Liphanthus aliavenus Mir Sharifi and Packer, 2019

Sharifi, Negar Mir, Graham, Liam & Packer, Laurence, 2019, Fifteen new species of Liphanthus Reed (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) with two submarginal cells, Zootaxa 4645 (1), pp. 1-80 : 56-58

Liphanthus aliavenus Mir Sharifi and Packer , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FAD854ED-03FD-43E3-BFFC-9F08608BB809

Figs. 120–123 , 165–166 .

Diagnosis: The colour pattern on the clypeus: brown-black with the apex orange and with a yellow stripe on the margin with the epistomal suture only lateral to the anterior tentorial pits ( Fig. 121 ); is unique among all Liphanthus known to us, whether with two, or three, submarginal cells. We have a species that keys out to Liphanthus subgenus Pseudoliphanthus (but not to any known species) with three submarginal cells that, in some specimens, has two yellow marks adjacent to the epistomal suture. However, this bee has the yellow marks mesal to the epistomal lobes, whereas L.aliavenus has them lateral to these lobes. The other species also lacks the orange apex to the clypeus and has a coarsely imbricate mesoscutum with barely detectable sparse, shallow punctures, while L. aliavenus has a densely punctate mesoscutum lacking imbrication.

Description: Holotype Female: Dimensions: Approximate body length: ~ 6mm; head width: 1.62mm, wing length: 3.6mm, intertegular width: 1.09mm.

Coloration: Black with following parts pale yellow: mandible (except apex red-brown), mark on clypeus adjacent to epistomal suture laterad of anterior tentorial pit, spot on pronotal lobe, apical mark on all femora, basal mark on all tibiae; following parts orange to yellow-orange: labrum, apex of clypeus, small apicoventral spot on each of F1–F3, ventral surface of F4–F11 (rest of flagellum red-brown), apical mark on all tibiae, apex of mesobasitarsus, most of metabasitarsus, metasomal terga and S2–S3 very narrowly anterior to apical impressed areas. S3–S6 orange-brown. Apical impressed areas of metasomal terga amber.

Sculpture: Apex of clypeus, lower paraocular area and disc of supraclypeal area lacking imbrication shiny, rest of face increasingly densely or coarsely imbricate above, such that frontal and vertexal areas are entirely dull, genal and hypostomal areas weakly imbricate, shiny except microsculpture absent close to compound eye. Clypeus with coarse punctures, dense i<d; lower paraocular area large punctures distinct, i=0.5–2d, with minute punctures scattered among large ones; supraclypeal area punctures large and irregularly spaced on disc, small, and dense elsewhere i<d; subantennal sclerite punctures small and dense i<d; frontal and vertexal areas rugoso-punctate; genal area punctures small, i<d close to compound eye, i=1–2d elsewhere; hypostomal area with large scattered punctures, i=1–5d. Mesoscutum with weak imbrication in anterior 1/3 and around margins, otherwise lacking microsculpture and shiny; punctures distinct, variable in size and spacing i=0.5–2d except more dense anteriorly, i<d; scutellum imbricate, somewhat dull; punctures very variable in size and spacing, i=0.2–3d; metanotum imbricate dull, punctures shallow, dense i<d; metapostnotum imbricate dull, weakly rugoso-striate, macrosculpture not approaching posterior margin; mesopleuron imbricate with shallow scattered punctures except hypoepimeral area anteriorly densely punctate i<d [metapleuron and lateral surface of propodeum hidden by legs in sole specimen]. Metasomal terga imbricate, somewhat dull; punctures increasingly weak from distinct and i<d on T1 to obscure and i=1–2d on T4; T5 punctures large, shallow irregularly spaced i=0.5–2d; apical impressed areas increasingly weakly imbricate and shiny from T1–T4; metasomal sterna weakly imbricate, shiny; punctures dense towards sides, i~d, apicomedially i≥2d, sparse elsewhere.

Pubescence: White to pale brown, sparse, with short branches, <2 MOD on face, hypostomal area, mesopleuron, scutellum, dorsolateral area of propodeum and prepygidial fimbria; shorter, <1.5 MOD on vertexal area and pronotum; short and somewhat plumose on mesoscutum < MOD; up to 1.7 MOD on sides of metasoma; prepygidial fimbria pale brown, branched, long hairs <2 MOD; metatibial scopa of robust, simple hairs ≤2.5 MOD.

Structure: Head: shorter than wide (68:85). Mandible twice as long as basal depth (71:35); gradually narrowing to rounded apex. Labrum rectangular>1.5 X as broad as long (46:29). Clypeus ~ 2.5X as wide as long (85:33); apicolateral margin strongly concave in frontal view, weakly concave apicomedially. Outer subantennal suture weakly curved; epistomal suture straight between inner subantennal sutures. Anterior tentorial pit at junction of outer subantennal and epistomal sutures. Frontal line indistinct. IAD<AOD (18:21). Inner margin of compound eyes subparallel, UOD:LOD 79:78. Facial fovea distinctly impressed, broad, parallel-sided, L:W 21:6, parallel to inner margin of compound eye. IOC = OOC 23:25. Vertex weakly convex, almost flat behind ocellar triangle; upper ocular tangent ~tangential to lower tangent of lateral ocellus. Scape less than 3 X as long as greatest width (32:12), longer than pedicel and F1 combined (25); pedicel length and width subequal (11:10), F1 longer than wide (14:9.5), F2 length and width subequal, (9:10), remaining flagellomeres with length and width subequal except F11 ~ 1.5 X as long as width (20:14).

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum ~1.3 X as wide as long (91:71), length of scutellum: metanotum: metapostnotum: 26:15:18. Marginal cell almost as long as distance between its apex to wing tip (74:80). Hind tibial spurs slightly curved, posterior one slightly longer. Tarsal claw teeth somewhat short, pointed.

Metasoma: Broadest near base of T3. Pygidial plate narrowly rounded at apex, flat.

Material Studied. Holotype female: CHILE, Region I, E. of Pozo Almonte , -20.27720 -69.23552, 2358m, 17.x.2013. L. Packer. One paratype female, same data as holotype. Both specimens are currently at PCYU but the holotype will be sent to MNHN pending completion of ongoing work on the genus.

Variation. The paratype has three submarginal cells.

Etymology. The specific epithet indicates different “alia” vein “vena” in reference to the loss of the first submarginal crossvein rather than the second as in all other species of the genus with two submarginal cells.

Comments: When treated as having three submarginal cells, this species does not come out cleanly in any of the earlier couplets in Ruz and Toro (1983) for female Liphanthus : at couplet 27 it has somewhat curved metatibial spurs, albeit not as distinctly curved or robust as in L. ( Xenoliphanthus ) Ruz and Toro; at couplet 32 its lateral ocelli are below the upper tangent of the compound eye suggestive of the first half of the couplet but the inner orbital margins are slightly divergent above suggesting the second half and at couplet 37 its outer subantennal suture is not distinctly arcuate as required by the first half but the clypeus and mandible are both yellow marked as required by the second.

The first recurrent vein entering the first submarginal cell suggests that it is the first submarginal crossvein that is lost in the holotype of this species rather than the second. All other species of Liphanthus with two submarginal cells have both recurrent veins entering the second submarginal cell suggesting that it is the second submarginal crossvein that has been lost.

This species is found in one of the driest parts of the Atacama Desert, an area where there is very little vegetation. Indeed, the type locality of an unrelated species, Geodiscelis longiceps Packer ( Packer, 2005) , was stated as being from the last patch of flowers heading west into the absolute desert from higher altitude to the east. Liphanthus aliavenus is from slightly further west and deeper into the absolute desert; an area where there are no flowers most years.

Figures

FIGURES 120–123. Liphanthus aliavenus sp. nov., holotype female unless stated otherwise. 120: lateral habitus, 121: face, frontal view to show yellow marking on clypeus (red arrow), 122: forewing to show position of recurrent vein and relative sizes of the two submarginal cells, 123: paratype female, forewing, to show three submarginal cells. Scale bars Figs. 120 & 122–123 1mm, Fig 121 0.5mm.

FIGURES 165–168. 165: L. aliavenus face frontal view to show yellow marking (red arrow); 166: L. aliavenus forewing to show first recurrent vein entering first submarginal cell (blue arrow), 167: L. centralis face frontal view to show absence of basolateral marking on clypeus, Fig. 168: L. tregualemensis holotype forewing to show both recurrent veins entering second submarginal cell (blue arrows). Scale bars Figs. 165 & 167 0.5mm, Figs. 166 & 168 1mm.