Andrena (Micrandrena) icterina Warncke, 1974

Dardón, María José, Torres, Félix & Ornosa, Concepción, 2014, The subgenus Andrena (Micrandrena) (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) in the Iberian Peninsula, Zootaxa 3872 (5), pp. 467-497 : 480-481

Andrena (Micrandrena) icterina Warncke, 1974

Andrena icterina Warncke 1974:38 (Holotype examined)

Diagnosis. Individuals of this species are characterized by a clypeus with a shiny microsculpture that is weakly flattened from the middle to the bottom edge. The facial fovea are long, and slightly exceed the antennal socket. The scutum has PPs that are intermingled between a strong and opaque microsculpture.

Redescription based on holotype. Female: Body length 7 mm. The body has a black integument, while the legs are dark brown. The pubescence is more or less dense, and whitish-yellow in color.

Head: The genal area has a glossy microsculpture. The vertex, frons, and paraocular area have vertical grooves, while the inferior area of the paraocular area has obliquely evident PPs. The area bounded by the apical margin of the compound eye, the lateral ocellus, and the top edge of the occiput has a microsculpture. The facial fovea is narrower by 0.6 of its lower length, and the top is 2 times wider than the bottom; additionally, the facial fovea is long and slightly exceeds the antennal socket. The antenna are brown and the lengths are A3=A4+A5. The clypeus has a microsculpture with a brighter apical edge than the rest of its surface, and it is slightly flattened from the middle to the bottom. The clypeus has a few shallow, irregular, and more or less dense PPs, E=0.5–4. The process of labrum is black, the base is wider than the apex, and it occupies 0.3 of the lower margin of the clypeus. It is surrounded by long orange hair. The pubescence is whitish-yellow, with some brown hairs intermingled on the vertex and paraocular area that reach the length of A1.

Mesosoma: The pronotum has a microsculpture, and in the central region there are evident and slightly shallow PPs. The scutum and scutellum have a faintly bright microsculpture. The scutum has shallow, more or less abundant PPs, E=0.5–2, and the scutellum has dense PPs in the middle region, E<1, while they are scarce on the sides, E=2–3. The mesepisternum has a microsculpture and PBHs that are small, bulky, and more or less dense, with hairs that reach the length of A1, E=2–3. The metanotum has a rough microsculpture without obvious PPs. The basal area of propodeum has rough ornamentation without a defined propodeal triangle, and the posterior surface of the propodeum has a granular microsculpture. The rest of the propodeum has sparse and slightly bulky PPs. The wings are smoked, and at rest they do not reach the apex of the metasoma. The veins are slightly brown. The hind legs are brown, however, they are paler in the basitarsus, mediotarsus, distitarsus, and tarsal claw, while the pubescence is whitish and yellowish on the inside of the basitarsus. The pubescence of the scutum is yellow with some plumose, short, and brown hairs, even on the anterior region of the scutellum.

Metasoma: T1 has a microsculpture that is impunctate, with a long marginal zone, which has a weaker microsculpture (as in the rest of marginal zones). The discs from T2 to T4 have a rough microsculpture that is soft on the dorsolateral convexity, where the PPs are obvious. The marginal zones are impunctate and occupying more than 0.5 times the length of the terga. The metasomal bands are whitish-yellow, discontinuously present from T2, and located in the apical margin of the marginal zones, while the upper edge has long and scarce hairs.

Redescription based on paratype. Male: Body length 5–6 mm. Body with a dark brown integument. The pubescence is whitish on the head and thorax, and intermingled with brownish hair. In general, the morphology is similar to that of the female.

Head: The antenna are brown, with a length of A3=A5. The clypeus is convex, with the middle zone being weakly flattened as in that of the female. The genal area has a dark brown pubescence on the top, while the lower zone is white, with long hairs that reach the length of A1.

Mesosoma: The scutum and scutellum are generally like those in the female, but without the short brown hairs. The mesepisternum has a microsculpture and PPs as in the female, but the apical region has a large white pubescence that reaches 1.5 times the length of A1. The hind legs are dark brown, and the basitarsus, mediotarsus, distitarsus, and tarsal claw are slightly paler. The pubescence is whitish, except on the inside face of the basitarsus where it is yellowish.

Metasoma: T2 to T4 have slightly evident PPs, and the microsculpture of the marginal zones is weaker than in the discs, reaching about 0.3 times the length of the terga. The male genitalia have the apical portion of their gonostylus slightly widened.

Comment. Warncke (1974) noted a similarity to Andrena strohmella Stöckhert, 1928 , and indicated that it was probably a subspecies of this one; however, there are some differences. First, the fold that is evident on the basal sides of T1, extending at least halfway up the disc in A. strohmella , is not found in A. icterina . Also, the length of the facial fovea, pubescence of the body, and the presence of a smooth longitudinal line on the clypeus of A. strohmella are absent in A. icterina . For males, the basal area of the penis valve of A. strohmella has a similar width to the apical zone, and A3 is clearly shorter than A5, contrary to what is observed in A. icterina . Due to the clear morphological differences, A. icterina is considered to be a different species than A. strohmella and, therefore, a valid species.

Specimens examined. Holotype: Algeria: Teniet, 1 ♀, 10-V-1895, OLINZ. Paratype: Algeria: Algeria, 1 ♀, undated, OLINZ; Teniet, 1 ♀, 10-V-1895, OLINZ; Teniet, 3 ♂, undated, OLINZ. Other material: Algeria: El Kseur, 1 ♀, 22–23-V-1981, d`Akfadou, F. leg., OLINZ.