Arachnospila (Ammosphex) anceps (Wesmael, 1851)

(Figs 15, 16, 48, 58, 78, 96, 97)

Sphex vagus Harris, 1779: 95 (type locality: Great Britain), nom praeocc., non Sphex vaga Linnaeus, 1758 . Pompilus anceps Wesmael, 1851: 463, Ƥ (lectotype, Ƥ, " Belgium ", designated by Wahis 1957: 5 [Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Brussels]).

Pompilus (Ammosphex) anceps: Wolf 1966: 42, 49, 66, 74, Ƥ 3.

Arachnospila (Ammosphex) anceps anceps: Móczár 1968: 430, Ƥ.

Arachnospila (Ammosphex) anceps: Wolf 1972: 96, 102, 109, Ƥ 3; Tobias 1978: 128, 132, Ƥ 3; Day 1979: 12; Wahis 1986: 19; Lelej 1995: 246, 3; v.d. Smissen 1996: 86, 90, Ƥ 3; Loktionov 2011: 83; Wahis 2011.

Arachnospila anceps: Zonstein 2002: 137, Ƥ 3.

Pompilus unguicularis Thomson, 1870: 221, Ƥ 3 (lectotype, Ƥ, Sweden, designated by Day 1979: 12 [Universitetets Zoologiska Institution, Lund, Sweden]). Junior subjective synonym of Pompilus anceps Wesmael, 1851 according to Wahis 1957: 5.

Psammochares (Psammochares) unguicularis: Haupt 1927: 155, 201, Ƥ.

Psammochares (Psammochares) gibbus: Haupt 1927: 164, 204, 3, misidentification.

Pompilus (Ammosphex) anceps cyrnus Wolf, 1965a: 89, Ƥ (holotype, Ƥ "Lac de Nino, 1600 m, Corse, 15.VIII.1950 " [France]); Wolf 1966: 48, 78, Ƥ. Junior subjective synonym of Pompilus anceps Wesmael, 1851 according to Wahis 1986: 19.

Pompilus (Ammosphex) anceps peninsulanus Wolf, 1966: 49, 66, 78, Ƥ 3 (holotype, Ƥ " Italien, Cattolica, 10.VII.1960 (W. Gruenwaldt)" [Italy]). Junior subjective synonym of Pompilus anceps Wesmael, 1851 according to Wahis 1986: 19.

Arachnospila (Ammosphex) anceps serica Wolf and Móczár, 1972: 245, 246, Ƥ 3 (holotype, Ƥ "Chövsgöl aimak, 3 km SW von Somon Burenchaan, 1650 m, Exp. Dr. Z. Kaszab, 1968, 21.VI.1968 " [Mongolia], [Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest], examined). Junior subjective synonym of Pompilus anceps Wesmael, 1851 according to Wahis 1986: 19.

Diagnosis of male. The male of this species is easily distinguished from other males of the subgenus Ammosphex by having hypopygium not narrowed subbasally, gradually convergent to the apex, without any median carinae, and with one tuft of setae (not bristles) baso-laterally (Figs 15, 16 vs. 1–14, 17–37). Genitalia as in Fig. 48.

Diagnosis of female. The female of this species is similar to female of Arachnospila (Ammosphex) wolfi Lelej, 1995 by having ratio of eye width to half frontal width 0.9 and more, but clearly differs by having shiny frons (matt in A. (A.) wolfi) and propodeum laterally with long erect sparse setae (without long erect setae, at most with a few short setae in A. (A.) wolfi). Clypeus as in Fig. 58. Metapostnotum as in Fig. 78. Venation of fore wing as in Figs 96, 97.

Material examined. RUSSIA. Amurskaya Prov.: 4 Ƥ 5 3, Khinganskiy Reserve, 12.VI.1987, 18– 28.VII.1988. Kamchatka: 1 3, Esso, 25.VII.2005. Magadan Prov.: 2 3, 150 km W Magadan, 7.VII.1975. Chukotka: 1 Ƥ, Omolon River, 180 km N Omolon, 8.VIII.1976. Transbaikalskiy Terr.: 1 Ƥ, Chita, Peschanka, 28.VII.1984 [IBSS].

Distribution. Russia (Amurskaya prov., Kamchatka, Magadan Prov., *Chukotka; Transbaikalskiy Terr., northwest, east and centre of European part) (Tobias 1978; Lelej 1995), Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands (Wahis 2011), Belarus (Shlyachtenok 1996), Turkey, Syria, Iran, Mongolia (Móczár 1968), Kyrgyzstan (Zonstein 2002).

Biology. The cleptoparasites of Arachnospila (Ammosphex) anceps are pompilids: Ceropales maculata (Fabricius) (Lelej 1995) and Evagetes crassicornis (Shuckard) (v.d. Smissen 2003).

The prey consists of spiders Clubiona Latreille (Clubionidae), Drassodes Westring (Gnaphosidae), Alopecosa Simon, Pardosa C.L. Koch, Trochosa C.L. Koch (Lycosidae), Pisaura Simon (Pisauridae), Evarcha Simon (Salticidae), Xysticus C.L. Koch (Thomisidae) (WiŠniowski 2009).

Female excavates a short burrow in the ground ending in a single cell. During excavation the paralyzed spider is hidden on a plant (WiŠniowski 2009).