Revisions to the Andrena fauna of north-western Africa with a focus on Morocco (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)
Author
Wood, Thomas James
text
European Journal of Taxonomy
2023
2023-12-21
916
1
1
85
https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/download/2381/10463
journal article
10.5852/ejt.2023.916.2381
2118-9773
10453460
0DC587F6-9DAA-4F6E-BA2A-AD528990BA24
Andrena
(
Aciandrena
)
nitidilabris
Pérez, 1895
Fig. 11
Andrena
(
Aciandrena
)
nitidilabris
Pérez, 1895: 46
,
♀
(
Tunisia
: MNHN).
Andrena
(
Graecandrena
)
montarca parva
Warncke, 1974: 45
,
♀
♂
(
Tunisia
: OÖLM).
Syn. nov.
Material examined
TUNISIA
•
♀
,
lectotype
of
A. nitidilabris
(
Fig. 11A–F
);
Kérouan
[
Kairouan
];
MNHN
•
♀
,
holotype
of
A. montarca parva
;
Gafsa
; 17 Mar. [year unknown];
OÖLM
.
Remarks
Inspection of the MNHN collection revealed that the
lectotype
of
A. nitidilabris
(
Fig. 11A–F
) was correctly designated by
Warncke (1967)
, but that the species was misinterpreted and later redescribed as
A. montarca parva
(type photographs at https://www.zobodat.at/belege.php). The
lectotype
of
A. nitidilabris
has the clypeus weakly but distinctively domed and weakly shagreened, therefore weakly shining (
Fig. 11C
); in
A. nitidilabris
auctorum the clypeus is strongly flattened and shagreened over the majority of its area (cf.
A. verticalis
Pérez, 1895
) and only becomes shiny at its apical margin. The taxon referred to as
A. nitidilabris
by Warncke is actually undescribed, and is newly described below as
A. pisantyi
sp. nov.
Fig. 11.
Andrena
(
Graecandrena
)
nitidilabris
Pérez, 1895
, lectotype, ♀ (MNHN).
A
. Label details.
B
. Lateral habitus.
C
. Face, frontal view.
D
. Scutum, dorsal view.
E
. Propodeum, dorsal view.
F
. Terga, dorsal view.
Warncke (1974)
described
A. montarca parva
from
Gafsa
in central
Tunisia
. He described it as a subspecies of
A.
(
Graecandrena
)
montarca
Warncke, 1975
(the difference in year priority is due to publication delays; see below for discussion and resolution of priority). This association was always morphologically tenuous –
Gusenleitner & Schwarz (2002)
noted the weak association of
A. montarca parva
with the other taxa in this grouping and argued that it deserved species status in future revisions due to the weaker terga bands (
Fig. 11F
), the more granular shagreen of the scutum (
Fig. 11D
), and the smoother and shinier clypeus (
Fig. 11C
). All of these characters clearly place it as the junior synonym of
A. nitidilabris
.
Kairouan
and
Gafsa
are approximately
180 km
apart, so this synonymy makes additional ecological sense.
Andrena nitidilabris
is placed in the subgenus
Aciandrena
based on its morphological features (e.g., the antefurcal nervulus of the forewing, the propodeal triangle with uniform granular shagreen and without basal rugae,
Fig. 11E
), particularly the simple male genital capsule. Additional genetic data are required to conclusively demonstrate its phylogenetic placement, as for
A. montarca
. From this point onwards,
A. nitidilabris
without qualification refers to the species in the correct sense;
A. nitidilabris
auctorum is used to refer to the taxon sensu Warncke.
Distribution
Algeria
and
Tunisia
(
Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002
, as
A. montarca parva
).