Andrena (Campylogaster) sparsipunctata Wood, 2020

Wood, Thomas James, Michez, Denis, Cejas, Diego, Lhomme, Patrick & Rasmont, Pierre, 2020, An update and revision of the Andrena fauna of Morocco (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Andrenidae) with the description of eleven new North African species, ZooKeys 974, pp. 31-92 : 31

Andrena (Campylogaster) sparsipunctata Wood sp. nov. Figures 13-20 , 21-28

Material.

Holotype: Morocco: Guelmim-Oued Noun, 10 km E Guelmim, 15-16.iv.1995, 1♀, leg. Ma. Halada. Deposited in the OÖLM. Paratypes: Morocco: Guelmim-Oued Noun, 10 km E Guelmim, 15-16.iv.1995, 1♂, 1♀, leg. Ma. Halada, OÖLM; Oriental, 10 km S Bouarfa, 20.v.1995, 2♂, leg. Ma. Halada, OÖLM. Paratypes are deposited in the OÖLM.

Diagnosis.

Andrena sparsipunctata can be easily placed into the Campylogaster because of the large, dense, and clear punctures on the episternum combined with its large body size. However, recent evidence shows that Campylogaster is strongly polyphyletic, and the species in northwestern Africa do not fall close to A. (Campylogaster) erberi Morawitz, 1871, the type species of Campylogaster that differs by its tormentose pilosity. A new subgenus is probably needed for the species around A. sparsipunctata ( Pisanty et al. 2020). Against this context, it is close to the two most widespread Campylogaster species in North Africa, A. pruinosa Erichson, 1835 ssp. succinea Dours, 1872 and A. caroli Pérez, 1895, both of which are also stained red over the majority of the metasoma. The female of A. sparsipunctata is instantly recognisable because the punctures of the first tergite are sparse, separated by 2-4 puncture diameters (Fig. 16 ) whereas in the other two species the punctures are dense and separated by 1-2 puncture diameters (Figs 18 , 20 ). Moreover, the foveae of A. sparsipunctata females are narrow and depart from the inner eye margins so that at the top of the compound eye they are separated from the compound eye by a distance subequal to the width of a fovea itself (Fig. 15 ), whereas in the other two species the foveae are never clearly separated from the top of the compound eye (Figs 17 , 19 ). The scutal hairs are also normal, not squamous (Fig. 15 ), strongly contrasting with the squamous hairs of the other two species (Figs 17 , 19 ).

In males, A. sparsipunctata can be recognised by the shape of the labrum which is wide and rectangular (Fig. 23 ), whereas in A. pruinosa it is trapezoidal and markedly emarginate (Fig. 25 ). In A. caroli it is less strongly trapezoidal and emarginate (Fig. 27 ), but the tergites have well-marked and dense bands of short white hairs on the tergal margins (Fig. 28 ), whereas A. sparsipunctata has only a few scattered hairs on the tergal margins, never forming well-marked bands, as in A. pruinosa (Fig. 26 ).

Description.

Female: Body length 12 mm (Fig. 13 ). Head: Black, a little wider than long. Clypeus domed, evenly and shallowly punctured, punctures separated by 0.5-1 puncture diameters. Clypeus surface weakly shining, fore margin slightly upturned. Process of labrum trapezoidal, with weak lateral striations, fore margin weakly and narrowly emarginate. Gena 1.2 times wider than width of compound eye, densely and deeply punctate, punctures extend to the vertex where they become much shallower and encircle two impunctate areas immediately adjacent to lateral ocelli, these areas equivalent to inter-ocellar area in size (Fig. 15 ). Gena and vertex with a mane of bright ginger hairs, achieving a maximum length of 2/3rds of the length of the scape. Face, scape, and clypeus with shorter ginger hairs, these achieving a maximum length of ½ the length of the scape. Antennae dark, A3 apically and A4-12 lightened orange below, A3 longer than A4+5, shorter than A4+5+6. Foveae narrow, slightly narrower than the width of an antenna, close to the internal margin of compound eye below level of antennal insertions but diverging above so that at top of compound eye each fovea is separated by a distance subequal to its own width, area between a fovea and the internal margin of compound eye shiny and sparsely punctured. Ocelloccipital distance broad, two times the width of lateral ocellus. Mesosoma: Scutal punctures dense, punctures almost touching, underlying surface shiny. Scutum and scutellum with non-squamous hairs, these achieving a maximum length of ½ the length of the scape (Fig. 14 ). Episternum and propodeum with exception of propodeal triangle densely and evenly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5 puncture diameters, underlying surface finely and subtly shagreened, weakly shining. Propodeal triangle weakly rugose. Episternum and propodeum with normal ginger hairs, these achieving the length of the scape. Femora dark, tibia and tarsi orange. Femoral and tibial scopa orange. Wings slightly infuscate, venation dark, stigma slightly translucent. Nervulus interstitial. Metasoma: Tergites amber, becoming amber to dark brown on T1. T1 strongly contrasting with following tergites, T1 sparsely punctate, punctures separated by 2-4 puncture diameters, surface of disc clear of hairs, shining (Fig. 16 ). T2-4 densely punctured, punctures separated by 0.5-1 puncture diameters, covered in short ginger hair across entire surface. Tergal margins slightly depressed, covered in short ginger hairs that form weak apical fringes, poorly differentiated from hairs on discs of T2-4. T5-6 with long ginger-golden hairs flanking pygidial plate, pygidial plate simple, triangular, without raised margins.

Male. Body length 11-12 mm (Fig. 21 ). Head: Similar to female, wider than long, pubescence whitish throughout but probably faded. All punctation weaker and finer with exception of clypeus where it is equally strong as in the female. Labrum broadly rectangular, wider than long, fore margin straight, without emargination (Fig. 23 ). Mandibles long, crossing, very slightly bidentate with tiny internal tooth. Scape dark-orange, A2-13 evenly orange coloured, A3 equalling A4. Ocelloccipital distance broad, 1.5 times width of lateral ocellus. Mesosoma: Similar to female, punctation of the scutum and scutellum weaker, punctation of the episternum and propodeum absent, replaced by weak rugosity. Venation of wings amber, nervulus interstitial to antefurcal. Metasoma: Tergites amber, extent variable, becoming darker on centre of tergal discs, in some cases forming extensive dark bands across entire surface (Fig. 24 ). Punctation shallow and even, separated by 1-2 puncture diameters, not noticeably sparser on T1 compared to other tergites. Sternite 8 long, rectangular, three times longer than broad, covered in hairs, apex weakly emarginate. Genitalia simple (Fig. 22 ), gonocoxites slightly pointed, weakly separated from each other apically.

Distribution.

Southern and eastern Morocco in desert environments (Fig. 145c ).

Floral preferences.

None recorded.

Remarks.

There is uncertainty over the exact status of A. pruinosa succinea , as the North African animals differ in colouration of the metasoma and scutal hairs (red) from A. pruinosa sensu stricto (black-brown) from Spain. However, structural differences are minor (e.g., the shape of the foveae is the same), and molecular investigation is warranted. It is however clear that the name succinea cannot apply to the bees described here as the first tergite of females is much less densely punctured than A. pruinosa s.l. from either Spain or North Africa, and Dours (1872) makes no mention of contrasting tergal punctation in his description ‘Abdomen… très-finement ponctué et hérissé de poils …’. The sampling locations of A. sparsipunctata , both found at the extreme edges of Morocco, may provide an explanation as to why this species has gone undetected to date.

Etymology.

The name sparsi (sparse) + punctata (punctured) was chosen to illustrate the first tergite of females, which is much less densely punctate than the similarly coloured A. pruinosa succinea and A. caroli .

Figures

Figure 145. Distribution of sampling locations of newly described species A Andrena hebescens (circles), Andrena semiadesus (squares) B Andrena tenebricorpus (diamond), Andrena niveofacies (circle), Andrena triangulivalvis (triangle) C Andrena sparsipunctata (circles), Andrena breviceps (diamonds) D Andrena acutidentis (squares), Andrena farinosoides (triangles), Andrena nigriclypeus (circle). Relief is indicated by shading, measured in meters above sea level.

Figures 13 - 20. Andrena (Campylogaster) sparsipunctata sp. nov. 13 female profile 14 female mesonotum in semi-profile 15 female head dorsal view 16 female tergites. Andrena (Campylogaster) pruinosa succinea Dours, 1872 17 female head dorsal view 18 female tergites. Andrena caroli Perez, 1895 19 female head dorsal view 20 female tergites.

Figures 21 - 28. Andrena (Campylogaster) sparsipunctata sp. nov. 21 male profile 22 male genitalia 23 male face and labrum 24 male tergites. Andrena (Campylogaster) pruinosa succinea Dours, 1872 25 male face and labrum 26 male tergites. Andrena caroli Perez, 1895 27 male face and labrum 28 male tergites.