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Andrena deserticola Timberlake, 1937
Andrena (Melandrena) deserticola Timberlake, 1937

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Andrenidae   Andrena
Subgenus: Onagrandrena




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Overview
Text used courtesy of the Illinois Natural History Survey from: LaBerge, W. E., Thorp, R. W., 2005. A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Part XIV. Subgenus Onagrandrena. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 37: 1-63.

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This small species can be recognized in either sex by the shiny mesoscutum and scutellum. The female is a relatively small bee with entirely black vestiture and relatively dense scopal hairs. The male is a small bee with the vestiture entirely white, without sternal subapical fimbriae and with a well-formed pseudopygidial plate on tergum 6.

FEMALE: MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. N = 20; length, 11-13 mm; width, 3.0-3.5 mm; WL, M = 3.81 0.141 mm; FL/FW, M = 1.00 0.004; FOVL/FOVW, M = 3.33 0.056.

DIAGNOSIS. Vestiture entirely black; wing membranes hyaline, slightly infumate apically, veins dark reddish brown to black; metasomal terga black without metallic reflections. Galeae moderately long, shagreened; labral process as in anograe. Clypeus densely punctate, without median impunctate line or line incomplete, punctures occasionally slightly sparser near apical margin; vertex above lateral ocellus equals about one ocellar diameter. Pronotum without humeral angle or vertical ridge laterally. Mesoscutum and scutellum with abundant small round punctures separated largely by about one puncture width, surfaces shiny, shagreening sparse and delicate or absent. Propodeum with dorsal enclosure irregularly rugulate; dorsal surface outside of enclosure moderately coarsely punctatorugose, surfaces dulled by fine tessellation or shagreening. Mesepisternum weakly to moderately punctatorugose, dulled by fine tessellation. Terga 2-4 with apical areas punctate in basal half or more, impunctate apically, punctures separated mostly by 1 to 2 puncture widths; basal areas with punctures separated by 1 to 2 puncture widths; surface shiny, shagreening absent or light; pygidial plate blunt, apex broad, rounded. Thoracic hairs long, much longer than width of antennal scape; propodeum without corbicula laterally, hairs all long and plumose; scopal hairs moderately long, simple, moderately abundant and dense, hiding surface of tibia at least partially.

MALE: MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. N = 5; length, about 10 mm; width, about 2.5 mm; WL, M = 3.43 0.250 mm; FL/FW, M = I .08 0.014: ES1/FS2, M = 1.25 0.033.

DIAGNOSIS. Vestiture entirely white; wing membranes hyaline, veins red to dark reddish brown; metasomal terga black without metallic reflections, apical areas somewhat translucent, reddened. Galeae as in female; labral process broad, bidentate, reflexed. Clypeus as in female; vertex above lateral ocellus equals about one ocellar diameter; flagellar segment 1 distinctly longer than segment 2, equal to or longer than segment 3. Pronotum as in female; mesoscutum and scutellum shiny, sculptured as in female, punctures slightly finer; propodeum as in female but dorsal area somewhat more coarsely sculptured; mesepisterna as in female. Metasomal terga 2-5 with apical areas sparsely punctate in basal half or more, punctures separated by 2 to 3 puncture widths or more, basal areas with punctures relatively sparse, separated by 2 to 5 puncture widths, surfaces shiny. Metasomal tergum 2 with basal area hairs relatively long, at least half as long as those of tergum 1; hind tibiae with outer surface hairs long, sparse, almost as long along anterior margin as dorsal femoral hairs. Sterna 7 and 8 similar to those of linsleyi but sternum 7 with apical lobes narrower and sternum 8 with neck region shorter (Figs. 53 and 54).

TYPE MATERIAL. The holotype female (CAS No. 14, 353) of Andrena (O.) deserticola was collected at Adelanto (1 mi. S), San Bernardino County, California, May 28, 1932, from flowers of Baileya multiradiata by Timberlake.

DISTRIBUTION. This species is known only from California (Linsley, MacSwain, Raven, and Thorp, 1973, p. 32) (Fig. 2). It has been collected from March 4 through July 28, but chiefly from mid-March through mid-May. In addition to the holotype, a total of 230 females and 12 males were examined from localities listed below.

CALIFORNIA. KERN CO.: Bakersfield (20 mi. E): Boron; Last Chance Canyon, El Paso Mts.; Short Canyon (6.5 mi. NW of lnyokern); Weldon (10 mi. S). LOS ANGELES CO.: Edwards Airforce Base (SW boundary); Little Rock (1 mi. W): Palmdale (and 2 mi. N); Pearblossom (5 mi. N at Lovejoy Buttes). RIVERSIDE CO.: Joshua Tree Natl. Mon.; Kramer Junction (on county line). SAN BENITO-FRESNO CO.: Big Panoche Creek. SAN BERNARDINO CO.: Adelanto (1 mi. S). SAN DIEGO CO.: Descanso-Alpine.

NEST BIOLOGY. Burrows of A. deserticola at two sites in Short Canyon consisted of aggregations of about a dozen nests on alluvial fans at the upper end of the canyon and near the lower wash. Burrows had vertical entrances, diameters of 6-7 mm, and were about 60 cm deep.

FLORAL RECORDS. Andrena deserticola is an oligolege of plants of the genus Camissonia. Linsley, MacSwain, and Raven (1964, pp. 68-69) should be consulted for details on floral preferences, as well as other biological notes. This species has been collected from flowers of the plants listed below.

Baileya multiradiata, C. pallida, Camissonia sp., C. boothii decorticans, C. campestris, C. claviformis, C. kernensis, Coreopsis sp. C. bigelovii, C. californica, Cryptantha intermedia, Oenothera ( = Camissonia)) sp.

Identification
The species resembles A. irana Ckll. and A. flandersi Timb., differing from the former in the closely punctured clypeus, finely wrinkled enclosure of propodeum, much longer hairs on mesoscutum, more shining and more sparsely punctured abdomen, etc. From flandersi it differs in having hair on the mesoscutum long, punctureless apical margin of tergites narrow, etc.

Female. Black, with black pubescence, the hair on inner side of tarsi dark reddish brown, and some of the hairs on mesoscutum, and dorsal margin of hind tibiae and basitarsi with dilute pigmentation and appearing as if faded or bleached. Head shaped much as in flandersi, with the clypeus but little produced, moderately convex. Whole face below antennae shining, finely and very closely punctured. The punctures on clypeus considerably coarser than on rest of face and mostly not more than one puncture width apart. Frons longitudinally straight. Foveae and process of labrum as in flandersi, except that the apical prolongation of the process is rather broader than long, with parallel sides and emarginate apex but no grove down the middle. Third antennal joint somewhat longer than 4 and 5. Flagellum very slightly brownish beneath at apex. Mesoscutum polished, finely and closely punctured, the punctures mostly one to two puncture widths apart. Disk of scutellum like the scutum except that the punctures are a little coarser and sparser. Mesopleura moderately coarsely rugulose, without evident punctures. Dorsal surface of propodeum with a similar but finer sculpture. Enclosure clearly defined, finely wrinkled much as in blaisdelli. Sides of propodeum tessellate and shining, not distinctly punctured, except in area in middle of dorsal part next to the floccus. Wings subhayline with dark stigma and veins. Venation about as in blaisdelli. Abdomen polished, very finely and moderately closely punctured. First tergite sparsely punctured, as in aenotherae, but the punctures slightly finer. Next three tergites punctured a little more sparsely than in aenotherae, the punctureles apical margin of the segments narrow as in that species. Pygidium planate, not so broadly rounded at apex as in other species. Pubescence abundant, long, but not concealing surface, that on mesoscutum nearly as long as that on the pleura. Scopa with very long spreading hairs, about as dense as in blaisdelli. Hair on tergite I sparse and long, that on II to IV short and erect. Length, 11.5 mm.; fore wing, 8.5 mm. Described from one female (holotype), collected at flowers of Baileya multiradiata (but perhaps not collecting pollen), one mile south of Adelanto, Mohave Desert, Calif., May 28, 1932 (Timberlake); and one female (paratype), collected at Palmdale, Calif., April 11, 1936 (G. E. and M. R. Bohart) in the Bohart collection. The paratype measures 13mm., due to the greater extension of the abdominal segments.


Andrena deserticola Timberlake 1937 Pan-Pac. Ent. 13 p. 74 - 75

Female. Black, with black pubescence, the hair on inner side of tarsi dark reddish brown, and some of the hairs on mesoscutum, and dorsal margin of hind tibiƦ and basitarsi with dilute pigmentation and appearing as if faded or bleached, Head shaped much as in flandersi, with the clypeus but little produced, moderately convex. Whole face below antennae shining, finely and very closely punctured. The punctures on clypeus considerably coarser than on rest of face and mostly not more than one puncture width apart. Frons longitudinally striate. Foves and process of labrum as in flandersi, except that the apical prolongation of the process is rather broader than long, with parallel sides and emarginate apex but no groove down the middle. Third antennal joint somewhat longer than 4 and 5. Flagellum very slightly brownish beneath at apex. Mesoscutum polished, finely and closely punctured, the punctures mostly one to two puncture widths apart. Disk of scutellum like the scutum except that the punctures are a little coarser and sparser. Mesopleura moderately coarsely rugulose, without evident punctures. Dorsal surface of propodeum with a similar but finer sculpture. Enclosure clearly defined, finely wrinkled much as in blaisdelli. Sides of propodeum tessellate and shining, not distinctly punctured, except in area in middle of dorsal part next to the floccus. Wings subhyaline with dark stigma and veins. Venation about as in blaisdelli.

Names
Scientific source:
References
Andrena deserticola Timberlake, 1937, Pan-Pacific Ent., 13: 73-74; Linsley, 1935, Proc. California Acad. Sci., Ser. 4, 23: 266, 278.

Andrena (Melandrena) deserticola. Lanham, 1949, Univ. California Publ. Ent., 8: 221; Linsley and MacSwain, 1955, Pan-Pacific Ent., 31: 165, 172; Linsley, MacSwain, and Smith, 1955. Pan-Pacific Ent., 31: 173, 176, 178, 180, 181, 182-183.

Andrena (Onagrandrena) deserticola: Linsley and MacSwain, 1956, Pan-Pacific Ent., 32: 112; Linsley, MacSwain, and Raven, 1964, Univ. California Publ. Ent., 33: 68-69; Davis and LaBerge, 1974, Illinois St. Nat. Hist. Surv. Biol. Notes, No. 95, p. 10.

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Asteraceae  Coreopsis bigelovii @ BBSL (1)
Onagraceae  Oenothera or @ UCRC_ENT (4)

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Updated: 2024-10-06 11:36:04 gmt
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