Prionyx (Harpactopus) judaeus ( de Beaumont, 1968 )

Odintsev, Yuriy N. Danilov Oleg A. & Kobets, Anastasia S., 2024, A taxonomic study on the genus Prionyx Vander Linden, 1827 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Prionychini). Subgenus Harpactopus F. Smith, 1856, Zootaxa 5551 (2), pp. 263-298 : 273-274

Prionyx (Harpactopus) judaeus ( de Beaumont, 1968)

( Figs 1c , 4b , 9f )

Sphex (Priononyx) judaeus de Beaumont 1968:150 , ♀, ♂. Holotype: ♀, «Jéricho» [ Palestine: Jericho] (MCZL), examined.— As Prionyx judaeus : R. Bohart & Menke 1976:133; Roche 2007a:40, 2007b:3; Danilov 2019:78; Danilov & Odintsev 2023:433; Pulawski 2024:12.

Diagnosis. Both sexes of P. judaeus closely resemble P. subfuscatus , P. saevus , P. crudelis , and P. indus . The female of P. judaeus differs from P. subfuscatus and P. saevus in having the head and mesosoma with dark setae, the propodeal enclosure with long, dense, hairlike black setae, the tarsal rake of the foreleg with long, stout, bladelike and some hairlike setae ( P. subfuscatus and P. saevus have the head and mesosoma with pale setae, propodeal enclosure without long, dense, black setae, tarsal rake of foreleg only with some long, stout, bladelike setae). The male of P. judaeus differs from P. subfuscatus and P. saevus in having the propodeal enclosure with long, dense, hairlike black setae (the propodeal enclosure without long, dense, black setae in P. subfuscatus and P. saevus ).

Unlike P. indus , both sexes of P. judaeus have the wings yellow (the wings dark in P. indus ). Both sexes of P. judaeus differ from P. crudelis in having the mesopleuron ventrally smooth and shiny with sparse punctures (the mesopleuron is ventrally rugose in P. crudelis ). The male of P. judaeus differs from P. crudelis in having F3–F4 with placoids (F3–F5 with placoids in P. crudelis ).

Description. Body black with black erect setae. Head. Labial palpomeres 2–4 usual. Vertex, occiput and gena microsculptured, punctate. Mesosoma . Pronotum moderately angulate laterodorsally, finely rugose, with black erect setae. Scutum punctatorugose, slightly shiny. Scutellum slightly longitudinally depressed, longitudinlly rugose. Metanotum distinctly tuberculate dorsally. Mesopleuron laterally, metapleuron, and propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose, with black erect setae. Mesopleuron ventrally smooth and shiny, with sparse punctures. Metapleuron and propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with black erect setae, not concealing integument, except propodeal enclosure with long, dense, hairlike black setae, moderately concealing integument. Wings yellow in venation zone, smoky apically; veins light brown to yellow; recurrent vein II of forewing received by submarginal cell III. Legs. Claws with 2 ventral teeth; arolia present.

Male. Body length 18–21 mm. Head. Labrum trapeziform. Clypeus with wide V-shaped median emargination. Clypeus, subantennal sclerite and paraocular area with appressed, silvery setae, moderately concealing integument. Mandible black and dark brown mesally. F3–F4 with narrow, depressed placoids. Metasoma. S6 entire, without teeth.

Female. Body length 24 mm. Head. Labrum trapeziform, emarginate apically. Clypeus angulate, with Ushaped median notch. Clypeus, subantennal sclerite and paraocular area with appressed, silvery setae, concealing integument. Legs. Tarsal rake of foreleg with long, stout, bladelike and some short, hairlike setae.

Material examined. PALESTINE. Jericho [31°51’N, 35°27’E], 27.VIII.1941, H. Bytinski-Salz (♀, holotype, MCZL) . ISRAEL. Ein Gedi [31°27’N, 35°23’E], 2.VI.1965, W. Schlaefle (1 ♂, paratype, MCZL)

Distribution. Arid and semi-arid areas of the Middle East ( Egypt, Israel, Palestine).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Female clypeus: a: Prionyx crudelis (F. Smith), b: P. indus (Linnaeus), c: P. judaeus (de Beaumont), d: P. saevus (F. Smith), e: P. subfuscatus (Dahlbom), f: P. zarudnyi (Gussakovskij).

FIGURE 4. Male antennae, scheme: a: Prionyx crudelis (F. Smith), P. indus (Linnaeus), P. zarudnyi (Gussakovskij), b: P. judaeus (de Beaumont), P. saevus (F. Smith), c: P. subfuscatus (Dahlbom), P. stschurowskii (Radoszkowski), d: P. funebris (Berland), P. macula (Fabricius), P. persicus (Mocsáry), P. radoszkowskyi (Kohl), e: P. melanotus (F. Morawitz), f: P. globosus (F. Smith).

FIGURE 9. Collecting localities (red circles) and literature data (blue circles); a: Prionyx chobauti (Roth), b: P. crudelis (F. Smith), c: P. funebris (Berland), d: P. globosus (F. Smith), e: P. indus (Linnaeus), f: P. judaeus (de Beaumont), g: P. macula (Fabricius), h: P. melanotus (F. Morawitz).