Andrena (Suandrena) inaquosa, Wood, 2021

Wood, Thomas James, 2021, Fifteen new Andrena species from little-visited arid, Mediterranean, and mountainous parts of the Old World (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 4933 (4), pp. 451-492 : 485-486

Andrena (Suandrena) inaquosa spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FA154C3C-05CE-46CA-B358-F35F0F6614C0

HOLOTYPE: SYRIA: 30 km W Palmyra , 580 m, 23.iv.1992, 1³, leg. K. Warncke ( OÖLM).

PARATYPES: SYRIA: Same as holotype, 1³ ( TJWC); 110 km E of Palmyra, 350 m, 21.iv.1992, 1³, leg. K. Warncke ( OÖLM) .

Description: Female: Unknown.

Male: Body length 12 mm ( Figure 121 ). Head: Black, 1.2 times wider than long ( Figure 122 ). Clypeus evenly arched, evenly and densely punctate, punctures separated by <0.5 puncture diameters over majority of disc with exception of apex, here becoming sparser, separated by 1 puncture diameter, leaving small, narrow, central, longitudinal impunctate area; underlying clypeal surface smooth and shiny, lacking shagreenation. Process of labrum with deep central ‘v’ shaped emargination. Gena moderately broad, equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance 1.5 times width of lateral ocellus. Gena, vertex, face, and scape with long white hairs, longest equalling width of scape. Antenna dark, A3 apically and A4–13 lightened orange below, A3 exceeds A4, shorter than A4+5 ( Figure 123 ). Mesosoma: Scutum microreticulate, dull, weakly and shallowly punctate, separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters laterally, becoming sparser centrally ( Figure 124 ). Scutellum less strongly microreticulate, weakly shining centrally, more strongly and densely punctate, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter. Pronotum rounded, without humeral angle. Episternum and propodeum microreticulate to weakly rugose, very weakly shining, propodeal triangle outlined with lateral carinae, internal surface moderately rugose. Episternum, propodeum, scutum, and scutellum long white hairs, longest clearly exceeding length of scape. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened orange, pubescence white. Wings hyaline, venation dark orange to dark brown, stigma light orange, nervulus antefurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark with very faint metallic green sheen, T2–4 with apical margins slightly depressed, T1–5 with apical bands of dense white hairs obscuring underlying surface ( Figure 125 ). Tergal surface tessellate, weakly shining, clearly, evenly, and densely punctate, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter. S8 laterally compressed, forming a ventrally projecting keel, keel with ventrolaterally projecting hair tufts ( Figure 126 ); apically S8 dorsolaterally compressed, ventral face with short weak hair tuft, laterally with stronger tufts ( Figure 127 ). Genitalia broad, gonocoxae with pronounced apical teeth, diverging apically, gonostyli strongly curved, outer apical margin with numerous plumose hairs ( Figure 128 ). Penis valve strongly broadened, occupying majority of area between gonostyli, centrally flattened, laterally with pair of disc-shaped bulges that stand clear from underlying surface.

Diagnosis: Andrena inaquosa can quickly be placed in the subgenus Suandrena because of its defined and rugose propodeal triangle, black male clypeus, large body size (> 10 mm), three submarginal cells, and complex genitalia with inflated penis valve and gonostyli with clear kink in their outer margin. It is most similar to A. planiventris Dours, 1872 ( Morocco to Egypt) because both species have an unwidened A3, a strongly widened (but not circular) penis valve, and antenna that are lightened orange below. They differ in the structure of the genitalia, as the gonocoxal teeth of A. inaquosa are set more closely together and their apical points diverge more strongly ( Figures 128–129 ). More clearly, A. inaquosa has two rounded bulges laterally on the central part of the penis valve ( Figure 128 ), whereas this area is entirely flat in A. planiventris ( Figure 129 ). Requiring comparative material, they can be further separated ( A. planiventris character state in parentheses) as A. inaquosa has a labral process that is more sharply and strongly emarginate (emargination weaker, less sharp), the ventral keel of S8 is more strongly produced ventrally (S 8 in profile flatter), and the scutum is more clearly punctate, punctures shallow but visible against microreticulation (punctures difficult to see, only visible in the centre of the disc, almost completely disappearing into underlying shagreenation).

Discussion: Modifying the key of Dylewska (1983), the male of A. inaquosa runs to couplet seven where it can be separated from A. planiventris using the genital characters outlined in the diagnosis. Specimens of A. inaquosa were collected in sympatry with male and female specimens of A. cyanomicans mirna Warncke, 1969 , the subspecies mirna being known from Israel, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, and now newly reported from Syria ( Gusenleitner and Schwarz 2002; Khodaparast and Monfared 2012; Wood et al. 2020b). Male material can easily be separated because of the clearly different genitalia, lacking an inflated penis valve ( Figure 130 ). Despite a large number of female Suandrena specimens collected by Warncke from both the locus typicus of A. inaquosa and surrounding sites, no aberrant female material that could constitute the female of A. inaquosa could obviously be detected.

Etymology: The name is derived from the Latin inaquosa meaning dry, arid, without water because of the locus typicus found deep in the Syrian desert.

Other material examined: ( Andrena cyanomicans mirna ): SYRIA: 30 km W Palmyra , 580 m, 23.iv.1992, 2³, 30♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM ; 110 km E of Palmyra , 350 m, 21.iv.1992, 1³, 6♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM ; 80 km E of Palmyra , 450 m, 22.iv.1992, 1³, 28♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM .

Figures

FIGURES 121–124. Andrena inaquosa spec. nov. 121. male profile, 122. male face, 123. male antenna detail, 124. male scutum.

FIGURES 125–130. Andrena inaquosa spec. nov. 125. male terga, 126. male sternite 8 profile, 127. male sternite 8 ventral view, 128. male genitalia, arrow indicating bulges on surface of penis valve. Andrena planiventris Dours, 1872; 129, male genitalia. Andrena cyanomicans mirna Warncke, 1969; 130. male genitalia.