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Andrena verecunda Cresson, 1872
Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Andrenidae   Andrena
Subgenus: Callandrena_sensu_lato


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Overview
Reprinted with permission of the University of Nebraska State Museum from:
LaBerge, W. E. 1967. A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Part I. Callandrena (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae). Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum 7: 1-316.


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This is a large species of Callandrena known only from Texas. It is related to A. krigiana, as shown by the form of the antennae;, the dark male clypeus, the long maxillary palpi and other characters. It is the first of a series of closely related forms described below in which the males have entirely black clypei. The female of verecunda is marked by an incomplete propodeal corbicula consisting of long dorsal hairs, no anterior hairs and sparse internal hairs. Both sexes are marked by the high vertex and by the weak apical fasciae present on terga 2 through 4. The male is distinctive in having dense subapical fimbriae of moderately long hairs on sterna 2-5 and having sternum 6 strongly reflexed apically.

FEMALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 20; length, 13.5-15.0 mm; width, 3.5-4.0 mm; wing length, M = 4.24 ± 0.083 mm; FL/FW, M = 1.04 ± 0.006; FOVL/FOVW, M = 2.28 ± 0.039.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — Black except as follows: flagellar segments 4 or 5 to 10 red beneath; mandible dark rufescent; tegulae dark rufescent to piceous; wing membranes hyaline, colorless, veins dark red to black; tergal apices narrowly hyaline; sternal apices hyaline; distitarsi often dark rufescent.

STRUCTURE. — Antennae short, scape subequal to flagellar segments 1-4; flagellar segment 1 about equal to segments 2-4, segment 2 about equal in length to segment 4 and both slightly longer than segment 3. Eye about three and one-half times as long as broad, inner margins parallel or converging slightly towards vertex. Malar space linear. Mandible moderately long, outer mandible extends about one-fourth its length beyond middle of labrum in repose; subgenal coronet well developed; ventrobasal angle not developed. Galea evenly rounded from dorsum to side, lateral portion about half as broad as upper; dulled by fine reticular shagreening, impunctate. Maxillary palpus moderately long, extending forward to surpass galea by slightly more than length of last segment, segmental ratio about 1.1:1.5:1.0:0.9:0.7:1.0. Labial palpus with first segment long, curved, flattened and broadened near apex, segmental ratio of about 1.4:1.0:0.6:0.6. Labral process normal in size, trapezoidal, emarginate medially, bidentate but not sharply so. Clypeus flat, extending beyond tips of compound eyes by no more than one-thud its length; moderately shiny, especially apicomedially, with coarse round punctures separated mostly by half a puncture width or less, shagreening fine, irregular, denser peripherally. Supraclypeal area with small round crowded punctures. Genal area in profile slightly less broad than eye, with minute to small round punctures separated mostly by half a puncture width or less, slightly sparser posteriorly, surface shiny. Vertex above lateral ocellus equals one and one-third to one and one-half an ocellar diameter, with small round crowded punctures above compound eyes and in narrow band above facial fovea, surface dulled by dense tessellation. Face above antennal fossae with distinct small contiguous punctures, rugulae absent or extremely weak. Facial fovea short, extends down to level about at middle of antennal fossa, narrow below, broad and flattened above, separated from lateral ocellus by two-thirds of an ocellar diameter or more.

Pronotum normal, dulled by fine reticular shagreening. Mesoscutum dull, with small round punctures separated by half a puncture width peripherally and by about one puncture width posteromedially, surface finely tessellate; parapsidal lines as long as from upper end of line to margin of scutum. Tegulae normal. Scutellum sculptured as in mesoscutum but punctures denser and surface moderately shiny. Propodeum with enclosure densely and regularly tessellate, opaque; dorsolateral and posterior surfaces with small, well-separated, shallow punctures made obscure by dense tessellation; corbicular surfaces moderately shiny, with coarse reticular shagreening, sparse small punctures dorsally. Mesepisternum sculptured as in mesoscutum but punctures obscure, slightly larger and shallower. Metepisternum sculptured as in corbicular area. Wings with three submarginal cells; vein 1st m-cu meets second submarginal cell near middle of cell; second submarginal cell along posterior margin about half as long as first submarginal cell, along dorsal margin short but distinctly longer than vein r from pterostigma to second cell; pterostigma long, narrower than from inner margin prestigma to wing margin. Middle basitarsus narrower than hind, parallel-sided, anterior apical angle not produced. Claws and tibial spurs normal.

Metasomal terga shiny, unshagreened or weakly so; tergum 1 with small sparse punctures separated throughout by 2 to 4 puncture widths; terga 2-4 with punctures crowded, separated mostly by one puncture width or slightly more. Pygidial plate V-shaped with rounded apex. Sterna 2-5 impunctate in apical areas, basal areas with small round punctures separated mostly by two or more puncture widths, crowded in narrow zone near impunctate apical area; surfaces moderately dulled by coarse reticular shagreening.

VESTITURE. — Generally white to cinereous. Tergum 1 with long sparse hairs basally and apical area with long decumbent sparse hairs forming an ill-defined band often interrupted medially. Terga 2-4 with basal areas with short erect terns, tergal areas with weak apical fasciae of long sparse decumbent hairs often narrowly interrupted on tergum 2. Terga 5 and 6 with long pale hairs often golden or ochraceous medially. Sterna 2-5 with short suberect hairs basally and long plumose hairs forming a single row subapically, these shorter medially. Propodeal corbicula incomplete, no anterior hairs, dorsal hairs long, internal hairs absent except a few to several long hairs in upper half. Trochanteral flocculus complete but weak. Tibial scopal hairs plumose throughout, of normal length. Inner surfaces tarsi golden yellow; tibial plate with brown hairs and scopa washed with brown posteriorly.

MALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 17; length, 12.5-13.5i mm; width, 3.0-3.5 mm; wing length, M = 4.00 ± 0.102 mm; FL/FW, M = 1.07 ± 0.007; FSI/TS2, M = 2.94 ± 0.150.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — black except as follows: mandibles dark rufescent; flagellar segments 4 or 5 to 11 dark led below; tegulae dark rufescent to piceous; wing membranes hyaline, veins dark red to black; terga 2-5 often extremely narrowly hyaline apically; sterna 2-5 hyaline apically; distitarsi often rufescent.

STRUCTURE. — Antennae short, in repose just reaching middle of tegulae; scape equal in length to segments 1-1 or slightly longer; flagellar segment 1 equal in length to segments 2-4, segments 2-4 subequal in length and shorter than 5, segments 5-10 rectangular or broader than long. Eye about one and one-foul ill as long as broad, inner margins converging towards mandibles. Malar space, mandibles and galeae as in female. Maxillary palpus as in female but ratio about 1.0:1.1:1.0:0.9:0.7:0.8. Labial palpus as in female but ratio about 1.5:1.0:0.7:0.7. Labrum, clypeus, supraclypeal area, genal area, vertex and face above antennal fossae as in female.

Thoracic and metasomal sculpturing as in female except as follows: lateral propodeal surfaces similar to posterior surface; tergum 1 with apical area punctures separated mostly by two puncture widths, slightly denser than basal area; terga 2-4 with basal area punctures sparser than in female, separated mostly by one to two puncture widths, apical area with punctures denser, separated by one puncture width 01 less; sterna 2-5 shinier, shagreening weak. Wing veins and pterostigma as in female. Claws and tibial spurs normal. Sternum 6 strongly reflexed apically, especially apicolaterally where margin is thick and well sclerotized, medially with broad shallow V-shaped emargination.

Genitalia and sterna 7 and 8 as figured (Figs. 164-168). Note the following structure: gonoforceps rattier abruptly pointed in outer third; penis valves relatively narrow at tips, with well-developed basolateral lamellae; sternum 7 with apex small, with V-shaped median emargination; sternum 8 with apex broadened, truncate, neck region long, broad and not expanded medially.

VESTITURE. — Generally white to ochraceous. Terga 2-5 with banding as in female terga 2-4. Sterna 2-5 with dense subapical fimbriae of moderately long white suberect hairs. Inner surfaces tarsi pale yellow.

TYPE MATERIAL. — The female lectotype of verecunda is from Texas (PANS No. 2162). This type is a stylopized female and, therefore, not perfectly normal in its scopal characteristics. Two females from Texas identified as verecunda by Cresson and probably paratypes confirm the use of this name for the species described here.

DISTRIBUTION. — Known only from eastern Texas, A. verecunda has been collected from April 3rd through May 31st (one specimen is labeled, "June"). In addition to the lectotype, 25 females and 22 males have been examined from the localities listed below.

TEXAS: Austin; Eldorado; Galveston; Harper; Henly; Kerrville; New Braunfels; San Antonio.

FLORAL RECORDS. — Nothing can be said at this time concerning the floral preferences of A. verecunda save that it seems to prefer plants of the family Compositae. It has been collected from the following plants: Englemannia bipinnatifida (1 collection, 1 female), Gaillardia sp. (1 collection, 1 male), Pyrrhopappus carolinianus (1 collection, 6 females, 11 males), Sitilias (= Pyrrhopappus) grandiflora (3 collections, 3 females, 1 male).

Names
Scientific source:

References
Andrena verecunda Cresson, 1872, Transactions of the American Entomological Society, vol. 4, p. 257; 1916, Memoirs of the Amer. Entomological Society, vol. 1, p. 109.

Andrena (Pterandrena) verecunda; Lanham, 1949, University of California Publications in Entomology, vol. 8, p. 200.

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Updated: 2024-03-28 12:36:10 gmt
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