Andrena species (Hymenoptera : Apoidea : Andrenidae) from Western Algeria, with a preliminary assessment of their pollen preferences

Abstract

Algeria, the largest country in Africa, has a species rich bee fauna because of its ecological conditions, climate and diversified flora. The present work represents a list of the genus Andrena Fabricius, 1775 in western Algeria. The survey, carried out during the period 2017–2019, has allowed identification of 56 species of Andrena in a total of 787 specimens (496 females, 291 males), with one species new for the fauna of Algeria, Andrena (Aenandrena) hystrix Schmiedeknecht, 1883. Preliminary pollen preferences of the most common species were analysed in Algeria for the first time, comprising seven polylectic and 12 oligolectic species. The current work provides a baseline for future studies on the diet of Andrena and is one of the first studies on the floral preferences of North African bees