Andrena (Chlorandrena) tricuspidata Scheuchl, 2010

Wood, Thomas James, 2023, New Old World Andrena species, with a focus on Turkey (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5266 (1), pp. 1-72 : 64-66

Andrena (Chlorandrena) tricuspidata Scheuchl, 2010

Description: Female: Body length: 10–11 mm ( Figure 38A ). Head: Dark, 1.2 times wider than long ( Figure 38B ). Clypeus domed, with obscure raised latitudinal carinae, interspaces with obscure shallow punctures, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter, underlying surface finely shagreened, weakly shining. Process of labrum rectangular-trapezoidal, short, three times wider than long, fore margin almost as long as basal margin. Gena 1.3 times wider than width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling 1.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae occupying two thirds space between lateral ocellus and compound eye, deeply channelled and impressed dorsally, ventrally strongly narrowed to at most one quarter of their dorsal width; foveae filled with light brown hairs. Face medially, gena, vertex, and scape with long, light brown hairs, not exceeding length of scape, face laterally with intermixed dark brown hairs, concentrated along inner margin of compound eye and frons. Antennae dark, A3 subequal to A4+5+6. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum irregularly punctate with punctures of different sizes, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface shagreened, most strongly laterally, becoming weaker medially, here weakly to moderately shining ( Figure 38C ). Pronotum without humeral angle, evenly rounded. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum with fine microreticulation, with raised hair-bearing points that merge into weak and fine raised rugosity. Propodeal triangle weakly delineated by fine low carinae, internal surface with fine microreticulation and weak basal rugae, without hair-bearing points, thus contrasting dorsolateral parts of propodeum. Mesepisternum with long golden hairs, some exceeding length of scape, hairs on scutum and scutellum shorter; propodeal corbicula sparse, incomplete, composed of plumose golden hairs, internal surface with scattered golden plumose hairs. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened dark reddish brown, pubescence golden. Posterior face of hind femur with row of projecting rounded tooth-like spines. Flocculus light brownish, femoral and tibial scopa golden, with numerous plumose hairs. Hind tarsal claws with small inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus postfurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark, marginal areas depressed, lightened dark reddish brown ( Figure 38D ). Tergal discs with crater punctures, most evident on T1, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface weakly shagreened, weakly shining. T2–4 with sparse, loose golden hair fringes at the base of the marginal areas. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate orange, pygidial plate rounded triangular, surface densely punctate.

Diagnosis: Female A. tricuspidata can swiftly be recognised as Chlorandrena due to the presence of raised thorn-like pegs on the posterior face of the hind femur, hind tibiae with plumose scopal hairs, and strong ‘crater punctures’ on the terga ( Figure 38D ). It falls into the taraxaci -group of species due to the distinctive facial foveae which strongly narrow ventrally ( Schwenninger 2015). Following the key of Schwenninger, females go to couplet 4 as the terga lack dense apical hairbands, the foveae are dorsally separated from the lateral ocelli by a distance equal to their diameter. However, here they do not fit nicely with the existing characters, as the foveae are dorsally bright but the face has many dark brown hairs, particularly along the inner margin of the compound eyes ( Figure 38B ). The species can ultimately be diagnosed within the taraxaci -group by the finely shagreened terga which are therefore weakly shining (particularly on the disc of T1) combined with the strongly depressed, dark brown, and weakly shining tergal margins, the strong crater punctures on the tergal discs, scutum evenly and finely shagreened without clear shining area, and the intermixed light and dark hairs on the face with bright facial foveae. The species is also restricted to the Crimean Peninsula.

Distribution: Crimea ( Scheuchl 2010).

Material examined: CRIMEA: Tshatyr-Dagh [Chatyrdah], 1000 m, 2♁, 7♀, 8.iv.2000, leg. V. Gurko, OÖLM ; Kap Kasantyp steppe [Kazantyp], 13–15.v.2002, 1♀, leg. Y. Budaschkin, OÖLM ; Kap Kasantyp steppe [Kazantyp], 1.v.2003, 15♁, 12♀, leg. Y. Budaschkin, OÖLM ; Karadagh [Kara Dag], Vodianja balka, 21–30.iv.2003, 2♀, leg. Y. Budaschkin, OÖLM ; Yalta Bezirk , 18–24.v.2003, 2♀, leg. S. Iwanow, OÖLM .

Figures

FIGURE 38. Andrena (Chlorandrena) tricuspidata Scheuchl, 2010 female. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Scutum, dorsal view, D. Terga, dorsal view.