Andrena (Aciandrena) triangulivalvis 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 (Aciandrena) triangulivalvis Wood sp. nov. Figures 9-12

Material.

Holotype: Morocco: Drâa-Tafilalet, 20 km W Boudnib, 9.iv.1995, 1♂, leg. Ma. Halada. Deposited in the OÖLM. Paratypes: Morocco: Drâa-Tafilalet, 20 km W Boudnib, 9.iv.1995, 3♂, leg. Ma. Halada. Paratypes are deposited at the OÖLM, with a male retained in the personal collection of TJW.

Diagnosis.

The male of A. triangulivalvis resembles other Aciandrena with a yellow polished clypeus such as A. pratincola . However, it can be instantly separated from all other Aciandrena with a yellow clypeus by the structure of the genitalia. Normal Aciandrena genitalia are simple, with a relatively narrow, unmodified penis valve (Figs 8 , 100 , 102 , 104 , 126 , 128 , 130 ; Warncke 1968b, 1972, 1974, 1975a; Pisanty et al. 2016). However, in A. triangulivalvis the penis valve is inflated and forms a triangle that sites between the broad gonostyli that have a slightly raised internal margin (Fig. 12 ).

Description.

Female: Unknown.

Male. Body length 6 mm (Fig. 9 ). Head: Dark, close to black, instead a subtle faintly metallic dark green. Clypeus arched, completely pale yellow with the exception of two lateral small black triangular marks, polished and evenly punctured, punctures separated by 1-2 puncture diameters (Fig. 10 ). Process of labrum trapezoidal, fore margin emarginate. Gena as wide as width of compound eye. Face, gena, scape, and vertex with long white hairs, the longest achieving length of the scape. Antennae dark, A6-13 slightly lightened brown, A3 equalling A4+5. Ocelloccipital distance short, less than 1/3 width of lateral ocellus. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum dark, with slight metallic green-purple hints when viewed from an angle, strongly shagreened, weakly shining, sparsely and irregularly punctured, punctures separated by 1-3 puncture diameters. Propodeal triangle weakly marked, shagreened, slightly shining laterally, centrally weakly rugose. Episternum and propodeum strongly shagreened, obscurely punctured, dull. Scutum, scutellum, episternum, and propodeum with long white hairs, the longest exceeding the scape in length. Legs dark, tarsi lightened to brown, pubescence whitish. Wings hyaline, venation and stigma light brown, nervulus slightly antefurcal. Metasoma: Tergites dark, marginal areas light brown to yellow (Fig. 11 ). Tergal discs microreticulate, intensity of microreticulation diminishes from T1 onwards, T1 therefore dull, T4-5 weakly shining. T2-4 with weak lateral hair fringes, those on T5-6 extend across the whole margin but sparsely, never obscuring underlying surface. Genitalia compact, slightly longer than wide, gonocoxites forming pronounced points, penis valve strongly inflated basolaterally, forming a triangle (Fig. 12 ). Gonostyli with inner margin thickened and raised, medially forming a 135-degree angle, gonostyli apexes slightly restricted before forming rounded point.

Distribution.

Eastern Morocco from the province of Drâa-Tafilalet (Fig. 145b ).

Floral preferences.

None recorded.

Etymology.

The name trianguli (triangular) + valvis (valve) was chosen because of the remarkable male genitalia in which the penis valve is inflated and triangular in shape, strongly contrasting with other Aciandrena species.

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 9 - 12. Andrena (Aciandrena) triangulivalvis sp. nov. 9 male profile 10 male face 11 male tergites 12 male genitalia.

Figures 1 - 8. Andrena (Aciandrena) semiadesus sp. nov. 1 female profile 2 female face 3 female dorsum 4 female tergites 5 male profile 6 male face 7 male tergites 8 male genitalia.

Figures 99 - 104. Andrena (Aciandrena) fulica Warncke, 1974 99 male face 100 male genitalia. Andrena (Aciandrena) fulica astrella Warncke, 1975 (Morocco) 101 male face 102 male genitalia (Spain) 103 male face 104 male genitalia.

Figures 125 - 130. Andrena (Aciandrena) pratincola Warncke, 1974 (Morocco) 125 male face 126 male genitalia (Egypt, Paratype) 127 male face 128 male genitalia Andrena (Aciandrena) varicornis Perez, 1895 129 male face 130 male genitalia.