Sphex stadelmanni stadelmanni Kohl, 1895

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 : 117-120

Sphex stadelmanni stadelmanni Kohl, 1895

Figs 16 , 21–22 , 95, 99 (yellow)

Sphex stadelmanni Kohl, 1895: 67

Chlorion stadelmanni var. integrum Arnold, 1928: 372 , ♀, ♂ (syntypes: South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Scottburgh; Zimbabwe, Manicaland, Chirinda Forest; Mozambique, “Rikatla”, R. Stevenson leg.; SAM, TMP, not examined). Syn. nov.

Differential diagnosis

Within their species group, members of this species ( Fig. 95 ) closely resemble those of S. abyssinicus and S. schoutedeni malawicus subsp. nov., as all three are black with primarily dark vestiture. The males of S. stadelmanni s. lat. are most easily distinguishable through the structure of their genitalia. The penis valvae are fused and curved towards the dorsal side, where they form a chalice-like configuration with a slightly widened margin ( Figs 21–22 ). The valvicipites are curved posteroventrally. In S. schoutedeni and its subspecies S. s. malawicus subsp. nov., the penis valvae lack a widened margin, and the valvicipites do not curve back toward the ventral side, but continue in dorsal direction ( Figs 23–24 ). In S. abyssinicus , the fused part of the valvae is dorsoventrally enlarged ( Fig. 26 ) and sternum VIII is conspicuously rectangular ( Fig. 25 ).

Males of S. abbotti abbotti ( Fig. 88 ) and S. bohemanni ( Fig. 90 ) are also similar, but can be identified via their incised sternum VII ( Figs 19–20 ). Those of the subspecies S. stadelmanni rufus subsp. nov. ( Fig. 97 ) are characterized by having the central and lower part of the clypeus, as well as trochanter, femur and tibia, ferruginous instead of black.

Females of S. stadelmanni stadelmanni are very difficult to distinguish from those of S. abbotti abbotti , as both share uniformly black appressed clypeal and paraocular setae without a differently-colored luster ( Figs 15–16 ). However, the ferruginous color of the mandibles is more extensive and also present on the free clypeal margin in S. stadelmanni stadelmanni . In contrast, S. abbotti abbotti has the clypeal margin and most of the mandibular base black. In some of the other females of the bohemanni group, the appressed setae on the paraocular area and clypeus are also black, but show a luster of a different color when viewed from certain angles ( Figs 14, 17–18 ).

Material examined

Holotype

MOZAMBIQUE – Maputo Province • ♂; Delagoa Bay [now Maputo Bay] ; [25°59ʹ S, 32°42ʹ E]; ZMB.

Other material

ESWATINI – Manzini Region • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Middleveld, Malkerns Research Station ; [26°31ʹ41.7ʺ S, 31°11ʹ55.5ʺ E]; 16 Mar. 1979; G.G.M. Schulten leg.; RMNH • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding but 19 Apr. 1979; RMNH .

MOZAMBIQUE – Maputo City • 1 ♀; Maputo, Universidade ; [25°58ʹ S, 32°35ʹ E]; 7 Feb. 1976; H.R. Feijen leg.; RMNH . – Maputo Province • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZMB • 3 ♂♂; same locality as for holotype; R. Monteiro leg.; ZMB .

SOUTH AFRICA – Gauteng • 1 ♀; Johannesburg, Bloksberg ; [26°12ʹ16ʺ S, 28°02ʹ44ʺ E]; 1907; C.H. Pead leg.; BMNH • 2 ♀; Pretoria ; [25°43ʹ32ʺ S, 28°14ʹ38ʺ E]; W.L. Distant leg.; BMNH • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; 1 Jan. 1924; W. Lingnau leg.; DEI . – KwaZulu-Natal • 1 ♂; 20 km S of Manguzi; [27°10ʹ45ʺ S, 32°42ʹ46ʺ E]; 3 Dec. 2002; Ma. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♂; Durban ; [29°53ʹ S, 31°03ʹ E]; 1902; F. Muir leg.; BMNH • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; W.L. Distant leg.; BMNH • 1 ♂; Durban, Blue Lagoon ; [29°48ʹ34.1ʺ S, 31°01ʹ59.4ʺ E]; 11 Mar. 1963; H.N. Empey leg.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Elephant Game Park, Tembe ; 27°03ʹ S, 32°24ʹ E; 23 Feb. 1997; F. Koch leg.; ZMB • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding but 19 Nov. 1999; ZMB • 1 ♀; Ithala Game Res. ; 27°30ʹ S, 31°20ʹ E; 28–30 Jan. 1995; F. Koch leg.; ZMB • 1 ♂; Ithala Game Res., Savannah ; 27°30ʹ S, 31°20ʹ E; 4–10 Apr. 2001; F. Koch leg.; ZMB • 1 ♂; Ithala Game Reserve, Louwsburg ; [27°32ʹ48.14ʺ S, 31°18ʹ48.71ʺ E]; 10–23 Dec. 1993; F. Koch leg.; THD-008-ZMB ; GenBank LWR gene: MW582288 ; ZMB • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; ZMB • 1 ♂; Kosi Bay Nature Reserve ; 26°58ʹ S, 32°50ʹ E; 19 Apr. 1999; F. Koch leg.; THD-009-ZMB ; GenBank CO1 gene: MW538556 ; ZMB • 1 ♂; Malvern ; [29°53ʹ06ʺ S, 30°55ʹ30ʺ E]; 1904; J.P. Cregoe leg.; BMNH • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Mbazwana ; [27°30ʹ S, 32°34ʹ44.4ʺ E]; 6 Dec. 2002; Ma. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 2 ♂♂; Pinetown ; [29°49ʹ S, 30°51ʹ E]; 21 Mar. 1910; G.F. Leigh leg.; TMP • 2 ♂♂; Salt Rock Beach ; [29°30ʹ10.98ʺ S, 31°14ʹ19.98ʺ E]; 8 Apr. 1958; CAS • 1 ♀; Scottburgh ; [30°17ʹ S, 30°45ʹ E]; 15 Mar. 1963; H.N. Empey leg.; RMNH • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 14 Mar. 1926; R.H.R. Stevenson leg.; BMNH • 1 ♀; Shongweni Dam ; [29°51ʹ15ʺ S, 30°42ʹ50ʺ E]; 15 Jan. 1976; F.J. Herbst leg.; AMG • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; 25 Feb. 1971; F.L. Farquharson leg.; AMG • 2 ♀♀; Umtentweni ; 30°43ʹ S, 30°28ʹ E; 20 Apr. 1973; H.N. Empey leg.; AMG . – Limpopo • 1 ♀; 16 km E of Louis Trichardt; [23°03ʹ59.6ʺ S, 30°03ʹ19.4ʺ E]; 8 Dec. 1974; J.G. and B.L. Rozen leg.; AMNH • 1 ♀; Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve ; 24°12ʹ S, 30°20ʹ E; 25–31 Mar. 2001; F. Koch leg.; ZMB • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; ZMB • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding but 26 Mar.– 1 Apr. 2001; ZMB • 13 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding but 30 Oct.–3 Nov 2010; ZMB . – Mpumalanga • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 20 km NW of Nelspruit [now Mbombela]; [25°20ʹ09ʺ S, 30°49ʹ35.5ʺ E]; 26 Nov. 2003; J. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♀; Blyderevierspoort National Park ; 24°39ʹ S, 30°50ʹ E; 13 Dec. 1995; F. Koch leg.; ZMB • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding but 10 Nov. 1999; ZMB • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding but 13 Nov. 1999; ZMB • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding but 1–3 Apr. 2001; ZMB .

ZAMBIA – Northern Province • 1 ♀; “L. Chambezi V. ; Kasama distr. ”; alt. 3900 ft; 4–6 May 1908; S.A. Neave leg.; OUMNH .

ZIMBABWE – Manicaland • 1 ♀; Chirinda Forest ; [20°24ʹ36ʺ S, 32°40ʹ08ʺ E]; Nov. 1930; BMNH • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding but Dec. 1935; BMNH • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; [20°24ʹ37ʺ S, 32°41ʹ57ʺ E]; 20 Oct. 1949; USNM .

Description

Female

SIZE. 25.5–28.2 mm.

COLOR. Black except for basal half of mandible, free clypeal margin and occasionally femora, which are dark ferruginous. Wings uniformly fuscous, with cyan-purple iridescence.

VESTITURE.Appressed and erect setae on clypeus, paraocular area, collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black. Erect propodeal setae oriented posteriorly. Lower center of clypeus glabrous. Scutellum densely and coarsely pubescent.

STRUCTURE. Free clypeal margin medially with two broad, indistinct processes, stepped above. Clypeus with indentation in lower center, longitudinal carina in upper center barely noticeable. Scutellum convex. Metanotum not raised, not notably bituberculate. 2 nd recurrent vein joins markedly proximal from interstitium between submarginal cells II and III. Propodeal enclosure without any notable ridges. Foretarsomere I 2.4–2.6 × length of antepenultimate spine. Petiole length 1.3–1.7× its medial width.

Male

SIZE. 22.9–27.0 mm.

COLOR. Black except for basal half of mandible, which is ferruginous. Wings slightly fuscous, with cyan-purple iridescence.

VESTITURE. Appressed setae on clypeus and paraocular area brassy, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black. Erect setae on clypeus, paraocular area, collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black, on posterior margin of propodeum brassy in some specimens. Erect propodeal setae oriented posteriorly.

Free clypeal margin glabrous. Scutellum densely and coarsely pubescent. Metasomal sterna II–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 simple, of metasomal sternum VIII semicircular. Fused penis valvae laterally widened, without notch, valviceps oriented posterodorsally. Petiole length 1.6–2.2× its medial width. Flagellomeres IV–VI with broad placoids covering their entire length.

Variation

Unknown.

Distribution

Southeastern Africa.

Remarks

Of Sphex stadelmanni stadelmanni , only the holotype is known. It differs from members of the subspecies S. s. integer ( Arnold, 1928), which was described about 30 years later, in a single character: S. s. stadelmanni possesses a very notable broad incision on the posterior margin of tergum VII, while S. s. integer has tergum VII entire. We have studied several other males from the same locality as the type, presumably collected in a similar time period, but all of them, as well as every other specimen we examined that belonged to S. stadelmanni s. lat. were either S. s. integer or S. s. rufus subsp. nov. The morphological disparity in the holotype of S. stadelmanni stadelmanni might have been the result of malformation during ontogeny. This hypothesis is corroborated by the fact that all of the other terga of the specimen appear to be deformed in a similar way, albeit asymmetrically and only on the right side. It seems as though in this case, the emarginations are placed more centrally on a tergum the further posterior it is, so the symmetrical incision on the final tergum could fit with this theory. We propose that S. s. integer becomes a synonym of S. s. stadelmanni , as the holotype of S. s. stadelmanni is presumably merely an aberration of the same species, though the name has priority. Perhaps future DNA analyses will reveal more information, but with the methods used in this project we cannot hope to generate meaningful data from this over 120-year-old specimen.

Figures

Figs 13–18. Faces of females in frontal view. 13. Sphex nigrohirtus Kohl, 1895. 14. Sphex abbotti nivarius subsp. nov. 15. S. abbotti abbotti W. Fox, 1891. 16. S. stadelmanni stadelmanni Kohl, 1895. 17. S. abyssinicus (Arnold, 1928). 18. S. schoutedeni malawicus subsp. nov.

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.

Figure 93–99. 93, 96. Habitus of ♀. 94–95, 97. Habitus of ♂. 93. Sphex pseudopraedator sp. nov. 94. S. schoutedeni schoutedeni Kohl, 1913. 95. S. stadelmanni stadelmanni Kohl, 1895. 96– 97. S. stadelmanni rufus subsp. nov. 98. Geographic distribution of S. pseudopraedator sp. nov. 99. Geographic distribution of S. schoutedeni schoutedeni (red); S. schoutedeni malawicus subsp. nov. (blue); S. stadelmanni stadelmanni (yellow); S. stadelmanni rufus subsp. nov. (purple).

Figs 25–32. 25–26. Ventral and lateral view of sternum VIII and genitalia in male of Sphex abyssinicus (Arnold, 1928). 27–28. Frontal view of free clypeal margin in males. 29–32. Dorsal view of fore- and hindwing in males and females of thegaullei group. 27. S. umtalicus Strand, 1916. 28. S. decipiens Kohl, 1895. 29. S. jansei Cameron, 1910, ♀. 30. S. jansei, ♂. 31. S. gaullei Berland, 1927, ♀. 32. S. gaullei, ♂.

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).