165. Andrena (Campylogaster) skorikovi Popov, 1940

Literature records

Popov (1940, locus typicus).

Remarks

The taxonomic status of A. skorikovi is unclear and should be resolved. It is known from a single female specimen collected in southern Iran (Shellali near Dizful, Arabistan [now Dezful, Khuzestan Province]) on 4 March 1904. In his description, Popov compared A. skorikovi to A. iranella, noting a strong similarity, but giving characters related to the density of tergal puncturing. Gusenleitner & Schwarz (2002) remark on the strong structural similarity, noting that the dark coloured A. skorikovi may represent the first generation of the red-coloured A. iranella (citing a specimen in their possession from July). However, Osytshnjuk et al. 2005 write that A. iranella flies in April and May, and Popov listed specimens from March–May in the type series; further collection is required to establish whether A. iranella and A. skorikovi are distinct taxa.

Distribution

Iran (Popov 1940).