An update and revision of the Andrena fauna of Morocco (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Andrenidae) with the description of eleven new North African species
Author
Wood, Thomas James
Laboratoire de Zoologie, Universite de Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5653-224X
thomasjames.wood@umons.ac.be
Author
Michez, Denis
Laboratoire de Zoologie, Universite de Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-1838
Author
Cejas, Diego
Laboratoire de Zoologie, Universite de Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium
Author
Lhomme, Patrick
Laboratoire de Zoologie, Universite de Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium & International Center of Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Rabat, Morocco
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6735-9104
Author
Rasmont, Pierre
Laboratoire de Zoologie, Universite de Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium
text
ZooKeys
2020
974
31
92
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.974.54794
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.974.54794
1313-2970-974-31
9B8888660F074DECAE7B88DFB0A4621C
20CAFA6BA01359369DA3F27F90E22660
Andrena (Notandrena) fulvicornis Schenck, 1853
Material examined.
Morocco: Souss-Massa, 10 km S Taroudant, 12.iv.1995, 1♀, leg. Mi. Halada,
OOELM
;
Tangier-Tetouan-Al
Hoceima, 3 km Wm Bni Hadifa, 800 m, 15.v.1995, 1♀, leg.
Assmuth
, Sanetra & Schulz,
OOELM
;
Fes-Meknes
, 5 km SE Azrou, 31.v.1995, 2♂, leg. Ma. Halada,
OOELM
;
Draa-Tafilalet
, Ait sais, 23-26.v.2019, 5♀, leg. O. Ihsane, Y. Bencharki, UMONS;
Beni
Mellal-Khenifra
, Aoulou env., 17.v.1997, 1♀, leg. J. Halada,
OOELM
;
Fes-Meknes
, Bhalil, 10 km NW Sefrou, 28.v.1995, 12♂, 24♀, leg. Ma. Halada,
OOELM
;
Rabat-Sale-Kenitra
, Bouknadel, 28.v.2019, 4♀, leg. I. El Abdouni & P. Lhomme, UMONS;
Fes-Meknes
, Fes, 23.v.1930, 1♂, leg. Werner,
OOELM
;
Rabat-Sale-Kenitra
, Haddada, 12.vi.2018, 1♀; 8.iv-3.vi.2019, 2♀, leg. I. El Abdouni, P. Lhomme & A. Sentil, UMONS;
Fes-Meknes
, Ifrane, 1670 m, 11.v.2015, 1♀; leg. K.
Denes
,
OOELM
;
Rabat-Sale-Kenitra
, Kenitra, 22.vi.1987, 1♂, leg. M. Schwarz, MSC;
Fes-Meknes
, Laanoucer, 15.v.2018, 1♂, leg. P. Lhomme & O. Ihsane, UMONS; Lot Journu, Abjelil, 8.v.1997, 1♂, leg. P.
Prudek
,
OOELM
; Casablanca-Settat, Mzamza Janoubia, 6-31.v.2019, 12♂, 15♀, leg. A. Sentil, UMONS;
Draa-Tafilalet
, Mzizl, 22.v.2019, 1♀, leg. O. Ihsane & Y. Bencharki, UMONS;
Fes-Meknes
, Oued Sebou, riv, near El-Menzel, 24-27.v.1999, 1♂, 30♀, leg. P. & V.
Prudek
,
OOELM
; Casablanca-Settat, Oueled Sghir, 23.ii-20.vi.2018, 1♂, 2♀, 10.iii-29.vi.2019, 7♂, 10♀, leg. A. Sentil, I. El Abdouni & M. Chokri, UMONS;
Draa-Tafilalet
, Sidi Boukil, 24.iv-22.v.2019, 1♂, 18♀, leg. O. Ihsane & Y. Bencharki, UMONS;
Draa-Tafilalet
, Tabia, 24.v.2019, 3♀, O. Ihsane & Y. Bencharki, UMONS;
Fes-Meknes
, Tazzeka N.P., Bab-Bou-Idir env., 28.v.1999, 1♀, leg. P.
Prudek
,
OOELM
.
Distribution and remarks.
Andrena fulvicornis
was described by Schenck in the same publication as
A. nitidiuscula
(
Schenck 1853
).
Warncke (1967)
considered the two to be synonymous under the name
A. nitidiuscula nitidiuscula
(though without formal synonymy, see
Schmid-Egger and Doczkal 1995
), the name for European populations and as separated from
A. nitidiuscula nigellata
Perez
, 1895 found in North Africa and the Near East (
Warncke 1967
; see map in
Gusenleitner and Schwarz 2002
), and this position persisted in future publications (
Schmid-Egger and Doczkal 1995
).
Schmid-Egger and Doczkal (1995)
resurrected the name
A. fulvicornis
as valid on the basis of morphological differences, specifically the strength of the depressed line on the anterior part of the scutum, the density and position of punctures on the scutellum, and the colour of the hind basitarsi. There are also ecological differences, as in southern Germany
A. fulvicornis
is bivoltine whereas
nitidiuscula
is univoltine and flies only in the summer. This differentiation is also supported by more recent genetic work (
Benon and Praz 2016
). Whilst this distinction was clarified in central Europe, it has not yet been applied across the Mediterranean where the broader concept of
Warncke (1967)
has been followed in the absence of revisionary work.
At Linz, all examined material in the Warncke Collection from Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, and Tunisia (variably identified by Warncke as
A. nitidiuscula
or
A. nitidiuscula nigellata
depending on sampling location) conformed to
Andrena fulvicornis
sensu
Schmid-Egger and Doczkal. Overall, examination of 273 specimens of this species pair from Iberia and North Africa revealed 272
A. fulvicornis
[Algeria (2), Egypt (1), Morocco (161), Portugal (57), Spain (16), Tunisia (35)] and a single specimen of
A. nitidiuscula
from Portugal (
Wood et al. 2020a
). On this basis,
A. nitidiuscula
is removed from the Moroccan list and replaced by
A. fulvicornis
.
The identity of taxa from this complex described from North Africa previously considered as
A. nitidiuscula nigellata
sensu
Warncke (1967)
need to be investigated, specifically
A. nigellata
[Algeria],
A. rostellata
Perez
, 1903 [Algeria],
A. rubrosignata
Saunders, 1908 [Algeria], and
A. lucens var. algira
Friese, 1922 [Tunisia]. Based on the North African material examined to date, it is likely that they conform to
A. fulvicornis
, but this must be confirmed by type examination. The status of other names
currently
in synonymy with
A. nitidiuscula
described from parts of southern Europe including Italy (
Andrena gascheti
Perez
, 1903), Spain (
Andrena divergens
Perez
, 1903), and southern France (
Andrena petroselini
Perez
, 1903, see
Gusenleitner and Schwarz 2002
) needs to be assessed as they could potentially refer to either
A. nitidiuscula
or
A. fulvicornis
.
Andrena franconica
[Southwestern France] Stoeckhert, 1922 and
A. petroselini
were considered by
Stoeckhert (1930)
to be synonymous with
A. fulvicornis
.
True
A. nitidiuscula
is almost certainly absent from North Africa, and indeed may be rare in hot areas of Mediterranean Europe, being restricted to areas with a cooler microclimate such as the coastline of northern Portugal (
Wood et al. 2020a
). There is likely to be broad overlap between the two taxa from southern Germany (
Schmid-Egger and Doczkal 1995
) to Iberia (
Wood et al. 2020a
) and probably other areas of southern Europe, though
A. fulvicornis
is probably rare in cooler areas such as Switzerland (
Benon and Praz 2016
). In northern Europe it is highly likely that only
A. nitidiuscula
is present, with no bivoltine behaviour in this species group ever observed in Britain for example (
Else and Edwards 2018
).
Other material examined.
Senckenberg, Frankfurt (
Andrena fulvicornis
):
no collection details
, 1♀ (Neotype, designated Schwenninger 2012); (
Andrena nitidiuscula
):
no collection details
, 1♀ (Lectotype, designated Schwenninger 2013); Warncke Collection,
OOELM
(all conforming to
Andrena fulvicornis
): Algeria: Algiers, 2.v.1913, 1♀; Oran, 1895, 1♂, leg. Schmiedeknecht; Egypt: Kerdasa [Kirdasah], 19.v.1929, 1♂, leg. H. Priesner; Portugal: Carcavelos, 13.vi.1953, 1♀, leg. N.F.
d'Andrade
;
Evora
, 3.vii.1953, 1♀, leg. N.F.
d'Andrade
; Sintra, 31.v.1953, ♀, leg. N.F.
d'Andrade
; Spain: Aranjuez, 26.v.1912, 1♀, leg. Dusmet; Huesca, Benasque, 12.vii.1907, 1♀; Segovia, Madrona, 30.vii.1968, 1♀, leg. K. Warncke; Sierra de Arecena, Rio Odiel dei Calanas, 25.iv.1981, 1♀, M.
Kuehbander
; Tunisia: Tunis, 1898, 1♂, leg. Schmiedeknecht; other collections (
Andrena fulvicornis
): Tunisia: 30 km N Gabes, 10.iv.1994, 33♀, leg. M. Schwarz, M. Schwarz Colln.; Zana, 6.iv.1965, 1♀, leg. R.T. Simon Thomas, NMNL, ZMA.INS.5087405