Andrena (Avandrena) euphorbiae Pisanty, 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 : 28-29

Andrena (Avandrena) euphorbiae Pisanty sp. nov.

( Figs. 50–57 )

Female ( Fig. 50 ).

Body length: 7–7.5 mm.

Colour. Body and legs dark brown to black ( Fig. 50 ). Anterior side of flagellomeres 3–10 orange. Apical tarsomeres orange. Wings hyaline, veins brown, stigma tan medially. Tergal marginal zones yellowish-brown ( Fig. 53 ).

Pubescence. Supraclypeal area, vertex, basal half of clypeus, lower half of frons, and area around antennal sockets with mixed whitish and dark, medium to long plumose hairs; apical half of clypeus with long, brown simple hairs ( Fig. 51 ). Facial foveae brownish. Genal area with medium-lengthed whitish to golden hairs. Mesonotum, scutellum and metanotum with medium-lengthed, whitish to golden plumose hairs ( Fig. 52 ). Mesepisternum with long plumose hairs, mostly dark on dorsal 1/3, whitish to golden on ventral 2/3. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, dorsoposterior fringe with long, white to golden plumose hairs, corbicular surface with few simple bright hairs. Leg hair mostly short, white to brown, fore femur with some black hair near apex ( Fig. 50 ). Flocculus complete. Tibial scopal hairs simple, whitish ( Fig. 50 ). Tergal discs with sparse, weakly plumose whitish hairs, short to long on tergum 1, short on terga 2–4. Tergal marginal zones 2–4 with distinct bands of white hair extending onto following disc, interrupted on tergum 2, almost complete on 3, complete on 4. Terminal fringe brownish ( Fig. 53 ).

Head ( Figs. 51–52 ). 1.3 times broader than long. Labral process triangular, apex pointed. Clypeus medially flattened, very shiny, basal half superficially shagreened, apical half more or less smooth, punctation weak, of moderate size, distance between punctures 1.5 puncture diameters, with medioapical impunctate area ( Fig. 51 ). Flagellomere 1 as long as 2+3 or slightly shorter, 2 about as long as 3. Frons longitudinally striated. Facial foveae short, broad and shallow, drop-shaped, extending from level of lower end of lateral ocellus to upper half of antennal socket, 0.7 times as broad as antennocular distance ( Figs. 51–52 ). Distance of fovea from lateral ocellus about 1.5 ocellus diameters. Ocelloccipital distance 1.5 ocellus diameters. Vertex moderately carinate ( Fig. 52 ).

Mesosoma ( Fig. 52 ). Dorsolateral angle of pronotum not elevated, pronotum not carinate. Mesonotum weakly shiny, strongly and completely shagreened, impunctate except for a few shallow oblique punctures medially ( Fig. 52 ). Scutellum similar, more strongly shiny. Mesepisternum and posterolateral part of propodeum finely alveolate. Propodeal corbicula finely reticulate. Propodeal triangle narrow, radially rugose on basal 1/4–1/2, very finely alveolate apically. Inner side of hind femur rounded, not carinate, without spines. Inner hind tibial spur more less straight and of uniform width. Hind leg pretarsal claw with distinct inner tooth. Nervulus antefurcal. Recurrent vein 1 meets submarginal cell 2 at its middle or distal to it.

Metasoma ( Fig. 53 ). Basal half of tergal disc 1 smooth; apical half and tergal discs 2–4 shiny, superficially shagreened, sparsely, inconspicuously and very finely punctured, distance between punctures 2–3 puncture diameters. Tergal marginal zones similarly superficially shagreened and shiny, slightly depressed, hardly discernible from discs. Pygidial plate not elevated medially.

Male ( Fig. 54 ).

Body length: 6.5–7 mm.

Colour. Head and mesosoma dark brown to black ( Fig. 54 ). Clypeus and paraocular areas dark ( Fig. 55 ). Anterior side of flagellomeres 2–11 light brown ( Figs. 54–55 ). Legs and metasoma brown to black. Wings hyaline, veins brown, stigma tan medially ( Fig. 54 ).

Pubescence. Face covered with long hairs up to antennal sockets, dark on paraocular areas and lateral parts of clypeus, whitish on centre of clypeus, black and white around antennal sockets ( Fig. 55 ). Vertex with whitish hairs ( Fig. 54 ). Genal area with dark hairs anteriodorsally, whitish hairs elsewhere. Mesosoma with medium to long, whitish plumose hairs. Leg hair mostly white to brown, fore femur with some dark hair near apex. Tergal discs with sparse whitish hairs, short to medium on terga 1–2, short on terga 3–5. Tergal marginal zones 2–4 with distinct bands of white hair extending onto following disc, interrupted on terga 2–3, complete on 4 ( Fig. 54 ). Tergal marginal zones 5–6 with sparse, long whitish hairs.

Head ( Figs. 55–56 ). 1.3 times broader than long. Labral process weakly trapezoidal, apical margin distinctly emarginate. Clypeus weakly convex, shagreened basally and shiny apically, densely and shallowly punctured, distance between punctures 0.5–1 puncture diameters, without impunctate midline ( Fig. 55 ). Flagellomere 1 slightly shorter than 2, 2 slightly shorter than 3. Frons longitudinally striated. Ocelloccipital distance about 1.5 ocellus diameters. Vertex distinctly carinate ( Fig. 56 ). Posterior margin of genal area not carinate.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 56 ). Similar to female.

Metasoma. Similar to female.

Genitalia and hidden sterna ( Fig. 57 ). Dorsal gonocoxite lobes developed, narrow, rounded apically. Gonostylus elongate, gradually broadening apically, blade flattened, rounded apically. Penis valves long and narrow, of uniform width ( Fig. 57 ). Sternum 8 columnar, apical process broadened.

Diagnosis. Andrena euphorbiae belongs to a group of Avandrena lacking female femoral spines, whose phylogenetic placement is uncertain ( Pisanty et al. 2022). This group includes also A. canohirta (Friese) , A. caudata Warncke , A. melacana Warncke and A. ochropa Warncke ( Warncke 1980) . The female of A. euphorbiae is distinguished from these species by the triangular labral process (indented rectangular in all four species), normal clypeus edge (anteriorly curved in A. melacana ), non-carinate pronotum (weakly carinate in A. canohirta and A. melacana , strongly so in A. ochropa ), shagreened mesonotum and scutellum (partly to fully smooth in A. canohirta , A. caudata and A. melacana ), simple-haired scopa (plumose in A. caudata ), and shagreened terga (smooth in A. canohirta ). The male of A. euphorbiae is easily distinguished from all other Avandrena by its simple, unmodified genital capsule, with narrow penis valves ( Fig. 57 ).

Distribution: North and central Israel.

Flight period: February–April.

Flower records: Euphorbiaceae : Euphorbia hierosolymitana .

Pollen preferences: Four analysed loads from Ramat HaNadiv and Matlul Avinadav contained pure Euphorbia pollen, confirming the field observations. One analysed load from Ramat Hadassa visually contained much larger grains, but these also belonged to Euphorbia , though clearly of a different species. Andrena euphorbiae would therefore seem to be a specialist of Euphorbia , the first bee species to our knowledge to be documented as such.

Holotype: ISRAEL: Mevo Hama Forest , 32.709ºN 35.6495ºE, 1.iii.2022, G. Pisanty, on Euphorbia hierosolymitana , ♀ ( SMNHTAU:385097)

Paratypes: ISRAEL: Bethlehem of Galilee [Bet Lehem haGelilit], 10.iii.1997, L. Friedman (1♀) ; Karei Deshe [Kare Deshe], 19.iii.2012, T. Shapira, pan trap (1♂) ; Malkia [Malkiyya], 10.iv.2014, O. Winberger (2♀) ; 13.iv.2014, O. Winberger (1♀); Matlul Avinadav , 32.46ºN 35.435ºE, 19.ii.2019, G. Pisanty, on Euphorbia hierosolymitana (1♀) ; Ramat Hadassa , 3.iv.1963 (1♀) ; Ramat HaNadiv , 22.iii.2012, T. Shapira (1♀) ; 32.551ºN 34.945ºE, 15.ii.2021, G. Pisanty, on Euphorbia hierosolymitana (7♀, 1♂) ( OLML, RMNH, SMNHTAU, TJW) .

Etymology. From Euphorbia , in reference to the species’ host plant. The species epithet is an adjective.

Figures

FIGURES 50–57. Andrena (Avandrena) euphorbiae sp. nov. 50. female habitus, 51. female head, 52. female vertex and mesosoma, 53. female metasoma, 54. male habitus, 55. male head, 56. male vertex and mesosoma, 57. male genitalia.