Andrena (Carandrena) hoggara, Wood, 2021

Wood, Thomas James, 2021, Fifteen new Andrena species from little-visited arid, Mediterranean, and mountainous parts of the Old World (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 4933 (4), pp. 451-492 : 460-462

Andrena (Carandrena) hoggara spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:59C8DBB2-4217-4A86-AAEC-655B827C9D04

HOLOTYPE: ALGERIA: Amsel , 30 km S Tamanrasset, 1.iv.1989, 1♀, leg. M. Schwarz ( OÖLM).

PARATYPE: ALGERIA: Tamrit [rest of locality information handwritten, illegible, presumed to be somewhere in south-eastern Algeria], 4.v.1987, 1♀, leg. Dr. Strejček ( OÖLM) .

Description: Female: Body length 9 mm ( Figure 31 ). Head: Black, 1.2 times wider than long ( Figure 32 ).

Clypeus slightly domed, weakly flattened centrally and apically, irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–3 puncture diameters; weak impunctate longitudinal central line present, underlying surface shagreened basally, dull, becoming weaker centrally, smooth and shining over majority of centre and apex ( Figure 33 ). Process of labrum trapezoidal, apical margin slightly compressed, forming weak emargination and kerb-like structure, shiny, basal half of process of labrum transversely striate, weakly shining. Gena moderately broad, slightly exceeding width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance subequal to width of lateral ocellus. Fovea relatively broad, dorsally occupying ¾ space between lateral ocellus and compound eye, slightly narrowed below, reaching just below level of antennal insertions. Gena, face, and scape with white hairs, vertex to ocellar triangle with light brown hairs, none exceeding length of scape. Antenna dark, A4–12 lightened orange below, A3 slightly exceeds A4+5. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum predominantly densely punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters over majority of disc except centrally where a circular impunctate area is formed, underlying surface laterally shagreened, weakly shining, becoming smooth and shining centrally. Pronotum with weak humeral angle, dorsolaterally slightly angulate. Episternum and propodeum microreticulate, weakly shining, propodeal triangle marked by change in surface sculpture, internal surface finely shagreened, basally with weak rugosity. Episternum and propodeum with white hair, becoming light brown on scutum and scutellum ( Figure 34 ), not exceeding length of scape. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened brown, pubescence whitish to light brownish, scopa white. Wings hyaline, venation and stigma dark orange, nervulus antefurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark, apical margins slightly depressed, lightened orange-yellow, hyaline ( Figure 35 ). Tergal discs very finely and inconspicuously punctate, punctures separated by 2 puncture diameters, obscure against underlying surface which is finely microreticulate, weakly shining. T1–4 with complete, dense white hair bands that obscure underlying surface ( Figure 36 ). Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate golden; pygidial plate broadly triangular, apical margin truncate, surface very weakly domed centrally, impunctate.

Male: Unknown.

Diagnosis: The subgenus Carandrena is difficult to define precisely in the female sex, Carandrena species generally being more clearly united using male characters, but can be generally recognised by the combination of a broad labral process, head compact and generally slightly broader than long, integument often with metallic tints, terga impunctate to very finely and inconspicuously punctate, usually with clear hair bands, pronotum usually with a clear humeral angle and carina, and most clearly with propodeal triangle finely shagreened, with faint weak rugosity at base. Importantly, the distinction between the subgenera Carandrena and Notandrena is not clear, each rendering the other polyphyletic, and the two may potentially be synonymised in the future ( Pisanty et al. 2020). At least one Carandrena lineage (containing A. eremobia Guiglia, 1933 and A. euzona Pérez, 1895 ) falls elsewhere, but resolving this issue will require extensive taxon sampling ( Pisanty et al. 2020). For now, species are best diagnosed with reference to related taxa.

Andrena hoggara falls in the group of non-metallic Carandrena and is closest to A. eddaensis Gusenleitner, 1998 because of the non-metallic integument, apically shiny clypeus, relatively broad foveae, antefurcal nervulus, dark terga with lightened apical margins, and whitish pubescence laterally, light brown pubescence dorsally. It can easily be separated ( A. eddaensis character state in parentheses) by the process of the labrum which is trapezoidal and weakly emarginate with a kerb-like ridge apically (broadly semi-circular, lacking emargination or apical ridge), the more strongly punctate clypeus with longitudinal impunctate line (clypeus largely impunctate in apical half, without impunctate line), the centrally smooth and shiny scutum (more extensively shagreened, without clear smooth and shiny area), and the tergal hair bands that are restricted to the apical margins (tergal discs covered with thick hair that obscures the underlying surface in addition to those covering the tergal margins).

Discussion: The holotype female was collected on a joint expedition between Maximillian Schwarz and Klaus Warncke that led to the description of Hoplitis hoggara ( Warncke, 1992) from the Hoggar mountain range ( Warncke 1992). This species has a disjunct distribution is known only from the Hoggar mountains in southern Algeria and the Drâa valley in southern Morocco. The Andrena fauna of the Hoggar is extremely interesting, and examined material comprised the recently described A. breviceps Wood, 2020 (known from the Drâa valley in southern Morocco), A. amicula ( Egypt) , and A. helouanensis Friese, 1899 ( Egypt, Israel, United Arab Emirates, see Pisanty et al. 2018), all of which are newly reported from Algeria. The Andrena breviceps specimen was collected from the locus typicus of H. hoggara , further emphasising the biogeographic link between the Hoggar mountain range and the Drâa valley of southern Morocco. Andrena amicula and A. helouanensis have more eastern distributions, the latter also newly reported here from Jordan and Oman, providing a more complete picture of its distribution. The presence of both eastern and western Andrena species that are seemingly restricted to desert environments suggests that the Hoggar mountains retain a relictual Andrena fauna that was once more widespread; indeed, relictual vertebrate populations persist or have persisted in this region including crocodiles ( Brito et al. 2011), so the presence of such a bee fauna is not unexpected but has not been studied in detail to date.

Etymology: The name comes from the Hoggar mountains (Berber: idurar n Ahaggar) in southern Algeria, the locus typicus.

Other material examined: ( Andrena amicula ): ALGERIA: 60 km E of Tamanrasset, 31.iii.1989, 1♀, leg . M. Schwarz, OÖLM; ( Andrena breviceps ): ALGERIA: Hoggar Guelta , near Llamane, 1900 m, 29.iii.1989, 1♀ , leg. M. Schwarz, OÖLM; ( Andrena helouanensis ): ALGERIA: 20 km E Tamanrasset, 1400 m, 30.iii.1989, 1♀ , leg. M. Schwarz, OÖLM; 60 km E of Tamanrasset, 31.iii.1989, 1♀ , leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM; Assekrem , 2300 m, 27.iii.1989 , 6³, leg. M. Schwarz, OÖLM; Mt. Tahat , S. Hoggar, 2400 m, 28.iii.1989, 1♀ , leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM; Tamanrasset, Guelta , 52 km NE, 26.iii.1989 , 1³, leg. M. Schwarz, OÖLM; JORDAN: Wadi Rum, Al Ghal env., 3.iv.2013, 1♀ , leg. M. Snižek, OÖLM; OMAN: NW of Bahla, Al Ayshi , 6.iii.2017, 1♀ , leg. M. Snižek, OÖLM.

Figures

FIGURES 31–36. Andrena hoggara spec. nov. 31. female profile, 32. female face, 33. female face detail, 34. female scutum, 35. female terga, 36. female terga detail.