Andrena (Chlorandrena) danini Pisanty & Scheuchl

Pisanty, Gideon, Scheuchl, Erwin & Dorchin, Netta, 2016, Eight new species of Andrena Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Andrenidae) from Israel — a Mediterranean hotspot for wild bees, Zootaxa 4189 (3), pp. 485-515 : 492-494

Andrena (Chlorandrena) danini Pisanty & Scheuchl n. sp.

( Fig. 3 )

Female ( Fig. 3 A). Body length: 8–9 mm.

Color. Head and mesosoma black ( Fig. 3 A–C). Posterior side of flagellomeres black; anterior side of flagellomeres 1–3 black, 4 partly reddish, 5–10 reddish-orange. Legs dark brown to black. Wings transparent, veins and stigma golden. Tergal discs black; marginal zones brownish-yellow ( Fig. 3 E). Sternal discs brown to black; marginal zones brownish-yellow.

Pubescence. Hairs mostly whitish-golden and plumose. Face with long golden hairs ( Fig. 3 B). Facial foveae with brown hairs above, whitish hairs below. Genal area with golden hairs, much longer ventrally. Mesonotum, scutellum and metanotum with sparse, very short bright hairs covering entire surface, and long whitish-golden hairs along lateral margins ( Fig. 3 C). Mesepisternum with long whitish-golden hairs. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, posterodorsal margin with long golden hairs; surface of corbicula with very short hairs. Legs with white to golden hairs; flocculus white; scopa golden. Tergal discs with short, thin bright hairs covering entire surface and long whitish-golden hairs laterally ( Fig. 3 E–F). Marginal zones of terga 2–4 with bands of dense whitish hairs, discontinuous on tergum 2, continuous on terga 3–4. Prepygidial fimbria golden ( Fig. 3 F). Marginal zones of sterna with long whitish-golden hairs.

Head ( Fig. 3 B–C). Broader than long ( Fig. 3 B). Glossa 6 times as long as broad. Labral process rectangular to trapezoidal, apex concave. Clypeus weakly convex, strongly punctured, basal part shagreened, apical part smooth to superficially shagreened, distance between punctures 1 puncture diameter. Flagellomere 1 twice as long as broad, slightly shorter than 2+3+4; 2–4 shorter than broad, 2–3 more or less equal in length; 5 almost square. Facial fovea broad, broadest and deepest above, shallower and slightly narrower below, occupying 1/3–1/2 of paraocular area, extending from level of middle of lateral ocellus to slightly below antennal sockets ( Fig. 3 C). Distance of fovea from lateral ocellus and ocelloccipital distance about 1 ocellus diameter ( Fig. 3 C).

Mesosoma ( Fig. 3 C–D). Dorsolateral angle of pronotum not elevated. Mesonotum coarsely punctured, distance between punctures 0.5–2 puncture diameters; anterior 1/4–1/2 of mesonotum shagreened, posterior part smooth ( Fig. 3 C). Scutellum smooth, more finely punctured than mesonotum, distance between punctures 0.5–2 puncture diameters ( Fig. 3 C). Mesepisternum reticulately shagreened, shiny, coarsely but shallowly punctured, distance between punctures 0–1 puncture diameters. Surface of propodeal corbicula reticulately shagreened, shiny, its center impunctate. Propodeal triangle rugose basally, reticulately shagreened and shiny apically ( Fig. 3 D). Posterolateral part of propodeum roughened, shiny, reticulated ( Fig. 3 D). Inner side of hind femur with row of ca. 11–14 small peg-shaped projections. Hind leg pretarsal claws with distinct inner tooth. Recurrent vein 1 meeting marginal cell 2 at about 2/3 of distance between submarginal crossveins 1–2. Nervulus interstitial to antefurcal.

Metasoma ( Fig. 3 E–F). Terga with medium-sized, regular, not crater-like punctures (i.e. puncture margins not raised). Disc of tergum 1 superficially shagreened to smooth, distance between punctures 1–3 puncture diameters ( Fig. 3 F). Discs of terga 2–4 shiny, shagreened to smooth, distance between punctures 1–2 puncture diameters ( Fig. 3 E). Marginal zones of terga 1–4 shagreened, very finely and shallowly punctured, those of terga 2–4 occupying about 1/2 tergum width ( Fig. 3 E). Pygidial plate almost flat, central part alveolate.

Male. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. This species resembles A. exquisita Warncke and A. tadauchii Gusenleitner , but differs from them by its smaller body size, slightly longer flagellomere 1 (in A. exquisita and A. tadauchii only slightly longer than 2+3), different sculpturing of dorsal part of propodeum (posterolateral parts of propodeum and apex of triangle almost smooth in A. exquisita , strongly reticulate-alveolate in A. tadauchii ), and different punctation of tergum 1 (finer and sparser in A. exquisita , with distinct crater-like punctures in A. tadauchii ). A. danini differs further from A. exquisita by the narrower and straighter facial foveae, orange flagellomeres 4–10 (brown in A. exquisita ), denser punctation of mesonotum, and interstitial to antefurcal nervulus (postfurcal in A. exquisita ). The tergal marginal zones of A. danini are broader than those of A. tadauchii .

Flight period: February–April. One specimen was apparently collected in July (note in pencil), but this could be an error.

Flower records: none. The species likely forages on Asteraceae as do many other related Chlorandrena spp. ( Westrich 1989).

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Avinoam Danin, a prominent Israeli botanist (1939–2015).

Holotype: ♀, ISRAEL: Lakhish , 3km NE, 19.ii.2016, G. Pisanty [ SMNHTAU].

Paratypes: ISRAEL: Har Tuv , 22.ii.1955, student (1♀) ; Jerusalem, 2.vii.1940, H. Bytinski-Salz (1♀) ; Lakhish , 2.5km ENE, 6.iii.2013, T. Shapira (1♀) ; 20.iii.2013, T. Shapira (2♀); 13.iv.2013, T. Shapira (2♀); Lakhish , 3km NE, 19.ii.2016, G. Pisanty (1♀) ; 4.iii.2016, G. Pisanty (3♀); 11.iii.2016, G. Pisanty (1♀); 19.iii.2016, G. Pisanty (2♀); Lakhish , 5km ENE, 8.iv.2013, T. Shapira (1♀) ; Nahal Besor , 4.iii.1985, E. Shney-Dor (1♀) ; Netiv Halamed He , 2km WNW, 26.ii.2009, G. Pisanty (1♀) ; Park Canada, 18.iii.2016, G. Pisanty (1♀) [ES, OLML, SMNHTAU].

Figures

FIGURE 3. Andrena danini n. sp., female: A, habitus, lateral view; B, head, anterior view; C, head and mesosoma, dorsal view; D, propodeum, posterior view; E, metasoma, dorsal view; F, tergum 1.