Andrena (Charitandrena) hattorfiana nigricauda Wood, 2021

Wood, Thomas J., Ghisbain, Guillaume, Michez, Denis & Praz, Christophe J., 2021, Revisions to the faunas of Andrena of the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco with the descriptions of four new species (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 758, pp. 147-193 : 168-171

Andrena (Charitandrena) hattorfiana nigricauda Wood subsp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:73F5116B-23D0-4071-BA9F-6B54A54405CC

Figs 50, 52, 54, 56 , 58, 60, 62, 64

Diagnosis

Andrena hattorfiana (Fabricius, 1775) can be very easily recognised as it is the only known member of the Charitandrena Hedicke, 1933 in the West Palaearctic. Females have a unique combination of a conspicuously carinate hind femur, a hind tibial spur that is convexly broadened towards the middle, and an elongate glossa. Males are harder to recognise through a combination of unique characters, but their

large body size, yellow clypeus, lack of a pronotal carina, and long glossa in combination with specific characters such as genital structure are sufficient to facilitate identification.

Andrena hattorfiana nigricauda Wood subsp. nov. differs from the nominate form ( Figs 51, 53, 55 ) because it has an almost completely darkened integument and pilosity. True Andrena hattorfiana normally shows extensive variation in the colour of its abdominal integument, with individuals from the same location varying from extensively red marked to completely black. Its variability has resulted in a relative large number of synonyms for an Andrena ( Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002) . However, what is consistent is that the hairs of T5 and those flanking the pygidial plate are uniformly golden-orange ( Fig. 55 ). In the Spanish material presented here, these hairs are completely black ( Fig. 54 ). In the male, there are no clear structural differences, but as in the female the pubescence is much darker across the whole body ( Figs 58–63 ).

Etymology

The name ‘ nigri ’ (‘black’) + ‘ cauda ’ (‘tail’) was chosen to reflect the black hairs at the apex of the metasoma in the female sex, a clear point of difference from the nominate form.

Material examined

Holotype SPAIN • ♀; Alicante , Puerto de Confrides; 1000 m a.s.l.; [38.686° N, 0.271° W]; 15 Jun. 1978; H. Teunissen leg.; NMNL (illustrated Figs 50, 52, 54, 56 ).

Paratypes SPAIN • 2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Alicante , Puerto de Confrides; 1000 m a.s.l.; 15 Jun. 1978; H. Teunissen leg.; NMNL (illustrated Figs 58, 60, 62, 64 ) • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; OÖLM • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; TJWC .

Other material ( Andrena hattorfiana )

SPAIN • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Madrid, Collado Mediano ; 17 May 1995; H. and J.E. Wiering leg.; NMNL (illustrated Figs 59, 61, 63, 65 ) • 1 ♀; Pirineos Orient , 20 km NE of Ripoll; 1650 m a.s.l.; 31 Jul. 2011; J. Halada leg.; OÖLM (illustrated Figs 51, 53, 55, 57 ) • 1 ♀; Huesca, Mte Perdido ; 1300 m a.s.l.; 1 Aug. 1977; P.M.F. Verhoeff leg.; NMNL • 1 ♀; Viella ; 1100–1800 m a.s.l.; 27 Jul. 1963; H. Hamann leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♂; Cantabria, Picos de Europa, Camaleno ; 600 m a.s.l.; 5 May 2014; D.W. Baldock leg.; TJWC • 1 ♀; Santander, Arredondo, Bustablado ; 11 Jul. 1984; R. Leys leg.; NMNL .

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 16–17 mm ( Fig. 50 ).

HEAD. Black, 1.2 times as wide as long ( Fig. 52 ). Clypeus domed, slightly flattened centrally and apically, underlying surface shagreened and dull basally and laterally, becoming weaker apically, weakly shining. Entire surface densely punctured with exception of faint impunctate central line, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters. Process of labrum triangular, twice as broad as long, deeply emarginate apically. Gena, vertex, face, and scape with moderately long dark brown to black hairs, longest equalling length of scape. Antennae dark, A3 long, exceeding length of A4+5+6, A5–12 lightened orange below. Fovea of a uniform width, occupying half of area between lateral ocelli and top of compound eye. Vertex wide, as wide as three ocellar diameters.

MESOSOMA. Scutum and scutellum finely shagreened, weakly shining, densely and evenly punctured, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter. Episternum and propodeum evenly and finely rugose, propodeal triangle clearly marked by a lateral carina, internal surface with more strongly produced rugosity, broadly similar. Scutum and scutellum with short, episternum and propodeum with longer dark brown hair, at its longest not exceeding length of scape. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened red-brown, pubescence dark brown to dark red. All scopal hairs dark brown, those of femoral and tibial scopa ventrally finely plumose, otherwise simple. Wings weakly infuscate, venation dark brown, nervulus interstitial.

METASOMA. Terga dark brown, only apical margins slightly lightened brown ( Fig. 54 ). Tergal surface very weakly shagreened, generally shining, centrally punctured, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, punctures becoming sparse laterally, here separated by 3–4 puncture diameters. Hairs of T5 and those flanking pygidial plate dark brown to black, pygidial plate rounded, smooth, very weakly convex, impunctate.

Male

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 15 mm ( Fig. 58 ).

HEAD. Black, 1.2 times as wide as long ( Fig. 60 ). Characters as in female, but clypeus yellow with exception of two dark spots laterally, A3 slightly subequal to A4+5+6, and A4–13 lightened orange below.

MESOSOMA. As in female.

METASOMA. As in female ( Fig. 62 ). S7 deeply emarginate apically, S8 columnar, apical half hairy with two broad lateral tufts centrally and one tuft apically, apex truncate. Genitalia with pronounced but truncate gonocoxal teeth, penis valve broadly triangular, tapering apically, gonostyli long and narrow with slightly flattened apexes with short, white, sparse hairs ( Fig. 64 ).

Remarks

The presence of A. hattorfiana nigricauda Wood subsp. nov. in the mountains of Alicante represents, at the very least, an isolated population showing a unique colour pattern. Other records of A. hattorfiana in Spain come from the Sistema Central around and to the west of Madrid, the Picos de Europa, and the Pyrenees ( Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002). The location in Alicante is therefore around 400 km from the nearest known populations of A. hattorfiana that conform to the typical hair colour pattern. However, separating this population as specifically distinct is premature without molecular investigation, and overall differences are slight outside of colouration; the male genitalia of the two colour forms are essentially indistinguishable. Andrena hattorfiana nigricauda subsp. nov. could simply be a melanic form, and molecular analysis could show whether it is nested within A. hattorfiana when considered across its whole range. Indeed, material of A. hattorfiana from the most southerly parts of the Balkan Peninsula has hairs flanking the pygidial plate that are dark brown, but otherwise this material shows typical red terga (treated as A. h. dimidiata Brullé, 1832 by Warncke, see Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002).

Pollen removed from the scopae of four females of A. hattorfiana nigricauda subsp. nov. ( Fig. 56 ) consisted of Knautia - type pollen (formerly Dipsacaceae Juss. , now Caprifoliaceae Juss. ). Andrena hattorfiana is a very well-studied specialist of this family ( Fig. 57 ; Westrich 1989; Larsson & Franzén 2007), suggesting that the dietary niche itself is unchanged.

Distribution

Andrena hattorfiana is distributed from central and northern Spain across Europe to Greece, Turkey, and the Caucasus ( Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002).

Figures

Figs 50–57. 50, 52, 54, 56. Andrena hattorfiana nigricauda Wood subsp. nov. (NMNL). 50. Female profile. 52. Female face. 54. Female terga. 56. Female scopa, ventral view. — 51, 53, 55, 57. Andrena hattorfiana (Fabricius, 1775) (TJWC). 51. Female profile. 53. Female face. 55. Female terga. 57. Female scopa, ventral view. Not to scale.

Figs 58–65. 58, 60, 62, 64. Andrena hattorfiana nigricauda Wood subsp. nov. (NMNL). 58. Male profile. 60. Male face. 62. Male terga. 64. Male genitalia. — 59, 61, 63, 65. Andrena hattorfiana (Fabricius, 1775) (TJWC). 59. Male profile. 61. Male face. 63. Male terga. 65. Male genitalia. Not to scale.