Andrena (Poecilandrena) freidbergi Pisanty & Scheuchl n. sp.

(Figs. 13, 22, 41, 54, 63, 79, 92, 105, 118, 128, 134)

Female. Body length: 7–7.5 mm.

Color. Clypeus with strong, brilliant metallic luster and a rainbow-shaped pattern of alternating golden, reddish, bluish and greenish hues (Fig. 13). Lower portion of paraocular area under the foveae with greenish to bluish metallic luster. Supraclypeal and genal areas, upper portion of paraocular area, frons, mesonotum, scutellum, metanotum and terga with strong, brilliant greenish-golden metallic luster (Figs. 41, 63). Scape, pedicel and flagellomeres 1–3 black. Flagellomeres 4–10 reddish-brown posteriorly, reddish-orange anteriorly. Pronotum, mesepisternum and propodeum with relatively weak greenish-bluish metallic luster. Legs dark to light brown, brighter towards the tarsi. Wings hyaline, veins brown, stigma orange. Tergal marginal zones reddish basally, yellowish apically (Fig. 63).

Pubescence. Head and mesosoma with plumose hairs, white ventrally, white to golden dorsally (Figs. 13, 41). Facial foveae with dense minute hairs (Fig. 22). Propodeal corbicula incomplete, posterodorsal margin with long plumose hairs. Surface of corbicula with very few minute hairs. Flocculus developed, with long white hairs. Femora with white hairs. Tibiae and tarsi with mostly white to light brown hairs. Scopa well-developed, hairs mostly whitish and simple, gradually darkening dorsally, posterior side with some plumose hairs. Terga with minute, bright inconspicuous hairs covering the surface, and short white hairs laterally. Tergal marginal zones 2–4 with narrow and sparse white hair bands, strongly interrupted on 2–3, more or less continuous on 4. Prepygidial fimbria golden to light brown.

Head. 1.3 times as broad as long. Galea shiny and almost smooth. Labral process trapezoidal, transversely grooved. Clypeus convex, shiny, shagreened to smooth, somewhat coarsely punctured, without impunctate midline, distance between punctures 1–2 puncture diameters (Fig. 13). Facial foveae short and of uniform width, as wide as 1/3 antennocular distance, extending from level of lower end of middle ocellus to lower end of antennal socket (Fig. 22). Flagellomere 1 about twice as long as broad, slightly shorter than 2+3+4; 2–4 broader than long, 2 slightly longer than or as long as 3; the following almost square. Distance of fovea from lateral ocellus 1.5–2 ocellus diameters. Ocelloccipital distance 1 ocellus diameter.

Mesosoma. Dorsolateral angle of pronotum not elevated. Mesonotum and scutellum very shiny, very smooth medially, somewhat shagreened peripherally, strongly and coarsely punctured, distance between punctures 1 puncture diameter (Fig. 41). Propodeal triangle radially grooved near base, otherwise shallowly rugose to finely alveolate (Fig. 54). Anterior part of mesepisternum shallowly honeycomb-areolated, posterior part reticulately shagreened. Propodeal corbicula reticulately shagreened. Inner side of hind femur more or less rounded, not carinate. Hind tibial spurs more or less straight and of uniform width. Hind leg pretarsal claws bidentate. Recurrent vein 1 meeting submarginal cell 2 at its distal half, 2/3–3/4 of the distance between submarginal crossveins 1–2. Nervulus weakly postfurcal to almost interstitial.

Metasoma. Tergal discs 1–4 smooth, densely and distinctly punctured, distance between punctures 1–2 puncture diameters, with the greatest density on tergum 2, puncture size medium to small, decreasing from tergum 1 to 4 (Fig. 63). Tergal marginal zones weakly and finely shagreened almost to apex, finely punctured; 1 narrow and hardly depressed; 2–4 occupying 1/4–1/3 of tergal width, distinctly depressed. Pygidial plate finely alveolate, not elevated medially.

Male. Body length: 6–6.5 mm.

Color. Clypeus fully yellow (Fig. 79). Supraclypeal, paraocular and genal areas, frons, vertex, pronotum, mesepisternum and propodeum bluish-metallic. Scape, pedicel and flagellomeres 1–3 black. Flagellomeres 4–11 reddish-brown posteriorly, reddish-orange anteriorly. Mesonotum, scutellum and metanotum with bluish to greenish metallic luster (Fig. 92). Legs dark to light brown, brighter ventrally. Wings hyaline, veins brown, stigma orange to light brown. Tergal discs dark brown to black, hardly metallic; tergal marginal zones reddish basally, yellowish apically (Fig. 105).

Pubescence. Similar to female.

Head. 1.3 times as broad as long. Galea shiny, weakly shagreened to smooth. Clypeus convex, weakly shagreened to smooth, moderately punctured, without impunctate midline, distance between punctures 1–2 puncture diameters, puncture size medium (Fig. 79). Flagellomere 1 about twice as long as broad, longer than 2+3; 2–4 broader than long, 2 slightly longer than or as long as 3; the following more or less square. Ocelloccipital distance 1.5 ocellus diameters.

Mesosoma. Similar to female, but punctation of mesonotum and scutellum sparser and slightly finer, distance between punctures 1.5–2 puncture diameters (Fig. 92).

Metasoma. Similar to female, but tergal punctation slightly sparser (Fig. 105).

Genitalia and hidden sterna. Gonocoxites connected. Dorsal lobe of gonocoxite absent (Fig. 118). Penis valves with very broad lateral lamellar extensions, and an elevated bladder-like center. Basal part of gonostylus below blade tapering apically. Gonostylus blade somewhat triangular in lateral view, strongly and suddenly broadened at base, tapering apically, apical part elongate and pointed (Figs. 118, 128). Sternite 8 columnar, very narrow and elongate, of uniform width, apex slightly broadened (Fig. 134).

Differential diagnosis. A. freidbergi closely resembles A. segregata Osytshnjuk from Central Asia, but differs from it in the shinier and smoother female clypeus, more distal position of recurrent vein 1 in submarginal cell 2, and different genitalia. The genital capsule of A. freidbergi differs from that of similar metallic species of Andrena (Poecilandrena) by the absence of dorsal gonocoxite lobes (present in A. neovirida Grünwaldt, A. olympica Grünwaldt, A. segregata, A. smaragdina Morawitz, A. standfussorum Scheuchl and A. viridescens Viereck) and the broad penis valves (narrow in A. kilikiae and A. kondarensis Osytshnjuk).

Distribution: Israel (Mount Hermon).

Flight period: May–June.

Flower records: none.

Etymology. Named after the dipterologist Amnon Freidberg, our colleague who collected this species, and whose tireless collecting efforts throughout his career contributed greatly to the knowledge of the Israeli bee fauna.

Material examined: ISRAEL AND WEST BANK: Holotype: Mount Hermon [Har Hermon], 2000–2100m, 26.vi.1997, A. Freidberg (♂) (SMNHTAU) ; Paratypes: Mount Hermon, 1970m, 15.v.2016, G. Pisanty (1♀); Mount Hermon, 2000–2100m, 26.vi.1997, A. Freidberg (1♀, 1♂) (SMNHTAU) .