Didineis bactriana Gussakovskij 1937

Nemkov, Pavel G., 2015, The digger wasps of the genus Didineis Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Bembicinae) of Russia and adjacent territories, with a key to species and new synonymies, Zootaxa 3941 (3), pp. 391-400 : 393

Didineis bactriana Gussakovskij 1937

Didineis bactriana Gussakovskij 1937: 613 , ♀, ♂. Lectotype, designated here: ♀, Uzbekistan, Khatyrchi (ZIN), examined.

Didineis ogloblini Gussakovskij 1937: 615 , ♀. Holotype: ♀, Russia, Kalmykiya, Ulan-nor Lake near Caspian Sea (ZIN), examined. New synonymy.

Didineis bactriana: Bohart & Menke 1976: 458 ; Kazenas 2001: 43.

Didineis ogloblini: Bohart & Menke 1976: 459 .

Alysson bactriana: Kazenas 1978: 95 .

Alysson zimini: Pulawski 1978: 213 ; Rudoiskatel 2010: 152.

Material examined. Lectotype of Didineis bactriana Gussakovskij—1♀, Uzbekistan, Khatyrchi, 27.VIII 1928 (Zimin) ( ZIN); paralectotype— 1♂, Turkmenistan, Charjui, 7.V 1928 (Umnov) ( ZIN). Holotype of Didineis ogloblini Gussakovskij—♀, Russia, Kalmykiya, Ulan-nor Lake near Caspian Sea (Ogloblin) ( ZIN). Mongolia: 1♂, Govi-Altai Aimag, 15 km WNW Dzokhoi, 16.VII 1970 (Emelyanov) ( ZIN).

Recognition. Didineis bactriana is characterized by a rich red coloration of the body. The female is unique in having the vertex behind eyes red. The male can be recognized by the red lateral surface of the mesopleuron, propodeum except for the enclosure, metasomal segments I–III, and base of metasomal segment IV.

Description. Body black with the following red: in female vertex behind eyes, pronotum, scutum, scutellum, lateral surface of mesopleuron, propodeum, metasomal segments I, and metasomal segment II basally to entirely; in male pronotum, lateral surface of mesopleuron, propodeum except for enclosure, metasomal segments I–III, and base of metasomal segment IV. Female clypeus and band on inner eye margin yellowish-red, scape and basal flagellomeres red, other flagellomeres brownish. Male clypeus, band on inner eye margin, and scape pale-yellow, flagellum red. Legs red. Frons finely, densely punctate (punctures less than one diameter apart). Scutum finely, somewhat densely punctate (punctures about one diameter apart). Lateral surface of mesopleuron finely punctate, shine. Metasomal tergum II finely and somewhat densely punctate (punctures about one diameter apart). Female flagellomeres VI–IX twice as long as wide. Male flagellomeres I–III not concave ventrally, flagellomeres VI–IX longer than wide, foretibia not modified.

Distribution. Russia (Kalmykiya), Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia.

Justification of New Synonymy. In the original description of Didineis ogloblini Gussakovskij (1937) indicated that the female (the male was still unknown) differs from the related D. bactriana in details of body coloration and punctation, but he did not point out that both species share a red vertex behind the eyes, a unique character among the Palearctic Didineis . The examination of the types of D. bactriana and D. ogloblini has not revealed any essential differences between the females of these species (the male of D. ogloblini is unknown), the existing differences between them being in my opinion the result of individual variation. I regard D. ogloblini as a junior subjective synonym of D. bactriana Gussakovskij.