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Andrena mendica Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Trachandrena) mendica Mitchell, 1960; Andrena (Xiphandrena) mendica Mitchell, 1960

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Andrenidae   Andrena
Subgenus: Scrapteropsis

Andrena mendica, male, cheek
© Rebekah Andrus Nelson · 2
Andrena mendica, male, cheek

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Andrena mendica, figure36e
Mitchell, Bees of the Eastern United States, Vol. I, 1960 · 1
Andrena mendica, figure36e
Andrena mendica, figure37
Mitchell, Bees of the Eastern United States, Vol. I, 1960 · 1
Andrena mendica, figure37

Andrena mendica, female, face
© Rebekah Andrus Nelson · 1
Andrena mendica, female, face
Overview
Reprinted with permission of the American Entomological Society from: LaBerge, W. E. 1971b. A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Part IV. Scrapteropsis, Xiphandrena, and Rhaphandrena. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 97: 441-520.

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A. mendica was described adequately by Mitchell (I960) and a complete redescription is not considered necessary at this time. The diagnostic features for the species are given above in the subgeneric description; a few additional characters not discussed by Mitchell nor given in the subgeneric description but necessary to make the known facts comparable with other species of Andrena described in this revision are listed below.

FEMALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS: N = 4; length, 10 mm; width, ? mm; wing length, M = 3.61 ± 0.100 mm; FL/FW, M = 0.96 ± 0.001; FOVL/FOVW, M = 3.29 ± 0.062.

STRUCTURE. — Maxillary palpal segmental ratio about 0.9: 1.0: 0.9: 0.6: 0.6: 0.5. Labial palpal ratio about 1.0: 0.5: 0.6: 0.3. Genal area laterally with distinct round punctures separated by one to three or more puncture widths except in narrow zone near eye where crowded, surface shiny, lightly shagreened. without rugulae. ventrally dulled by coarse reticular shagreening and sparse punctures, rugulae short and evanescent.

Pronotum with small but distinct humeral angle with a weak ridge extending forwards and often down, space between ridge and posterior margin (or posterior pronotal lobe) broad, flat, shiny, finely shagreened; ridge often poorly developed, when well-developed the area appears like a finger-print impressed into a soft matrix with a sharp dorsal ridge delimiting its margin.

MALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 3; length, 9-10 mm; width, 2.0-2.5 mm; wing length, M = 3.14 ± 0.432 mm; FL/FW, M = 0.91 ± 0.00l; FS1/FS2, M = 0.72 ± 0.049.

STRUCTURE. — Maxillary palpal segments in ratio of about 0.7: 1.0: 0.9: O.H: 0.7: 0.7. Labial palpal ratio about 1.0: 0.6: 0.4: 0.3. Genal area sculptured as in female.

Thorax as in female but pronotum with humeral angle and dorsoventral ridge much more distinct, concave surface between ridge and posterior margin pronotum shiny, unshagreened, finger-print shape of structure as in female but more distinct. Terminalia as in figures 54-58; note the following: sternum 8 with hairs moderately stout, apical narrow part broadened moderately medially: gonocoxite with a peculiar angle along inner margin at base of lateral lobe (often a shallow notch below angle); volsella hairy.



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 10 mm.; head broad, length of face being only slightly longer than distance between eyes; eyes parallel; foveae broad, occupying most of space between eyes and ocelli above, and only slightly narrowed below, reaching level of upper margin of clypeus, covered with whitish tomentum; lateral ocelli separated from margin of vertex by a space only very slightly greater than their diameter; cheeks slightly broader than eyes; clypeus very short and broad, projecting but very slightly below suborbital line, smooth and shining, punctures deep and distinct, rather close and evenly distributed, becoming somewhat more fine and close at extreme sides; face below ocelli rather dull, finely striate, vertex polished, with minute obscure and rather indefinite punctures, these becoming very fine and well separated but not sparse on cheeks; malar space hardly evident; process of labrum very small, broadly triangular, tip very slightly protuberant; basal segment of flagellum only slightly longer than segment 2, median segments considerably longer than broad; pubescence short and thin, entirely pale on head and thorax, more whitish below, becoming slightly yellowish on dorsum of thorax; scutum and scutellum shining, punctures fine, well separated, becoming quite sparse over posterior half of scutum and rather sparse and irregular on scutellum; pleura dull, rather shallowly and obscurely punctate, becoming rather smooth posteriorly; dorsal area of propodeum irregularly striate, poorly defined, lateral areas more rugose, propodeal corbicula short but rather dense, with numerous fine hairs on inner surface but without an anterior fringe; trochanteral floccus elongate and well developed; legs blackish, basitarsi slender, pubescence entirely pale yellowish, hind tibiae very narrow and slender, with scopal hairs much elongated; spurs pale yellowish; wings lightly infuscated, veins pale testaceous, stigma more brownish-ferruginous, 2nd submarginal cell about half length of 3rd, receiving 1st recurrent slightly beyond middle; tegulae piceous, outer rim narrowly hyaline; abdominal terga polished, punctures exceedingly minute, rather widely separated and evenly distributed, segments 2-4 impressed for about one-third the median length, impressed areas somewhat more sparsely punctate, apical fasciae not evident, apical fimbria fuscous.

MALE — Length 10 mm.; head broad, face being only very slightly longer than distance between eyes; eyes parallel; lateral ocelli separated from margin of vertex by a space somewhat greater than their diameter; cheeks broad, with a rounded posterior angle about opposite middle of eye; clypeus very short and broad, protruding but very slightly below suborbital line, central area somewhat protuberant, shining between deep and distinct, rather uniformly distributed punctures; face below ocelli rather dull, very finely striate, vertex shining, with scattered, minute and sparse punctures, cheeks shining, with minute and sparse but rather evenly distributed punctures; malar space hardly evident; process of labrum very small, subquadrangular but with a rather broad, exceedingly short base; basal segment of flagellum slightly shorter than segment 2, median segments nearly twice as long as broad; mandibles slender and elongate, tip of one about reaching base of the other when closed, with a very small and inconspicuous, subapical, inner tooth about one-fourth from tip; pubescence of head and thorax entirely pale, largely whitish, very thin on head, somewhat more copious on thorax laterally and posteriorly; scutum and scutellum shining between very fine, rather evenly distributed punctures, these well separated on scutum anteriorly, becoming somewhat more sparse posteriorly, and quite sparse on scutellum; pleura rather coarsely rugose; dorsal area of propodeum coarsely and irregularly striate, poorly defined, lateral areas more reticulate, this extending down somewhat on the lateral faces; legs blackish, apical tarsal segments somewhat yellowish, spurs testaceous; wings lightly infuscated, veins testaceous, stigma more brownish-ferruginous, 2nd submarginal cell not half the length of the 3rd, receiving 1st recurrent near middle; tegulae piceous, somewhat more brownish posteriorly, and outer margin narrowly hyaline; abdominal terga polished, with exceedingly minute, evenly distributed, well separated punctures, apical margins of segments 2-5 impressed for about one-fourth to one-third their median length, these areas becoming yellowish apically, apical fasciae not evident; sternum 7 with a deep triangular median emargination apically; sternum 8 abruptly narrowed between base and apical produced area, this very finely short pubescent, abruptly truncate at tip; penis valves slender and elongate, but very slightly dilated at base, gonocoxites rather broadly but gradually expanded apically, gonocoxal lobes produced and acute.

TYPES - Holotype: Female, Wake Co., N. C., June 12, 1957 (Mitchell, on Ceanothus americanus) [author's coll.]. Allotype: Grayson Co., Va., June 6, 1955 (H. V. Weems, Jr., on Aruncus aruncus) [Florida State Plant Board]. Paratypes: TENNESSEE: 1 F, Burrville, June 10, 1953 (Bernard Benesh). OHIO: 1 M, Hocking Co., June 14, (R. C. Osburn); 1 F, 1 M, Scioto Co., June 10, 1944 and June 1, 1945; 1 M, Shawnee For., June 9, 1943 (both D. J. & J. N. Knull).

Paratypes are located at Ohio State University, Cornell University, and in the author's collection.

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Updated: 2024-03-29 12:10:34 gmt
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