Andrena maharashtra, Wood, 2023

Wood, Thomas James, 2023, New Old World Andrena species, with a focus on Turkey (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5266 (1), pp. 1-72 : 21-25

Andrena maharashtra spec. nov.

(incertae sedis)

HOLOTYPE: INDIA: W. Maharashtra st. 70 km SSW Pune [inferred 17.9362 oN, 73.6364 oE], 1400 m, 30.ix.2005, 1♀, leg. J. Bezděk, OÖLM.

PARATYPE: INDIA: same as holotype, 1♁, leg. J. Bezděk, OÖLM .

Description: Female: Body length: 6 mm ( Figure 10A ). Head: Dark, 1.2 times wider than long ( Figure 10B ). Clypeus weakly domed in basal half, apical half with weak latitudinal impression, clypeus with irregular punctures, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, weak longitudinal impunctate midline present in basal half; underlying surface finely microreticulate, weakly shining. Process of labrum trapezoidal, slightly wider than long. Gena equalling width of compound eye, posterior dorsolateral margin slightly angulate, not evenly rounded, suggestive of carination; ocelloccipital distance equalling 1 diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae dorsally occupying slightly less than half distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye, dorsal margin poorly defined, filled with brown hairs. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with short whitish to light brownish hairs. Antennae dark, A6–12 slightly lightened ventrally by presence of greyish scales; A3 = A4+5. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum very densely and regularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters, interspaces weakly shining ( Figure 10C ). Pronotum with humeral angle. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum with fine granular shagreen; propodeal triangle broad, laterally delineated by fine low carinae, internal surface with slightly coarser granular shagreen, thus contrasting dorsolateral parts of propodeum. Mesepisternum, scutum, and scutellum with light brownish-yellowish hairs, propodeal corbicula incomplete, dorsal fringe composed of whitish weakly plumose hairs, internal surface with numerous short pale simple hairs. Legs dark. Flocculus weak, flocculus and femoral scopa white, tibial scopa dorsally dark brown, ventrally white; remaining pubescence of legs dark brown. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus interstitial. Metasoma: Terga with red markings on disc and marginal area of T1, on T2 entirely with exception of lateral dark spots, T3 narrowly on area between disc and marginal area, remaining terga black; apical rim of marginal areas lightened hyalineyellow ( Figure 10D ). Terga microreticulate, weakly shining, with numerous but obscure and shallow punctures, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters. T3–4 with weak whitish hair fringes covering length of marginal areas, not obscuring underlying surface. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate dark brown, pygidial plate rounded triangular, dorsal surface medially with dense punctures.

Male: Body length: 6 mm ( Figure 11A ). Head: Dark, 1.3 times wider than long ( Figure 11B ). Clypeus basally slightly domed, apical two thirds depressed and more or less latitudinally flattened, irregularly and sparsely punctate, punctures separated by 1–4 puncture diameters, apico-medially more or less impunctate; underlying surface superficially shagreened, more or less shining. Process of labrum short, rectangular, twice as wide as long. Gena broader than width of compound eye, rectangular, posterior margin carinae, dorsal and ventral corners produced into clear angles ( Figure 11C ); ocelloccipital distance equalling 1 diameter of lateral ocellus. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with short whitish hairs. Antennae dark, A3 slightly shorter than A4+5, A4 quadrate, shorter than A5. Mesosoma: Mesosoma structurally as in female ( Figure 11D ), with exception of pronotum with strongly pronounced humeral angle, with deep vertical furrow, internal surface more or less polished and shining. Mesosoma with moderately long whitish to light brownish hairs, none equalling length of scape. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened reddish-brown, pubescence whitish. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus weakly antefurcal. Metasoma: T2, apical part of disc of T1 and marginal area of T1 orange; remaining terga mostly dark; apical rim of marginal areas lightened hyaline-yellow ( Figure 11E ). Terga microreticulate, weakly shining, with occasional but obscure and scattered punctures disappearing into microreticulation. T4–5 with weak white apical hair fringes. S8 narrow, columnar, apically truncate, ventral surface with sparse short whitish hairs. Genital capsule somewhat elongate, gonocoxae produced into strong long and apically rounded teeth, gonostyli narrow, broadening apically, spatulate ( Figure 11F ). Penis valves basally moderately broad, occupying half space between gonostyli, apically narrowing.

Diagnosis: Andrena maharashtra could potentially be placed in the subgenus Notandrena as the pronotum has a humeral angle (stronger in the male), the male gena is broader than the width of the compound eye and carinate ( Figure 11C ), and the genital capsule is similar with penis valves that clearly narrow apically ( Figure 11F ). However, the head is only slightly wider than long ( Figures 10B , 11B ; almost always wider than long in true Notandrena ), the propodeal triangle is broad and granularly shagreened ( Figures 10C–D ), the fore margin of the male clypeus is not upturned, and the terga are red-marked ( Figures 10D , 11E ) and with only obscure punctures (normally clearly punctate). Some species placed in an expanded Notandrena (including the former subgenus Carandrena , see Pisanty et al. 2022b) actually fall elsewhere, probably including many of the Central Asian species formerly placed in the subgenus Carandrena (Osytshnjuk et al. 2005; Pisanty et al. 2022b; Wood & Monfared 2022). Therefore, no firm position is taken on the phylogenetic placement of A. maharashtra at this time.

India has low Andrena diversity, and A. maharashtra is comparable to only one other species from subcontinental Asia that is also known from the Western Ghats, A. bellidoides LaBerge, 1967 ( Figures 12A–F ) that is currently placed in the Notandrena . Both species are small bodied and have similar characteristics such as the humeral angle and broad and granularly shagreened propodeal triangle. However, they are easily separated. Female A. maharashtra have the scutellum extremely densely and evenly punctate ( Figure 10C ), punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters ( A. bellidoides with scutum with occasional scattered punctures, surface smooth and shining), the scutum is entirely dark (versus scutum with weak greenish metallic reflections), T1–2 are red-marked (versus T1–2 dark), tibial scopa bicoloured, dark dorsally and white ventrally (versus tibial scopa unicolourous white), and the process of the labrum is trapezoidal, slightly wider than long (versus process of the labrum short and wide, 3 times wider than long). Male A. maharashtra can be separated by the dark clypeus ( A. bellidoides with white-marked clypeus, Figure 12E ), by the genital capsule with the outer margin of the gonostyli straight (versus with outer margin of the gonostyli displaying clear emargination, Figure 12F ), by the scutellum which is extremely densely and evenly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters ( Figure 11D ; versus scutum with occasional scattered punctures, surface smooth and shining), by the entirely dark scutum (versus scutum with weak greenish metallic reflections, Figure 12E ), and by the broadened and carinate gena (versus gena broadened but posterior margin rounded, not carinate).

Etymology: Named after the state of Maharashtra in western India. It is a noun in apposition.

Distribution: Western India (Western Ghats).

Comparative material examined. Andrena bellidoides : INDIA: W. India, Lonavala , 1–30.xi.1964, 1♀, NHMUK (holotype, Figures 12A–D ) ; W. Ghats, Lonavala , 1.i.1967, 2♀, OÖLM ; W. Maharashtra st. 70 km SSW Pune , 1400 m, 30.ix.2005, 4♁, leg. J. Bezděk, OÖLM .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Andrena (incertae sedis) maharashtra spec. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Scutum, dorsolateral view, D. Terga, dorsal view.

FIGURE 11. Andrena (incertae sedis) maharashtra spec. nov. male. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Head, lateral view, D. Scutum, dorsal view, E. Terga, dorsal view, F. Genital capsule, dorsal view.

FIGURE 12. Andrena (Notandrena) bellidoides LaBerge, 1967 holotype female. A. Label details, B. Habitus, lateral view, C. Face, frontal view, D. Terga, dorsal view. Non-type male. E. Face, frontal view, F. Genital capsule, dorsal view.