Andrena (Graecandrena) peculiaris, Wood, 2023

Wood, Thomas James, 2023, New Old World Andrena species, with a focus on Turkey (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5266 (1), pp. 1-72 : 5-8

Andrena (Graecandrena) peculiaris spec. nov.

HOLOTYPE: TURKEY: Hakkâri, Suvari Halil-Pass , 37.4994 oN, 43.3381 oE, 2300 m, 14.vi.1981, 1♁, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM.

PARATYPES: TURKEY: Hakkâri, Suvari Halil-Pass , 2300 m, 14.vi.1981, 19♁, 17♀, leg. K. Warncke & M. Kraus, OÖLM / TJWC ; Hakkâri, Suvari Halil-Pass , 2400 m, 2.vi.1980, 7♁, 2♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM ; TaninTanin-Pass , 2300 m, 19.v.1989, 2♁, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM .

Description: Female: Body length: 7–8 mm ( Figure 1A ). Head: Dark, 1.4 times wider than long ( Figure 1B ). Clypeus domed, irregularly punctate with punctures of different sizes, punctures confluent to separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters; underlying surface shagreened basally and laterally, becoming weakly shagreened and shining medio-apically. Process of labrum trapezoidal, 2.5 times wider than long, apical margin weakly emarginate medially. Supraclypeal plate shagreened, weakly shining. Gena subequal to width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling 1 diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae narrow, dorsally occupying one third of space between lateral ocellus and compound eye ( Figure 1C ), medially slightly constricted and weakly narrowed ventrally, clearly diverging from inner margin of compound eye, separated by distance equal to basal width of A3, this space strongly polished and shining with scattered punctures ( Figure 1B ); foveae filled with dark brown hairs. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with golden-brown hairs, longest hairs on vertex clearly shorter than length of scape. Antennae basally dark, A5 apically, A6–12 ventrally lightened orange; A3 subequal to A4+5. Mesosoma: Scutum finely punctate, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface finely shagreened, weakly shining, with weak bronzy shimmer ( Figure 1D ). Scutellum with punctures separated by 2–3 puncture diameters, weakly shagreened. Pronotum evenly rounded. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum finely microreticulate, propodeal triangle with fine granular microreticulation, of a coarser grain than dorsolateral parts of propodeum, basally with faint network of subtly raised rugae ( Figure 1E ). Mesepisternum laterally with whitish hairs, these with very short plumose branches, thus appearing thickened. Scutum and scutellum with similar thickly plumose, short brownish hairs. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, with sparse, longer whitish and finely plumose hairs, internal surface with occasional long yellowish simple hairs. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened orange, pubescence whitish; flocculus, femoral and tibial scopa white. Hind tarsal claws with subtle inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation brownish, nervulus antefurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark, marginal zones narrowly lightened dark brown, terga finely microreticulate, weakly shining, with obscure punctures, most clearly visible only on T3–4, here separated by 2–3 puncture diameters ( Figure 1F ). T2–4 laterally with narrow, broadly interrupted apical hair fringes that obscure underlying surface. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate golden to whitish, pygidial plate rounded triangular, flattened, dorsal surface featureless.

Male: Body length: 6.5– 7 mm ( Figure 2A ). Head: Dark, 1.4 times wider than long ( Figure 2B ). Clypeus with dense but obscure punctures, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter, interspaces with short, obscurely raised carinae that form incomplete lateral ridges, clypeus thus weakly transversely striate. Process of labrum short, trapezoidal, twice as wide as long, apical margin weakly emarginate. Supraclypeal plate shagreened, weakly shining. Gena slightly exceeding width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling 1 diameter of lateral ocellus. Lower half of face and gena ventrally with long white hairs, none exceeding length of scape, those on clypeus forming dense, ventrally directed ‘beard’, in fresh specimens somewhat obscuring underlying surface; gena laterally, vertex, frons, and scape with hairs becoming brownish. Antennae basally dark, A5–13 ventrally lightened orange; A3 exceeding A4, shorter than A4+5, A4 wider than long. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum finely punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface laterally and anteriorly shagreened, becoming smooth and shining medially; scutum with weak bronzy shimmer. Remaining mesosoma structurally as in female. Mesepisternum with long white weakly plumose hairs, exceeding length of scape, hairs becoming shorter and browner on scutum and scutellum. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened orange. Hind tarsal claws with strong inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation brownish, nervulus antefurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark, marginal areas lightened dark brown with narrow hyaline rim. Tergal discs microreticulate, strongest on T1, becoming weak by T4–5, marginal areas with weak shagreenation, shining; terga with fine punctures in areas of reduced microreticulation, here separated by 2–3 puncture diameters ( Figure 2C ). T2–5 with weak sparse lateral hair fringes of white hairs. S8 long and narrow, parallel sided, apically truncate. Genital capsule large, rounded, gonocoxa not produced apically into teeth, inner margin forming a 90 o angle but not projecting ( Figure 2D ), gonostyli with evenly rounded semi-circular inner margin, apically with strong and deep apical emargination, remaining parts pointed and claw-like ( Figure 2E ). Penis valves with broad hyaline lateral extensions occupying space between inner margins of gonostyli, weakly ventrally projecting but apex clearly truncate ( Figure 2F ).

Diagnosis: Andrena peculiaris can most probably be placed in the subgenus Graecandrena , though this must be confirmed with genetic evidence due to the challenge of morphologically defining this group of species ( Pisanty et al. 2022b). The combination of small body size, a propodeal triangle that is predominantly granulate with only subtle basal rugosity ( Figure 1E ), narrow facial foveae (occupying one third of space between lateral ocellus and compound eye, Figure 1C ), black male clypeus ( Figure 2B ), and the structure of the male genital capsule (rounded, inner margin of gonostyli creating a broadly circular area, with gonocoxal teeth absent, Figures 2D–F ) suggest Graecandrena .

It is most similar to A. virguladivina Wood, 2021 which was described from north-western Syria and is newly reported from Kahramanmaraş in southern Turkey (see below). Males of both species deviate from other known Graecandrena species by the comparatively large genital capsule with robust gonostyli ( Figures 2D–F ). However, A. peculiaris differs in numerous other ways, specifically the absence of gonocoxal teeth (present in A. virguladivina ), the strongly broadened penis valves with clear lateral hyaline extensions that occupying the space between the gonostyli (without such extensions in A. virguladivina ), the gonostyli are apically strongly and deeply emarginate, each therefore being produced into two claw-like points (versus without apical emargination), and the penis valves begin to slightly diverge apically but are clearly apically truncate (versus penis valves apically diverging and produced into a clear Y-shaped bifurcation).

Females are much more similar to A. virguladivina but can be separated by (comparative material required) the more strongly domed and more irregularly punctate clypeus, punctures confluent to separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, without a subtle impunctate longitudinal line (clypeus not so strongly domed, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, with subtle longitudinal impunctate line), the slightly broader foveae occupying one third of space between lateral ocellus and inner margin of the compound eye, these filled with dark brown hairs, the foveae ventrally being more strongly separated from the inner margin of the compound eye ( Figures 1B–C ), this area strongly polished and shining (in A. virguladivina with foveae slightly narrower, occupying one quarter of the space between lateral ocellus and compound eye, these filled with white hairs, ventrally less strongly separated from the inner margin of the compound eye, this area not being conspicuously polished), and the comparatively broad process of the labrum that is twice as wide as long (versus process of labrum narrowly trapezoidal, more or less as wide as long). Andrena peculiaris females also display a faint bronzy shimmer on the scutum ( Figure 1D ) that appears to be absent in A. virguladivina , but structural characters should be used for maximum confidence.

Notes. This species was separated by Warncke using the unpublished name ‘ Andrena ferulata ’. The etymology of this name is unclear, and it is quite close to A. ferulae Pérez, 1895 which bears no morphological resemblance to the taxon, and so a new name has been chosen.

Etymology: Feminine form of the Latin adjective peculiaris meaning peculiar (singular, exceptional), in reference to the unusual morphology of this species.

Distribution: Eastern Turkey (Hakkâri province).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Andrena (Graecandrena) peculiaris spec. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Face, dorso-frontal view, D. Scutum, dorsal view, E. Propodeum, dorsal view, F. Terga, dorsal view.

FIGURE 2. Andrena (Graecandrena) peculiaris spec. nov. male. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Terga, dorsal view, D. Genital capsule, dorsal view, E. Genital capsule, posterior-dorsal view, F. Genital capsule, lateral view.