Andrena (Graecandrena) virguladivina, 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 : 466-469

Andrena (Graecandrena) virguladivina spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5124F4A3-EA43-40E9-A8FE-E0180CEF4CF1

HOLOTYPE: SYRIA: Jisr ash Shughur [Jisr al-Shughur], 26.v.1996, 1³, leg. Marek Halada ( OÖLM).

PARATYPES: SYRIA: Same as holotype, 1³, 2♀ ( OÖLM), 1♀ ( SMNHTAU) .

Description: Female: Body length 7 mm ( Figure 51 ). Head: Black, 1.2 times wider than long. Clypeus domed, centrally broadly flattened, strongly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameter basally, becoming more densely punctate apically, strength of punctures increasing; underlying surface deformed, irregular, uneven ( Figure 52 ). Clypeus in basal half with central, longitudinal, raised impunctate line, apically disappearing; underlying surface strongly shagreened in basal 2/3rds, dull, becoming weaker in apical 1/3 rd, weakly shining. Process of labrum narrowly trapezoidal, apical margin straight, with slight raised shiny ridge. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance broad, 1.5 times width of lateral ocellus. Fovea narrow, subequal to width of flagellum, extending ventrally to level of antennal insertion, here separated from inner margin of compound eye by distance subequal to own width. Gena, face, and scape with short white hairs, vertex with longer brown hairs, not exceeding length of scape. Antenna dark, A5–12 lightened orange below, A3 exceeding A4, shorter than A4+5. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum regularly and evenly punctate, punctures separated by 2 puncture diameters, underlying surface shagreened, weakly shining ( Figure 53 ). Pronotum rounded, without humeral angle. Episternum and propodeum finely microreticulate, weakly shining, propodeal triangle clearly marked by change in surface sculpture, finely shagreened with weak basal rugosity ( Figure 54 ). Episternum and propodeum with moderately long white hairs, scutum and scutellum with short brown to light brown hairs. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments and hind basitarsi lightened brown to dark orange, pubescence whitish to light brown, scopa white. Hind tarsal claws without inner teeth. Wings hyaline, venation dark brown, stigma dark orange, nervulus interstitial. Metasoma: Terga dark, apical margins slightly depressed, occupying 2/5ths of segment, faintly lightened dark brown ( Figure 55 ). Tergal discs finely microreticulate, essentially impunctate, weakly shining; T2–3 with very weak hair fringes laterally ( Figure 56 ). Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate light to dark brown; pygidial plate triangular, apically weakly pointed, flattened, dull.

Male: Body length 6 mm ( Figure 57 ). Head: Black, 1.2 times wider than long ( Figure 58 ). Clypeus evenly domed, regularly punctate, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter, underlying surface shiny. Process of labrum narrowly rounded trapezoidal. Gena subequal to width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance broad, 1.5 times width of lateral ocellus. Gena, face, and scape with long white hairs, vertex with long light brown hairs, exceeding length of scape. Antenna dark, A4–13 brown below, A3 equals A4. Mesosoma: Structurally as in female, though propodeal triangle with more extensive basal rugosity, all basitarsi more clearly lightened orange. Metasoma: Terga structurally as in female ( Figure 59 ). Genitalia rounded ( Figure 60 ), in profile compact ( Figure 61 ), gonocoxae with small, weakly produced apical teeth, gonostyli evenly arched, apically truncate, inner margin slightly thickened; penis valve with base narrowly triangular in dorsal view, extending ventrally, long, apically strongly bifurcate ( Figure 62 ).

Diagnosis: Subgeneric placement of A. virguladivina faces the same challenges as the previously described Aciandrena species because of deep problems in subgeneric classification for small black Old World Andrena species ( Pisanty et al. 2020). In the female sex, the combination of small body size, finely shagreened propodeal triangle (though with basal rugosity more typically found in Graecandrena), and narrow facial foveae could suggest Aciandrena , but the structure of the male genitalia combined with a black clypeus (typically yellow in Aciandrena but this can be intra- and interspecifically variable) suggests a much stronger affinity with the true Graecandrena (species around A. graecella Warncke, 1965 ), which have a genital capsule that is rounded, the inner margin of the gonostyli creating a broadly circular area, without gonocoxal teeth, and with a penis valve that is comparatively broad basally, narrowing apically (e.g. A. butea Warncke, 1965 , A. hyemala Warncke, 1973 , A. pelopa Warncke, 1975 , excluding the clearly divergent structure seen in A. arsinoe and A. amicula that do not fall within the true Graecandrena, Pisanty et al. 2020, see above). Andrena virguladivina deviates from this structure by the presence of very slight gonocoxal teeth (though these are also present in A. butea Warncke, 1965 ) but overall construction is similar.

Males can be instantly diagnosed from all other Aciandrena /Graecandrena species by the genital constriction, specifically the structure of the penis valve which is apically bifurcate, a unique character. Females can be diagnosed by the combination of a finely shagreened propodeal triangle, narrow facial foveae, and the sculpturing of the clypeus which is domed, slightly flattened centrally, and strongly and coarsely punctate, leading to an uneven, misshapen, and partially deformed apical third, with punctures separated by less than half a puncture diameter.

Etymology: The name is Latin for divining rod (or dowsing rod) because of the shape of the male penis valve which is apically bifurcate, thus resembling a divining rod.

Figures

FIGURES 51–56. Andrena virguladivina spec. nov. 51. female profile, 52. female face, 53. female scutum, 54. female propodeum, 55. female terga, 56. female terga detail.

FIGURES 57–62. Andrena virguladivina spec. nov. 57. male profile, 58. male face, 59. male terga, 60. male genitalia dorsal view, 61. male genitalia profile, 62. male genitalia ventral view.