Andrena discordia, Wood, 2023

Wood, Thomas James, 2023, New Old World Andrena species, with a focus on Turkey (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5266 (1), pp. 1-72 : 18-21

Andrena discordia spec. nov.

(incertae sedis)

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

PARATYPES: IRAN: Lorestan province, Dorud Lanjaban env, 960 m, 10.v.2016, 1♀, leg. M. Kafka, OÖLM ; TURKEY: Hakkâri, Suvari Halil-Pass , 2300 m, 14.vi.1981, 2♀, leg. K. Warncke & M. Kraus, OÖLM / TJWC ; Abanoz (Rte Anamur Kazenci), 1200 m, Taurus , 12–14.v.1991, 1♁, 1♀, leg. H.Teunissen, RMNH ; Tanin-Tanin-Pass, 25.v.1988, 1♁, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM ; Tanin-Tanin-Pass, 2300 m, 19.v.1989, 1♁, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM .

Description: Female: Body length: 8–9 mm ( Figure 8A ). Head: Dark, 1.2 times wider than long ( Figure 8C ). Clypeus strongly domed, surface with extremely fine network of raised circular microreticulation, thus appearing finely punctate or alveolate; this microreticulation overlaid by weakly raised carinae forming interrupted latitudinal ridges; clypeal surface appearing dull. Process of labrum narrowly trapezoidal, slightly wider than long, apically truncate. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling 1.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae narrow, dorsally occupying half distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye, ventrally narrowed in lower half, here separated from inner margin of compound eye by distance more or less equal to width; foveae filled with light brown hairs. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with whitish to light brownish hairs, lighter ventrally.Antennae dark, A3 exceeding A4, subequal to A4+5. Mesosoma: Scutum very densely punctate, punctures confluent to separated by 0.5 puncture diameters medially, underlying surface strongly shagreened, dull. Scutum less densely punctate, punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter, dull. Pronotum without humeral angle, evenly rounded. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum microreticulate, propodeum with additional weak and sparse rugae; propodeal triangle laterally delineated by fine carinae, internal surface microreticulate, more or less without raised rugae, thus defined by change in surface sculpture ( Figure 8B ). Mesepisternum with whitish hairs, hairs becoming light brownish dorsally on scutum, scutellum, and propodeum. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, composed of weakly plumose light brownish hairs, internal surface with scattered long simple hairs. Legs dark, pubescence golden. Flocculus white, femoral and tibial scopae golden. Hind tarsal claws with small inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus interstitial. Metasoma: Terga dark, apical rim of marginal areas lightened hyaline-brown; terga finely microreticulate, weakly shining, impunctate ( Figure 8E ). T2–4 with dense apical whitish to brownish hairbands, more or less complete on T3–4. T2–4 laterally with light brownish to orangish pubescence, strongly contrasting whitish hairbands ( Figure 8G ). Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate orange, pygidial plate narrowly triangular, apically rounded, surface flat and featureless.

Male: Body length: 7–8 mm ( Figure 9A ). Head: Dark, 1.4 times wider than long ( Figure 9B ). Clypeus strongly domed, structurally as in female. Process of labrum trapezoidal, slightly wider than long, apically widely but shallowly emarginate. Gena slightly broader than width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling 1.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus. Face medially, gena, and vertex with long white hairs, exceeding length of scape; face laterally with extensive black hairs along inner margin of compound eye, strongly contrasting white hairs on clypeus, frons, and scape ( Figure 9C ). Antennae dark, A4–13 ventrally covered with silvery scales, therefore shining; A3 slightly shorter than A4 ( Figure 9D ). Mesosoma: Structurally as in female, though propodeal triangle with slightly more extensive rugae basally. Wing with nervulus weakly antefurcal. Metasoma: Structurally as in female with exception of tergal hairbands, these narrower and paler ( Figure 9E ). S8 shaped like a fishtail, strongly emarginate apically, lateral apexes pointed; ventral surface covered with long laterally projecting pale hairs ( Figure 9F ). Genital capsule simple, gonocoxae apically rounded, gonostyli spatulate, broadly rounded apically, penis valves narrow, narrowing apically ( Figure 9G ).

Diagnosis: Morphologically, A. discordia is closest to A. ranunculorum Morawitz, 1877 , as the male A4–13 are ventrally shiny ( Figure 9D ), the tergal margins occupy one third of the dorsal area with long white hair fringes in the female ( Figures 8E–F ), the discs of T2–4 laterally with orange brown hairs that contrast the whitish hairbands ( Figures 8G–H ). Andrena ranunculorum is of uncertain phylogenetic placement, but probably falls into the group of species around A. hypopolia Schmiedeknecht, 1884 that does not belong to the true Thysandrena (restricted to North America) and is therefore an undescribed subgenus ( Pisanty et al. 2022b). Female A. discordia can be separated from A. ranunculorum by the smaller body size of 8–9 mm (versus 11–12 mm), the strongly domed but almost impunctate clypeus with weakly raised latitudinal carinae ( Figures 8C–D ; versus clypeus domed but with regular punctures, without latitudinal carinae), and by the foveae that narrow ventrally, their lower half separated from the inner margin of the compound eye by their own breadth (foveae not noticeably narrowed ventrally not separated from the inner margin of the compound eye by their own breadth in A. ranunculorum ). Males can also be separated by their smaller body size of 7–8 mm (versus 10–11 mm), their apically more rounded gonostyli ( Figures 9G–H ; versus gonostyli more elongate), and their deeply emarginate S8 ( Figure 9F; S 8 truncate in A. ranunculorum ).

More broadly, due to the small body size, strongly domed clypeus ( Figure 8C ), narrow foveae, and largely unsculptured propodeal triangle ( Figure 8B ), A. discordia is also superficially similar to the group of species around A. seminuda Friese, 1896 . The best comparison is with A. olympica Gr ̧nwaldt, 2005 (which is restricted to the Peloponnese) due to the lack of long hairs that cover the terga (tergal discs with long conspicuous hairs in A. seminuda and A. efeana Scheuchl & Hazir, 2012 ). However, comparison of males shows no relationship, specifically as A3 is shorter than A4 ( Figure 9D; A 3 = A4+ 5 in comparison species) and the genital capsule is simple without hyaline lateral extensions on the penis valves ( Figure 9G ; see illustrations in Gŗnwaldt et al. 2005; Scheuchl & Hazir 2012).

Etymology: From the Latin noun discordia meaning discordant, disagreement, lack of consensus in reference to the difficulty in recognising and placing this species correctly. It is a noun in apposition.

Distribution: South-western and south-eastern Turkey (Taurus mountains and Hakkâri province) and western Iran (Lorestan province).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Andrena (Habromelissa) angustula spec. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Head, dorsal view, D. Scutum, dorsolateral view, E. Propodeum, dorsal view, F. Terga, dorsal view.

FIGURE 8. Andrena (incertae sedis) discordia spec. nov. female.A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Propodeum, dorsal view, C. Face, frontal view, E. Terga, dorsal view, G. Terga, dorsolateral view. Andrena (incertae sedis) ranunculorum Morawitz, 1877 female. D. Face, frontal view, F. Terga, dorsal view, H. Terga, dorsolateral view.

FIGURE 9. Andrena (incertae sedis) discordia spec. nov. male. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Face, lateral view, D. Antennae detail, E. Terga, dorsal view, F. Sternum 8, dorsal view, G. Genital capsule, dorsal view. Andrena (incertae sedis) ranunculorum Morawitz, 1877 male. H. Genital capsule, dorsal view.