Sphex bohemanni Dahlbom, 1845

Dörfel, Thorleif H. & Ohl, Michael, 2022, The wasp genus Sphex in Sub-Saharan Africa (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 796 (1), pp. 1-170 : 108-109

Sphex bohemanni Dahlbom, 1845

Figs 19 , 90, 92 (purple)

Sphex bohemanni Dahlbom, 1845: 436 , ♂.

Sphex transvaalensis Cameron, 1910: 140 , ♂. Synonymized with Chlorion bohemanni by R. Turner 1918: 361.

Differential diagnosis

Males of this species ( Fig. 90 ) can easily be recognized through their distinctly notched posterior margin of sternum VII ( Fig. 19 ). They share this character with those of S. abbotti s. lat. ( Fig. 20 ), but can be distinguished based on the depth of the incision. In S. abbotti , the incision is acute-angled and covers most or all of the visible part of the sternum, whereas it is obtuse-angled in S. bohemanni and reaches only approximately the halfway point of the visible sternum.

Material examined

Holotype SOUTH AFRICA – KwaZulu-Natal • ♂; Port Natal [now Durban] ; NRS.

Other material AFRICA • 2 ♂♂; ZMB .

SOUTH AFRICA – Gauteng • 1 ♂, holotype or syntype of Sphex transvaalensis Cameron, 1910 ; “v. d Merwe” [Van Der Merwe Station]; [25°43ʹ18ʺ S, 28°29ʹ49ʺ E]; 12 Dec. 1906; BMNH • 1 ♂; Johannesburg ; [26°12ʹ16ʺ S, 28°02ʹ44ʺ E]; Feb. 1905; G. Kobrow leg.; TMP • 1 ♂; Pretoria ; [25°43ʹ32ʺ S, 28°14ʹ38ʺ E]; W.L. Distant leg.; BMNH • 1 ♂; Pretoria ; [25°44ʹ46ʺ S, 28°11ʹ17ʺ E]; 1 Jan. 1924; W. Lingnau leg.; DEI . – KwaZulu-Natal • 1 ♂; Durban ; [29°53ʹ S, 31°03ʹ E]; ZMB • 1 ♂; Luneburg, Luneberg ; [27°19ʹ S, 30°37ʹ E]; Nov. 1912; W. Oom leg.; AMG • 1 ♂; Port Natal [now Durban] ; [29°53ʹ S, 31°03ʹ E]; NRS • 1 ♂; Scottburgh ; [30°17ʹ11ʺ S, 30°45ʹ11ʺ E]; 14 Mar. 1926; R.H.R. Stevenson leg.; BMNH .

Description

Female

Unknown.

Male

SIZE. 27.3–30.6 mm.

COLOR. Black except for basal half of mandible, which is ferruginous. Wings fuscous, forewing with violet iridescence.

VESTITURE. Appressed setae on clypeus and paraocular area silvery, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black. Erect setae on clypeus, paraocular area, collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black, at posterior margin of propodeum black or silvery. Erect propodeal setae oriented posteriorly. Clypeus without glabrous spot. Scutellum densely and coarsely pubescent. Metasomal sterna III–VII with increasingly dense fringes of black setae.

STRUCTURE. Free clypeal margin simple. Scutellum convex. Metanotum not raised, not bituberculate. 2 nd recurrent vein joins markedly proximal from interstitium between submarginal cells II and III. Propodeal enclosure without any notable ridges. Posterior margin of metasomal tergum VII convex. Posterior margin of metasomal sternum VII distinctly notched, of metasomal sternum VIII triangular. Petiole length 1.4–1.6× its medial width. Flagellomeres IV–VI with narrow placoids, the first two covering proximal four-fifths of flagellomere length, last one of similar extent as first two, shorter or altogether absent.

Variation

Unknown.

Distribution

South Africa (Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces).

Remarks

While male specimens of S. bohemanni display a very conspicuous character for identifications as noted above, female specimens are treated as unknown, since they are presumably practically indistinguishable from those of several other African species in this group, namely S. abbotti abbotti and S. stadelmanni stadelmanni . They also occur in the same approximate geographic region as S. stadelmanni stadelmanni .

Figures

Figs 19–24. 19–20. Ventral view of the two apical sterna in males of the bohemanni group. 21, 23. Dorsal view of apical third of penis valvae in males of the bohemanni group. 22, 24. Lateral view of penis valvae. 19. Sphex bohemanni Dahlbom, 1845. 20. S. abbotti abbotti W. Fox, 1891. 21– 22. S. stadelmanni stadelmanni Kohl, 1895. 23–24. S. schoutedeni s. lat.

Figs 85–92. 85–86. Habitus of ♀. 87–90. habitus of ♂. 85. Sphex incomptus Gerstaecker, 1871. 86– 87. S. pulawskii sp. nov. 88. S. abbotti abbotti W. Fox, 1891. 89. S. abbotti nivarius subsp. nov. 90. S. bohemanni Dahlbom, 1845. 91. Geographic distribution of S. incomptus (red) and S. pulawskii sp. nov. (blue). 92. Geographic distribution of S. a. abbotti (red), S. a. nivarius subsp. nov. (blue), S. abyssinicus (Arnold, 1928) (yellow) and S. bohemanni (purple).