Andrena Pisanty, Scheuchl & Dorchin, 2016, n. sp.
Creators: name: Pisanty, Gideon
name: Scheuchl, Erwin
name: Dorchin, Netta
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Andrenidae
Andrena

description: Andrena (?Aciandrena) judaea Scheuchl & Pisanty n. sp.
(Figs. 1 B, D, F, H, 2B, D, F, H, 12B, 13B)
Female (Fig. 1 B). Body length: 4.5–5 mm.
Color. Head and mesosoma black (Fig. 1 D, H). Apical half of mandible reddish-brown. Flagellomeres 4–10 (sometimes also 3) orange anteriorly, reddish-brown posteriorly (Fig. 1 B, D, H). Legs black to brown. Wings transparent, veins brown, stigma orange (Fig. 2 B). Terga black to dark brown. Tergal marginal zones yellowishbrown (Fig. 2 D). Sterna brown.
Pubescence. Head and dorsal side of mesosoma with short, white to yellowish plumose hairs (Fig. 1 D, H). Mandibles with simple hairs of varying length. Facial fovea hairs white to yellowish-white in dorsal view (Fig. 1 H). Anterior side of mesepisternum with long, white plumose hairs. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, posterodorsal margin with long, white, strongly plumose hairs. Surface of corbicula with few long, white, simple hairs. Leg hairs white to golden. Flocculus hairs plumose; scopal hairs mostly simple. Discs of terga 1–2 almost bare, 3 and especially 4–5 with short inconspicuous hairs (Fig. 2 D). Terga 2–3 with white, discontinuous apical hair bands. Tergum 4 with continuous weak apical band of sparse golden hairs. Prepygidial fimbria golden (Fig. 2 D). Sterna with white hairs, longer and more plumose towards marginal zone.
Head (Fig. 1 D, F, H). Slightly broader than long (Fig. 1 D). Galea finely shagreened. Labral process trapezoidal to triangular. Clypeus convex, shiny, strongly shagreened except near apex, distance between punctures 1–2 puncture diameters, punctures of medium size and depth (Fig. 1 F). Facial foveae long, occupying about 1/2 of paraocular area width, slightly tapering at lower part, shallow above and deepening downwards, extending from level of lower end of lateral ocellus to lower end of antennal socket (Fig. 1 D, H). Flagellomere 1 about 1.5 times as long as broad, shorter than or equal to 2+3; 2–3 slightly broader than long, of equal length; 4–5 almost square (Fig. 1 D). Distance of fovea from lateral ocellus 0.5–1 ocellus diameters. Ocelloccipital distance 1/2–3/4 ocellus diameter (Fig. 1 H).
Mesosoma (Figs. 1 H, 2B). Dorsolateral angle of pronotum not elevated. Mesonotum and scutellum strongly shagreened allover but shiny, sparsely punctured, distance between punctures 2–4 puncture diameters, punctures of medium size and depth (Fig. 1 H). Mesepisternum shagreened-alveolate. Propodeal corbicula reticulately shagreened. Propodeal triangle finely reticulated. Basal part of propodeum broad, almost horizontal (Fig. 1 H). Hind leg pretarsal claws with minute inner tooth. Submarginal crossvein 1 reaching marginal cell 1–2 vein widths from stigma (Fig. 2 B). Recurrent vein 1 meeting submarginal cell 2 at 1/3–1/2 of distance between submarginal cells 1–2. Nervulus weakly to moderately antefurcal, distance from basal vein 1.5–3.5 vein widths (Fig. 2 B).
Metasoma (Fig. 2 D). Terga shiny and impunctate, 1–2 and sometimes 3 strongly shagreened, apical terga moderately so. Marginal zones 2–4 weakly depressed. Pygidial plate concave, shagreened.
Male (Fig. 2 F). Body length: 4–4.5 mm.
Color. Clypeus yellow, with two lateral black spots, and sometimes a narrow black basal margin (Fig. 2 H). Paraocular area black. Flagellum black to dark brown, slightly brighter apically. Mesosoma black. Legs black to brown. Wings transparent, veins brown, stigma brownish-orange. Terga black, marginal zones yellowish-brown. Sterna brown to black.
Pubescence. Clypeus, paraocular and supraclypeal areas with white hairs (Fig. 2 H). Genal area with white hairs, very long on ventral side. Mesosoma with long white hairs, sparse on dorsal side and dense on mesepisternum. Legs with white to yellowish-white hairs. Tergal discs with short and thin, inconspicuous hairs, slightly longer on apical terga. Tergum 1 with small lateral tufts of short white hair. Terga 2–4 with white, discontinuous, weak apical hair bands, weaker on tergum 4. Tergum 5 with continuous weak apical band of sparse yellowish hairs. Anal fimbria yellowish. Sterna with white hairs, longer towards marginal zone.
Head (Fig. 2 H). Broader than long. Galea finely shagreened. Clypeus convex, shagreened, distance between punctures 1–2 puncture diameters, punctures of medium size and depth. Flagellomere 1 about 1.3 times as long as broad, much shorter than 2+3; 2 broader than long, slightly shorter than 3; 3–5 almost square. Ocelloccipital distance 1/2 ocellus diameter.
Mesosoma. Similar to female, but position of nervulus more variable (interstitial to strongly antefurcal).
Metasoma. Similar to female.
Genitalia and hidden sterna (Figs. 12 B, 13B). Dorsal lobe of gonocoxite weak, very short and rounded. Gonostylus flat, elongate, slightly broadening apically. Penis valves long and narrow, tapering apically, apex needlelike (Fig. 12 B). Sternum 8 columnar, elongate, ventral side with dense, long hairs, apex broadened, trapezoidal (Fig. 13 B).
Differential diagnosis. A. judaea is characterized by the combination of a very small body size, finely reticulated propodeal triangle, relatively broad and not much tapering facial foveae, and very weak dorsal gonocoxite lobe, which distinguishes it from most members of Aciandrena, Graecandrena and Micrandrena. Additional important features include the shiny cuticle (especially the mesonotum), convex, moderately punctured, mostly shagreened clypeus, and the female's weakly to moderately antefurcal nervulus. The female of A. judaea closely resembles that of A. israelica n. sp., but differs from it in the following characters: head and mesosoma lacking metallic hue (often present in A. israelica), hairs covering facial fovea whitish in dorsal view (brown in A. israelica, Fig. 1 G–H), punctation of mesonotum and especially clypeus stronger and denser (Fig. 1 E–F), nervulus usually more weakly antefurcal (Fig. 2 A–B), and shagreening of terga 1–2 stronger (Fig. 2 C–D).
Flight period: March–April.
Flower records: Crassulaceae: Sedum hispanicum (10♀, 1Ƌ); Sedum sp. (15♀, 26Ƌ).
Etymology. The species is named after the Judean Foothills in Israel, where it was collected. The names of the closely related species A. israelica and A. judaea allude to the neighboring biblical kingdoms of Israel and Judah, whose boundaries loosely reflect the species' currently known distributions.
Holotype: Ƌ, ISRAEL: Lakhish, 3km NE, 23.iii.2016, G. Pisanty [SMNHTAU].
Paratypes: ISRAEL: Bet Jamal, 23.iii.1968, H. Bytinski-Salz (2Ƌ); Gal'on, 23.iii.2010, G. Pisanty (1Ƌ); Jerusalem, 10.iv.1899 (1Ƌ); Jerusalem, Rehavia West, 27.iv.1945 (10♀, 1Ƌ); Lakhish, 2km E, 21.iii.2012, T. Shapira (9Ƌ); 4.iii.2016, G. Pisanty (1♀); Lakhish, 2.5km ENE, 6.iii.2013, T. Shapira (2♀); 20.iii.2013, T. Shapira (3♀, 2Ƌ); 13.iv.2013, T. Shapira (14♀); Lakhish, 3km NE, 11.iii.2016, G. Pisanty (1♀); 19.iii.2016, G. Pisanty (2♀, 9Ƌ); 23.iii.2016, G. Pisanty (15♀, 19Ƌ); Lakhish, 5km ENE, 19.iii.2013, T. Shapira (2♀); 8.iv.2013, T. Shapira (10♀); Nahshon, 25.iii.2010, G. Pisanty (1♀); Park Britannia, 7.iv.2010, T. Koznichki (2♀); Wadi Fallah (Nahal Oren), 14.iii.1970, H. Bytinski-Salz (3Ƌ) [AMNH, ES, OLML, SMNHTAU, USNM, ZSMC].
Other material examined: ISRAEL: Lakhish, 2.5 km ENE, 13.iv.2013, T. Shapira (1♀); Lakhish, 5 km ENE, 8.iv.2013, T. Shapira (1♀).
Remarks. Individuals of this species were observed flying very close to the ground among patches of small, annual Sedum spp. The subgeneric classification of the species is not sufficiently clear, as it exhibits a unique combination of characters (especially those of the facial foveae, propodeal triangle, male clypeus and genitalia), which does not conform well to any particular subgenus, and appears to fall between Aciandrena and Micrandrena.
description: Published as part of Pisanty, Gideon, Scheuchl, Erwin & Dorchin, Netta, 2016, Eight new species of Andrena Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Andrenidae) from Israel — a Mediterranean hotspot for wild bees, pp. 485-515 in Zootaxa 4189 (3) on pages 491-492, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4189.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/166181