Andrena (Notandrena) taurus Wood 2023, spec. nov.

Andrena (Notandrena) taurus spec. nov.

HOLOTYPE: TURKEY: Abanoz (Rte Anamur Kazenci), 1200 m, Taurus, 10.v.1991, 1♀, leg. H. Teunissen, RMNH.

PARATYPE: TURKEY: Akseki / Taurus, 1100 m, 7.v.1991, 1♁, leg. H. Teunissen, RMNH.

Description: Female: Body length: 7 mm (Figure 21A). Dark, 1.3 times wider than long (Figure 21B). Clypeus flattened over majority of disc, medially with slight but distinct longitudinal impression. Clypeus punctured with large punctures, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters with exception of clear longitudinal impunctate midline; underlying surface evenly shagreened, very weakly shining. Process of labrum wide, more or less trapezoidal, with rounded corners, 3 times wider than long. Gena very slightly exceeding width of compound eye; ocelloccipital distance subequal to 1 diameter of lateral ocellus. Foveae dorsally occupying one third of space between lateral ocellus and compound eye, slightly narrowed ventrally at level of antennal insertions; filled with light brownish hairs. Face, gena, vertex, and scape covered with moderately long golden-brown subtly plumose hairs, none equalling length of scape.Antennae basally dark, A5–12 ventrally lightened orange; A3 exceeding A4+5, shorter than A4+5+6. Mesosoma: Scutum and scutellum irregularly punctate with shallow punctures, punctures touching to separated by 2 puncture diameters, underlying surface granularly shagreened, weakly shining (Figure 21C). Pronotum with weak humeral angle. Mesepisternum and dorsolateral parts of propodeum microreticulate, microreticulation overlain by network of weakly raised reticulation; propodeal triangle poorly defined laterally, basally with short raised rugae, remaining surface with granular shagreen, lacking network of raised reticulation, thus differentiated from dorsolateral parts of propodeum. Mesepisternum with long light brownish subtly plumose hairs, none equalling length of scape, scutum and scutellum with shorter golden-brown hairs; propodeal corbicula incomplete, composed of sparse weakly plumose golden-brown hairs, internal surface with occasional simple hairs. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened orange-brown; flocculus very sparse, flocculus and femoral and tibial scopa light brown; remaining leg pubescence whitish-golden. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus interstitial. Metasoma: Terga dark, marginal areas lightened dark brown with yellow-hyaline apical rim (Figure 21D). Terga densely microreticulate, with obscure punctures that disappear into microreticulation, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters on discs and marginal areas. T1 laterally with weak fringe of loose long yellowish hairs, T2–4 with dense apical fringes of shorter yellowish hairs obscuring underlying surface, weakly interrupted medially on T2. Apical fringe of T5 and hairs flanking pygidial plate golden, pygidial plate large, evenly rounded apically, internal surface slightly depressed, surface with large granular shagreen, weakly shining.

Male: Body length: 8 mm (Figure 22A). Head: Dark, 1.4 times wider than long (Figure 22B). Clypeus dark basally and laterally, apical half yellow marked. Clypeus flattened over majority of disc, with shallow punctures, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, underlying surface shagreened, weakly shining. Process of labrum trapezoidal, twice as wide as long, apical margin truncate. Gena 1.5 times wider than width of compound eye, posterior margin angulate but not carinate (Figure 22C), ocelloccipital distance equalling 1.5 times diameter of lateral ocellus. Face, gena, vertex, and scape covered with long whitish hairs, none equalling length of scape. Antennae basally dark, A4–13 ventrally lightened ventrally by presence of grey-brownish scales; A3 subequal to A4+5, A4 more or less quadrate, shorter than A5. Mesosoma: Scutum densely microreticulate, with obscure shallow punctures disappearing into microreticulation, punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters; underlying surface dull over majority of area, becoming weakly shining medially (Figure 22D). Scutellum more or less impunctate medially, laterally shagreened and weakly shining. Pronotum with strongly pronounced humeral angle, with deep vertical furrow, surface of furrow more or less polished and shining. Mesepisternum and propodeum as in female. Mesosoma with long whitish hairs, many clearly exceeding length of scape. Legs dark, apical tarsal segments lightened orange-brown, pubescence whitish-golden. Hind tarsal claws with strong inner tooth. Wings hyaline, stigma and venation orange, nervulus weakly antefurcal. Metasoma: Terga dark, marginal areas lightened dark brown with yellow-hyaline apical rim (Figure 22E). Terga shagreened, with obscure scattered punctures that disappear into shagreenation, punctures separated by 2–3 puncture diameters. Terga with moderate long scattered upstanding whitish hairs, T2–4 laterally with very sparse apical hair fringes, not obscuring underlying surface. S8 medially narrow, strongly broadened apically, apex truncate; underlying surface covered with dense whitish hairs. Genital capsule somewhat elongate, gonocoxae apically produced into long, more or less rounded teeth, gonostyli narrow medially, apically spatulate with strongly raised internal margin (Figure 22F). Penis valves basally moderately broad, occupying half space between gonostyli, somewhat bulbous, apically narrowing strongly.

Diagnosis: Andrena taurus can be recognised as a Notandrena due to the comparatively short and broad head (Figures 21B, 22B), the pronotum with a humeral angle (much stronger in the male), the broad male gena (Figure 22C, broader than the width of the compound eye), the male genital capsule with penis valves narrowing apically (Figure 22D), and the partially yellow marked clypeus (Figure 22B, not always diagnostic for Notandrena). The species is not quite typical for Notandrena as the terga are obscurely punctate (Figures 21D, 22E), with what scattered punctures are present disappearing into the abundant microreticulation present on the terga. However, the male morphology convincingly places the taxon in this subgenus, though the apex of the male clypeus does not have an upturned margin, as is found in more typical Notandrena species.

Andrena taurus can be separated from all other non-metallic Notandrena (the former Notandrena s. str., see Pisanty et al. 2022b) by the flattened clypeus (clearly domed in all other species) combined with the densely microreticulate and at most obscurely punctate terga (with clear punctures in other species). The male could additionally be compared to A. langadensis Warncke, 1965 but the body size is smaller (9 mm in A. langadensis) and the gonocoxae are produced into long, rounded apical teeth (without such teeth in A. langadensis). Finally, the female is superficially similar to A. discordia (which can be found with A. taurus in sympatry in the Taurus mountains) due to the impunctate terga, whitish tergal hairbands, and brownish hairs on the scutum and scutellum. However, A. discordia has the clypeus clearly domed, whereas it is flattened in A. taurus.

Etymology: Named after the Taurus mountains. It is a noun in apposition.

Distribution: South-western Turkey (Taurus mountains).