Andrena (Aciandrena) deminuta Wood sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F159660E-5198-42B0-813E-70AF8770C1D0

Figs 1–12

Diagnosis

Andrena deminuta sp. nov. can be placed in the subgenus Aciandrena Warncke, 1968 because of its small body size (Fig. 1), black integument, shagreened propodeal triangle (Fig. 4), simple male genitalia (Fig. 11), and yellow male clypeus (Fig. 8). It is closest to A. israelica Scheuchl & Pisanty, 2016 and A. judaea Scheuchl & Pisanty, 2016 because the facial foveae are relatively broad above and not substantially tapered below, in addition to their small body size of ca 5 mm, which makes them one of the smallest known members of the Aciandrena .

Female material can be separated from A. judaea (alternative character state in parentheses) because in dorsal view the foveae are filled with brown hairs (vs whitish hairs) and the nervulus is strongly antefurcal (vs weakly antefurcal). It shares these characters with A. israelica and is therefore extremely similar. It can be separated by the stronger punctures on the clypeus (Fig. 2), punctures apically and laterally clearly present, separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameter (clypeal punctures fine, scattered, apically and laterally separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, not obviously contrasting underlying surface).

Male material has a yellow clypeus (Fig. 8) and a strongly antefurcal nervulus, and therefore can be separated from both A. judaea (yellow clypeus, but weakly antefurcal nervulus) and A. israelica (black clypeus, strongly antefurcal nervulus). The genital capsule also differs from that of both taxa as it has pronounced and apically truncate gonocoxal teeth (Fig. 11), the apices therefore square-shaped (gonocoxal teeth weakly produced and apically rounded in A. judaea, gonocoxal teeth more produced but with rounded apices in A. israelica), the penis valves are basally broad and sharply narrow apically (penis valves comparatively narrower basally, narrowing less abruptly apically in A. israelica and A. judaea), and the outer margin of the gonostyli are more strongly emarginate (outer margin straight to very weakly emarginate, see illustrations in Pisanty et al. 2016).

Etymology

From the Latin adjective ‘ deminuta ’, meaning ‘small, diminutive’, in reference to its small size.

Material examined

Holotype IRAN • ♂; Lorestan Province, Dorud Lanjaban env.; 33.419° N, 48.986° E; 960 m a.s.l.; [collected in May 2016 but no precise date on label]; M. Kafka leg.; OÖLM.

Paratypes IRAN • 1 ♀; Lorestan Province, Dorud Lanjaban env.; 960 m a.s.l.; M. Kafka leg.; OÖLM • 4 ♀♀; Lorestan Province, Dorud Lanjaban env.; 670 m a.s.l.; 11 May 2016; M. Kafka leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; TJWC • 1 ♀; Lorestan Province, 10 km SW of Dorud; 1520 m a.s.l.; 20 May 2014; J. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 2 ♀♀; Ham [Ilam] Province, Sar Joob; 1930 m a.s.l.; 13 May 2016; M. Kafka leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; TJWC .

Other material examined (aff. Andrena deminuta)

IRAN • 1 ♂, 10 ♀♀; Fars Province [Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province], Yasuj [Yasouj], Sarb-e Taveh [Sarab-e Taveh]; 2030 m a.s.l.; 4 May 2016; M. Kafka leg.; OÖLM • 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; TJWC .

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 5–6 mm (Fig. 1).

HEAD. 1.2 times as wide as long (Fig. 2). Clypeus dark, domed, with irregular large punctures, punctures separated by 0.5–3 puncture diameters, broad but unclear longitudinal impunctate midline present centrally; underlying surface uniformly shagreened, weakly shining. Process of labrum variable, generally narrowly trapezoidal, as broad as long or narrower than long, apical margin truncate. Face, gena, vertex, and scape with short whitish hairs. Gena equalling width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance slightly less than diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae dorsally broad, occupying half distance between compound eye and lateral ocellus, narrowed to half width below at level of antennal insertions, here separated from inner margin of compound eye by distance subequal to their own width; foveae filled with dark brown hairs (Fig. 3). Antennae basally dark, A(5)6–12 strongly lightened orange below; A3 subequal to A4+5.

MESOSOMA. Scutum and scutellum with very fine granular shagreen, weakly shining, sparsely punctate with fine punctures, punctures separated by 1–5 puncture diameters. Pronotum without humeral angle. Mesepisternum and lateral and dorsolateral faces of propodeum with fine granular shagreen, weakly shining. Propodeal triangle broad, internal surface with extremely fine raised network of circular carinae, thus resembling granular shagreenation, propodeal triangle therefore defined by change in surface sculpture (Fig. 4). Mesosoma with short sparse whitish hairs, propodeal corbiculae incomplete, dorsally composed of weakly plumose whitish hairs, internal surface with sparse whitish simple hairs. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened orange, pubescence whitish. Tibial and femoral scopae and flocculus whitish. Hind tarsal claws unidentate. Wings hyaline, stigma orange with dark brown lateral margin, venation dark orange; nervulus strongly antefurcal, first recurrent vein enters second submarginal cell before its middle.

METASOMA. Terga dark, marginal areas of T2–4 slightly depressed, T1–4 with apical margin lightened dark brown to yellow apically (Fig. 5). Terga finely microreticulate, strongest on T1, becoming progressively weaker by T4, weakly shining; tergal discs essentially impunctate (Fig. 6). Tergal discs with extremely scattered short whitish hairs, apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate golden. Pygidial plate narrowly rounded triangular, flat, internal surface weakly shagreened.

Male

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 5.5 mm (Fig. 7).

HEAD. 1.3 times as wide as long. Clypeus yellow marked over majority of area, not extending fully to margins, laterally with two small black maculae (Fig. 8). Clypeus with irregular punctures, punctures separated by 0.5–3 puncture diameters, underlying surface uniformly shagreened, weakly shining. Process of labrum narrowly triangular, apical margin truncate. Face, vertex, and scape with whitish hairs, gena ventrally with long white hairs, equalling length of scape. Gena slightly exceeding width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance slightly less than diameter of lateral ocellus. Antennae dark basally, A5–13 lightened orange below; A3 exceeding A4, this sub-square, shorter than A4+5.

MESOSOMA. Mesosoma structurally as in female (Fig. 9) with exception of hind tarsal claws with strong inner tooth, wing venation dark brown.

METASOMA. Terga structurally as in female (Fig. 10). S8 columnar, parallel-sided, apical margin truncate, ventral surface covered with short whitish hairs. Genital capsule compact, gonocoxae apically produced into strong square-ended teeth. Gonostyli broad, with strongly raised internal margin, apically flattened, slightly narrowed subapically. Penis valves broad basally, narrowing strongly at their midpoint (Fig. 11).

Remarks

Several specimens were examined from Fars Province (see below). Females were not separable from A. deminuta sp. nov., as the only apparent difference is that the tergal shagreenation is stronger, but the single male specimen had a divergent genital capsule. In the holotype male of A. deminuta, the gonocoxal teeth are elongate with clearly truncate and square-shaped apices (Fig. 11). However, in the specimen from Fars Province, the gonocoxal teeth are less strongly elongate, and apically more rounded (Fig. 12). Given the presence of cryptic Aciandrena species which cannot be morphologically separated in the female sex (Pisanty et al. 2022a), it is unlikely that these belong to the same taxon. The material from Fars is not described until more material is available.

Distribution

Southern Iran (provinces of Ilam and Lorestan).