Psaenythisca,a New Genus of Bees from South America (Apoidea: Andrenidae: Protandrenini) with a Description of the Nesting Biology and Immature Stages of One Species

Abstract

A new bee genus from Argentina, Psaenythisca, is described and includes three species: P. flavifrons (Vachal, 1909), n. comb. (originally described as Psaenythia), P. wagneri (Vachal, 1909), n. comb. (originally described as Psaenythia), and P. punctata (Urban, 2009), n. comb. (originally described as Anthrenoides). The new genus is proposed based on a comparative study of the Protandrenini lineages. Psaenythisca is closely related to Cephalurgus and Rhophitulus, and can be distinguished mainly by the forewing with three submarginal cells, premarginal area of S2 to S5 of male with dense pubescence, distal margin of S6 of male slightly emarginated, and male genitalia with relatively broad basal sclerite. Among Protandrenini genera with three submarginal cells, it differs from Anthrenoides and Psaenythia by the combination of male genitalia with a basal sclerite, metasomal terga lacking yellow markings, propodeum rounded, middle tibial spur of the female finely serrate, and slender basal area of S8 of male. In addition, a lectotype is designated for Psaenythia (Psaenythia) wagneri Vachal, 1909. The holotype of P. flavifrons and the lectotype of P. wagneri are redescribed, and the female of P. flavifrons and male of P. punctata are described for the first time. An identification key to, and distribution maps of, the species of Psaenythisca are also provided.Nearly a quarter of a century ago, Arturo Roig-Alsina and the second author discovered a communal nest of one of the species, now known as Psaenythisca wagneri (Vachal, 1909). The nest descended approximately 2 m into the ground and is described herein. From this nest, provision masses, eggs, larvae, and pupae were retrieved as well as developmental and behavioral information. The immatures are described and compared with those of related taxa, and the developmental and behavioral information are recorded. Of special interest is the fact that males exhibit a wide range of head sizes and head shapes. All of this gives rise to intriguing new questions for future investigation.

Phylogeny, biogeography and diversification of the mining bee family Andrenidae

“…Additionally, we included several lineages as genera that Michener (2007) treated as subgeneric groups. We were unable to acquire material for the small genera described subsequent to Michener's taxonomy (2007), such as Psaenythisca, Ramos and Rozen (2014) or Incasarus Gonzalez et al (2013). We included all 29 samples of andrenid ultraconserved sequence data (ultraconserved elements [UCEs]) that were publicly available as of February 2021 (Branstetter et al, 2017;Grab et al, 2019) and used 31 DNA extracts generated in the course of a dissertation in the lab of B.N.D.…”

Phylogenetic Relationships of a New Genus of Calliopsine Bees from Peru, with a Review ofSpinoliellaAshmead (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

“…Malvaceae and Solanaceae are the families with most records and are likely pollen sources for these species. Regardless, the discovery of X. imponticula and those species of Spinoliella described here, along with the numerous other new and fascinating andrenids described in recent years from South America (e.g., Ascher et al, 2006;Gonzalez et al, 2013cGonzalez et al, , 2014Ramos, 2014;Ramos and Rozen, 2014), highlight how the diversity of these groups in the region has been underappreciated and overlooked.…”

New genera of meliturguline bees from Saudi Arabia and Persia, with notes on related genera and a key to the Arabian fauna (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

“…We provide the description of the new taxon, along with notes on the systematics of Flavomeliturgula (e.g., Table 1). The new species as well as several of those hitherto classi- fied in Flavomeliturgula are as different from one another as are traditionally differentiated as distinct genera among bees, particularly among different lineages of Panurginae (e.g., Ruz 1986Ruz , 1991Patiny 2001;Roig-Alsina and Compagnucci 2003;Gonzalez and Engel 2011;Gonzalez et al 2013Gonzalez et al , 2017Ramos and Rozen 2014). Aside from differences in setation, coloration, and the shape of labra, sulci, pygidial plates, and other structural distinctions, the development of the mouthparts are strikingly different among these groups, and this may reflect some degree of difference in host plant visitation or specialization, much as is observed among other panurgine genera (e.g., Rozen and Ruz 1995;Rozen 2003).…”