially parallel-sided throughout, apically truncate.

Diagnosis. Placement of A. sulfurea into a subgenus is difficult and cannot currently be done with confidence. In the female sex, the species is very close to A. (Graecandrena) schwarzi Warncke because of the small body size, propodeal triangle finely and delicately marked with raised reticulation, nervulus slightly antefurcal, dark integument throughout, strongly shagreened terga with thick, white apical hairbands, and shiny and densely punctured mesonotum and scutellum. However, A. schwarzi is placed into the Graecandrena on the basis of its male genitalia that are typical for this subgenus (see illustrations in Warncke 1975); the genitalia of A. sulfurea are completely different and resemble members of the former subgenus Poliandrena sensu Warncke which no longer exists and most members of which are incertae sedis ( Pisanty et al. 2022), specifically the taxa A. castanea Warncke , A. hibernica Warncke , and A. melanota Warncke.

Andrena sulfurea females can be separated from A. schwarzi by the dense punctures of the clypeus which are separated by <1 puncture diameter, underlying surface predominantly shagreened and weakly shining (in A. schwarzi punctures separated by at least 1 puncture diameter, by>2 centrally, underlying surface smooth and polished, shining), by the presence of semi-squamiform hairs on the mesonotum (mesonotal hairs longer, of a normal type in A. schwarzi ), and by the shape of the labral process which is narrow, slightly longer than wide (labral process trapezoidal, approximately twice as wide as long in A. schwarzi ). It is superficially similar to certain members of the Andrena aerinifrons species group ( Carandrena sensu Warncke , now included in Notandrena , Pisanty et al. 2022) which lack metallic reflections such as A. pesleria Gusenleitner , but can be separated by the reticulate propodeal triangle (smooth in comparative aerinifrons -group species). It can also be separated from the group of aforementioned ‘ Poliandrena ’ species by the absence of tergal punctures; all three taxa have clearly punctured terga.

Andrena sulfurea males can be separated from the three mentioned ‘ Poliandrena ’ species by the black clypeus, thick and long white tergal hairbands, white facial hairs, and penis valves which narrow abruptly apically (narrow more slowly, remaining comparatively wide throughout in the ‘ Poliandrena ’ species) ( Figs. 250–253 ).

Distribution: Central Syria.

Flight period: March, presumably into April.

Flower records: None.

Holotype: SYRIA: Homs, 250 m, As Sukhnah [As-Shuknah], 22 km E, 24.iii.1988, L. Blank, ♂ ( OLML).

Paratypes: SYRIA: Homs, 250 m, As Sukhnah [As-Shuknah], 22 km E, 24.iii.1988, L. Blank (2♀, 14♂); 80 km E of Palmyra , 450 m, 22.iv.1992, K. Warncke (19♀, 8♂); 110 km E of Palmyra , 350 m, 21–22.iv.1992, K. Warncke (1♂) ( OLML, SMNHTAU, TJW) .

Etymology. sulfurea = Latin for “sulphurous”, in reference to the type locality’s nearby sulfur springs that also give As Sukhnah its name (literally ‘the warm’ in Arabic). The species epithet is an adjective.

Other material examined: ( A. castanea ): PARATYPE: TURKEY: Karadağ , Karaman Province [Karadagh], 1.vi.1920, (1♂) ( OLML); ( A. hibernica caucasica ) : HOLOTYPE: CAUCASUS: Arexesthal (unknown location, Arexes = Aras river , flows from Turkey to the Caspian Sea ), 1889 [89], Reitter (♂) ( OLML); ( A. melanota ): PARATYPE: TURKEY: Erzurum, 31.viii.1937, O. Ecevit [sic?] (1♂) ( OLML) .

Figures

FIGURES 242–249. Andrena (incertae sedis) sulfurea sp. nov. 242. female habitus, 243. female head, 244. female head and mesosoma, 245. female metasoma, 246. male habitus, 247. male head, 248. male head and mesosoma, 249. male terga 1–4.

FIGURES 250–254. Andrena (incertae sedis) sulfurea sp. nov. 250. male genitalia. Andrena (incertae sedis) castanea Warncke, paratype. 251. male genitalia. Andrena (incertae sedis) hibernica caucasica Warncke, holotype. 252. male genitalia. Andrena (incertae sedis) melanota Warncke, paratype. 253. male genitalia. Andrena (Aenandrena) chaetogastra Pittioni, paratype. 254. female metasoma.