Andrena (Taeniandrena) afzeliella (Kirby, 1802)

WOOD, T. J., 2024, Further revisions to the Palaearctic Andrena fauna (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5483 (1), pp. 1-150 : 64-65

Andrena (Taeniandrena) afzeliella (Kirby, 1802)

Melitta afzeliella Kirby, 1802: 169 , ♀ [ England, NHMUK, examined, see Praz et al. 2022]

Andrena heteropoda Cockerell, 1922: 243 , ♀ ♂ [ Pakistan, USNM, photograph examined] syn. nov.

Remarks. Cockerell (1922) described A. heteropoda based on male and female specimens either taken from the C.G. Nurse collection (NHMUK) or received from him directly. The taxon clearly belongs to the subgenus Taeniandrena due to the flattened clypeus, and indeed Cockerell draws comparison with A. (Taeniandrena) wilkella (Kirby, 1802) . Based on the size (female 10 mm in length, male 8.5 mm in length), complete apical hairband on T3, light terminal fringe and light hairs flanking the basitibial plate, dull scutum, and moderately punctate terga, A. heteropoda is clearly conspecific with A. afzeliella which was previously known as far east as Kerman province in central Iran ( Praz et al. 2022). Cockerell mentions that one of the male specimens was dated July 1903, which is consistent with the known bivoltine behaviour of A. afzeliella with both spring (typically May–June) and summer (typically July– August) generations ( Praz et al. 2022). A series of previously undetermined A. afzeliella specimens from Quetta collected by Nurse between March–July remain in the NHMUK collection, supporting this characterisation. The presence of A. afzeliella in western Pakistan is consistent with recent finding of A. (Troandrena) saettana Warncke, 1975 in Quetta, also collected by C.G. Nurse, when it was also thought to have an eastern range limit in Kerman province ( Wood 2024).

Material examined. PAKISTAN: Quetta , [undated], 1♀, leg. C.G. Nurse, USNM (syntype of A. heteropoda ; type no. 25053, examined by photograph) ; Quetta , 1–30.iv.1902, 2♀, leg. C.G. Nurse, NHMUK ; Quetta , 1– 31.v.1902, 8♂, 8♀, leg. C.G. Nurse, NHMUK ; 1–30.vi.1902, 1♂, leg. C.G. Nurse, NHMUK ; 1–31.vii.1902, 1♀, leg. C.G. Nurse, NHMUK ; Quetta , 1–31.iii.1903, 1♀, leg. C.G. Nurse, NHMUK .

Distribution. West and probably Central Palaearctic ( Praz et al. 2022).