Andrena (Euandrena) igraeca Pisanty & Wood, 2022

Pisanty, Gideon, Scheuchl, Erwin, Martin, Teresa, Cardinal, Sophie & Wood, Thomas James, 2022, Twenty-five new species of mining bees (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae: Andrena) from Israel and the Levant, Zootaxa 5185 (1), pp. 1-109 : 40-43

Andrena (Euandrena) igraeca Pisanty & Wood sp. nov.

( Figs. 86–95 )

Female ( Fig. 89 ).

Body length: 8–8.5 mm.

Colour. Head and ventrolateral part of mesosoma black ( Figs. 86, 89 ). Anterior side of flagellum brown to black ( Fig. 86 ). Mesonotum, scutellum and metanotum dark with bluish metallic luster ( Fig. 87 ). Legs and metasoma brown to black ( Fig. 89 ). Wings hyaline, veins and stigma brown. Tergal marginal zones yellowish ( Fig. 88 ).

Pubescence. Clypeus and area around antennal sockets with medium-lengthed golden hair ( Fig. 86 ). Outer half of paraocular area with short to medium black hair. Scape with short black hairs. Frons with short to long black hairs. Facial foveae brown ( Fig. 87 ). Vertex with long, erect golden and black hairs. Genal area with short black hair anteriodorsally, short to medium golden hair posteroventrally. All parts of mesosoma covered with medium to long, erect golden hair ( Figs. 87, 89 ). Propodeal corbicula incomplete, posterodorsal fringe with dense, long golden hairs, corbicular surface with long sparsely plumose golden hairs. Leg hair golden to brown ( Fig. 89 ). Flocculus incomplete, yellowish. Femoral and tibial scopal hairs sparsely plumose, golden ( Fig. 89 ). Tergal discs with sparse short to medium golden hair, longer on lateral parts of terga 1–2. Tergal marginal zones 1–4 with strong continuous bands of dense, medium-lengthed yellowish-golden hair, arising from base of marginal zone and extending onto base of following disc, longer on tergum 1. Terminal fringe brown ( Fig. 88 ).

Head ( Figs. 86–87 ). 1.2 times broader than long. Mandible bidentate. Galea shagreened. Labral process broad, trapezoidal, basal half transversely striated, apical half smooth, apical margin weakly concave. Clypeus moderately convex, shagreened basally, gradually smooth apically, distinctly punctured, distance between punctures 1 puncture diameters, without impunctate midline, apical margin mostly impunctate ( Fig. 86 ). Lower part of paraocular area finely shagreened, finely punctured. Flagellomere 1 longer than 2+3, 2 as long as 3. Frons longitudinally striated. Facial foveae short, extending from level of lower end of lateral ocellus to lower end of antennal socket, 0.4 times as broad as antennocular distance ( Figs. 86–87 ). Distance of fovea from lateral ocellus about 1.1 ocellus diameters. Ocelloccipital distance about 1 ocellus diameter. Vertex moderately carinate ( Fig. 87 ).

Mesosoma ( Fig. 87 ). Dorsolateral angle of pronotum not elevated, pronotum not carinate. Mesonotum and scutellum shiny but strongly, uniformly and finely shagreened, punctation dense and coarse, extremely superficial and often almost indistinguishable from shagreenation, distance between punctures 0.5–1 puncture diameters ( Fig. 87 ). Mesepisternum and posterolateral part of propodeum finely alveolate-reticulate, densely, shallowly and obliquely punctured, punctures merging into reticulation. Propodeal corbicula finely reticulate, sparsely and coarsely, obliquely punctured. Propodeal triangle T-shaped, very finely alveolate, basal margin radially rugose ( Fig. 87 ). Hind leg pretarsal claw bidentate. Nervulus more or less interstitial.

Metasoma ( Fig. 88 ). Tergal discs shiny, weakly to moderately shagreened, very finely punctured, distance between punctures about 2 puncture diameters, apical half of disc 1 often with crater-like punctures. Tergal marginal zones shagreened, apical margin smooth. Pygidial plate without elevated medial area.

Male ( Fig. 90 ).

Body length: 6.5 mm.

Colour. Head and mesosoma black, non-metallic ( Figs. 90–92 ). Anterior side of flagellomeres 2–11 dark brown ( Figs. 90–91 ). Legs and metasoma dark brown to black ( Figs. 90, 93 ). Wings hyaline, veins and stigma dark brown ( Fig. 90 ). Tergal marginal zones reddish-yellowish ( Fig. 93 ).

Pubescence. Clypeal hair long, two-coloured, varying among specimens from mostly black with an apical fringe of golden hairs, to mostly golden with small lateral patches of black hair ( Figs. 90–91 ). Paraocular area with long black hair. Area around antennal sockets with medium to long golden hair. Scape with medium-lengthed golden and black hairs. Frons with medium to long black hairs. Vertex with long, erect golden hairs. Genal area with medium-lengthed black hair anteriodorsally, medium to long golden hair posteroventrally. All parts of mesosoma covered with medium to long, erect golden hair ( Figs. 90, 92 ). Leg hair mostly golden, sometimes with few black hairs on femora and tibiae ( Fig. 90 ). Tergal discs with sparse white to golden hair, short centrally, long on lateral parts of disc 1, gradually shorter on lateral parts of following terga. Tergal marginal zones 1–5 with strong continuous bands of dense, medium-lengthed white to golden hair, arising from base of marginal zone and extending onto base of following disc, longer on tergum 1. Terminal fringe light brown ( Fig. 93 ).

Head ( Figs. 91–92 ). Clypeus not protuberant, often centrally flattened, basal half shagreened, apical half shagreened to smooth, punctation dense, distance between punctures 0.5–1 puncture diameters, without impunctate midline. Flagellomere 1 longer than 3, 2 shorter than 3. Rest of head as in female.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 92 ). Similar to female, but mesonotum and scutellum mat, punctation sparser, distance between punctures 1–2 puncture diameters ( Fig. 92 ).

Metasoma ( Fig. 93 ). Similar to female.

Genitalia and hidden sterna ( Figs. 94–95 ). Dorsal lobes of gonocoxite distinct, broad and rounded. Gonostyli narrow basally, blade flattened and broadened, inner margin convex, outer margin concave, apex pointed. Basal half of penis valves of moderate, uniform width, with a narrow, arched flanking lamella; apical half tapering ( Fig. 94 ). Sternum 8 Y-shaped, with a columnar stem and a distinctly bilobed apical process ( Fig. 95 ).

Diagnosis. Andrena igraeca is closely related to A. rufula Schmiedeknecht. The female is distinguished from most Euandrena by the strongly shagreened and mat, imperceptibly punctured, metallic-hued mesonotum ( Fig. 87 ). It differs from A. rufula in the smaller body size, stronger metallic hue of the mesonotum, and presence of distinct yellowish tergal apical hair bands (tergal discs and marginal zones in A. rufula more or less uniformly covered in orange-brown hair, not forming distinct apical hair bands). The male of A. igraeca is easily distinguished from all other Euandrena by the unique genital capsule and sternum 8 ( Figs. 94–95 ). It differs from A. rufula in the smaller body size, distinct dorsal gonocoxite lobe (weakly produced and truncate in A. rufula ), broader penis valves, and strongly bifurcate, Y-shaped sternum 8 (normally built in A. rufula , with an apical notch). Andrena scrophulariae Wood also possesses a Y-shaped sternum 8, but it has a much broader gonostylus blade ( Fig. 100 ), and a longer, very smooth clypeus ( Fig. 96 ).

Distribution: North and central Israel, Lebanon, Syria. Likely present also in Hatay province, Turkey.

Flight period: February–April.

Flower records: Brassicaceae : Sinapis alba ; Lamiaceae : Salvia rosmarinus ; Plantaginaceae : Veronica syriaca ; Rosaceae : Prunus dulcis .

Holotype: ISRAEL: Horbat Kefar Lakhish , 31.575°N 34.853°E, 5.iii.2021, G. Pisanty, pan trap, ♂ ( SMNHTAU:358922).

Paratypes: ISRAEL: Bet Me’ir , 18 km W [E] Jerusalem, 4.iii.1990, T. Boker, on Sinapis alba (1♀) ; Har Avital, Golan Heights , 15.iii.1995, R. Kasher (1♀, 7♂) ; Horbat Kefar Lakhish , 31.575°N 34.853°E, 5.iii.2021, G. Pisanty, pan trap (1♀, 3♂) ; 15.iii.2021, G. Pisanty, pan trap (3♀, 7♂); Jerusalem, 18.iii.1991, R. Kasher, on Salvia rosmarinus (1♀) ; 24.ii.2014, A. Gotlieb (3♂); 700 m, 5.iii.1975, K.M. Guichard (1♀); Kfar Menahem [Kefar Menahem], 1.iii.2008, G. Pisanty (1♀) ; Kokhav Ya’ir, Ya’ar Sappir , 32°13.9’N 34°59.5’E, 160 m, 16.ii.2010, L. Friedman (1♀) ; Montfort , 17.iii.1983, F. Kaplan (1♀) ; [Montfort, Nahal Keziv ], 28.ii.2018, G. Pisanty (1♂) ; Mount Carmel , 4.iii.1975, F. Kaplan (1♀) ; Mount Carmel, Hay-Bar , 1 km S University, 25.iii.1990, R. Kasher (1♀) ; Mount Hermon [Har Hermon], 1610 m, 33.300°N 35.767°E, 7.iv.2021, G. Pisanty, pan trap (2♂) ; 1642 m, 33.2996°N 35.7677°E, 16.iv.2022, G. Pisanty, pan traps (1♀, 5♂); [ Hermon ], 1641 m, 33.2993°N 35.7670°E, 16.iv.2022, G. Pisanty, on Prunus dulcis (1♀) ; Mount Hermon Nature Reserve , 21.iv.2012, G. Pisanty (1♂) ; Mount Meron [Har Meron], 33.000°N 35.3927°E, 4.iv.2017, G. Pisanty, pan trap (2♀) ; 1000 m, 1.iv.2012, L. Friedman (1♀); Nahal Kziv [Nahal Keziv], 33°02.7’N 35°13.6’E, 5.iii.2008, A. Freidberg (1♂) ; Odem Forest Nature Reserve [Ya’ar Odem N.R.], 1.iii.2018, G. Pisanty (4♂) ; [ Ya’ar Odem NR], 33.186°N 35.7356°E, 27.ii.2020, G. Pisanty, pan trap (1♂) ; LEBANON: Horch Ehden, Nabeh Jouit , 1336 m, 24.iv.2019, M. Boustani, on Veronica syriaca (1♀) ; SYRIA: Kesab [Kassab] env., 28.iii.1994, J. & S. Becvar (1♀) ( NHMUK, OLML, RMNH, SMNHTAU, TJW) .

Etymology. i graeca is the Latin name for the Roman letter Υ, in reference to the ‘Y’ shaped sternum 8 of the male. The species epithet is a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURES 86–95. Andrena (Euandrena) igraeca sp. nov. 86. female head, 87. female vertex and mesosoma, 88. female metasoma, 89. female habitus, 90. male habitus, 91. male head, 92. male vertex and mesosoma, 93. male metasoma, 94. male genitalia, 95. male eighth sternum.

FIGURES 96–101. Andrena (Euandrena) scrophulariae Wood. 96. male head, 97. male vertex, mesonotum and scutellum, 98. male metasoma, 99. male habitus, 100. male genitalia, 101. male eighth sternum.