Homonotus transcaspicus (Radoszkowski, 1893)

Schmid-Egger, Christian, 2018, A review of the genus Homonotus D, 1843 in the West Palaearctic region with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 809-824 : 817-819

Homonotus transcaspicus ( RADOSZKOWSKI, 1893), figs 17-20

Wesmaelinius transcaspicus RADOSZKOWSKI, 1893: 60, Female. Environs de Merv. [The oasis of Merv (37°39'46.09''N, 62°11'33.07''E) is situated in Turkmenistan on the Murghab River, 40 km to the east from Mary (A. Antropov pers.comm.)]. A male in the Berlin collection with original handwritten label " transcaspicus " from Radoszkowski is designated as Holotype.

Homonotus balcanicus HAUPT, 1927 : 292, female. Holotype female: Montenegro, Lipa b. Cetinje, 600m, 19.VI.1911 (leg. Spaney- Schumacher, Berlin). Examined, new synonym.

Homonotus collaris GUSSAKOWSKIJ, 1952 : 211, male, female. Type female: 7.VIII 1933 (leg. B. Popov). male: 12 VII 1934.: 804. Not examined, new synonym.

Homonotus ruficollis HAUPT, 1962: 70 Male. Holotype male: Ramat Hasharon, 19.VII (Tel Aviv). Paratype male: Ramat Hasharon, 19.VII (Tel Aviv). Not examined, new synonym.

R e c o r d s: Bulgaria: 12 females 12 males 1967-1971 Sandanski and Slancev Brjag ( OLL). Croatia: 1 female 22.vi.1965 Baska , Insel Krk ( OLL). Israel: 1 female 2.vi.2012 Habikurim, N 32°30'/E 34°54' ( CSE). Italy: 1 male 14.vi.1991 Noli (Savona), Ligurien ( OLL). Montenegro: 1 female 19.vi.1911 Lipa b. Cetinje , 600m (holotype of H. balcanicus ). (Berlin). Syria: 4 females 22.v.1996 40 km NE Damascus ( OLL). Turkey: 1 female 20 km S Iskenderum, 3 km S Güzlyaya 5.vii.1996, 2 males 20.vi.1998 SSE Milas ( CSE); 1 female 10.vi.1998 21.v.1970 Mut ; 1 female 1 male 8.v.1970 Urfa; 1 female 1 male 8.vii.1997 25 km E Malatya; 1 male 11.vi.1964 Kusdasi , 1 male 12.vi.1970 Urgüp / Göreme ; 1 male 16.viii.1991 Nemrut Dag 2000 m NN; 2 males 20.vii.2006 20 km SW Burdur ( OLL). Turkmenistan: 1 female 13.v.1993 Sandikatzienv. ( OLL). Female. Environs de Merv. (37°39'46.09''N, 62°11'33.07''E). Holotype of H. transcaspicus . (Berlin). Uzbekistan: 1 female 8 males 12.v.1994 Papngan, 20 km NW Kokand, 41.2N 70,6E; 1 male 28.4.1978 Buchara, Kysyl-Kum ( OLL).

D i s c u s s i o n: Homonotus transcaspicus was not recognized as separate species by most former authors. H. Wolf (pers. comm) treated all red-coloured females from Central Asia as H. sanguinolentus or as H. collaris . During the present study, it was possible to clear the taxonomic situation of the Homonotus species from Central and West Asia and East Europe as well as the nomenclatorial situation of different taxa names. Only YASUMATSU (1932) lists all these species, without further comment, as valid.

It is clear now by the present results that most specimens from this area belong to one species, different from H. sanguinolentus . The first available name is Wesmaelinius transcaspicus RADOSZKOWSKI, 1893 (now in genus Homonotus ), and therefore other names often used in the past (see above) become junior synonyms of this taxon name. Homonotus transcaspicus can clearly be distinguished from the similar H. sanguinolentus and H. niger in both sexes by the deeply impressed metanotum. Females also differ by colour pattern. Genetic barcoding supports this species concept (Schmid- Egger in prep.).

It is noteworthy, that already RADOSZKOWSKI (1893: for H. transcaspicus ) and GUSSAKOWSKI (1952: for H. collaris ) recognized the deeply impressed metanotum as different between H. transcaspicus and H.sanguinolentus s.lat. However, GUSSAKOWSKI (1952) overlooked the description of RADOSZKOWSKI (1893). Haupt described the species twice from Balkans as Homonotus balcanicus and from Israel as Homonotus ruficollis , and WOLF (1972) also used this character in his key for Central European Pompilidae , but had no clear species concept for the whole genus outside of Central Europe (e.g. WOLF 2003).

The type specimen of Wesmaelinius transcaspicus is a male and not a female as indicated in the description of RADOSZKOWSKI (1893). This male in the Berlin collection carries a handwritten label " transcaspicus ", what is the original handwriting of Radoszkowski (A. Antropov pers. com.) Because there is no other type specimen in the Moscow collection, and many types of Radoszkowski had been transferred to Berlin, I treat it as the true type. Radoszkowski probably confused the sex. The detailed description of Radoszkowski is exact and refers without doubt to that species. For that reason, I designate this male as holotype. It belongs to a male with red pronotum, what is much rarer than the all black form of males.

The examined type species of Homonotus balcanicus HAUPT, 1927 agree with H.

transcaspicus and is a new synonym. Homonotus balcanicus was treated as a synonym of H. sanguinolentus in YILDIRIM &WAHIS (2011).

Homonotus ruficollis was described by HAUPT (1962) from Israel by males only. The description agrees with the above mentioned male, a newly collected female from Israel is also similar in morphology and colour pattern with the exception of a red mesocutum. Consequently, H. ruficollis is also a junior synonym of H.transcaspicus . nov.syn.

Homonotus collaris GUSSAKOWSKIJ (1952) is a true H. transcaspicus and therefore also a new synonym of the latter. The type was not examined, but the description (in Russian) is precisely and includes important characters as the deeply impressed metanotum and the red thorax colour of the male.

D i a g n o s i s: Homonotus transcaspicus is unique among Palearctic Homonotus by its marked longitudinal medial furrow on the metanotum. This furrow is always as long as metanotum, and often divides the metanotum in two parts, whereas it is restricted to the apical half or third in H. niger and H. sanguinicollis . The character is easy visible in (most) males and more variable in females. Females always have a red pronotum, whereas the remaining metasoma including propodeum is black. Two females from Syria (among 4 females from the same area) have the pronotum black, but the deeply impressed metanotum identifies the specimens clearly. Males are all black or have pronotum red (the latter in Central Asia only).

F e m a l e: Body length 7-8 mm. Colour: Black, red are the apical clypeal margin and the pronotum. Apical margin of tergite I and base of tergite II with lateral bands of silvery pubescence, bands medially widely interrupted (bands each 1/3 of tergal width. Tergite II apically with continuous band. Bands as large as width of hindtiba apically (in lateral view), basal band II somewhat larger. Wings infuscate, apical spurs of mid- and hindtibia yellowish. Morphology: Apical clypeal margin in 2/3 of its length slightly emarginated. Maximal length of gena and distance between hindoellus and hindmargin of head as long as 0,8x length of antennal segment III. Antennal segment III as long as antennal segment IV. Apex of scutellum with impression, metanotum with longitudinal furrow, apically triangular emarginated.

M a l e: Body length 6-7 mm. Black, red are the apical clypeal margin and the pronotum, Pubescent bands of tergite similar to female. Morphology: Apical clypeal margin widely rounded, with a very small median impression. Gena above as wide as length of scape, below narrow (less than midocellar diameter). Pronotum 1.4x as wide as long. Apex of scutellum with impression, metanotum with longitudinal furrow, apically triangular emarginated. Hindtibial spurs white, 0,8x a s long as metatarsus.

V a r i a t i o n: Two females from Syria (among 4 females) have pronotum black, but the deeply impressed metanotum identifies the specimens clearly. A female form Israel has pronotum and also mesoscutum red. Some males from Central Asia (among them the type specimens) have the pronotum red. These red males occur together with black males, because in 9 males from Kokand ( Uzbekistan) collected on the same date, only one male has the pronotum red.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: From Central Asia to Balkans and eastern Mediterranean area, southwards to Israel. The distribution in the Mediterranean area is not clear. An isolated record from northwestern Italy (Liguria) bases on males only and may be doubtful.