Andrena ( Euandrena ) officinalis Wood, 2025

Herrera, Carlos M., Alonso, Conchita, Valverde, Javier, Núñez, Alejandro & Wood, Thomas J., 2025, The genus Andrena Fabricius, 1775 (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae) in a Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot: community-wide relationships with plants and description of three new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 98, pp. 1039-1066 : 1039-1066

Andrena ( Euandrena) officinalis Wood sp. nov.

Type material.

Holotype: Spain • 1 ♂; Jaén, Sierra de Cazorla, La Sarga ; 37.9225°N, - 2.9205°W; 13 Mar. 2024; C. M. Herrera leg.; RMNH; RMNH.INS.1715578 ; BOLD accession number BGENL 3104-25 .

Paratypes: Spain • 1 ♂; Sierra de Cazorla, Cuesta del Bazar ; 16 Apr. 1989; C. M. Herrera leg.; RMNH • 1 ♂; Sierra de Cazorla, Coto del Valle ; 10 Mar. 2023; C. M. Herrera leg.; CMHC • 1 ♂; Sierra de Cazorla, Coto del Valle ; 11 Mar. 2023; C. M. Herrera leg.; EBDC • 1 ♂; Sierra de Cazorla, La Sarga ; 27 Mar. 2023; C. M. Herrera leg.; MNCN • 1 ♂; Sierra de Cazorla, La Sarga ; 29 Apr. 2022; C. M. Herrera leg.; MNCN • 1 ♀; Sierra de Cazorla, La Sarga ; 25 Apr. 2022; C. M. Herrera leg.; MNCN • 1 ♀; Sierra de Cazorla, La Sarga ; 7 May 2022; C. M. Herrera leg.; EBDC • 2 ♀; Sierra de Cazorla, La Fresnedilla ; 29 Apr. 1985; C. M. Herrera leg.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Sierra de Cazorla, Barranco del Guadalentín ; 20 May 2005; C. M. Herrera leg.; CMHC .

Description.

Female. Body length: 8–10 mm (Fig. 5 A ). Head: Dark, 1.15 times wider than long (Fig. 5 B ). Clypeus weakly domed, somewhat flattened medially, surface laterally shagreened and dull, more or less shining over majority of surface; surface densely but irregularly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters, up to 2 puncture diameters medially with weak indication of obscure longitudinal impunctate midline. Process of labrum rounded trapezoidal, 2 times wider than long. Mouthparts moderately long, approaching ½ length of head; 6 mandibular palpi, 4 labial palpi. Mandibular palpi with segments of approximately equal length, segment 2 1.2 times length of other segments. Mandibles slightly elongate, weakly crossing apically, with inner subapical tooth. Gena slightly exceeding width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance subequal to diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae dorsally occupying ⅓ space between compound eye and lateral ocellus, ventrally narrowing further, narrower than diameter of flagellum; foveae filled with dark brown hairs. Face with golden-brown to whitish-grey hairs on supraclypeal area and around antennal insertions, hairs black elsewhere; gena and vertex with intermixed black and golden-brown to whitish-grey hairs. Antennae dark, A 3 slightly exceeding A 4 + 5.

Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum densely and shallowly punctate, punctures separated by 0.5–1 puncture diameters over majority of surface, slightly sparser posterior-medially and visible against underlying surface sculpture of fine granular microreticulation, weakly shining (Fig. 5 C ). Pronotum rounded. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum finely microreticulate, microreticulation overlain with network of fine reticulation; network forming small circular reticulation-free patches, surface dull. Propodeal triangle narrow, laterally delineated by slight carinae, internal surface with fine granular microreticulation. Mesepisternum with long finely plumose golden-brown hairs, not equalling length of scape, hairs continuing onto scutum, scutellum, and propodeum, without intermixed black hairs. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, composed of golden-brown plumose hairs, internal surface with long simple hairs. Legs dark, pubescence dark brown. Flocculus complete, composed of light brown plumose hairs; femoral and tibial scopae composed of golden-brown to orange simple hairs, tibial scopa with hairs dark brown dorsally at basitibial plate. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation dark orange, nervulus interstitial.

Metasoma: Tergal discs dark, marginal areas narrowly but distinctly lightened hyaline orange-brown on apical rims, colouration exceeding diameter of lateral ocellus but not occupying more than ½ of marginal areas (Fig. 5 D ). Marginal areas of T 2–4 slightly but distinctly depressed, marginal area of T 2 almost forming step-like junction with disc. Terga finely and weakly shagreened, discs of T 2–4 almost polished and shining, moderately punctate, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters. Discs of T 1–2 with long upstanding hairs, remaining terga with shorter golden-brown hairs; margins of T 2–4 with hairs forming shaggy, poorly-defined, and long apical hairbands extending onto disc of following tergum. Apical fringe of T 5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate dark brown to black. Pygidial plate rounded triangular, surface obscurely punctate, dull.

Male. Body length: 9–10 mm (Fig. 6 A ). Head: Dark, 1.1 times wider than long (Fig. 6 B ). Clypeus domed to slightly flattened medially, densely punctate, punctures predominantly separated by 0.5 puncture diameters, slightly sparser medially with hints of impunctate longitudinal midline; underling surface shagreened basally to weakly shining medially and apically. Process of labrum trapezoidal, slightly broader than long, surface polished and shining. Galea with outer surface finely shagreened, weakly shining (Fig. 6 C ). Mouthparts moderately long, approaching ½ length of head. Maxillary palps with 6 segments, labial palps with 4 segments; segments of labial palpi slightly elongate. Mandibular palpi with segments of approximately equal length, segment 2 1.2 times length of other segments. Mandibles elongate, strongly crossing apically, with strong inner subapical tooth. Gena broad, almost twice width of compound eye, posterior margin rounded; ocelloccipital distance 1.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus (Fig. 6 D ). Head with mixture of light and dark hairs, face medially with greyish hairs on supraclypeal area, paraocular areas, scape, and around antennal insertions, hairs becoming black on clypeus and inner margins of compound eyes; gena and vertex with intermixed light brown and black hairs, longest hairs exceeding length of scape. Antennae basally dark, A 4–13 ventrally uniformly lightened by presence of grey scales; A 3 exceeding A 4, shorter than A 4 + 5, A 4 only slightly longer than broad, A 5–13 rectangular, clearly longer than broad.

Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum microreticulate, dull, obscurely punctate with punctures disappearing into the underlying sculpture. Pronotum with strong humeral angle. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum finely microreticulate, overlain with network of fine reticulation forming pattern of areolate hair-bearing pseudo-crater punctures, surface dull. Propodeal triangle narrow, poorly defined, lacking areolate pseudopunctures but otherwise almost indistinguishable from dorsolateral parts of propodeum. Mesosoma covered with very long golden-brown hairs, hairs intermixed with black on mesepisternum. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened orange-brown, pubescence light brown to brownish. Hind tarsal claws with inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma dark brown, venation orange-brown, nervulus interstitial.

Metasoma: Tergal discs dark, apical margins obscurely lightened brownish (Fig. 6 E ). Tergal discs shagreened to finely microreticulate, weakly shining, sculpture reduced on tergal margins, slightly more brightly shining; surface with fine punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, somewhat disappearing into underlying sculpture. Terga covered in loose light brown hairs, not obscuring underlying surface, T 2–4 laterally with very weak apical hair fringes, broadly interrupted medially. T 6–7 with dark brown hairs. S 8 columnar, apically truncate, ventral surface covered with fan of dark brown hairs. Genital capsule with gonocoxae produced into broad rounded apical teeth, gonostyli basally slightly constricted before strongly broadening, forming rectangular spatulate blades (Fig. 6 F ). Penis vales basally broadened with lateral hyaline extensions, occupying majority of the space between the penis valves.

Diagnosis.

For females, the character of facial foveae dorsally narrow, occupying at most ⅓ of space between lateral ocellus and compound eye, and then strongly narrowing strongly ventrally in combination with the lack of other distinctive characters allows placement into Group L (subgenus Euandrena Hedicke, 1933 ) in the key of Wood (2023). The head is relatively rounded (only 1.1 times wider than long), but the mouthparts do not even approach twice the length of the head (at most ½ the length of the head), excluding A. solenopalpa Benoist, 1945 , and the clypeus has only a narrow and poorly-defined impunctate longitudinal midline, not a broad and raised shining impunctate longitudinal midline as in A. symphyti Schmiedeknecht, 1883 . The clypeal mid-line is also not impressed and the pronotum lacks a clear humeral angle, excluding the angustior - group (couplet 155), and the terga are finely punctate (excluding A. fortipunctata Wood, 2021 ).

This brings the species to couplet 157 of the female key at which point a diagnosis against all remaining Euandrena species is necessary. It is not part of the bicolor - group (couplets 160 + 161) as the facial pubescence is a mixture of black and golden-brown hairs and the mesepisternum is entirely covered with brown hairs), it is neither A. granulosa Pérez, 1902 or A. vulpecula Kriechbaumer, 1873 because the tergal margins only have their apical rim narrowly lightened hyaline-yellow to whitish (Fig. 5 D ) and the clypeus medially weakly shagreened and more or less shining with clearly visible punctures (Fig. 5 B ; tergal margins broadly lightened with this lightened area clearly exceeding the diameter of an ocellus and clypeus largely shagreened with punctures disappearing into the underlying sculpture in A. granulosa and A. vulpecula , Fig. 5 E – F ), and it is not A. rufula Schmiedeknecht, 1884 because the head is 1.15 times longer than wide and the surface of the clypeus is medially weakly shagreened and more or less shining (Fig. 5 B ; in A. rufula with the head 1.25 times wider than long and with the surface of the clypeus more strongly shagreened, shining only along its apical margin, Fig. 5 G ), and the tergal margins have a distinct hyaline rim (Fig. 5 D ; in A. rufula with the tergal margins showing at most an obscure brownish rim, Fig. 5 H ). Andrena rufula is also known in Iberia only from the Pyrenees, and hence the Sierra de Cazorla is widely separated geographically.

This places it extremely close to the newly described Andrena rostro (see below). Whilst the males are clearly distinct, females exhibit the same relatively rounded face (only 1.1–1.15 times wider than long) and pubescence pattern. Care must be taken to separate the two species, and comparative material is essential; Andrena officinalis can be recognised due to the tergal margins which are slightly but distinctly impressed, almost forming a step-like junction on T 2 (in A. rostro with the tergal margins weakly depressed, not forming such a junction on T 2), scutum medially with punctures shallow but distinctly produced against the underlying granular microreticulation, with the scutum itself weakly shining (in A. rostro with the scutal punctures medially shallow and poorly defined, disappearing into the dull granular microreticulation), discs of T 2–4 with very weak microsculpture, almost polished and shining (in A. rostro with the discs of T 2–4 with faint microsculpture, enough that they are not polished and shining), marginal areas of T 2–4 laterally with long messy apical hair fringes of hairs which clearly extend over the marginal areas and onto the disc of the following tergum (Fig. 5 D ; in A. rostro with T 2–4 laterally with much shorter and tighter, only barely extending onto the disc of the following tergum, Fig. 7 D ), and the hyaline rims of the terga slightly exceed the diameter of an ocellus in breadth (Fig. 5 D ; in A. rostro with the hyaline-lightened marginal rim of the terga subequal to the diameter of an ocellus in breadth, Fig. 7 D ). These characters are very subtle, and so association with concurrently active males should be made.

In the male sex, due to the mandibles elongate, sickle-like, and strongly crossing apically, strong pronotal angle, and gena broadened, exceeding the diameter of the compound eye (Fig. 6 D ), this species keys to Group K in the male key of Wood (2023). Within this group, the elongate A 3 (exceeding the length of A 4), bidentate mandible, intermixed light and dark facial pubescence, moderate body size of 9 mm, and genital capsule without strongly projecting gonocoxal teeth (Fig. 6 F ) places it at couplet 158 (i. e. not continuing to subgenus Andrena s. str.) and next to A. lavandulae Pérez, 1895 .

The two species are superficially close, but can be separated principally by the clypeus, the tergal margins, and the genital capsule. Andrena officinalis has the clypeus in frontal view elongate, ventrally extending far belong a line drawn between the lower margins of the compound eyes, the overall shape of the head therefore elongate, 1.15 times wider than long (in A. lavandulae with the clypeus apically truncate, only slightly extending belong a line drawn between the lower margins of the compound eyes, the overall shape of the head therefore broader, 1.25 times wider than long), the tergal margins are mostly dark with the apical rim obscurely lightened hyaline-white (in A. lavandulae with the tergal margins with their apical rim narrowly but conspicuously lightened hyaline-brown), and the genital capsule has the gonocoxal teeth broadly rounded and produced, the gonostyli are basally slightly constricted before strongly broadening to form flattened more-or-less rectangular spatulate apexes, and the penis valves are basally broadened with lateral hyaline extensions, occupying the majority of the space between the penis valves (in A. lavandulae with the gonocoxae apically truncate and not forming teeth, the gonostyli narrow and not apically expanded or spatulate, and the penis valves narrow and more-or-less parallel sided).

Genetically, a 658 bp sequence from the COI gene was generated. This was separated from A. lavandulae sequences by an average of 10.03 % (range 9.88–10.33 %), and from A. angustior by 4.22 % (range 3.95–4.45 %). The closest sequence was an A. angustior from the Sistema Central (Sierra de Alto Rey, Guadalajara province; IBIHM 1039-22; Wood et al. 2024). Although A. officinalis does not key immediately adjacent to A. angustior and can easily be separated due to the lack of the distinctively depressed margin of T 2 in both sexes, the barcode result suggests that A. officinalis is an isolated lineage separated from populations of A. angustior which are restricted in Iberia to regions with a temperate climate.

Biology.

Andrena officinalis is strongly associated with Rosmarinus officinalis L. ( Lamiaceae ). All males have been collected from R. officinalis ( N = 6), as well as most females ( N = 4). One additional female has been collected from Aquilegia vulgaris ( Ranunculaceae ). Based on current knowledge, no Andrena species globally is known to be specialised for pollen collection on the family Lamiaceae ; in an analysis of global bee pollen diets, Andrena ( Oreomelissa) coitana (Kirby, 1802) was found to collect the most pollen from Lamiaceae of any Andrena species – a paltry 5.2 % ( Wood et al. 2023 a). In this context, A. officinalis is a potential candidate to investigate for Lamiaceae pollen use within Andrena .

Etymology.

Taken from the plant this species was captured foraging on, Rosmarinus officinalis ; this specific name is an adjective in the masculine / feminine nominative form (two-termination adjective) indicating that a species is of interest for its pharmacological properties. This is obviously not the case for this bee, but it is worthwhile to highlight its association with this member of the Lamiaceae family, since this is unusual in the genus Andrena .

Distribution.

Spain (Sierra de Cazorla).

Figures

Figure 5. Andrena (Euandrena) officinalis Wood, sp. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Scutum, dorsal view; D. Terga, dorsal view; Andrena (Euandrena) vulpecula Kriechbaumer, 1873 female. E. Head, frontal view; F. Terga, dorsal view; Andrena (Euandrena) rufula Schmiedeknecht, 1884 female; G. Face, frontal view; H. Terga, dorsal view.

Figure 6. Andrena (Euandrena) officinalis Wood, sp. nov. male. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Galea and palpi, frontal view; D. Gena, lateral view; E. Terga, dorsal view; F. Genitalia, dorsal view.

Figure 7. Andrena (Euandrena) rostro Wood, sp. nov. female. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, lateral view; C. Head, frontal view; D. Terga, dorsal view.