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Andrena mellea Cresson, 1868
Andrena (Schizandrena) mellea Cresson, 1868

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Andrenidae   Andrena
Subgenus: Plastandrena

Andrena mellea, Barcode in Life Data Systems
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Andrena mellea, Barcode in Life Data Systems

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Andrena mellea
© Copyright John Ascher, 2006-2014 · 0
Andrena mellea
Overview
Reprinted with permission of the American Entomological Society from: LaBerge, W. E. 1969. A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Part II. Plastandrena, Aporandrena, Charitandrena. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 95: 1-47.

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This beautiful southwestern species is related to A. argemonis, although not closely. The female can be separated from that of argemonis by the weak posteroventral carina on the hind femur and by the mesepisterna having a mixture of two distinct sizes of punctures. The male of mellea can be separated from that of argemonis by the orange clypeus and the smaller opening for the terminalia. Both sexes are distinctive in the amount of red integument and in the appressed pale pubescence masking of the last three or four terga.

FEMALE, MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 20; length, 12.5-14.0 mm; width. 3.0-4.5 mm; wing length, M = 5.42 ± 0.126 mm; FL/FW, M = 0.97 ± 0.004; FOVL/FOVW, M = 3.43 ± 0.048.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — Black except as follows: mandibles, clypeus, usually supraclypeal area, occasionally subantennal areas, often posterior half or more of genal area, scape, first 1 to 2 flagellar segments orange to red; pronotum, anterior part of mesoscutum to entire mesoscutum, most to all of scutellum, often dorsal enclosure of propodeum orange to red; tegulae testaceous; wing membranes hyaline, but fore wing deeply infumate, especially in anterior half and apically, veins dark blackish-brown but costal vein, prestigma and pterostigma rufescent; terga usually banded with black in basal areas but first tergum entirely red; sterna red; legs red except coxae.

STRUCTURE. — Scape equal in length to first three and one-half flagellar segments or slightly less; flagellar segment 1 equal to or slightly longer than segments 2 plus 3, segment 2 shorter than 3 and 3 shorter than 4. Eye, malar space, mandible and galea as in crataegi. Maxillary palpus as in crataegi but segmental ratio about 0.8: 1.0: 0.8: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7. Labial palpus as in crataegi but segmental ratio about 1.0: 0.6: 0.3: 0.4. Labral process as in crataegi but labrum below process without distinct crista, dulled by reticular shagreening and sparse punctures. Clypeus as in crataegi but without median impunctate line, shagreening absent peripherally but sparse, coarse, transverse shagreening occasionally present in posterior half but scarcely dulling surface. Supraclypeal area with crowded round punctures, moderately shiny. Genal area as in crataegi but punctures sparser near eye.

Vertex above lateral ocellus equals about one ocellar diameter, vertex as in crataegi. Face above antennal fossae and facial fovea as in crataegi, pronotum normal, with scattered punctures and reticular shagreening dulling surface. Mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with crowded round punctures separated mostly by half a puncture width or less (more crowded on metanotum), scarcely at all sparser medially on mesoscutum, surfaces shiny, unshagreened. Propodeum with dorsal enclosure rather coarsely reticulorugulate, dorsal surface set-off from posterior surface with one or two distinct transverse rugulae; dorsolateral and posterior areas moderately finely rugatulopunctate; corbicular area finely rugulose, sparsely punctate, dulled by fine tessellation. Mesepisternum with two distinct sizes of punctures, one about twice diameter of the other; interpunctural spaces equal one-half to two times diameter of smaller punctures, moderately shiny, reticularly shagreened. Metepisternum reticularly shagreened, finely punctate in upper third. Hind femur with weak ridge leaving posterior tibiofemoral articulation and running basad nearly to trochanter, however, not carinate as in crataegi and occasionally almost completely obliterated. Pterostigma slender, not as broad as from inner margin prestigma to wing margin; vein 1st m-cu meets second submarginal cell near or before middle of cell.

Metasomal terga 1-5 with apical areas and extreme bases (except in 1) deeply impressed, with crowded round punctures separated mostly by half a puncture width or less, slightly larger in basal area of tergum 1 than elsewhere and smallest in apical areas of terga 2-5; surfaces moderately dulled by reticular shagreening. Pygidial plate V-shaped, with raised internal triangle but this not sharply distinguished. Sterna as in crataegi.

VESTITURE. — Generally ochraceous, often somewhat darker on vertex of head and thoracic dorsum and golden on terga; inner surfaces tarsi yellow. Dorsum of thorax with hairs extremely short and appressed, mesoscutum and scutellum almost glabrous medially. Terga 1-5 with distinct pale apical fasciae, but weak on tergum 1; terga 3 or 4 to 6 with basal areas; with surfaces almost completely hidden by appressed pale pubescence. Pollen-collecting hairs as in crataegi but propodeal corbicula with dorsal and posterior fringes unusually short.

MALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 20; length, 11-14 mm; width, 3-4 mm; wing length, M = 5.14 ± 0.174 mm; FL/FW, M = l.01 ± 0.007 FS1/FS2, M = 1.98 ± 0.028.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — Essentially identical with female but paler alternatives more usual.

STRUCTURE. — Antenna short, not surpassing tegulae in repose; scape equal in length to first two and one-half flagellar segments; flagellar segment not as long as 2 plus 3. 2 shorter than 3, 3-11 slightly longer than broad Bye, malar space, mandible and galea as in crataegi. Maxillary palpus a in crataegi but segmental ratio about 0.9: 1.0: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6. Labial palpus as in crataegi but segmental ratio about 1.0: 0.5: 0.4: 0.5. Labral process as in female but usually emarginate, apical area without crista, convex, punctate, shiny. Clypeus, supraclypeal area, genal area, vertex and face above antennal fossae as in female.

Thoracic sculpturing as in female except as follows: mesepisternum with large crowded round punctures separated mostly by half a puncture width or less, interpunctural spaces shiny; propodeum with lateral surfaces dulled by reticular shagreening. Wing venation as in female. Posterior femur without posteroventral ridge or carina.

Metasomal terga 1-6 sculptured and formed as in female terga 1-5. Sterna 2-5 with punctures sparser, separated mostly by 2 to 3 puncture widths, surfaces shiny, reticular shagreening extremely weak. Sternum 6 flat, shallowly emarginate, with opening for terminalia not conspicuously broad.

Terminalia as in figures 19-23. Note the following: gonobase very short; penis valves with tips broad in lateral area, with area surrounding aedeagal opening greatly expanded; sternum bidentate apically and with relatively long basal apodemes, hairs sparse; sternum 8 without expanded apex.

VESTITURE. — Generally as in female except as follows: clypeus with more abundant hair hiding surface; thoracic dorsum with hairs erect, often reddish, more abundant; terga 1-5 fasciate; terga 5 to 7 usually covered with short appressed pale hairs basally; sterna 3-5 without subapical fimbriae of long hairs; without pollen collecting hairs.

Names
Scientific source:

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Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Asteraceae  Baccharis glutinosa @ AMNH_BEE (1)
Fabaceae  Melilotus officinalis @ AMNH_BEE (5)
Polygonaceae  Eriogonum deflexum @ BMEC_ENT (4)

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Updated: 2024-03-29 08:24:11 gmt
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