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Andrena aliciae Robertson, 1891
Pterandrena aliciae (Robertson, 1891)

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Andrenidae   Andrena
Subgenus: Callandrena_sensu_lato



Andrena aliciae, -male, -back-1 2012-08-07-16.56.21
© Copyright source/photographer · 9
Andrena aliciae, -male, -back-1 2012-08-07-16.56.21

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Andrena aliciae, -male, -side 2012-08-07-17.34.40
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Andrena aliciae, -male, -side 2012-08-07-17.34.40
Andrena aliciae, female, face 2012-08-07-16.27.57
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Andrena aliciae, female, face 2012-08-07-16.27.57

Andrena aliciae, female, back1 2012-08-07-15.58
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Andrena aliciae, female, back1 2012-08-07-15.58
Andrena aliciae, female, back2 2012-08-07-16.12
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Andrena aliciae, female, back2 2012-08-07-16.12

Andrena aliciae, female, side 2012-08-07-16.43.46
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Andrena aliciae, female, side 2012-08-07-16.43.46
Andrena aliciae, male, back 2 2012-08-07-17.13
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Andrena aliciae, male, back 2 2012-08-07-17.13

Andrena aliciae, male, face 2012-08-07-17.25
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Andrena aliciae, male, face 2012-08-07-17.25
Andrena aliciae FEM comp
© Copyright Laurence Packer 2014 · 7
Andrena aliciae FEM comp

Andrena aliciae MALE mm x ZS PMax
© Copyright Laurence Packer 2014 · 7
Andrena aliciae MALE mm x ZS PMax
Andrena aliciae, f on Helianthus --
© Copyright Micheal Veit 2010 · 6
Andrena aliciae, f on Helianthus --

Andrena aliciae, m on Heliopsis -- Andrena aliciae, male
© Copyright Micheal Veit 2010 · 6
Andrena aliciae, m on Heliopsis -- Andrena aliciae, male
Andrena aliciae, m on Heliopsis -- Andrena aliciae, male
Michael Veit · 6
Andrena aliciae, m on Heliopsis -- Andrena aliciae, male

Andrena aliciae, figure24f
Mitchell, Bees of the Eastern United States, Vol. I, 1960 · 1
Andrena aliciae, figure24f
Andrena aliciae, figure25b
Mitchell, Bees of the Eastern United States, Vol. I, 1960 · 1
Andrena aliciae, figure25b

Andrena aliciae, male, genital armature
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Andrena aliciae, male, genital armature
Andrena aliciae, male, sternal plates 7 and 8
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Andrena aliciae, male, sternal plates 7 and 8

Andrena aliciae, female, bottom
© Copyright Nancy Adamson 2011 · 1
Andrena aliciae, female, bottom
Andrena aliciae, female, face
© Copyright Nancy Adamson 2011 · 1
Andrena aliciae, female, face

Andrena aliciae, female, front
© Copyright Nancy Adamson 2011 · 1
Andrena aliciae, female, front

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Identification Note: Males often have bright yellow markings on either side of the labrum ....the process is dark as is the center of the labrum. Some specimens are all dark, or only small marks. However, as far as we know, this is the only species of Andrena with some form of yellow marking on its labrum.
Andrena aliciae – Summer and fall mining bee that mainly uses Asteraceae. Female is noted for its yellow clypeus, short but broad labral process, , cheek slightly broader than width of eye in lateral view, shiny clypeus, and vertex one to 1.5 ocelli diameters. Male??

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.


Please report text errors to: leah at discoverlife dot org.

This common eastern species is quite distinctive and probably should constitute a group by itself. It is related to the accepta group by the yellow clypeus of the female, but the parocular areas of both sexes lack yellow maculae. It seems to be closely related to A. asteris Robertson and A. simplex Smith, but differs from either of these by the sculpturing, the form of the flagellar segments, the yellow female clypeus, and the sculpturing of the propodeum as described below.

FEMALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. N = 20; length, 12.5-14.0 mm; width, 3.5-4.5 mm; wing length, M = 4.51 0.216 mm; FL/FW, M = 0.99 0.056; FOVL/FOVW, M = 2.55 0.036.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. Black except as follows: clypeus yellow except narrow brown apical margin and small dark spots below and mesad of tentorial pits; flagellar segments 4-10 rufescent below; tegulae piceous; wing membranes moderately infumate; sterna narrowly hyaline apically; distitarsi rufescent; tibial spurs yellow or yellowish-brown.

STRUCTURE. Scape subequal in length to flagellar segments 1-3; flagellar segment 1 equal to or slightly shorter than segments 2 through 4, segment 2 slightly shorter than 3, and 3 distinctly shorter than 4. Eye about three and three-fourths times as long as broad, inner margins slightly converging towards vertex. Malar space linear, about six times as broad as long. Mandible (outer) in repose extends beyond middle of labrum by one-fourth or less of its own length, with distinct ventrobasal lamella. Subgenal coronet well developed; hypostomal carina without process. Galea densely tessellate, opaque, la lend surface indistinct, surface curves gently from dorsum to side, lateral area equals about half dorsal surface. Maxillary palpus not reaching tip of galea, segments in ratio of about 1.3:1.5:1.0:1.1:0.9:1.1. Labial palpus with first segment curved on inner margin, flattened, broader at apex than at base, segments in ratio of about 2.5:1.5:1.0:1.3. Labral process short, about five times as broad as long, evenly curved apically with shallow, indistinct emargination. Clypeus evenly rounded, protruding below lower ends of eyes by about one-fourth its length, impunctate along narrow midline, elsewhere with irregularly-sized punctures separated by one-half to one or more puncture widths, surface shiny, unshagreened medially, with fine reticular shagreening peripherally. Supraclypeal area with small round punctures separated by one to two puncture widths, surface moderately dulled by longitudinal shagreening. Genal area slightly broader than eye in profile, with minute punctures, near eye margin separated by one to two puncture widths, posteriorly mostly by two to four puncture widths, surface dulled by reticular shagreening. Vertex short, above Literal ocellus equals about one and one-half ocellar diameters, with minute sparse punctures and dense tessellation dulling surface. Face above antennal fossae with coarse, anastomizing, longitudinal rugae, interrugal spaces with small indistinct punctures and reticular shagreening dulling surface. Facial fovea extends just below middle of eye, rounded and broad above, narrow but rounded below and turned slightly from eye margin, shallow.

Pronotum normal, with minute, indistinct, relatively sparse punctures, surface opaque, finely tessellate. Mesoscutum with shallow round punctures of moderate size separated mostly by one to two puncture widths, surface opaque (slightly shiny mediobasally), tessellate. Scutellum and metanotum similar to mesoscutum. Propodeal enclosure opaque, coarsely tessellate, narrow basal zone with short, irregular rugae sometimes forming shallow, incomplete areola; dorsolateral and posterior areas sculptured like mesoscutum but punctures more crowded; corbicular area with sparse punctures in upper half, surface moderately shiny, with coarse, reticular shagreening. Mesepisternal sculpturing like mesoscutal. Metepisternum below impunctate and reticularly shagreened like corbicular area. Fore wing with three submarginal cells; vein 1st m-cu meets second submarginal cell beyond middle of cell and usually at about two-thirds distance from base of cell; pterostigma narrow, equal in width or slightly broader than from inner margin of prestigma to wing margin. Middle basitarsus slightly broader than hind basitarsus, with evenly curved sides, broadest near middle. Tibial spurs and claws normal.

Metasomal terga 1-4 with basal segments with punctures indistinct due to dense tessellation dulling surfaces, apical areas with punctures more crowded and distinct, tessellation grading into reticular shagreening apically. Terga 5 and 6 with punctures small, distinct, separated by two to tour puncture widths, surfaces dulled by reticular shagreening. Pygidial plate V-shaped with truncate apex (occasionally worn and then rounded). Sterna with narrow apical impunctate margin, basal half impunctate or extremely sparsely punctate, apical half except margin with abundant punctures separated by two to three puncture widths, surfaces dulled by coarse reticular shagreening.

VESTITURE. Head white, sparse except labrum and mandibles with long golden or golden-brown hairs. Thoracic vestiture white, dorsum with hairs sparse, of moderate length, tending to be ochraceous posteromedially on mesoscutum and medially on scutellum. Terga 2-4 with basal areas with extremely short, simple suberect, extremely sparse, black hairs; tergum 1 almost glabrous except at sides. Terga 2-4 with white apical pubescent fasciae but these interrupted medially (broadly so on tergum 2). Terga 5 and 6 with long hairs golden-ochraceous to brownish. Sternal hairs white to pale ochraceous, concentrated near apices of sterna. Propodeal corbicula incomplete anteriorly, with long, minutely barbed, internal hairs in upper half. Trochanteral flocculus complete, moderately thick. Tibial scopa ochraceous or yellowish, plumose with median hairs long, plumose in outer third or slightly more. Legs white to ochraceous except inner surfaces tarsi golden-yellow.

MALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. N = 20; length, 10.0-13.0 mm; width, 2.5-3.5 mm; wing length, M = 3.94 0.171 mm; FL/FW, M = 1.00 0.056; FS1/FS2, M = 2.32 0.034.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. Color essentially identical with female.

STRUCTURE. Antennae barely surpass tegulae in repose; scape distinctly shorter than flagellar segments 1-3; flagellar segment 1 subequal in length to segments 2 plus 3, segment 2 shorter than 3 and 3 subequal to 4. Eye about four times as long as broad, inner margins parallel or slightly converging towards vertex. Malar space, galeae, hypostomal carina, and mandibles as in female but without ventrobasal lamella. Maxillary palpus as in female but ratio about 1.0:1.2:1.0:0.8:0.7:0.9. Labial palpus as in female but ratio about 2.7:1.5:1.0:1.6. Labral process as in female. Clypeus protrudes beyond lower margin of eyes by about one-fourth its length evenly rounded, with small scattered punctures separated mostly by one to three puncture widths, often impunctate along midline, surface shiny, unshagreened except at extreme lateral angles. Supraclypeal area with abundant small punctures separated by half a puncture width or slightly more, surface moderately shiny, finely shagreened. Genal area, vertex, and face above antennal fossae as in female. Small, vestigial facial fovea or pseudofoveae present near margin of upper end of eyes. Thoracic sculpturing as in female except propodeal enclosure often with basal half with small areola and corbicular area with sparse punctures scattered throughout and surface opaque, tessellate. Wings as in female but second submarginal cell frequently smaller, especially above, and vein 1st m-cu often near middle of cell. Tergal and sternal sculpturing as in female except as follows: tergum 5 like 2-4; terga 6 and 7 like 5 and 6 of female; sterna with punctures sparse in apical half except impunctate margin. Sternum 6 with strong, apical, V-shaped emargination. Genital capsule and sterna 7 and 8 (Figs. 65-09) similar to those of accepta but differ as follows: gonoforceps rather abruptly narrowed near tips; penis valves extremely narrowed apically, narrower near base; dorsal lobes of gonocoxites very short; sternum 7 with apicolateral lobes bluntly rounded, long, emargination narrow; Sternum 8 with neck region slightly expanded medially, shallowly emarginate.

VESTITURE. Color as in female except terga with minute basal area hairs pale; distribution as in female except usual secondary sexual differences.

TYPE MATERIAL. The holotype female (INHS) was collected at Carlinville, Illinois, September 20, 1890, on Bidens chrysanthemoides, by Charles A. Robertson (Robertson No. 9529). A male in the same collection bears the label "lectoallotype" and the Robertson No. 15,265. Since Robertson described aliciae from a single female specimen this cannot be an allotype of any kind. Also, this male was collected at Carlinville in 1893, two years after the original description was published.

DISTRIBUTION. This species is known to occur from Minnesota south to Kansas and east to New York and Georgia (Fig. 5). It has been taken from July 30 through October 2, but chiefly from the end of August through September. In addition to the type the author has examined 164 females and 72 males from localities listed below (published records are also listed): GEORGIA: Tifton. ILLINOIS: Beverly Hills; Carlinville; Chicago; Palos; Southern Illinois. IOWA: Mt. Pleasant (6 miles S.W.). KANSAS: Doniphan County; Douglas County. MARYLAND: Cabin John; Chesapeake Beach; Glen Echo; Plummer's Island. MICHIGAN: Pontiac. MINNESOTA: Cass County; Hastings; Lake Independence, Hennepin Co.; Powder Plant Woods, Ramsey Co.; St. Paul; Zumbra Heights, Carver Co. NEBRASKA: Lincoln; Omaha; West Point. NEW JERSEY: Bear Swamp (near Ramsey); Englewood; Greenwood Lakes; Ramsey. NEW YORK: Tuxedo Park. NORTH CAROLINA: Bryson City; Marion; Swannanoa. OHIO: Mansfield; Stark County. PENNSYLVANIA: Cambridge; Alleghany Co.; Dorseyville; Ohio Pyle; Philadelphia. SOUTH CAROLINA: Greenville. VIRGINIA: Bellview; Chain Bridge; Great Falls; Hunter; Offute's Island. WISCONSIN: Farmington, Polk Co.; Fountain City, Buffalo Co.; Milwaukee; Maiden Rock; Pierce Co.; Never's Dam, Polk Co.; Washington Co. Canada. ONTARIO: Toronto.

FLORAL RECORDS. Of the specimens examined by the author only 53 representing 23 collections had floral data. Of these, 28 specimens (8 collections) were from some species of Helianthus and all but one of the remainder were taken on some species of Compositae. The exception was one male taken from the flower of a squash (Cucurbita sp.). In view of these data one can state that A. aliciae is an oligolege of the Compositae and seems to prefer the genus Helianthus. This agrees reasonably well with Robertson's conclusions (Robertson, 1925, 1926). Plants from which aliciae has been collected are listed below (this list includes published records).

Aster azurella, Bidens aristosa, B. chrysanthemoides, B. laevis, B. trichosperma, Cucurbita sp., Helianthus sp., H. angustifotius, H. divaricatus, H. giganteus, H. microcephalus, H. sirumosns, H. tuberosus, Heliopsis helianthoides, Rudbeckia sp., R. fulgida, R. laciniata, R. lanceolata, R. triloba, Silphium perfoliatum, Solidago sp., S. occidentale.




Reprinted with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1960. Bees of the Eastern United States. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 141.



FEMALE. Length 12 mm.; face slightly longer than broad; clypeus yellow, with two small dark spots and the apical rim blackish, broadly convex, projecting about one-half below suborbital line, smooth and shining, with a rather distinct median impunctate line, on each side the punctures deep and distinct, rather coarse and well separated, becoming quite close at extreme sides; facial foveae rather broad above, occupying most of space between eyes and ocelli, covered with pale ochraceous tomentum; space between margin of vertex and lateral ocelli slightly less than distance between ocelli; cheeks broader than eyes, rounded posteriorly, somewhat shining but finely pebbled, sparsely and shallowly punctate, but with a narrow, median, closely punctate area along eye margin; malar space distinct but quite short; basal segment of flagellum elongate, subequal to segments 2-4 combined; process of labrum very broad and short, broadly semicircular, but with a slight median emargination; pubescence of head and thorax whitish, very short and thin on dorsum of thorax, longer and more ochraceous on legs; thoracic integument dull and tessellate, punctures of scutum very shallow, rather close anteriorly, becoming sparse or inevident posteriorly, those on scutellum very fine, shallow and sparse, hardly evident; pleura without evident punctures; dorsal area of propodeum oblique, triangle densely tessellate, but finely rugoso-striate along basal margin; propodeal corbicula white, rather thin but moderately long, anterior fringe rather poorly developed; trochanteral floccus white, rather long and dense; hind tibiae rather slender and elongate, apex not quite twice width of the basitarsi, scopa dense, hairs quite densely plumose, pale ochraceous; front basitarsi slightly narrower than their tibiae, mid basitarsi subequal in width to their tibiae, length about three times the breadth; 2nd submarginal cell considerably shorter than 3rd, receiving 1st recurrent slightly beyond middle; abdominal terga dull, densely tessellate, punctures very obscure, more evident on apical impressed areas, which are rather shallow, occupying medially about one-third length of discs, discal pubescence extremely short, sparse and obscure, composed of microscopic dark hairs, terga 2-4 with thin, narrow, whitish, apical fasciae, widely interrupted on tergum 2, more narrowly so on 3, tergum 5 with a pale brownish, apical fimbria.



MALE. Length 10 mm.; clypeus yellow, slightly convex, with two small black spots and the apical rim blackish, projecting slightly less than one-half below suborbital line, smooth and shining, finely, deeply and rather sparsely punctate, the punctures becoming quite close at extreme sides; space between margin of vertex and lateral ocelli slightly greater than their diameter, cheeks broader than eyes, rounded posteriorly, somewhat shining, punctures fine, shallow, rather sparse; malar space short but distinct; basal segment of flagellum slightly longer than 2nd and 3rd combined; process of labrum broad and very short, semicircular, very slightly emarginate medially; mandibles of moderate length, with a distinct, inner, subapical tooth, overlapping about one-fourth; pubescence of head, thorax and legs entirely white; thoracic integument dull and tessellate, punctures of scutum very shallow, fine, well separated anteriorly, becoming very obscure posteriorly, those on scutellum shallow, fine, sparse and irregular, surface somewhat shining; pleura without visible punctures; dorsal area of propodeum oblique, triangle very finely subrugose; basitarsi slender and elongate, considerably narrower than their respective tibiae; 2nd submarginal cell much shorter than 3rd, receiving 1st recurrent just beyond middle; abdominal terga dull, tessellate, punctures very fine, shallow, well separated but not sparse on discs, becoming deeper and more distinct and close on impressed apical areas, which are rather shallow, becoming very narrowly hyaline along rims, discal pubescence extremely short, thin and obscure, hardly visible, terga 1-5 with narrow but distinct, whitish, apical fasciae, that on tergum 1 slightly interrupted; apical portion of sternum 8 quite slender and elongate, slightly dilated just beyond middle and apex slightly dilated, truncate and very slightly emarginate, apical portion rather short pubescent beneath; penis valves slender apically, slightly broadened toward base, gonocoxites quite robust, rather abruptly dilated toward apex but gradually narrowed from that to the narrowly rounded tips, gonocoxal lobes not at all produced.



DISTRIBUTION. Nebraska and Minnesota to Ohio and Maryland, south to Georgia; July to September.



FLOWER RECORDS. Collected on Rudbeckia lanceolata in North Carolina. Recorded by Robertson (1929) on Bidens, Helianthus, Heliopsis, Rudbeckia and Silphium.

Identification
Extracted from Joel Gardner. "The mining bees of Minnesota (unpublished manuscript)"

Andrena aliciae is the only Minnesota Andrena in which the clypeus is yellow in the female.

Extracted from: Charles, R. (1895). Notes on bees, with Descriptions of New Species. Transactions of the American Entomological Society Vol. 22, No. 2. pp. 115-128.

This was described from a single female specimen. I now have nine females agreeing with the type. The male agrees with the female, except in characters peculiar to the sex. This is the only Andrena known to me in which the female has the clypeus yellow, the same as in the male.

Names
Scientific source:
References
Andrena aliciae Robertson, 1891, Transactions of the American Entomological Society, vol. 18, p. 57; Graenicher, 1905, Transactions of the Academy of Sciences Wisconsin, vol. 15, p. 92; 1911, Bulletin of the Public Museum of Milwaukee, vol. 1, p. 236.

Pterandrena aliciae: Robertson, 1902, Transactions of the American Entomological Society, vol. 28, p. 194; 1914, Entomological News, vol. 25, p. 70; 1925, Ecology, vol. 6, p. 426; 1926, Ecology, vol. 7, p. 379; 1928, Flowers and Insects, p. 10; Pealson, 1933, Ecology Monographs, vol. 3, p. 383.

Andrena (Pterandrena) aliciae: Lanham, 1949, University of California Publications in Entomology, vol. 8, p. 200; Mitchell, 1960, North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin of the No. 141, p. 138; Knerer and Atwood, 1964, Proceedings of the Entomological Society, Ontario, vol. 94, p. 45-46.

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Asteraceae  Bidens bipinnata @ AMNH_BEE (2)

Helianthus atrorubens @ AMNH_BEE (4)

Helianthus divaricatus @ AMNH_BEE (2)

Helianthus microcephalus @ AMNH_BEE (5)

Helianthus sp @ BBSL (1)

Helianthus strumosus @ AMNH_BEE (1)

Rudbeckia laciniata @ BBSL (1); AMNH_BEE (3)
J. rykken  580 @ JRYB__SHEN (2)
_  cucurbit @ NLA (1)

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