Andrena perforata WOOD, 2024, spec. nov.
Creators: name: WOOD, T. J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Andrenidae
Andrena
Andrena perforata

description: Andrena (incertae sedis) perforata spec. nov.
Figures 82A–C; E; G–H.
HOLOTYPE: TURKEY: Ankara, 1.vi.1971, ♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM.
Description: Female: Body length: 6 mm (Figure 82A). Head: Dark, 1.25 times wider than long (Figure 82B). Clypeus domed, irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1.5 puncture diameters, punctures deep, interspaces unevenly raised, poorly defined impunctate longitudinal mid-line present; underlying surface weakly shagreened and more or less shining. Process of labrum narrowly trapezoidal, slightly longer than wide. Gena subequal to width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance 1.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus. Frons polished and shining, deeply and regularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters (Figure 82C). Foveae dorsally narrow, dorsally occupying ⅓ of space between compound eye and lateral ocellus, equalling width of flagellum; foveae narrowing ventrally, at level of antennal insertions separated from inner margin of compound eye by own diameter, this space shining; foveae filled with light brown hairs. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with short whitish-brown hairs, none equalling length of scape. Antennae dark basally, A4–12 ventrally lightened by presence of orange scales, A3 equalling A4+5.
Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum regularly but shallowly punctate, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface evenly shagreened, weakly shining (Figure 82E). Pronotum rounded. Mesepisternum with coarse granular shagreen, anteriorly overlain by weakly raised rugosity. Dorsolateral parts of propodeum with extremely fine shagreen, contrasting propodeal triangle which is covered with coarser granular shagreen, basally with obscure, short, and weakly raised rugae, surface weakly shining (Figure 82G). Mesepisternum with thickly plumose white hairs, hairs becoming shorter on scutum and scutellum, sub-squamous. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, dorsal fringe composed of whitish plumose hairs, internal surface with scattered long whitish hairs. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened brownish, pubescence light brown. Flocculus incomplete, composed of white plumose hairs; femoral and tibial scopae composed of white simple hairs. Hind tarsal claws without inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus weakly antefurcal.
Metasoma: Tergal discs dark, marginal areas broadly lightened hyaline yellow to obscure reddish brown (Figure 82H). Tergal discs strongly microreticulate, dull more or less impunctate, sculpture becoming weaker on margins, weakly shining. T2–4 laterally with weak, widely separated apical hairbands of whitish hairs. Apical fringe of T5 composed of long whitish hairs, overlying orange hairs flanking pygidial plate. Pygidial plate subtriangular, apically rounded, surface flat and featureless, surface finely shagreened and weakly shining.
Male: Unknown.
Diagnosis. Andrena perforata is difficult to place in a subgenus. It is morphologically closest to A. (Aciandrena) konyella Warncke, 1975 (Turkey only) due to the small body size (5–6 mm), black integument, ventrally narrow facial foveae, shagreened impunctate terga, propodeal triangle which is covered with fine to moderately coarse granular shagreen, with minimal raised rugae basally, weakly antefurcal nervulus, and long ocelloccipital distance (Figures 81C–D; 1.5–2 times the diameter of a lateral ocellus). However, A. konyella is not a typical Aciandrena. Though no genetic data are currently available, in the female sex the hind tarsal claws of A. konyella are bidentate, with an inner subapical tooth. In contrast, A. perforata does not display an inner subapical tooth on the hind tarsal claws, which would be more consistent with Aciandrena, but the species is best placed as incertae sedis for now until genetic data are available, and species-level diagnosis should be made against A. konyella. Overall, A. perforata only differs meaningfully from a typical Aciandrena species by the long ocelloccipital distance (usually <1 times the diameter of a lateral ocellus) and the shiny and clearly punctate frons (usually sculptured, dull, and not noticeably punctate). Due to the confounding effect of the uncertain placement of A. konyella, further study with genetic tools is required.
In addition to the presence of an inner tooth on the hind tarsal claws, A. perforata differs from A. konyella by the densely punctate frons, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, the underlying surface shiny and hence punctures are clearly visible (Figure 82C; in A. konyella with punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, the underlying surface shagreened and hence the punctures are less distinct, Figure 82D), by the shorter ocelloccipital distance of 1.5 times the diameter of a lateral ocellus (in A. konyella with the ocelloccipital distance of 2 times the diameter of a lateral ocellus), by the dorsally narrower facial foveae, dorsally occupying ⅓ of the space between the compound eye and a lateral ocellus (in A. konyella occupying slightly less than ½ of the space between the compound eye and a lateral ocellus), and by the more regularly and densely punctate scutum, with punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters (Figure 82E; in A. konyella with punctures irregular, separated by 1–4 puncture diameters, Figure 82F).
Finally, comparison should be made to A. (Graecandrena) punctifrons Morawitz, 1876 which is currently known only from a single specimen from Uzbekistan (holotype illustrated by Astafurova et al. 2022b: 152). The two species are similar due to the small body size, ventrally narrow foveae, and densely punctate shiny frons. However, A. punctifrons differs in many regards including its entirely black bodily pubescence (pale in A. perforata), more rounded head which is 1.1 times wider than long (1.25 times wider than long in A. perforata), polished clypeus with irregular punctures typically separated by>1 puncture diameter (clypeus shagreened to weakly shining in A. perforata, with punctures rarely separated by>1 puncture diameter), propodeal triangle with raised rugae in basal half, hence the placement in the subgenus Graecandrena (propodeal triangle with granular shagreen in A. perforata), and scutum and scutellum polished and shining (shagreened and weakly shining in A. perforata).
Etymology. Nominative feminine singular form of the Latin adjective perforatus, meaning pierced or penetrated in reference to the densely punctate frons and scutum.
Distribution. Central Turkey (province of Ankara).
description: Published as part of WOOD, T. J., 2024, Further revisions to the Palaearctic Andrena fauna (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), pp. 1-150 in Zootaxa 5483 (1) on pages 137-139, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5483.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/13209307