Andrena (Aciandrena) plumbea, 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 : 457-459

Andrena (Aciandrena) plumbea spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:ABE593B6-D033-4723-8717-6A22EBD6636F

HOLOTYPE: TUNISIA: Ksar Hadada , 4–5.iv. 1996, 1³, leg. K. Deneš ( OÖLM).

PARATYPE: TUNISIA: Same as holotype, 5♀ ( OÖLM), 1♀ ( TJWC), 1♀ ( SMNHTAU) ; Tamerza [Tamaqzah], 30–31.iii. 2006, 3³, leg. J. Batelka & J. Straka ( OÖLM) , 1³ ( TJWC), 1³ ( SMNHTAU).

Description: Female: Body length 6.5 mm ( Figure 19 ). Head: Black, 1.1 times wider than long. Clypeus strongly flattened, regularly punctate, punctures separated by 2–3 puncture diameters; longitudinal impunctate line present, underlying surface shagreened, dull ( Figure 21 ). Process of labrum trapezoidal, apical margin narrow, shiny. Gena subequal to width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance very narrow, less than ½ width of lateral ocellus. Fovea moderately long, reaching level of antennal insertions, narrow, narrower than width of flagellum, dorsally occupying 1/3 rd distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye, imperceptibly narrowing below. Gena, vertex, face, and scape with white hairs, longest not exceeding length of scape. Antenna dark, A5–12 lightened orange below, A3 slightly exceeding A4+5, shorter than A4+5+6. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum, regularly punctate, punctures separated by 2–3 puncture diameters, underlying surface uniformly shagreened, weakly shining ( Figure 20 ). Pronotum without humeral angle, dorsolaterally very slightly angulate, inconspicuous. Episternum and propodeum microreticulate, weakly shining, propodeal triangle broad, granulose, indicated by change in surface sculpture, internal surface finely microreticulate. Episternum and propodeum with long white hairs, not exceeding length of scape, propodeal corbicula well defined dorsally, scutum and scutellum essentially hairless. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened brown-orange, pubescence whitish, scopa white with exception of some brown hairs on hind tibiae dorsally, adjacent to basitibial plate. Hind tarsal claws without inner teeth. Wings hyaline, venation and stigma orange, nervulus antefurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark, apical margins lightened orange-yellow-hyaline ( Figure 23 ), tergal discs strongly microreticulate, essentially impunctate ( Figure 24 ); T2–4 with apical margins slightly depressed, laterally with weak long white hair bands, those on T2–3 interrupted, on T4 weak but complete. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate golden; pygidial plate triangular, weakly pointed, slightly domed, impunctate.

Male: Body length 6 mm ( Figure 25 ). Head: Black, 1.3 times wider than long ( Figure 26 ). Clypeus flattened, yellow with the presence of two small black marks laterally, these sometimes absent; regularly punctate, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, longitudinal impunctate line present, underlying surface shagreened, dull basally, weakly shining apically. Gena equals width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance 1/2 width of lateral ocellus. Gena, vertex, face, and scape with long white hairs, longest exceeding length of scape. Antenna dark, A5–13 lightened orange below, A3 exceeds A4, shorter than A4+5. Mesosoma: Structurally as in female, episternum, propodeum, scutum, and scutellum with long white hairs, longest exceeding length of scape. Wings hyaline, venation dark brown, stigma brown, nervulus strongly antefurcal. Metasoma: Terga structurally as in female ( Figures 27–28 ). Genital capsule elongate, gonocoxae with strong teeth, penis valve relatively broad for most of its visible length before narrowing apically; gonostyli elongate, apexes pointed, inner margins diverging apically ( Figure 29 ).

Diagnosis: Andrena plumbea can more easily be placed in the Aciandrena as it is closer to the classical concept, lacking a polished scutum, but with the other characters of a granulose propodeal triangle, narrow foveae, striation-free female clypeus, antefurcal nervulus, and yellow male clypeus. Structurally it is closest to A. pratincola Warncke, 1974 because of the flattened and shagreened clypeus in the female sex (also clearly punctate and without central concavity, therefore excluding A. nitidilabris Pérez, 1895 ) and the almost entirely yellow male clypeus (excluding A. nitidilabris , A. pavonia , A. minima Warncke, 1974 ). The scutum and scutellum are also almost hairless, excluding species like A. hillana and A. pellucida that have short semi-squamous hairs here.

Andrena plumbea differs most obviously from A. pratincola in the female sex by the absence of red colouration on the terga, A. pratincola having the majority of T2–3 coloured red, this colouration extending partially onto T1 and T4. Structurally, the two species can be separated by the punctation of the clypeus which in A. plumbea is regularly punctate, puncture separated by 2–3 puncture diameters, with an impunctate longitudinal central line, whereas A. pratincola has an irregularly punctate clypeus, punctures separated by 1–3 puncture diameters, without forming an impunctate central line. The process of the labrum is also trapezoidal with a narrow straight front edge in A. plumbea ( Figure 21 ), but clearly triangular and pointed in A. pratincola ( Figure 22 ).

In the male sex, the two species are best separated by genital construction. Andrena plumbea has a more elongate genital capsule, with more strongly pronounced gonocoxal teeth, a comparatively broader penis valve, and longer pointed gonostyli, their inner margins diverging apically ( Figure 29 ), whereas in A. pratincola the overall capsule is shorter, with less pronounced gonocoxal teeth, a narrower penis valve, and with broad gonostyli without diverging apexes ( Figure 30 ). The clypeus of A. plumbea is also comparatively more shagreened and therefore duller in direct comparison.

Both A. pratincola and A. plumbea were caught in sympatry at Ksar Hadada. The former shows typical tergal colouration and irregular clypeal punctation without character introgression with A. plumbea , so the latter is considered to be a good taxon.

Etymology: The name is derived from the Latin plumbeus (of lead) because of the dull and leaden clypeus in both the male and the female when compared to similar Aciandrena species.

Other material examined: ( Andrena pratincola ): EGYPT: Ikingi Mariout , 18.iii.1935, 1♀, leg. W. Wittmer, OÖLM (holotype) ; Dekhela , 20.ii.1917, 1³, leg. Storey, OÖLM (paratype) ; TUNISIA: Ksar Hadada , 4–5.iv.1996, 4♀, leg. K. Deneš, OÖLM ; Chenini , 4.iv.1996, 1♀, leg. K. Deneš, OÖLM .

Figures

FIGURES 19–24. Andrena plumbea spec. nov. 19. female profile, 20. female scutum, 21. female face, 23. female terga, 24. female terga detail. Andrena pratincola Warncke, 1974; 22. female face.

FIGURES 25–30. Andrena plumbea spec. nov. 25. male profile, 26. male face, 27. male terga, 28. male terga detail, 29. male genitalia. Andrena pratincola Warncke, 1974; 30. male genitalia.