Andrena orichalcum, Wood, 2023

Wood, Thomas James, 2023, New Old World Andrena species, with a focus on Turkey (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Zootaxa 5266 (1), pp. 1-72 : 25-28

Andrena orichalcum spec. nov.

(incertae sedis)

HOLOTYPE: TURKEY: Urfa [Şanlıurfa], Ceylanpinar , 25.iv.1976, 1♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM.

PARATYPE: TURKEY: Harran / Urfa [Şanlıurfa], 19.iv.1976, 1♁, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM ; Urfa [Şanlıurfa], Ceylanpinar , 24–25.iv.1976, 2♁, 7♀, leg. K. Warncke, OÖLM / TJWC .

Description: Female: Body length: 5.5 mm ( Figure 13A ). Head: Dark, 1.3 times wider than long ( Figure 13B ). Clypeus domed, punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface shagreened, basally dull, weakly shining medially, becoming increasingly shiny apically. Process of labrum short, pointed triangular, twice as wide as long. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance equalling 0.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae dorsally narrow, occupying one quarter to one third space between lateral ocellus and compound eye ( Figure 13C ), clearly narrowed ventrally to more or less half dorsal breadth; filled with whitish hairs. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with short to moderately long white hairs, none equalling length of scape, hairs becoming somewhat dense on paraocular areas and gena. Antennae basally dark, A5–12 lightened orange ventrally; A3 slightly exceeding A4+5, shorter than A4+5+6, A4 wider than long, slightly shorter than A5. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum with clear bronzy metallic reflections, evenly punctate, punctures separated by 1–2 punctures diameters, underlying surface granularly shagreened, weakly shining ( Figure 13D ). Pronotum evenly rounded. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum microreticulate, microreticulation overlain with fine network of raised reticulation; propodeal triangle broad, occupying majority of dorsal surface of propodeum, internal surface granularly shagreened, with finely raised rugae in basal half, propodeal triangle thus defined by change in surface sculpture ( Figure 13E ). Mesepisternum with moderately long white hairs, scutum and scutellum with shorter light brown hairs, hairs densely plumose but not squamous. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, dorsal fringe composed of long white plumose hairs, internal surface with long white simple hairs. Legs basally dark, extensively lightened brownish over tibiae and tarsi, becoming orange apically; pubescence whitish. Flocculus sparse, flocculus, femoral and tibial scopae white, scopal hairs simple. Hind tarsal claws with short tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus weakly antefurcal. Metasoma: Tergal discs dark, marginal areas extensively and broadly lightened brownish yellow, apically becoming hyaline ( Figure 13F ). Terga with regular granular microreticulation, weakly shining; impunctate. T1 with small hair fringe laterally, T2–4 with dense and broad apical fringe of white hairs, weakly interrupted on T2, complete on T3–4, obscuring underlying surface. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate golden-orange, pygidial plate triangular, dorsal surface with obscure granulation, otherwise featureless.

Male: Body length: 5 mm ( Figure 14A ). Head: Dark, 1.3 times wider than long ( Figure 14B ). Clypeus weakly domed, densely and regularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, underling surface shagreened and weakly shining.Process of labrum trapezoidal, twice as wide as long, apical margin slightly emarginate medially. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance subequal to 1 diameter of lateral ocellus. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with long white hairs, longest on ventral margin of gena exceeding length of scape. Antennae basally dark, A3 apically, A4–13 ventrally lightened dark orange-brown; A3 exceeding A4, shorter than A4+5, A4 subsquare, slightly wider than long, shorter than A5 ( Figure 14C ). Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum with clear bronzy metallic reflections, irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface weakly shining ( Figure 14D ). Pronotum evenly rounded. Mesepisternum and propodeum structurally as in female, though basal rugae of propodeal triangle more pronounced. Mesosoma with long white hairs, longest exceeding length of scape. Legs basally dark, tarsi lightened orange, pubescence whitish. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus interstitial. Metasoma: Tergal discs dark, with bronzy-green metallic reflections, marginal areas extensively lightened reddish-yellowish-hyaline ( Figure 14E ). Terga with regular granular microreticulation, weakly shining; impunctate. Marginal areas with weak and loose hair fringes of long white hairs. Genital capsule compact, gonocoxae produced into short apically projecting rounded teeth, gonostyli slightly broadened apically, spatulate ( Figure 14F ). Penis valves slightly broadened medially before narrowing apically.

Diagnosis: Andrena orichalcum belongs to a group of poorly-understood species found predominantly in dry areas from Tunisia to Central Asia. The phylogenetic associations are unclear, as some ( A. pavonia Warncke, 1974 ; A. palmyriae Wood, 2021 [see below for description of the male]; A. xera Pisanty, 2022 ) have been placed in the subgenus Aciandrena and some ( A. nitidicollis Morawitz, 1876 ; A. schwarzi Warncke, 1975 ) have been placed in the subgenus Graecandrena . Andrena orichalcum females resemble Graecandrena due to the small body size, weakly domed clypeus that is evenly punctate ( Figure 13B ), and propodeal triangle with obscure raised rugae only at the base ( Figure 13E ). However, the male does not have typical genital capsule for this subgenus, instead having narrow penis valves and resembling the genital capsule of Aciandrena ( Figure 14F ). However, A. verticalis Pérez, 1895 which has a genital capsule that diverges from the ‘classical’ Graecandrena shape can be placed in this subgenus by phylogenetic analysis ( Pisanty et al. 2022b), so the exact and consistent characters that define the subgenus are not yet clear. Direct diagnosis is best made to specific species.

In the female sex, A. orichalcum can be separated from all five species by the presence of bronzy reflections on the scutum and frons ( Figure 13D ), being dark and non-metallic in the other taxa. Additional characters can also be used: Andrena orichalcum females have the foveae dorsally narrow, occupying one third of the space between the lateral ocellus and the compound eye ( Figure 13C ) and strongly narrowing ventrally (occupying at least half to two thirds of the space between the lateral ocellus and the compound eye in A. nitidicollis , A. pavonia , A. palmyriae , and A. xera , occupying one third to half this space in A. schwarzi but not strongly narrowing ventrally), propodeal triangle with raised rugae basally (propodeal triangle essentially without raised rugae basally in A. pavonia , A. palmyriae , and A. xera ), scutum and scutellum finely shagreened and weakly shining (scutum and scutellum polished and shining over the majority of their area in A. palmyriae and A. schwarzi , medially and over majority of scutellum in A. xera ), and the process of the labrum is triangular and comes to a clear apical point ( Figure 13B ; process of the labrum either trapezoidal, apically truncate, or apically truncate and deeply emarginate medially in comparison species, never triangular).

The males of A. nitidicollis and A. xera are unknown. Separation from remaining taxa can also be made by the bronzy reflections on the scutum and terga that are not present in comparison species ( Figure 14D ). Structurally, A4 is shorter than A5, but it is only slightly shorter than broad ( Figure 14C ), whereas in A. pavonia , A. palmyriae , and A. schwarzi it is clearly very short, only half as long as broad (see Figure 36C ). Additional differentiation can be made by the weakly antefurcal nervulus (strongly antefurcal in A. pavonia , somewhat antefurcal in A. palmyriae ), the regular granular microreticulation on the tergal discs that is of uniform strength across terga (tergal discs with fine microreticulation, becoming weaker on the discs of T 3–4 in A. pavonia and A. palmyriae ), and the uniformly shagreened and only weakly shining scutum and scutellum (scutum and scutellum polished and shining over the majority of their area in A. palmyriae ).

Finally, A. orichalcum is superficially similar to A. (Micrandrena) kurda Warncke, 1975 from the same part of southern Turkey due to the presence of bronzy reflections on the scutum, small body size, and generally narrow facial foveae. However, A. orichalcum can easily be separated by the facial foveae that clearly narrow ventrally (foveae narrow, but uniformly narrow along their length in A. kurda ), by the evenly punctate clypeus that is shagreened to weakly shining apically (clypeus impunctate, with obscure network of raised latitudinal carinae, surface dull), and by the propodeal triangle with obscure raised rugae only at the base (propodeal triangle with rugae covering the entire dorsal surface).

Etymology: From the Latin orichalcum (also spelt aurichalcum) which is a name for a precious metal of unknown identity but which may have been bronze or brass, thus referring to the metallic reflections visible on the scutum. It is a noun in apposition.

Distribution: South-central Turkey.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Andrena (incertae sedis) orichalcum spec. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Head, dorsal view, D. Scutum, dorsal view, E. Propodeum, dorsal view, F. Terga, dorsal view.

FIGURE 14. Andrena (incertae sedis) orichalcum spec. nov. male.A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Antennae detail, D. Scutum, dorsal view, E. Terga, dorsal view, F. Genital capsule, dorsal view.

FIGURE 36. Andrena (?Aciandrena) palmyriae Wood, 2021 male.A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Face, frontal view, C. Antennae detail, D. Scutum, dorsal view, E. Terga, dorsal view, F. Genital capsule, dorsal view.