Sphex abbotti nivarius, Dörfel & Ohl, 2022

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 : 104-106

Sphex abbotti nivarius subsp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CBE2E9E4-17B4-46AA-8751-D8D095806598

Figs 14 , 89, 92 (blue)

Differential diagnosis

Having a deep incision on the posterior margin of sternum VIII, males of this subspecies are wellcharacterized and can only be confused with those of S. abbotti abbotti ( Fig. 20 ). The most notable difference between the two taxa is that male S. abbotti nivarius subsp. nov. have the erect (and in some cases additionally the appressed) propodeal setae silvery ( Fig. 89 ) instead of black ( Fig. 88 ).

Females are more difficult to distinguish and greatly resemble those of S. schoutedeni schoutedeni , with which they share the silvery erect propodeal setae. Because their geographical distribution is roughly the same, assigning the females to the males was quite difficult. The only trait that separates them and simultaneously coincides with that of the respective male is the color of the appressed propodeal setae, which is black in S. schoutedeni schoutedeni and silvery in some females of S. abbotti nivarius subsp. nov., though it is black in others. The most reliable way to identify females with uniformly black appressed propodeal setae is the ratio of petiole length to width, which is around 2.0 in S. abbotti nivarius subsp. nov. and smaller than 1.7 in S. schoutedeni schoutedeni . Despite the similarities in the respective females, the male genitalia and sterna leave no doubt that S. schoutedeni and S. abbotti are clearly two definite species.

Etymology

‘ Nivarius ’ is a Latin adjective meaning ‘snowy’, which refers to the silvery-white setae on the propodeum that distinguish this subspecies.

Material examined

Holotype ZAMBIA – North-Western Province • ♂; E of Mufumbwe, NW of Kasempa; [13°22ʹ37ʺ S, 25°20ʹ52.1ʺ E]; 15 Nov. 2005; M. Snižek leg.; THD-016-OOLM ; GenBank CO1 gene: MW538559 ; OÖLM.

Paratypes ANGOLA – Huíla Province • 1 ♀; 16 mi. W of Paiva Couceiro; [14°49ʹ S, 14°33ʹ E]; 9 Dec. 1966; E.S. Ross and K. Lorenzen leg.; CAS .

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO – Bas-Uele • 1 ♀; Bambesa ; [3°26ʹ44.2ʺ N, 25°41ʹ27ʺ E]; 4 Oct. 1937; J. Vrydagh leg.; IRSN . – Haut-Katanga • 1 ♀; Elisabethville [now Lubumbashi] ; [11°40ʹ S, 27°29ʹ E]; 4 Feb. 1937; H.-J. Brédo leg.; IRSN • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding but 26 May 1937; IRSN • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding but 24 Dec. 1937; IRSN • 1 ♀; same locality as for preceding; Apr. 1928; M. Bequaert leg.; MRAC • 1 ♂; same locality as for preceding; Dec. 1923; Ch. Seydel leg.; MRAC • 1 ♂; Lusinga ; [8°55ʹ55ʺ S, 27°12ʹ20ʺ E]; 1–8 Dec. 1947; G.F. de Witte leg.; MRAC . – Haut-Lomami • 1 ♀; Kamina ; [8°44ʹ S, 25°00ʹ E]; 1930; R. Massart leg.; MRAC • 1 ♀; Kaniama ; [7°31ʹ S, 24°11ʹ E]; 1931; R. Massart leg.; MRAC . – Lualaba • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Kapanga ; [8°21ʹ S, 22°34ʹ E]; Oct. 1932; F.G. Overlaet leg.; MRAC • 1 ♀; Sandoa ; [9°41ʹ S, 22°53ʹ E]; Nov. 1931; F.G. Overlaet leg.; MRAC .

ZAMBIA – North-Western Province • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; 150 km SW of Solwezi; 13°02ʹ S, 25°45ʹ E; 15 Nov. 2005; M. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♀; 30 km E of Solwezi; 12°21ʹ S, 27°01ʹ E; 8 Nov. 2005; M. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♂; 80 km SSW of Solwezi; 12°45ʹ S, 26°02ʹ E; 13 Nov. 2005; M. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♀; Solwezi , 90 km E of Chisasa; [12°11ʹ S, 26°24ʹ E]; 9 Sep. 2005; M. Snižek leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♀; near Solwezi; [12°11ʹ S, 26°24ʹ E]; 1–3 Dec. 2002; J. Halada leg.; OÖLM .

Description

Female

SIZE. 23.5–31.6 mm.

COLOR. Black except for basal half of mandible and free clypeal margin, which are ferruginous. Wings uniformly fuscous, with violet-bluish iridescence.

VESTITURE. Appressed setae on clypeus silvery-golden, black towards center, on paraocular area silvery, on collar and scutum black, on propodeal enclosure black, near posterior margin silvery or black. Erect setae on clypeus, paraocular area, collar and scutum black, on propodeal enclosure silvery. 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, not stepped above. Clypeus with indentation in lower center, without longitudinal carina. 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 2.8–3.3× length of antepenultimate spine. Petiole length 1.8–2.1 × its medial width.

Male

SIZE. 25.5–29.7 mm.

COLOR. Black except for the following, which are ferruginous: basal half of mandible, tergum VII and sterna VII–VIII. Wings slightly infuscate, with violet-bluish iridescence.

VESTITURE. Appressed setae on clypeus and paraocular area brassy, anteriorly on collar, on scutum predominantly and anteriorly on propodeal enclosure black, posterolaterally on scutum and posteriorly on propodeum silvery. Erect setae on clypeus, paraocular area, collar and scutum black, on propodeal enclosure silvery. 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 medially with very indistinct process emerging from inner side. 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 deeply incised, of metasomal sternum VIII semicircular. Penis valvae fused, apical third dorsally open, with several anteriorly-oriented fin-like processes. Petiole length 1.7–2.0× its medial width. Flagellomeres IV–VI with broad placoids covering their entire length.

Variation

Males can have the appressed facial setae pale silvery instead of brassy, or the appressed propodeal setae uniformly silvery instead of predominantly black.

Distribution

Central Africa.

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 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).

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.