Andrena (Margandrena) menahemella Scheuchl & Pisanty n. sp.

(Figs. 7, 12 E, 13E)

Female (Fig. 7 A). Length: 7.5 mm.

Color. Head, mesosoma, legs, and disc of tergum 1 black. Marginal zone of tergum 1, terga 2–3 and sterna 2–3 nearly always reddish-orange (1 specimen with fully black metasoma); terga 2–3 often with black spot on center of disc (Fig. 7 A, D). Terga 4–5 and sterna 1, 4–5 black to reddish-orange. Marginal zones of terga 4–5 red to yellow (Fig. 7 D). Antennae black to brown, anterior side of flagellomeres 3–10 brighter than 1–2 (Fig. 7 B–C). Wings transparent, veins brown.

Pubescence. Clypeus, paraocular area, supraclypeal area and frons with long black hairs (Fig. 7 B). Vertex with long white to golden hairs (Fig. 7 B–C). Facial foveae with grey and black hairs. Mesonotum, scutellum, metanotum and centre of propodeum with sparse long white to yellowish hairs and few shorter gray hairs (Fig. 7 C). Mesepisternum with long black hairs. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, posterodorsal margin with long black hairs; surface of corbicula with sparse, whitish, long simple hairs. Leg hair mostly dark brown. Flocculus, hind femur and scopa with both dark black to brown hair and lighter grayish-white hair. Outer side of hind tibia with long, simple scopal hairs, brighter on anterior part and darker on posterior part; inner side of hind tibia with dark, shorter, unilaterally plumose hairs. Terga with sparse, very short dark hairs, gradually thicker and denser laterally and towards metasomal apex; tergum 1 with also few long white hairs (Fig. 7 D). Prepygidial fimbria black to brown (Fig. 7 D).

Head (Fig. 7 B–C). Head and clypeus broader than long (Fig. 7 B). Galea shagreened, maxillary and labial palps longer than glossa. Labral process trapezoidal to semi-circular, shiny. Clypeus convex, basal 1/3–1/2 strongly shagreened, apical part only superficially so, very shiny and almost smooth. Clypeus puncturing medium-sized, its density decreasing towards apex, distance between punctures 0.5–2 puncture diameters; a broad impunctate midline runs through apical half of clypeus, narrowing or completely disappearing towards base (Fig. 7 B). Facial foveae shallow above, deeper and somewhat tapering downwards, occupying 1/3–1/2 of paraocular area width, extending from level of middle–lower end of lateral ocellus to lower end of antennal socket (Fig. 7 B). Distance of fovea from lateral ocellus 1.25–1.5 ocellus diameters. Flagellomere 1 about as long as 2+3+4; 2–3 almost the same length, broader than long; the following almost square (Fig. 7 B). Ocelloccipital distance about 3/4 ocellus diameter (Fig. 7 C).

Mesosoma (Fig. 7 C). Dorsolateral angle of pronotum weakly elevated, forming short carina extending laterally. Mesonotum shagreened but shiny, sometimes almost smooth in portions of disc, sparsely punctured, distance between punctures 1.5–2 puncture diameters. Scutellum shagreened and punctured mostly at periphery, smoother and impunctate on disc, except for a punctured midline. Propodeal corbicula shagreened but very shiny. Propodeal triangle more finely shagreened and completely matt, with narrow band of radial grooves at base. Nervulus interstitial to strongly postfurcal.

Metasoma (Fig. 7 D). Terga smooth to superficially shagreened and finely punctured, shagreenation and density of punctures increasing from tergum 1 to 5, distance between punctures 2–3 puncture diameters. Pygidial plate flat to dorsally concave, honeycomb-alveolate; central part does not appear lifted.

Male (Fig. 7 E). Length: 6.5–7 mm

Color: Similar to female. Clypeus black (Fig. 7 F). Disc of tergum 2 sometimes completely black.

Pubescence: Clypeus, paraocular area, sides of vertex and dorsal part of genal area with black hairs (Fig. 7 F). Supraclypeal area, antennal sockets, scapes, middle of vertex and ventral part of genal area with white to grey hairs (Fig. 7 F–G). Mesepisternum with long hairs, black dorsally and white ventrally. Legs with both brighter, goldenwhite and darker brown hairs, the latter especially on femora. Rest of mesosoma and metasoma as in female.

Head (Fig. 7 F–G). Broader than long (Fig. 7 F). Clypeus weakly convex, much broader than long, apical part very smooth and punctured more sparsely than in female (Fig. 7 F). Flagellomere 1 about 2.5 times as long as broad, almost as long as 2+3+4; 2–3 broader than long; the following longer than broad. Ocelloccipital distance about 1 ocellus diameter. Genal area broadened, preoccipital ridge with lateral carina.

Mesosoma (Fig. 7 G). Similar to female.

Metasoma (Fig. 7 H). Terga very smooth and shiny, finely and more sparsely punctured than in female, distance between punctures 3–4 puncture diameters.

Genitalia and hidden sterna (Figs. 12 E, 13E). Dorsal lobes of gonocoxites only weakly developed and rounded. Gonostylus spatulate, apical part broadening into a long, flattened blade. Penis valves broad basally and tapering apically, with only hint of lateral lamellar projections (Fig. 12 E). Sternum 8 broad, gradually tapering apically, apex rounded and very slightly broadened (Fig. 13 E).

Differential diagnosis. A. menahemella can be distinguished from other species of the subgenus Margandrena with red terga by the abundance of black hair, especially on the face and mesepisternum (hair predominantly white or golden in A. marginata Fabricius, A. pellucens Pérez, A. sibthorpi Mavromoustakis and A. testaceipes Saunders), shagreened mesonotum and somewhat smoother scutellum (disc of mesonotum smooth in A. marginata and A. pellucens; scutellum fully shagreened in A. krausiella Gusenleitner), mixed red and black terga 2–5 (fully red in females of A. marginata and A. testaceipes), black male clypeus (yellow in A. marginata), four segments of the labial palpus (five in A. quinquepalpa), and nervulus which is postfurcal in the majority of specimens (interstitial to slightly antefurcal in A. quinquepalpa; antefurcal in A. testaceipes). Andrena menahemella is easily distinguished from the sympatric A. krausiella by the shorter clypeus, smoother scutellum, and the female's darker facial hair and absence of a lateral black spot on tergum 2. The genital capsule of A. menahemella resembles that of A. krausiella and A. sibthorpi, but has narrower penis valves, without lateral lamellar extensions.

Flight period: the main flight period is January–March, but a single male was collected in late May.

Flower records: none; all specimens but one male collected from pan traps.

Etymology. Named after kibbutz Kefar Menahem, where the species was first collected.

Holotype: ♀, ISRAEL: Lakhish, 18.ii.2013, T. Shapira [SMNHTAU].

Paratypes: ISRAEL: Kefar Menahem, 1.iii.2008, Y. Mandelik (1♀) ; 2.iii.2008, U. Roll (4♀); 7.iii.2008, U. Roll (2♀); Lakhish, 22.ii.2012, T. Shapira (1♀) ; 21.iii.2012, T. Shapira (4♀); 4.ii.2013, T. Shapira (9♀, 3Ƌ); 18.ii.2013, T. Shapira (12♀); 21.ii.2013, T. Shapira (2♀); Lehavim, 28.i.2015, G. Pisanty (14♀) ; Nahshon, 8.ii.2009, G. Pisanty (1♀) ; Netiv Halamed Heh, 16.ii.2010, G. Pisanty (1♀) ; Park Britannia, 10.ii.2011, T. Koznichki (1Ƌ) ; 11.ii.2011, T. Koznichki (1Ƌ); Revadim, 30.v.2011, A. Golan (1Ƌ); Ya'ar Adulam, 14.ii.2011, T. Koznichki (8♀, 2Ƌ); Ya'ar Nehosha, 15.ii.2011, T. Koznichki (1♀) ; Ya'ar Yish'i, 18.ii.2011, T. Koznichki (4♀) [AMNH, ES, OLML, SMNHTAU, USNM, ZSMC].