Andrena (Cnemidandrena) niveofacies Wood, 2020

Wood, Thomas James, Michez, Denis, Cejas, Diego, Lhomme, Patrick & Rasmont, Pierre, 2020, An update and revision of the Andrena fauna of Morocco (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Andrenidae) with the description of eleven new North African species, ZooKeys 974, pp. 31-92 : 31

Andrena (Cnemidandrena) niveofacies Wood sp. nov. Figure 41-46 , 47-54

Material.

Holotype: Morocco: Marrakesh-Safi, Asni, S Imlil, 2900 m, 24.viii.1992, 1♀, leg. Warncke [see Remarks]. Deposited in the OÖLM. Paratypes: Morocco: Marrakesh-Safi, Asni, S Imlil, 3300 m, 21.viii.1992, 1♂, leg. Warncke, OÖLM.

Diagnosis.

Andrena niveofacies can easily be recognised as part of the Cnemidandrena because of the transverse ridge on the dorsolateral angle of the pronotum, the triangular hind tibiae in the female, the upturned process of the labrum in the male (Fig. 48 ), the thick and distinct hair bands on the metasoma (Figs 45 , 46 ), and the late summer activity period.

Within the Cnemidandrena , A. niveofacies females have completely brown hair on the scutum (intermixed with black in A. denticulata (Kirby, 1802)), the galea is dull (shiny in A. fuscipes (Kirby, 1802)), T5-6 are black haired (light haired in A. tridentata (Kirby, 1802)), and the face is pale haired (black at least in part in A. nigriceps (Kirby, 1802) and A. freygessneri Alfken, 1904). The female A. niveofacies is most similar to A. simillima Smith, 1851 but is can be easily separated as it has strikingly bright white hairs on the face and gena (Fig. 43 ), these being buff-brown in A. simillima .

The male has a non-carinate gena (Fig. 49 , carinate in A. denticulata and A. tridentata ), the galea is dull (shining in A. fuscipes ), S8 is short and relatively densely haired (long and sparsely haired in A. freygessneri , see illustrations in Ember 2001), and the face has bright white hairs, with no trace of black hairs on the discs of the tergites (face with brown hairs in A. nigriceps , T4-5 with black hairs basally). However, the male material also differs from A. simillima as A3+4 are equal in length, whereas in A. simillima A3 is a little longer than A4.

Description.

Female: Body length 10 mm (Fig. 41 ). Head: Black, a little wider than long. Clypeus slightly arched, evenly and clearly punctured, punctures dense, separated by 0.5-1 puncture diameters with the exception of subtle central impunctate line than widens into a triangle immediately before fore margin of clypeus. Underlying surface weakly shagreened, slightly shining. Process of labrum trapezoidal, fore margin clearly emarginate. Gena slightly wider than width of compound eye. Gena, face, and scape with bright white hairs, longest achieving length of the scape (Fig. 43 ). Vertex with contrasting brown and black hairs of equal length. Foveae generally wide, occupying three quarters of distance between top of compound eye and lateral ocellus. Antennae black, ventral surface of A4-12 lightened brown, A3 slightly shorter than A4+5. Ocelloccipital distance equalling width of lateral ocellus. Mesosoma: Scutum densely punctate, punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters over majority of disc but becoming sparser towards rear in centre and on scutellum, here separated by one puncture diameter. Underlying surface microreticulate, but this weakens to become fine shagreenation, shining, centrally and laterally on scutum and particularly on scutellum. Episternum with microreticulation, dull. Propodeum laterally shagreened, weakly shining, posterolaterally microreticulate and dull with large shallow punctures, these absent from the propodeal triangle which is therefore well defined. Scutum, scutellum, and propodeum with buff-brown hairs of moderate length, contrasting with white hairs on episternum. Legs dark, tarsal segments lightened brown. Wings hyaline, venation black, stigma centrally dark brown. Nervulus clearly antefurcal. Metasoma: Tergites black, microreticulate, weakly shining, moderately punctured, punctures separated by 1-2 puncture diameters (Fig. 45 ). T1 with long buff-brown hairs over whole disc and margin, T2-4 with clear buff-brown hair bands occupying marginal area, surface of disc with sparser and shorter hairs of same colour. T5-6 with black-brown hairs. S2-4 with sparse white hairs forming weak bands.

Male. Body length 10 mm (Fig. 47 ). Head: As in the female, but clypeus without central impunctate line, process of labrum narrow and centrally upturned (Fig. 48 ). Galea dull (Fig. 49 ). Antennae dark, A4-13 lightened to dark brown below, A3 equalling A4. Gena wide, 1.5 times wider than width of compound eye, non-carinate, forming weak posterior angle. Face, gena, scape, and vertex all with long white hairs achieving length of the scape. Ocelloccipital distance broad, 1.5 times width of lateral ocellus. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum as in female, microreticulation weaker so the whole surface appears shinier. Propodeal punctures weaker and shallower, slightly obscured by weak reticulation, contrast with the propodeal triangle as in the female. Metasoma: As in female (Fig. 51 ), T2-5 with pale hair bands, T6 with brown apical fringe. S8 short and densely hairy (Fig. 53 ).

Distribution.

Probably restricted to the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. This material represents the first record of the subgenus Cnemidandrena from Morocco and more broadly the whole of North Africa (Fig. 145b ).

Floral preferences.

The single female had a full scopa (Fig. 43 ) comprising 95% Cirsium -type ( Asteraceae : Cynareae) and 5% Eryngium -type ( Apiaceae ). It is too early to draw strong conclusions, as Cnemidandrena contain both oligolectic ( A. denticulata , Asteraceae , Wood and Roberts 2017) and polylectic species ( A. freygessneri , A. nigriceps , A. simillima ; Wood and Roberts 2017; Else and Edwards 2018; Müller 2018).

Remarks.

There has historically been uncertainty over the species status of taxa assigned to A. simillima . The former subspecies A. freygessneri was returned to species status by Ebmer (2001), but the status of A. s. bremensis Alfken, 1900 and A. s. sischkai Warncke, 1988 remain unclear. This latter subspecies is found in Bulgaria and Greece (Figs 42 , 44 , 46 , 50 , 52 , 54 ; Warncke 1988) and the facial hairs are buff coloured as in the nominate form (Fig. 44 ), but the tergites are much less densely hairy and the hairs are shorter, giving the overall impression that the bee is darker (Figs 46 , 52 ). It is likely that both taxa are distinct from A. simillima , but more work is required. Against this context, we describe A. niveofacies as a good species, not only because of the morphological differences but also because of the degree of geographical separation, with the locus typicus in the High Atlas approximately 1,600 km from the nearest A. simillima records in southern France.

The collection labels themselves are a small mystery, as they have the collector name Warncke struck through by hand (Warncke). They may have been used by a collector accompanying Warncke who used his spare preprinted labels, but if this is the case then their identity is not clear.

Etymology.

The subspecific epithet niveofacies from niveus (snow) + facies (face) was chosen to illustrate the bright white facial hair.

Other material examined.

( Andrena simillima sischkai ): Greece: Olympus, 2000-2200 m, 18.viii.1978, 1♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM (holotype); Bulgaria: mer., Pirin, Popina-Lka I (1350 m), 23-27.vii.1974, 1♂, leg. Dr. A. Hoffer, OÖLM (paratype); ( Andrena simillima simillima ): United Kingdom: Devon, Weston Cliff NT, Branscombe, 23.vii.1992, 1♀, leg. M. Edwards, TJW.

Figures

Figure 145. Distribution of sampling locations of newly described species A Andrena hebescens (circles), Andrena semiadesus (squares) B Andrena tenebricorpus (diamond), Andrena niveofacies (circle), Andrena triangulivalvis (triangle) C Andrena sparsipunctata (circles), Andrena breviceps (diamonds) D Andrena acutidentis (squares), Andrena farinosoides (triangles), Andrena nigriclypeus (circle). Relief is indicated by shading, measured in meters above sea level.

Figures 41 - 46. Andrena (Cnemidandrena) niveofacies sp. nov. 41 female profile 43 female face 45 female tergites. Andrena (Cnemidandrena) simillima sischkai Warncke, 1988 (holotype) 42 female profile 44 female face 46 female tergites.

Figures 47 - 54. Andrena (Cnemidandrena) niveofacies sp. nov. 47 male profile 48 male face 49 male gena 51 male tergites 53 male sternite 8. Andrena (Cnemidandrena) simillima sischkai Warncke, 1988 (paratype) 50 male gena 52 male tergites 54 male genitalia.