Andrena (Simandrena) tungnatha Wood & Gautam 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gautam, R. K.
name: Uniyal, V. P.
name: Wood, Thomas J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Andrenidae
Andrena
Andrena tungnatha

description: Andrena (Simandrena) tungnatha Wood & Gautam sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 60275075-8392-48A1-A5F1-C4537B36B109
Figs 8A–C, E, G–H, 9
Diagnosis
Andrena tungnatha Wood & Gautam sp. nov. can quickly be recognised as part of the subgenus Simandrena Hedicke, 1933 due to the propodeal corbicula which is perfect (possessing strongly developed dorsal and anterior fringes), with the internal surface (the lateral faces of the propodeum) glabrous, the short male A3 (clearly shorter than A4), the long second tarsal segment of the hind leg in the male sex, and the simple genital capsule. Andrena tungnatha is similar to many Central Asian species of Simandrena in the female sex due to the fine and dense tergal punctation combined with clear apical tergal hairbands, e.g., A. quadrifasciata Morawitz, 1876 (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan), A. sarta Morawitz, 1876 (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan), and A. iliana Shebl & Tadauchi, 2011 (Kazakhstan). However, in each comparison species, the tergal hairbands are thick, long, and dense, clearly extending from the base of the marginal area to beyond its apical rim, whereas in A. tungnatha the tergal hairbands are narrow, covering only the apical rim of the marginal area and barely extending beyond it (Fig. 8H). Moreover, the scutum is completely dull (Fig. 8D; partially shining in A. quadrifasciata and A. iliana, completely shining in A. sarta), and the clypeus is strongly and densely punctate with large punctures with relatively narrow shining interspaces (Fig. 8B; clypeus shagreened to dull in A. quadrifasciata, shiny with fine and scattered punctures in A. sarta, and only weakly and finely punctate in A. iliana).
The main comparison should be with A. gorkhana Tadauchi & Matsumura, 2007, which is the only other species of Simandrena known from the Western Himalayas (A. (Simandrena) metuoensis Xu & Tadauchi, 2001 is known from Xizang [Tibet] in China, but this species has T1–3 lightened red, the scutellum is shiny and broadly impunctate, and the terga are impunctate), and both species display fine and narrow tergal hairbands, finely and densely punctate terga, and show a densely punctate clypeus with shining interspaces. Andrena tungnatha can be separated from A. gorkhana by its slightly larger body size of 9 mm (7–8 mm in A. gorkhana), by the more strongly sculptured scutum, at most weakly shining but predominantly dull (Fig. 8C; in A. gorkhana with the scutum with extremely weak shagreen, almost smooth and shining over its entire area, Fig. 8D), by the hairs of the scutum and scutellum that are moderately long and orange, of a uniform consistency and colour between the scutum and scutellum (Fig. 8E, in A. gorkhana with scutal hairs short and pale whitish-brown, scutal hairs orange and distinctly longer, forming a clear tuft, Fig. 8F), and by the hind tibiae lightened orange with orange-brown scopal hairs (Fig. 8G; in A. gorkhana with hind tibiae dark, scopal hairs whitish-light brownish).
Separation in the male sex can also be aided by size, as males of A. tungnatha Wood & Gautam sp. nov. are 8–8.5 mm long (Fig. 9A) compared to 6 mm long in the newly discovered male of A. gorkhana (Fig. 10A), having been described in the female sex only. This male of A. gorkhana is formally described below. However, since only one male specimen of A. gorkhana is known, and this may be an unusually small specimen, structural separation should and can be made. Specifically, A. tungnatha has the clypeus densely punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameter, with a weak impunctate longitudinal mid-line (Fig. 9B; in A. gorkhana with the clypeus more irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, without an impunctate longitudinal mid-line, Fig. 10B), scutum entirely dull, with strong and rough microsculpture, punctures obscure and hardly visible (Fig. 9D, in A. gorkhana scutum anteriorly with microsculpture, but becoming smooth and shining medially, punctures clearly visible against underlying surface, Fig. 10D), and genital capsule with the penis valves relatively wide (Fig. 9F; in A. gorkhana with the penis valves relatively narrow, Fig. 10F).
Etymology
Taken from the name of the Tungnath temple (Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand) which is found close to the modern sampling localities of this new species (Fig. 7). It is a noun in apposition.
Type material
Holotype
INDIA • ♀; Uttarakhand, Hudu Village, 4.5 km W of Chopta; 30.4953° N, 79.1559° E; 2098 m a.s.l.; 6 Apr. 2022; R.K. Gautam leg.; WII.
Paratypes
INDIA • 1 ♂; Uttarakhand, Hudu Village, 4.5 km W of Chopta; 30.4953° N, 79.1559° E; 20 Mar. 2021; R.K. Gautam leg.; WII • 3 ♂♂; Uttarakhand, Ukhimath, Gari Village; 1586 m a.s.l.; 20 Mar. 2021; R.K. Gautam leg.; WII • 2 ♀♀; Simla [Shimla]; 1–31 May 1897; C.G. Nurse leg.; NHMUK.
Description
Female
BODY. Length: 9 mm (Fig. 8A).
HEAD. Dark, 1.3 × as wide as long (Fig. 8B). Clypeus moderately domed but medially somewhat flattened, surface uneven, irregularly punctate with deep punctures of variable size, punctures separated by <0.5–2 puncture diameters; underlying surface smooth and shiny medially, becoming shagreened laterally. Process of labrum rounded trapezoidal, slightly more than twice as wide as long, surface with obscure transverse striations. Gena slightly exceeding width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance slightly exceeding diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae dorsally broad, occupying ¾ of space between compound eye and lateral ocellus, separated from lateral ocellus by distance sub-equal to diameter of lateral ocellus; foveae slightly narrowing ventrally, ventrally extending slightly beyond lower margin of antennal insertions; foveae dorsally filled with dark brown hairs, hairs becoming pale brown ventrally. Face, gena, and scale with light brown hairs, frons dorsally and vertex with longer dark brown to black hairs, none equalling length of scape. Antennae dark basally, A5–12 ventrally lightened by presence of orange scales; A3 exceeding length of A4, shorter than A4+5.
MESOSOMA. Scutum with strong microsculpture, microreticulate, weakly shining, densely punctate over majority of area, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters except medially, here separated by 1–2 puncture diameters (Fig. 8C). Scutellum strongly punctate, punctures confluent to separated by 1 puncture diameter, interspaces smooth and shining medially. Pronotum rounded. Mesepisternum finely shagreened, predominantly shining, surface with dense hair-bearing punctures, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter. Dorsolateral parts of propodeum finely microreticulate, fine sculpture overlain by network of delicately raised rugosity; propodeal triangle laterally delineated by raised carinae, internal surface with network of finely raised rugae in basal ⅔, surface dull to weakly shining. Mesepisternum with abundant long and finely plumose hairs, whitish ventrally, becoming light brown dorsally, longest hairs not equalling length of scape. Scutum and scutellum with shorter densely plumose light brownlight orange hairs, hairs appearing sub-squamous (Fig. 8E). Propodeal corbicula complete, perfect, dorsal and anterior fringes composed of long finely plumose light brown hairs, internal surface finely shagreened and shining, glabrous. Legs basally dark, apical tarsal segment of fore and mid legs reddish brown, hind tibiae and tarsi lightened orange; pubescence light brown to brownish (Fig. 8G). Flocculus incomplete, composed of brown densely plumose hairs; femoral scopae composed of golden simple hairs, tibial scopae composed of simple hairs, golden ventrally, brownish dorsally, dorsal fringe with scattered weakly plumose hairs. Hind tarsal claws with strong inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus weakly antefurcal.
METASOMA. Tergal discs dark, apical rims narrowly lightened hyaline-yellow (Fig. 8H). Tergal discs uniformly finely and densely punctate, punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters, punctures sparser only laterally on T1, here separated by 2–3 puncture diameters; underlying surface finely shagreened, weakly shining to shining. T1 latero-apically with weak hair fringes, not forming clear hairband, hairs extending onto basolateral parts of T2; T2–4 apically with dense apical hairbands of yellowish hairs, hairbands narrow, only slightly extending beyond the apex of apical rim, obscuring underlying surface. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking the pygidial plate dark brown to black. Pygidial plate narrow, rounded triangular, surface dull.
Male
BODY. Length: 8–8.5 mm (Fig. 9A).
HEAD. Dark, 1.25 × as wide as long (Fig. 9B). Clypeus weakly domed, more or less flattened medially, regularly punctate with deep punctures, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters with exception of impunctate longitudinal mid-line, mid-line extending ventrally to mid-point of clypeus; underlying surface smooth and shining. Process of labrum rounded rectangular, 2.5 × as wide as long. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance 1.5 × diameter of lateral ocellus. Head covered with mixture of long black and light brown hairs, black hairs covering majority of face with light brown hairs restricted to antennal insertions and apex of clypeus, gena and vertex with predominantly light brown hairs; longest hairs exceeding length of scape. Antennae dark, A3 clearly shorter than A4, A4–13 rectangular, clearly longer than broad (Fig. 9C).
MESOSOMA. Scutum with rough microsculpture, dull, punctures abundant but shallow and obscure, with margins raised and blending into network of raised rugosity (Fig. 9D). Scutellum less strongly sculptured, surface weakly shining medially, punctures without raised rims, separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters. Pronotum rounded. Mesepisternum microreticulate, overlain by network of weakly raised rugosity, weakly shining. Propodeum with strong microreticulation overlain by dense network of raised rugosity, propodeal triangle broad, laterally defined by raised carinae, internal surface with finely raised rugosity. Mesosoma with long light brown finely plumose hairs, majority exceeding length of scape. Legs dark, tarsal segments dark reddish, pubescence light brown. Hind tarsal claws with strong inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus weakly antefurcal.
METASOMA. Tergal discs dark, apical rims narrowly lightened hyaline-yellow (Fig. 9E). Tergal sculpture as in female. T1 apico-laterally with weak fringe of long hairs, T2–4 with complete hairbands of whitish hairs, rapidly degraded, not obscuring underlying surface. T6–7 with long dark brown hairs overlying pseudopygidial plate of T7. S8 columnar, apex slightly broadened, rounded; ventral surface with lateral fan of brown hairs. Genital capsule slightly elongate, gonocoxae weakly produced into rounded teeth apically, gonostyli basally narrow, broadening apically, spatulate, with inner margin raised (Fig. 9F). Penis valves weakly broadened basally, occupying ½ space between gonostyli, narrowing apically.
Remarks
Two undetermined specimens of this new species were found in undetermined material collected by C.G. Nurse in the NHMUK collection, where they seemingly have been overlooked by previous workers.
Distribution
Northern India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand).
Species considered to be part of the Indian fauna
description: Published as part of Gautam, R. K., Uniyal, V. P. & Wood, Thomas J., 2024, A critical revision of the Andrena Fabricius, 1775 of India, with the description of two new species (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) from Uttarakhand, pp. 1-59 in European Journal of Taxonomy 948 on pages 15-21, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.948.2637, http://zenodo.org/record/13511901