Unusual Andrena species from the high mountains of Ladakh (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae)

he high mountains of the Western Himalayas have an understudied entomofauna due to their isolation and access issues. This lack of knowledge is true also for the bee fauna of this region which has been only occasionally and sporadically studied. Consequently, a visit to the region of Ladakh (Kashmir) in northern India produced several remarkable records of very poorly known bee species. Andrena (Andrena) ladakha W OOD nov.sp. is described, and A. (Hoplandrena) mordax MORAWITZ, 1876 is reported as new for India. The unknown female of A. (incertae sedis) floridula S MITH, 1878 is described for the first time. These findings illustrate the extent to which our understanding of alpine solitary bees of the Western Himalayas is strongly limited by a lack of sampling, exploration, and study.