Andrena (Taeniandrena) taedium, Wood, 2023

Wood, Thomas James, 2023, New Old World Andrena species, with a focus on Turkey (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5266 (1), pp. 1-72 : 44-46

Andrena (Taeniandrena) taedium spec. nov.

HOLOTYPE: LEBANON: Horch Ehden , Ain al Bayada Gate, 34.3033 oN, 35.9831 oE, 5.vii. 2019, 1597 m, 1♀, leg. G. Ghisbain, OÖLM. BOLD accession number: HYMAA342-22.

PARATYPES: GREECE: Arkadia , 2 km NW Kosmas, 2.vi.2014, 1♁, leg. J. Litman & C. Praz, PRUN ;

IRAN: Lorestan province, Dorud Lanjaban env, 960 m, 10.v.2016, 1♀, leg. M. Kafka, OÖLM ; TURKEY: 10 km N Tutak , Ağrı, 1500 m, 7.vi.1981, 1♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM ; 100 km N Adana, Feke , 12.vi.1998, 1♀, leg. Ma. Halada, OÖLM ; 15 km E of Malatya, 27.vi.2000, 8♁, leg. Ma. Halada, OÖLM ; 20 km E Göreme , 9.v.1994, 1♁, leg. K. Deneš, OÖLM ; 50 km S Kars, Pasli , 1.vii.1997, 1♀, leg. Ma. Halada, OÖLM ; Akyaka ( Kızılağaç ), 24.iv.2012, 1♀, leg. M. Kasparek, OÖLM ; Bolu, 17 km S of Seben , 17.vi.1998, 1♁, leg. J. Halada, OÖLM ; Çine , 12.iv.2018, 1♀, leg. M. Kasparek, OÖLM ; Muğla, University campus, 720 m, 1–31.v.2016, 1♀, leg. Barták & Kubik, OÖLM ; Nemrut Dağı , Adiyaman, 1500 m, 1.vi.1983, 1♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM ; Niğde, Camardi , 13.vii.1997, 1♀, leg. leg. Ma. Halada, OÖLM ; Siirt: 20 km NW Sirnak , 1500 m, 5.vi.1980, 3♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM .

Description: Female: Body length: 10–11 mm ( Figure 25A ). Head: Dark, 1.2 times wider than long ( Figure 25B ). Clypeus flattened medially, strongly and densely punctured, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameter, slightly raised impunctate longitudinal line present medially; underlying surface shagreened, dull. Process of labrum trapezoidal, short, 2.5 times wider than long, narrowly but shallowly emarginate medially. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling 1.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae broad, occupying three quarters distance between ocellus and compound eye, slightly narrowed ventrally, filled with yellowish hairs. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with whitish to yellowish brown hairs, lighter ventrally, browner dorsally. Antennae dark, A3 exceeding A4+5, slightly shorter than A4+5+6. Mesosoma: Scutum densely punctate, punctures surrounding parapsidal lines separated by 0.5 puncture diameters, elsewhere separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, underlying surface generally weakly shagreened and shining ( Figure 25C ). Scutellum with punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface polished and shining over entire surface. Pronotum without humeral angle, evenly rounded. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum with network of raised rugosity, propodeal triangle also covered with fine rugosity in basal two thirds, apical third with fine microreticulation, poorly differentiated from remaining propodeum. Mesepisternum with whitish hairs ventrally, becoming yellowish brown dorsally, scutum and scutellum with short yellowish brown hairs, propodeal corbicula incomplete, with weakly plumose yellow-brownish hairs, internal surface with many long simple golden hairs. Legs basally dark, tarsi and hind tibiae lightened orange. Flocculus and femoral scopa whitish yellow, tibial scopa golden; leg hair otherwise golden-brown. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus postfurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark, apical rim of marginal areas narrowly lightened hyaline-yellow; T1 finely and obscurely punctate, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter, T2–4 more densely punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, underlying surface shagreened, weakly shining ( Figure 25D ). T2–4 with wide whitishyellowish apical hairbands obscuring underlying surface, more or less complete on T2, complete on T3–4. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate golden orange, pygidial plate narrowly triangular, apically rounded, sometimes with slightly raised internal area, variable across specimens.

Male: Body length: 9–10 mm ( Figure 26A ). Head: Dark, 1.25 times wider than long ( Figure 26B ). Clypeus flattened medially, strongly and densely punctured, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameter, underlying surface shiny. Process of labrum trapezoidal, twice as wide as long, strongly emarginate medially. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling 1.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus. Face, gena, vertex, and scape covered in long whitish yellow hairs, longest slightly exceeding length of scape. Antennae dark, A3=A4. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum densely punctate, punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters, underlying surface shiny. Mesepisternum and propodeum structurally as in female. Mesosoma covered in long yellowish hairs, some exceeding length of scape. Legs basally dark, hind tarsi lightened orange; hind tibiae predominantly lightened orange, variable, at least slightly darkened. Wings as in female, though nervulus variable, from interstitial to postfurcal. Metasoma: Terga structurally as in female ( Figure 26C ). Genital capsule simple, gonocoxae very slightly produced apically, essentially truncate, gonostyli apically spatulate with emargination in outer margin, sometimes weak ( Figure 26D ). Penis valves narrow, more or less parallel sided.

Diagnosis: Andrena taedium can be swiftly recognised as part of the subgenus Taeniandrena due to its strongly flattened clypeus in both sexes ( Figures 25B , 26B ). It can be placed in the group of genetically unrelated species that were previously lumped under A. ovatula (see Praz et al. 2022) due to their lack of distinguishing features, namely their small body size, more or less complete hairbands on T2–4 ( Figure 25D ), male A3 more or less the same length as A4 ( Figure 26B ), and simple male genital capsule ( Figure 26D , gonocoxa apically rounded, penis valves not enlarged). In the female sex, A. taedium can be recognised due to its golden terminal fringe (dark brown in true A. ovatula which does not occur in the eastern Mediterranean), placing it close to A. afzeliella and A. laevicorpus . Separation from A. laevicorpus is given in the diagnosis for that species.

Separation from A. afzeliella is much more challenging. Andrena taedium has brighter golden-brown pubescence on the head and mesosoma (paler, often whitish in A. afzeliella ), the body size is on average slightly larger at 10–11 mm (versus 8–10 mm), and the scutum is usually shiner ( Figure 25C ), with shining areas extending over the majority of the disc (usually with only a few small shining areas medially in A. afzeliella , typically shagreened across the entire scutum). Males can be separated by the genital capsule, with A. taedium having much narrower penis valves ( Figure 26D ; penis valves basally broadened in A. afzeliella ) and with the outer margin of the gonostyli weakly emarginate, the apexes of the gonostyli therefore produced into rounded, apically projecting points (outer margin of the gonostyli evenly rounded). Extreme care must be taken when working with these species in the eastern Mediterranean; reference should be made to barcoded specimens.

Remarks: This is the taxon identified by Praz et al. (2022) as ‘ sp. nov. 3 ’, with specimen ‘1576’ (=HYMAA342- 22) designated as the holotype.

Etymology: From the Latin noun taedium meaning weariness, tedium, boredom, in reference to the very large number of cryptic species that have historically been lumped under the former broad taxon Andrena ovatula (Kirby, 1802) and which are highly challenging to separate morphologically. It is a noun in apposition.

Distribution: Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 25. Andrena (Taeniandrena) taedium spec. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Scutum, dorsal view, D. Terga, dorsal view.

FIGURE 26. Andrena (Taeniandrena) taedium spec. nov. male.A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Terga, dorsal view, D. Genital capsule, dorsal view.