Andrena (Taeniandrena) poupillieri Dours, 1872

Wood, Thomas James, 2023, Revisions to the Andrena fauna of north-western Africa with a focus on Morocco (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 916 (1), pp. 1-85 : 24-26

Andrena (Taeniandrena) poupillieri Dours, 1872

Andrena (Taeniandrena) poupillieri Dours, 1872: 430 , ♀ ( Algeria: OÖLM).

Andrena (Taeniandrena) lecerfi Benoist, 1961: 92 , ♀ ( Morocco: MNHN; Fig. 17A–D ). Syn. nov.

Material examined (illustrative)

ALGERIA • ♀, neotype of A. poupillieri ; Tizi-Ouzou, Tigzirt ; 6 m a.s.l.; 31 Mar. 2017; H. Ikhlef leg.; OÖLM .

MOROCCO • ♀, holotype of A. lecerfi ( Fig. 17A–D ); Grand Atlas , Tenfecht (Takeljount); 1000–1200 m a.s.l.; 28 Apr.–9 Jun. 1927; Le Cerf and Talbot leg.; MNHN • 10 ♀♀; High Atlas, 5 km S of Tizi-n-Test ( Marrakech-Taroudant Rd); 5 Apr. 1983; G.R. Else leg.; NHMUK • 2 ♀♀; Fès-Meknès, Azrou, 4 km NW of Bou Anguer ; 1900 m a.s.l.; 17 May 2022; T.J. Wood leg.; TJWC • 4 ♀♀; Marrakech-Safi, 1 km E of Oukaimeden , steppe; 2500 m a.s.l.; 11 Jul. 2022; T.J. Wood leg.; TJWC .

SPAIN • 1 ♂; Málaga , San Pedro de Alcántara; 15 Mar. 1986; C. v. Achterberg leg.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Mallorca, Serrel Inca; 13 Apr. 2021; J. Diaz Calafat leg.; TJWC .

TUNISIA • 1 ♀; Sidi Zine , SW of El Kef; 28 Apr. 2012; C. Sevidy and A. Müller leg.; AMC .

Remarks

The subgenus Taeniandrena has recently undergone extensive revisions in the West Palaearctic ( Wood et al. 2021; Praz et al. 2022; Wood 2023). Many cryptic taxa that were either undescribed or lumped together under polyphyletic species concepts have now had their status clarified. Wood (2023) presented genetic data supporting the existence of a predominantly North African taxon and designated a barcoded neotype from Algeria to fix the name A. poupillieri to this lineage. Examination of material from Morocco has shown that this taxon is common and widespread in the Atlas Mountains. Importantly, no evidence has been found to support the presence of A. ovatula ( Kirby, 1802) sensu stricto in North Africa. Andrena lecerfi ( Fig. 17 ) was described from the High Atlas (though the exact locality mentioned on the labels cannot be located) and was treated as A. ovatula ssp. poupillieri by Warncke (1967). As Gusenleitner & Schwarz (2002) used a broad concept of A. ovatula , A. lecerfi is listed as a simple synonym of that taxon. Since the holotype morphologically corresponds to A. poupillieri (dark terminal fringe and dark hairs on the basitibial plate, complete apical hairband on T3, comparatively weak punctation on the disc of T2) and it was described from the High Atlas, where only A. poupillieri has been found to date (see barcoding results above, Fig. 4 ), it is important to formally recognise it as a synonym of A. poupillieri and not A. ovatula , the latter taxon considered to be absent from Morocco.

Distribution

Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Spain (mainland and Balearic Islands) ( Wood 2023).

Figures

Fig. 17. Andrena (Taeniandrena) poupillieri Dours, 1872 (holotype of Andrena (Taeniandrena) lecerfi Benoist, 1961), ♀ (MNHN). A. Label details. B. Lateral habitus. C. Face, frontal view. D. Terga, dorsal view.

Fig. 4. Phylogenetic tree (maximum likelihood) of Andrena subgenus Taeniandrena Hedicke, 1933 based on the mitochondrial COI gene. Numbers adjacent to branches represent bootstrap support (values of <75 are omitted).