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Andrena obscuripennis Smith, 1853
Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Andrenidae   Andrena
Subgenus: Melandrena

Andrena obscuripennis, male, head lateral view
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Andrena obscuripennis, male, head lateral view

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Andrena obscuripennis, male, sternal plates 7 and 8
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Andrena obscuripennis, male, sternal plates 7 and 8
Overview
Reprinted with permission of the American Entomological Society from: Bouseman, J. K., LaBerge, W. E. 1978. A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Part IX. Subgenus Melandrena. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 104: 275-390.

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Andrena obscuripennis is a large dark-winged southeastern species closely related to A. dolomellea Lanham. The resemblance of these two species is so close that dolomellea may in the future be regarded as a subspecies of obscuripennis. However, because of differences in sculpture and morphology, especially of the propodeum and metasoma, the two should retain specific status until. additional evidence is available. Both sexes of obscuripennis can be separated from those of dolomellea by the more bulbous eyes, the dark integument, especially of the female clypeus and the metasomal terga, and the coarser metasomal punctation. The female of obscuripennis has the propodeal posterior surface sulcus linear rather than spindle-shaped.

FEMALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 20; length, 13-15 mm; width, 4-5 mm; wing length, M = 5.89 ± 0.222 mm; FL/FWm M = 0.90 ± 0.003; FOVL/FOVW, M = 2.97 ± 0.024.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — Black except as follows: mandible dark rufescent; clypeus with apical margin reddened; flagellar segments below dark brown; tegula testaceous; wing membranes deeply infumate, dark brown, veins dark brown; legs bright red to orange except coxae and trochanters reddish-brown and femora often dark at least below; tibial spurs red to testaceous.

STRUCTURE. — Antenna as in vicina. Eyes each about three and one-half times as long as broad, inner margins converging slightly toward vertex. Mandible, malar space and galea as in vicina. Maxillary palpus as in vicina but segmental ratio about as 0.9:1.0:0.7:0.6:0.5:0.5. Labial palpus as in vicina but ratio about as 1.0:0.6:0.5:0.4. Labral process weakly emarginate apically, basal half or more with three to several weak transverse striae; labrum below process without sulcus, cristae if present weak, shiny. Clypeus with punctures relatively shallow, becoming smaller posteriorly, separated by half a puncture width, with median impunctate line usually complete; surface shagreened especially basally, moderately shiny apicomedially. Supraclypeal area dull, tessellate, punctures minute and indistinct. Face above antennal fossae, facial fovea, vertex and genal area as in vicina.

Thoracic form and sculpturing as in vicina except as follows: mesoscutum moderately shiny posteromedially, reticularly shagreened; scutellum shiny, shagreening absent or extremely weak; propodeal dorsal enclosure with short rugulae throughout; propodeum with dorsal area outside of enclosure and posterior surface roughened by coarse indistinct crowded punctures and coarse tessellation; propodeal lateral surface with a few diagonal rugulae posteromedially. Wing venation, tibial spurs and tarsal claws as in vicina.

Metasomal terga 1-4 with punctation as in dolomellea but punctures larger and deeper, surfaces shiny to moderately so, shagreening weak except at extreme bases of terga 2-4. Pygidial plate broad, V-shaped with broadly rounded apex. Sterna 2-5 sculptured as in vicina.

VESTITURE. — Ochraceous except as follows: facial fovea with short hairs pale brown at least in upper half; face, vertex and thoracic dorsum usually pale fox-red; terga 2-4 with sparse short hairs golden-brown; terga 5 and 6 golden; inner surfaces hind basitarsi yellow. Form and distribution of hair as in vicina but mesoscutal hairs short, largely decumbent, sparse posteromedially; terga without apical pale fasciae.

MALE. MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — N = 3; length, 11-13 mm; width, 2.3-3.0 mm; wing length, M a 4.79 ± 0.941 mm; FL/FW, M = 0.86 ± 0.018; FS1/FS2, M • 1.13 ± 0.048.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — Black except as follows: mandible rufescent; flagellar segments 2-11 below dark brown; tegula testaceous; wing membranes moderately deeply infumate, brown, veins dark brown; terga with apical rims translucent, reddish-brown; sterna with apical areas hyaline, yellow; legs red to orange except coxae and trochanters and femora at least in part dark reddish-brown; tibial spurs testaceous.

STRUCTURE. — Antenna moderately long, in repose reaching scutellum; scape length equals first two and one-half flagellar segments or more; flagellar segments as • vicina but segment 1 usually slightly longer than segment 2. Eyes each about one tad one-fourth times as long as broad, inner margins converging slightly toward vertex. Mandible, malar space and galea as in female. Maxillary palpus as in vicina but segmental ratio about as 0.8:1.0:0.7:0.7:0.5:0.5. Labial palpus as in vicina but ratio about as 1.0:0.6:0.4:0.5. Labral process bidentate, depressed base with a few weak striae; labrum apical to process shiny, punctate near process. Clypeus with small round punctures separated by half or more puncture widths, median impunctate line present but extremely narrow and incomplete posteriorly; surface moderately shiny, shagreening weak. Supraclypeal area dulled by small contiguous punctures and weak shagreening. Face above antennal fossae, vertex and genal area as in vicina.

Thoracic form and sculpturing as in vicina except as follows: mesoscutum and scutellum as in female; propodeal dorsal enclosure, dorsal and posterior surface! at in female; propodeal lateral surfaces roughened by punctures and short irregular rugulae. Wing venation, tibial spurs and tarsal claws as in vicina.

Metasomal terga 1-5 punctured as in dolomellea but punctures larger and deeper: surfaces shiny, unshagreened except weakly so in basal halves of terga 2-5. Tergum 7 with broad, dull, pygidial area with rounded apex. Sterna 2-5 sculptured at in vicina. Sternum 6 straight across apical margin not emarginate.

Terminalia as in figures 104-108; note sternum 7 with few apical hairs and rounded apical lobes and sternum 8 with apical lobe narrow, not expanded apically (much as in hilaris).

VESTITURE. — Generally ochraceous but inner surfaces tarsi golden and terga 2-5 with at least some basal area hairs pale golden-brown. Form and distribution of hairs as in vicina; terga without pale apical fasciae.

Type Material. — The holotype female (BMNH 17a 13 89) was taken in Georgia.

Distribution. — Andrena obscuripennis is known only from Georgia and North Carolina (Fig. 11) Mitchell (1960) provisional ly includes New Jersey and Louisiana in the range of obscuripennis but no evidence for this has been seen by the present authors. In addition to the holotype, a total of 25 FF and 4 MM have been studied, all from North Carolina. Data for these specimens are given in full.



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 15 mm.; clypeus broadly convex, projecting about one-half below suborbital line, rather coarsely, closely and distinctly punctate except for a very narrow, median, slightly raised, impunctate line; facial foveae broad above, occupying most of area between eyes and lateral ocelli, covered with pale ochraceous tomentum; space between margin of vertex and lateral ocelli slightly greater than distance between ocelli; cheeks broader than eyes, rounded, rather smooth, minutely punctate; malar space subtriangular, very narrow anteriorly but becoming quite broad posteriorly; basal segment of flagellum very slightly shorter than 2nd and 3rd combined; process of labrum about twice as broad as long, subtriangular, apex rather narrowly truncate; pubescence of head and thorax entirely pale fulvous; thoracic integument some what shining, punctures rather fine and close on scutum anteriorly, becoming somewhat more sparse posteriorly; scutellum more shining, with an area on either side of middle where the punctures are very sparse, otherwise very closely punctured; pleura rather dull, subrugose above, somewhat more shining and more distinctly but obscurely punctate below; enclosure of propodeum subrugose; propodeal corbicula more yellowish, well developed but rather short, with a distinct anterior fringe; trochanteral floccus relatively short, yellowish; tibial scopa quite dense, hairs relatively long, simple, entirely pale fulvous; legs ferruginous, somewhat darkened at extreme bases, fore and hind basitarsi slightly narrower than their respective tibiae, mid basitarsi nearly as broad as their tibiae; wings deep fuliginous, 2nd submarginal cell slightly shorter than 3rd, receiving 1st recurrent near middle; abdominal terga somewhat shining, narrowly and distinctly depressed apically, rims slightly reddened, discs uniformly, finely, closely, and quite densely punctate, punctures on basal tergum quite sparse and very fine, discal pubescence extremely short and sparse, entirely pale, fasciae not developed, but tergum 5 with a conspicuous, apical, fulvous fimbria.

MALE. — Length 13 mm.; clypeus very slightly convex, broad, projecting but very slightly below suborbital line, densely and rather coarsely punctate beneath dense pubescence; space between margin of vertex and lateral ocelli very slightly shorter than distance between ocelli; cheeks broader than eyes, rounded, somewhat shining, very minutely punctate; malar space subtriangular, very short anteriorly but becoming quite broad posteriorly; basal segment of flagellum slightly longer than 2nd, subequal to 3rd segment; process of labrum short and rather broad, slightly narrowed to the broadly truncate apical margin; mandibles rather slender, very slightly flexed, with a distinct subapical inner tooth, overlapping about one-third; pubescence of head, thorax and legs entirely fulvous; thorax somewhat shining above, punctures of scutum quite close, deep and distinct anteriorly, becoming more sparse posteriorly, rather sparse in center of scutellum but otherwise very close; pleura rather dull, subrugose above, with more distinct but shallow punctures below; coxae and trochanters rather dark, legs otherwise pale ferruginous, basitarsi slender and elongate, much narrower than their respective tibiae; wings rather deep fuliginous, 2nd submarginal cell slightly shorter than 3rd, receiving 1st recurrent near middle; abdominal terga somewhat shining, apical margins rather narrowly and obscurely depressed, discs rather finely and closely punctate, basal terga more sparsely punctate, discal pubescence very short, entirely pale fulvous, fasciae not developed; apical portion of sternum 8 with a low, median, ventral protuberance, densely pubescent between this and tip which is rather narrowly and abruptly truncate; penis valves only slightly expanded basally, not excavated, gonocoxites elongate, very slightly dilated apically, gonocoxal lobes scarcely produced, subtriangular (armature similar to that of commoda, fig. 22).

DISTRIBUTION. — Georgia, Louisiana (?), North Carolina, New Jersey (?); April and May.

FLOWER RECORDS. — Batodendron, Crataegus, Ilex and Padus.

Identification
Extracted from Parys K, Griswold T, Ikerd H, Orr M (2018) New records and range extensions of several species of native bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) from Mississippi. Biodiversity Data Journal 6: e25230.

The currently published distribution of this species is recognised as Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Ontario [Canada] (Bouseman and LaBerge 1978, Pascarella and Hall 2013, Woodcock et al. 2014). Mitchell (1960) originally included New Jersey and Louisiana as part of the distribution, but those records could not be validated by Bouseman and LaBerge (1978). Additional records from coastal areas of South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland are available online (Ascher and Pickering 2018). Little is known about the biology of this species, though in a study conducted in Georgia on the flight heights of bees, one individual was collected within 0.5 m of the ground while none were collected in the canopy (Ulyshen et al. 2010).

Of the three specimens reported here, all were female (Fig. 1). Two of the specimens were collected in Bolivar County at the Alcorn State University Research Farm located in Mound Bayou, MS. One of the specimens was collected in a blue vane trap while the other was netted from a fallow field. The third specimen was retrieved as bycatch from a baited Hartstack pheromone trap located in Coahoma County near Dublin, MS.


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