Andrena (Nobandrena) ounifa Warncke, 1974

Wood, Thomas James, Michez, Denis, Cejas, Diego, Lhomme, Patrick & Rasmont, Pierre, 2020, An update and revision of the Andrena fauna of Morocco (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Andrenidae) with the description of eleven new North African species, ZooKeys 974, pp. 31-92 : 31

Andrena (Nobandrena) ounifa Warncke, 1974 Figs 105-112

Material examined.

Morocco: Drâa-Tafilalet, Errachidia, 11.iv.1995, 2♀, leg. Ma. Halada, one female deposited in the OÖLM, with one female retained in the personal collection of TJW.

Distribution and remarks.

Previously known only from the type locality in the western Algerian part of the Sahara Desert. The specimens from Errachidia are approximately 350 kilometres to the west. They agree with the male in size, the flattened and shiny clypeus (Figs 106 , 108 ), the length of the propodeum (Figs 107 , 111 ), and general structural characters. The female differs most strongly from classical Nobandrena (see Warncke 1968a) in the shape of the foveae which are long and very narrow, narrower than the width of an antenna (Fig. 106 ) and on the tergites it lacks the impressed centre line on T(2)3-4. In common with A. iliaca which was also placed in the Nobandrena by Warncke, it has a long propodeum with a flat, granular dorsal surface. Molecular work places A. iliaca within the Fuscandrena ( Pisanty et al. 2020), and it may be moved there in future, but without molecular data this move is premature, though it clearly does not belong in the Nobandrena . The holotype male is illustrated here for comparison (Figs 109-112 ). A single pollen load contained pure Raphanus -type pollen ( Brassicaceae ).

Description.

Female: Body length 7.5 mm (Fig. 105 ). Head: Black, clearly longer than wide (Fig. 106 ). Clypeus strongly flattened, strongly shining, weakly shagreened only on margins, moderately punctured, punctures separated by 2-3 puncture diameters. Process of labrum weakly trapezoidal, almost triangular, broad, twice as wide as long. Gena slightly narrower than width of compound eye with sparse, short white hair extending to vertex. Foveae long, narrow, narrower than width of scape, separated from inner margin of compound eye by less than their own width. Antenna dark, A4-12 extensively lightened orange below, A7-12 almost entirely orange, A3 slightly exceeding A4+5 in length. Ocelloccipital distance extremely short, linear, almost non-existent. Mesosoma: Scutum strongly shagreened, dull to weakly shining centrally, strongly contrasting with shiny scutellum. Scutum and scutellum moderately punctured, punctures separated by 2-3 puncture diameters, with short whitish-brown pubescence. Episternum and propodeum strongly shagreened, dull. Dorsal area of propodeum longer than scutellum, propodeal triangle indicated by an increase in granular size of shagreenation (Fig. 107 ). Episternum and propodeum with white hair, longest attaining ¾ of length of the scape. Legs dark, tarsi lightened brown, pubescence whitish-brownish. Femoral and tibial scopa white. Wings hyaline, venation brown, stigma light brown. Nervulus interstitial. Metasoma: Tergites dark, margins clearly lightened yellow to dark orange, apically partly translucent (Fig. 108 ). Tergal discs microreticulate, dull. Tergal discs and margins with sparse white hair, T5 apically and T6 with short golden hairs flanking the pygidial plate. T5 basally with long white hairs, these overlaying but not obscuring the apical golden hairs. Pygidial plate narrow, centrally with a longitudinal slightly raised area.

Other material examined.

Algeria: Beni Ounif, 6.iii.[year unknown], 1♂, leg. Weber, OÖLM (holotype), illustrated Figs 109-112 .

Figures

Figures 105 - 112. Andrena (Nobandrena) ounifa Warncke, 1974 105 female profile 106 female face 107 female propodeum 108 female tergites 109 male (holotype) profile 110 male face 111 male tergites 112 male genitalia.