Andrena (Melandrena) pyrozonata Friese, 1921

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 : 46

Andrena (Melandrena) pyrozonata Friese, 1921

Distribution: Cyprus, Israel, Turkey. Likely present also in Lebanon and Syria.

Flight period: March–April.

Flower records: Fagaceae : Quercus infectoria ( Mavromoustakis 1958) ; Sapindaceae : Acer monspessulanum .

Material examined: HOLOTYPE: TURKEY: Kahramanmaraş, Kayabaşı [Kayabaschi], 8.vii.1913, F. Tölg (♀) ( ZMHB) ; PARATYPE ( A. perapedica Mavromoustakis ): CYPRUS: Pera Pedi , 4.iv.1952, Mavromoustakis (1♀) ( SMNHTAU) ; non-type material: ISRAEL: Montfort [Monfort], 17.iii.1983, A. Freidberg (1♂) ; Mount Hermon [Har Hermon], 1640 m, 33.300°N 35.7675°E, 7.iv.2021, G. Pisanty, sweeping (1♀) ; 1644 m, 33.2992°N 35.7670°E, 16.iv.2022, G. Pisanty, pan trap (1♀); 1649 m, 33.2993°N 35.7679°E, 16.iv.2021, G. Pisanty, on Acer monspessulanum (2♀); Nahal Kziv [Nahal Keziv], 5.iii.2008, L. Friedman (1♂) ( SMNHTAU) .

Remarks. This species was formerly classified in the polyphyletic group known as Poliandrena (now a synoynm of Ulandrena, Pisanty el. 2022). We now reclassify it under Melandrena, as it is closely related morphologically to A. (Melandrena) elmaria Gusenleitner , and the barcode sequences of these two species cluster together with A. (Melandrena) nigroaenea (Kirby) in phylogenetic analyses of barcode sequences.