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Andrena vestali Cockerell, 1913
Andrena vestali var dolichocera Viereck and Cockerell, 1914

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Andrenidae   Andrena
Subgenus: Scaphandrena


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Overview
Reprinted with permission of the American Entomological Society from: Ribble, D. W. 1974. A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Subgenus Scaphandrena. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 100: 101-189.

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This species is known only from males which are between the merriami and the scurra species groups of Scaphandrena but these males are probably closest to the males of A. bruneri of the merriami species group. Both bruneri and vestali lack dark hairs and have punctate abdomens. The long face, lack of apical abdominal fasciae and the darkly pigmented middle and hind tibial spurs also indicate a relationship to the merriami species group. Andrena vestali has a clypeus which is flat along the midline in profile and unusual genitalia (Figs. 95-99), characters not possessed by any other member of the merriami species group. Andrena plana of the scurra species group has a flat clypeus in profile and members of this group have mostly light-colored hairs. The scurra group are mostly wide-headed bees with weakly punctate, banded abdomens, but arabis is long-headed, capricornis has a punctate abdomen and the males of gordoni are unhanded. The description below is based upon the holotype of vestali.

MALE. — MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. — Length, 11.0 mm; width, 2.6 mm; wing length, 7.5 mm; FL/FW, 1.10; FS1/FS2, 2.60.

INTEGUMENTAL COLOR. — Color as in female merriami but clypeus cream-colored except apex and two small dark spots.

STRUCTURE. — Antenna as in merriami. Eyes each 3.2 times as long as broad, inner margins slightly converging towards eyes. Mandible as in merriami but tooth hidden if present. Mouthparts partly missing, remainder hidden. Labral process a relatively large, shiny, transverse elevation, weakly bidentate; labrum below process as in merriami. Clypeus as in merriami but along midline apex in same plane as center. Supraclypeal area as in merriami. Face above antennal fossae as in merriami but dull, rugulae if present hidden by scape. Vertex above lateral ocellus as in merriami but as high as 1.25 ocellar diameters. Genal area as wide as eye in profile, otherwise as in merriami.

Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum as in merriami. Propodeum as in merriami but rugulae on basal part of dorsal area weak. Mesepisternum with coarse shagreening hiding punctures. Wings with pterostigma rather small, about as broad as from inner margin prestigma to wing margin; vein 1st m-cu meets second submarginal cell in outer third; wings otherwise as in merriami. Hind tibia rather slender.

Metasomal terga sculptured as in female merriami but terga with large close punctures; pseudopygidial area present. Sterna 2-5 sculptured as terga but punctures further apart, moderate shagreening basally. Sternum 6 deeply emarginate, laterally apex bent slightly downward.

Terminalia as in figures 95-99; note the following; gonocoxite with dorsal lobes short, nearly absent, broadly rounded, apex short, broad; penis valve with small, long, narrow dorsal lamellae, apex short, rounded; sternum 7 with apex narrow, apical emargination small; sternum 8 with apex distinctly broader than neck region, apex slightly emarginate.

VESTITURE. — Generally golden yellow, abundant, long except as follows: tergum 1 and base of tergum 2 with long hairs, remaining tergal hairs moderate in length, suberect; apical fasciae entirely absent; sterna 2-5 with subapical fimbriae.

REMARKS. — This species is known only from the two types collected in May at the western edge of the Great Plains of the United States (Fig. 8). One of these males was on violet as is the unrelated A. (Iomelissa) violae which is also a rarely collected bee.

Names
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Updated: 2024-03-29 11:22:41 gmt
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