''Protandrena bachue'' is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

mining bee ''Andrena'' is a genus of bees in the family Andrenidae. With over 1,500 species, it is one of the largest genera of animals. It is a strongly monophyletic group that is difficult to split into more manageable divisions; currently, ''Andrena'' i ...

in the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

'' Andinopanurgus'' of

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Protandrena ''Protandrena'' is a genus of mining bees in the family Andrenidae. Depending upon whose definition of the genus one follows, there are anywhere from 50 to 180 described species in ''Protandrena''; traditional classifications recognize 7 subgener ...

'', first described by Victor H. González and Luisa Ruz in 2007.

Etymology and habitat

The genus name is named after the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, referring to the Andean distribution of this group of bees. The species

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

is named after the Muisca goddess

Bachué The goddess Bachué (in Chibcha language: "the one with the naked breast"), is a mother goddess that according to the Muisca religion is the mother of humanity. She emerged of the waters in the Iguaque Lake with a baby in her arms, who grew to ...

. The

Muisca people The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan lang ...

inhabited the area where the species has been found; Cundinamarca and Boyacá.

Description

The body is predominantly dark brown to black with reduced yellow maculations; forewing with two submarginal cells. The females are small to moderate-sized bees (4–12 mm in length). Males are longer than the females and have sparser body pubescence.

Other species in this subgenus

* '' Protandrena amyae'' * '' Protandrena femoralis'' * '' Protandrena guarnensis'' * '' Protandrena maximina'' * '' Protandrena rangeli'' * '' Protandrena wayruronga''

References

Andrenidae Endemic fauna of Colombia Arthropods of Colombia Altiplano Cundiboyacense Bachue Insects described in 2007 {{Andrenidae-stub