Andrena (Melittoides) melittoides Friese, 1899

(Figs. 65–73)

Andrena melittoides Friese, 1899: 338–339, ♂ [Israel: ZMB].

Melittoides melittoides (Friese): Friese 1921: 178.

Andrena melittoides Friese: Warncke 1967: 287.

Andrena (Melittoides) melittoides Friese: Warncke 1968: 45.

Melittoides melittoides (Friese): Michener 2000: 258–259.

Andrena (Melittoides) melittoides Friese: Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002: 472–473 (first description of ♀).

Andrena (Melittoides) melittoides Friese: Michener 2007: 263.

Distribution: Israel, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria *, Turkey (Al–Ghzawi et al. 2006; Wood et al. 2020).

Flight period: February–?May.

Flower records: Boraginaceae: Cynoglossum creticum; Ericaceae: Arbutus andrachne; Liliaceae: Fritillaria persica; Papaveraceae: Fumarioideae; Rosaceae: Malus domestica, Prunus dulcis; Scrophulariaceae: Scrophularia rubricaulis . Dafni & O’Toole (1994) mention S. rubricaulis as an important forage plant and a pollen host.

Pollen preferences: Eleven pollen loads from Israel (Haifa University, Mount Meron, Nabi Hazuri) and the West Bank (Deir Nidham Nature Reserve, Har Gilo) contained 49% Cistaceae ( Cistus - type), 27% Fabaceae ( Trifolium repens -, Genista -, Ulex -, Vicia - type), 11% Ericaceae ( Arbutus), 6% Scrophulariaceae ( Scrophularia - type), 2% Brassicaceae ( Sinapis), 2% Euphorbiaceae ( Euphorbia), 0.7% Plantaginaceae ( Linaria - type), 0.1% Asteraceae ( Anthemis - type), and 2% unidentified pollen. The species is therefore a broad polylege, with a preference for Cistaceae and Faboideae pollen.

Genetic sequences available: BOLD accession nos. ANDIL395-22, ANDPH017-21 (Israel); Genbank accession nos. SRX12513902, SRX10365311 (UCE, Israel), EF601162.1 (EF1a, locality unknown).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: LECTOTYPE (designated here): ISRAEL • ♂; Jerusalem; 1899; F. Morice leg.; labeled “lectotype des. C. O’Toole 1988”; ZMB. — non-type material: ISRAEL • 1♂; Beqoa’ [Beko’a]; 15 Feb. 2012; G. Pisanty leg.; on Prunus dulcis; SMNHTAU 107050 • 1♀; Haifa Univ. [University]; 8 Apr. 1988; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 1♀; Jerusalem; 25 Mar. 1965; SMNHTAU • 1♀; Jerusalem; 12 May [?] 1967; Pener & al. leg.; SMNHTAU • 1♂; Yerushalayim [Jerusalem]; 24 Feb. 2014; A. Gotlieb leg.; on Prunus dulcis; SMNHTAU 184238 • 1♂; Monfort [Montfort Castle]; 5 Mar. 1978; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1♀; Montfort [Castle]; 2 Mar. 1987; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1♂; ibid.; A. Shlagman leg. • 3♂; Montfort [Castle], Nahal Keziv [Kziv]; 28 Feb. 2018; G. Pisanty leg.; on Fumarioideae; SMNHTAU 286306, 286310, 286326 • 1♀; Mt. Carmel; 20 Apr. 2008; S. Valter leg.; SMNHTAU • 1♀; [Mount] Hermon, S’ion; 1000 m a.s.l.; 24 Apr. 1988; R. Kasher leg.; on Scrophularia rubricaulis; SMNHTAU • 2♂; Har [Mount] Meron; 20 Apr. 2012; G. Pisanty leg.; SMNHTAU 106906, 132883 • 1♀; ibid.; on Malus domestica; SMNHTAU 106899 • 1♀; Har Meron; 32.999° N, 35.395° E; 5 Apr. 2016; G. Pisanty leg.; on Scrophularia rubricaulis; SMNHTAU 239336 • 2♂; ibid.; SMNHTAU 239337, 239338 • 2♀; Har Meron; 33.000° N, 35.3925° E; 22 Apr. 2016; G. Pisanty leg.; SMNHTAU 240965, 240966 • 1♀; Nabi Hazuri; 33.252° N, 35.727° E; 27 Apr. 2020; G. Pisanty leg.; on Cynoglossum creticum; SMNHTAU 334364 • 1♂; Nahal Keziv [Kziv]; 33°02’ N, 35°14’ E; 14 Mar. 2011; A. Freidberg leg.; BOLD accession no. ANDIL395- 22; SMNHTAU 89897 • 1♂; Nahal Keziv; 28 Feb. 2018; G. Pisanty leg.; BOLD accession no. ANDPH017-21, Genbank accession no. SRX10365311; SMNHTAU 353180 • 1♂; Revadim; 15 Mar. 2018; T. Roth leg.; pan trap; SMNHTAU 276583 • 1♂; Yir’on; 17 Apr. 2000; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1♂; Zikhron Ya’aqov [Ya’akov]; 1 Apr. 1998; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU. — LEBANON • 1♂; Beqaa, Beqaa valley, Qaraoun, 3.5 km W of Madjal Balhis; 900 m a.s.l.; 5 Apr. 2023; T.J. Wood leg.; TJWC. — SYRIA • 2♂, 1♀; Saidnaya [Sednayah], 35 km N Damascus; 14 Apr. 1992; K. Warncke leg.; OLML • 1♀; Saladinburg, 30 km NE Lattakia; 17 Apr. 1992; K. Warncke leg.; OLML. — WEST BANK • 1♀; Deir Nidham Nat.Res. [Nature Reserve]; 32.00° N, 35.07° E; 420–530 m a.s.l.; 30 Mar. 2014; L. Friedman leg.; SMNHTAU 176973 • 2♂; Har Gilo; 31 Mar. 1988; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 1♂; Har-Gilo, 5 km SW Jerusalem; 850 m a.sl.; 4 Apr. 1990; R. Kasher leg.; on Arbutus andrachne; SMNHTAU • 8♀; Judea, Har Gilo; 6 Apr. 1988; leg. R. Leys leg.; RMNH ZMA. INS.5103395 to ZMA. INS.5103402 • 1♂; Qedumim [Kedumim], Nahal Te’enim; 18 Feb. 2022; L. Friedman leg.; on Fritillaria persica; SMNHTAU 384794 • 1♂; Qedumim, Park Znirim; 370 m a.s.l.; 11 Mar. 2018; L. Friedman leg.; SMNHTAU 286742 • 1♂; Qedumim, 1 km SW, Mizpe ‘Ami; 390 m a.s.l.; 3 Apr. 2015; L. Friedman leg.; SMNHTAU 210983.

Remarks. A male specimen of A. melittoides in the ZMB collection, collected by F. Morice and determined by Friese, was selected as a lectotype and marked as such by Chris O’Toole in 1988, but this was never published. Although Friese (1899: 339) indicates Schmiedeknecht as the collector, both Morice and Schmiedeknecht travelled together on their 1899 expedition across the Levant and are both known to have collected specimens that were later described by Friese. We select this specimen as the lectotype, by present designation.