Andrena (Suandrena) mirna Warncke, 1969

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 : 71

Andrena (Suandrena) mirna Warncke, 1969

Andrena cyanomicans mirna Warncke, 1969

Distribution: Iran, Southern Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, West Bank ( Warncke 1969; Khodaparast & Monfared 2012; Wood et al. 2020a).

Flight period: January–April.

Flower records: Brassicaceae : Erucaria rostrata , Sinapis alba : Fabaceae : Retama raetam .

Material examined: PARATYPES: ISRAEL [Palestine]: Yeruham [Bir Rechme], 13.iii.[no year], H. Bytinski-Salz (1♀, 1♂) ; WEST BANK [Palestine]: Jericho , 25.i.2941, H. Bytinski-Salz (1♀) ( SMNHTAU) ; non-type material: ISRAEL: Arad , 570 m, 31°15.346’N 35°11.958’E, 7.iii.2010, A. Freidberg (5♂) ; Avdat , 21.iii.1985, A. Freidberg (1♂) ; [ Avedat ], 16.iii.1988, A. Freidberg (1♀) ; Be’erotaim Bridge , 26.ii.1968, D. Gerling (1♂) ; Ein Gedi , 23.iii.1958, I. Kugler (1♂) ; Har Horesha , Rt. 171, 930 m, 2.iv.2014, A. Freidberg (1♀) & L. Friedman (1♂) ; Hatira , Negev , Israel, 8.ii.2002, E. Groner (1♀) ; Hazeva Field School , 30°43’N 35°15’E, 12.iii.1998, E. Ashkenazi, Malaise trap (2♂) ; Irus Yeroham Nature Reserve [Irus Yeroham NR], 31.021°N 34.9725°E, 13.ii.2022, G. Pisanty, on Retama raetam (1♂) ; Lehavim , 31.365°N 34.830°E, 28.i.2015, G. Pisanty, pan traps (2♀, 1♂) ; Lehavim Junction [LehavimJun.], 5.iv.1988, F. Kaplan (1♀) ; Masua , 12.iii.1985, A. Hefetz (1♀) ; near Mount Tzaror , Hatira, Negev , Israel, 8.ii.2002, E. Groner (1♀) ; 14.ii.2002, E. Groner (1♀); Nahal Aqrabim , 9.iii.1991, R. Kasher (1♂) ; Nahal Loz [Nahal Lotz], 21.ii.2014, G. Pisanty (2♀) ; Nahal Zin [Zin 2], 6.iii.2007, Y. Hollander (1♂) ; Netiv HaGdud , 22.ii.1985, A. Hefetz (2♀) ; Park ha-Les Nature Reserve [Park ha-Les NR], 31.2575ºN 34.5965ºE, 19.iii.2022, G. Pisanty, pan trap (1♀) ; Sa’ad , 31.469°N 34.528°E, 21.i.2015, G. Pisanty, on Brassicaceae (1♀, 1♂) ; Sde Boker , 17.iii.1970, Gasith (2♀) ; [ Sede Boqer ], 21.iii.1985, I. Yarom (1♂) ; 17.iii.1999, L. Friedman (1♂); [ Sede Boqer ], route 90, 30°51’N 34°46’E, 12.iv.2009, O.Avlas (1♀) ; 3 km N [ Sede-Boqer ], 19.ii.1995, R. Kasher (2♀, 3♂) ; Shivta , 13.iii.1977, A. Freidberg (1♀) ; Yeruham [Kfar-Jerucham], 24.iii.1959, I. Kugler (3♀, 2♂) ; WEST BANK: Almog , 20.i.1990, R. Kasher, on Erucaria rostrata (1♀) ; [ Almog , 10 km S Jericho], – 350 m, 3.ii.1990, R. Kasher, on Erucaria rostrata (2♀) ; Nahal Gilgal , 6.i.1973, Yehiam (1♀) ; Petza’el [Fza’el, 23 km SE Nablus], – 300 m, R. Kasher, on Sinapis alba (1♀, 1♂) ; [ Peza’el ], – 200 m, 32°2’57’’N 35°26’7’’E, 18.ii.2020, G. Pisanty (1♀) ( SMNHTAU) .

Remarks. The taxonomy of the subgenus Suandrena is complex, and has had several different and variable interpretations through time (e.g. Warncke 1974a; Dylewska 1983; Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002; Kratochwil et al. 2014; Kratochwil 2021). Warncke separated A. cyanomicans Pérez into three subspecies, the nominate in Iberia, A. c. fratella Warncke from northwestern Africa, and A. c. mirna from the southern Levant. Previous authors have stated that A. mirna is a valid species, and have used it as such ( Khodaparast & Monfared 2012; Kratochwil et al. 2014; Kratochwil 2021). We agree with this interpretation; female A. mirna differ from the nominate form in the black terga which lack metallic reflections (terga with metallic blue-green reflections in A. cyanomicans ), scopa almost entirely black with only a few slightly lightened hairs ventrally (scopa almost entirely orange with dark brown hairs dorsobasally at basitibial plate in A. cyanomicans ), and pubescence of mesosoma generally whitish-greyish, dorsally with some intermixed black hairs (pubescence of mesosoma generally light brown, dorsally with abundant intermixed black hairs in A. cyanomicans ). Males can be separated by their whitish mesosomal pubescence (light brown in A. cyanomicans ) and more strongly produced hairbands (hairbands very weakly produced in A. cyanomicans ). Due to the geographic separation and the lack of introgression between these forms, A. mirna should be treated as distinct from A. cyanomicans .

Other material examined ( A. cyanomicans Pérez ): LECTOTYPE: SPAIN: Barcelona [Barcelone] (♂) ( MNHN); non-type material: SPAIN: Albaricoques env., 25.iii.2014, P. Bogusch (2♀, 1♂); Altea, 10 km N Benidorm, 15.iv.1982 (1♂); Barcelona, Villaneueva y Geltru, 30.ix.1964, D. Drenth (1♀, 2♂); Murcia, Los Alcazares, 11.ix.1977, J.A. Veenstra (1♀, 3♂) ( OLML, RMNH, TJW) .