Andrena ( Euandrena ) rostro Wood, 2025

Herrera, Carlos M., Alonso, Conchita, Valverde, Javier, Núñez, Alejandro & Wood, Thomas J., 2025, The genus Andrena Fabricius, 1775 (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae) in a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot: community-wide relationships with plants and description of three new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 98, pp. 1039-1066 : 1039-1066

Andrena ( Euandrena) rostro Wood sp. nov.

Type material.

Holotype: Spain • 1 ♀; Jaén, Sierra de Cazorla, Vadillo-Castril ; 37.9257°N, - 2.9275°W; 22 Mar. 2024; C. M. Herrera leg.; RMNH; RMNH.INS.1715580 .

Paratype: Spain • 1 ♂; Jaén, Sierra de Cazorla, Vadillo-Castril ; 37.9257°N, - 2.9275°W; 22 Mar. 2024; C. M. Herrera leg.; RMNH; RMNH.INS.1715579 • 1 ♂; Jaén, Sierra de Cazorla, Vadillo-Castril ; 24 Mar. 2024; C. M. Herrera leg.; CMHC • 1 ♀; Jaén, Sierra de Cazorla, Roblehondo ; 13 Apr. 1987; C. M. Herrera leg.; EBDC • 1 ♀; Jaén, Sierra de Cazorla, Vadillo-Castril ; 22 Mar. 2024; C. M. Herrera leg.; MNCN .

Description.

Female. Body length: 9–10 mm (Fig. 7 A ). Head: Dark, 1.15 times wider than long (Fig. 7 C ). Clypeus weakly domed, somewhat flattened medially, surface laterally shagreened and dull, shagreen weakening medially, more or less shining over majority of surface; surface densely but irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, up to 2 puncture diameters medially with weak indication of obscure longitudinal impunctate midline. Process of labrum rounded trapezoidal, 2 times wider than long. Mouthparts moderately long, approaching ½ length of head; 6 mandibular palpi, 4 labial palpi. Mandibular palpi with segments of approximately equal length, segment 2 1.2 times length of other segments. Mandibles slightly elongate, weakly crossing apically, with inner subapical tooth. Gena slightly exceeding width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance subequal to diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae dorsally occupying ⅓ space between compound eye and lateral ocellus, ventrally narrowing further, narrower than diameter of flagellum; foveae filled with black hairs. Face with golden-brown hairs on supraclypeal area and around antennal insertions, hairs black elsewhere; gena and vertex with intermixed golden-brown and black hairs (Fig. 7 B ). Antennae dark, A 3 slightly exceeding A 4 + 5.

Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum densely and shallowly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters over majority of surface, slightly sparser posterior-medially, disappearing into underlying finely microreticulate surface sculpture, dull to obscurely shining medially. Pronotum rounded. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum finely microreticulate, overlain with network of fine reticulation forming pattern of areolate hair-bearing pseudo-crater punctures, surface dull. Propodeal triangle narrow, laterally delineated by slight carinae, internal surface with fine granular microreticulation, contrasting pseudopunctures of remaining parts of propodeum. Mesepisternum with long finely plumose golden-brown hairs, not equalling length of scape, hairs continuing onto scutum, scutellum, and propodeum, without intermixed black hairs. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, composed of golden-brown plumose hairs, internal surface with long simple hairs. Legs dark, pubescence dark brown. Flocculus complete, composed of light brown plumose hairs; femoral and tibial scopae composed of golden-brown to orange simple hairs, tibial scopa with hairs dark brown dorsally at basitibial plate. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation dark orange, nervulus interstitial.

Metasoma: Tergal discs dark, marginal areas narrowly but distinctly lightened hyaline orange-brown on apical rims, subequal to diameter of lateral ocellus, with colouration not occupying more than ¼ of marginal areas (Fig. 7 D ). Terga finely and weakly shagreened, more-or-less shining, moderately punctate, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters. Tergal discs with short golden-brown hairs, hairs becoming longer and denser on marginal areas, forming complete apical hairbands, T 1–2 with long upstanding hairs. Apical fringe of T 5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate dark brown to black. Pygidial plate rounded triangular, surface obscurely punctate, dull.

Male. Body length: 8–8.5 mm (Fig. 8 A ). Head: 1.15 times wider than long. Clypeus weakly flattened over majority of surface, densely and regularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameter, interspaces polished and shining (Fig. 8 B ). Process of labrum rounded rectangular, 2 times wider than long, surface polished, anterior margin emarginate in ventral view. Mouthparts short, approaching ⅓ length of head; 6 mandibular palpi, 4 labial palpi. Mandibular palpi with segments of approximately equal length, segment 2 1.2 times length of other segments. Mandibles slightly elongate, weakly crossing apically, with inner subapical tooth. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling diameter of lateral ocellus. Face with golden-brown hairs on supraclypeal area and around antennal insertions, hairs black elsewhere; gena and vertex with intermixed golden-brown and black hairs. Antennae basally dark, A 4–13 ventrally lightened by presence of greyish scales, A 3 exceeding A 4, shorter than A 4 + 5.

Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum shallowly and irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, surface finely microreticulate, dull. Pronotum rounded. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum finely microreticulate, overlain with network of fine reticulation forming pattern of areolate hair-bearing pseudo-crater punctures, surface dull. Propodeal triangle narrow, internal surface covered with network of raised rugae, thus contrasting dorsolateral parts of propodeum. Mesosoma covered with long finely plumose golden-brown hairs, longest hairs on mesepisternum exceeding length of scape. Legs dark, pubescence light brown. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation dark brown, nervulus interstitial.

Metasoma: Tergal discs dark, marginal areas with apical rims narrowly lightened hyaline-brown (Fig. 8 C ). Terga finely and weakly shagreened, more-or-less shining, moderately punctate, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters. Tergal discs with long loose light brown hairs, not obscuring underlying surface, T 2–4 laterally with obscure pale hair fringes. T 6–7 with brown hairs. S 8 columnar, apically truncate, ventral surface covered with fan of brown hairs. Genital capsule with gonocoxae very slightly produced into rounded teeth, gonostyli gently broadening apically, spatulate (Fig. 8 D ). Penis valves narrow, occupying ½ space between gonostyli, constricted subapically before slightly broadening apically.

Diagnosis.

For females, the character of facial foveae dorsally narrow, occupying at most ⅓ of space between lateral ocellus and compound eye, and then strongly narrowing strongly ventrally in combination with the lack of other distinctive characters allows placement into Group L (subgenus Euandrena ) in the key of Wood (2023). Andrena rostro is extremely similar to A. officinalis in the female sex, and females are separated in the diagnosis for that species.

For males, recognition at a subgeneric level is always more challenging due to the derived phylogenetic placement of this subgenus which lacks distinctive characters and is defined on female characters. In Wood (2023), it keys to the final Group N (i. e. species lacking distinctive characters) with A 3 exceeding A 4 in length. Here at couplet 216, due to the elongate head which is only 1.15 times wider than long, it would come close to A. ( Euandrena) ramosa Wood, 2022 but can be separated by the penis valves constricted subapically before slightly broadening (Fig. 8 D ; uniformly narrowing towards their apex in A. ramosa ), gonocoxae slightly produced apically into short rounded teeth (gonocoxae apically truncate, forming 90 ° angle in A. ramosa ), clypeus uniformly densely punctate over its entire surface, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, with interspaces shining (in A. ramosa with the clypeus basally dull and polished and shining in its apical ½, more irregularly punctate with punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters), and mesepisternum laterally with weakly plumose hairs (with strongly plumose hairs in A. ramosa ). In terms of the shape of the genital capsule, it comes closest to A. rufula due to the apexes of the gonostyli which form somewhat acute points, but A. rufula has the apexes of the gonostyli sharply produced into triangular points, and the gonocoxae are produced into broad flattened truncate teeth (see illustrations in Praz et al. 2019). As for females, the relatively rounded head is the primary character for recognition. Confusion with A. officinalis is not possible due to the strongly broadened gena and more complex genital capsule of the former.

Biology.

Andrena rostro has been collected from a variety of plants; males were collected from Viburnum tinus L. ( N = 2), and females were collected from Viburnum tinus ( N = 1), Prunus avium L. ( N = 1), and Rosmarinus officinalis ( N = 1).

Etymology.

From the Latin rostrum and hence derived Spanish rostro meaning a bird’s beak or animal’s snout, in reference to the elongate head and clypeus of this species. It is a noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Spain (Sierra de Cazorla).

Figures

Figure 7. Andrena (Euandrena) rostro Wood, sp. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, lateral view; C. Head, frontal view; D. Terga, dorsal view.

Figure 8. Andrena (Euandrena) rostro Wood, sp. nov. male. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Terga, dorsal view; D. Genital capsule, dorsal view.