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Issue: Vol. 5828 No. 2: 9 Jun. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-09
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5828.2.1
Page range: 151-195
Abstract views: 36
PDF downloaded: 1

Reassessment of Incasarus (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae: Protandrenini) with the description of two new species (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

Department of Biology; York University; 4700 Keele St.; Toronto; Ontario; M3J 1P3; Canada.
Department of Biology; York University; 4700 Keele St.; Toronto; Ontario; M3J 1P3; Canada.; Research Associate; Department of Natural History; Royal Ontario Museum; 100 Queen’s Park; Toronto; Ontario; M5S 2C6; Canada.
Hymenoptera Andrenidae Panurginae Protandrenini systematics phylogenetic analysis taxonomy Andes

Abstract

A revised classification is presented for a group of Andean bees from Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru previously assigned to Liphanthus Reed (Andrenidae: Panurginae: Protandrenini) based on a phylogenetic analysis of 108 morphological characters. The results indicate that these species form a well-supported clade with the previously monotypic genus Incasarus Gonzalez, Rasmussen & Engel, rendering Liphanthus, as currently delimited, paraphyletic. These species share several distinctive morphological characters, including dense to crowded punctation on the head and mesoscutum, strongly sculptured tegulae, and unique genitalic features not observed in Liphanthus. Accordingly, we transfer the following species to a redefined Incasarus: I. abotorabi (Mir Sharifi & Packer, 2019) comb. nov.; I. aeneiventris (Friese, 1908) comb. nov. treated here as the senior synonym of L. fritzi Mir Sharifi & Packer, 2019 syn. nov.; I. amblayensis (Mir Sharifi & Packer, 2019) comb. nov.; I. ancashensis (Mir Sharifi & Packer, 2019) comb. nov.; I. cochabambensis (Mir Sharifi & Packer, 2019) comb. nov.; and I. yrigoyeni (Packer, 2019) comb. nov. Additionally, we describe two new species: I. arequipensis Romero & Packer, sp. nov. from Peru, and I. ivari Romero & Packer, sp. nov. from Bolivia, producing a generic richness of nine species. The phylogenetic analysis suggests three distinct lineages within Incasarus. This study enhances our understanding of the diversity of Protandrenini in the Andes and highlights the continued value of museum material and new field sampling for the discovery of diversity within poorly understood lineages.

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How to Cite

Romero, N. & Packer, L. (2026) Reassessment of Incasarus (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae: Protandrenini) with the description of two new species (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae). Zootaxa, 5828 (2), 151–195. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5828.2.1