Philanthus ammochrysus W. Schulz, 1905

Malash, Alyaa A., Edmardash, Yusuf A. & Gadallah, Neveen S., 2023, The genera Philanthus Fabricius, 1790 and Philanthinus de Beaumont, 1949 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Philanthinae) in Egypt, with a new record and the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5249 (2), pp. 151-189 : 160-162

Philanthus ammochrysus W. Schulz, 1905

Fig. 4A–E

Philanthus ammochrysus W. Schulz, 1905: 59 , ♁.

Diagnosis. Body length: 11 mm (male).

Body generally bright yellow with the following black: ocellar triangle extending to inner eye margin above emargination, large spot above antennal sockets, spot at posterior eye margin that narrows posteriorly (Fig. 4A– E); F3–11 (except F3 ventrally) (Fig. 4B), clypeal moustache (Fig. 4B), three longitudinal bands on mesoscutum connected basally and apically (Fig. 4D), scutellum and postscutellum laterally (Fig. 4C), basal triangle of propodeum (Fig. 4D), mesosternum laterally, large irregular area on metapleuron, dorsal basal streak on hind femur (Fig. 4E), apical margins of gastral terga. Gastral T 3 yellow with two black markings baso-laterally, T 6 black with narrow yellow band apically (Fig. 4E), S 2 with black bands apically and basally, with two small black markings basolaterally, S 3 –S 5 with black band basally, S 6 black.

Face densely punctate (Fig. 4B); clypeal moustache long and dense, meeting medially (Fig. 4B); mesoscutum sparsely punctate (Fig. 4D), scutellum and postscutellum smooth and shiny (Fig. 4D); propodeal dorsum smooth and shiny, with median rugose suture (Fig. 4D); upper mesopleuron smooth, lower mesopleuron densely punctate (Fig. 4C); mesosternum coarsely punctate; hind coxa without keel; gastral T 1–3 densely punctate, with large interspaces, punctures sparser and superficial on rest of terga (Fig. 4E); gastral S 2 mostly smooth, dull; S 3–6 coarsely punctate. Male genitalia (see Fig. 23A ).

Female: Not available.

Material examined: 1♁, Wadi Degla, 21.vi.2022, on Ochradenus baccatus Delile (Resedaceae) , Alyaa A. Malash collector ( EFC).

Distribution in Egypt: Wadi Degla (present study).

Extralimital distribution: Algeria, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia.

Comment: This species is a new record for Egypt. Characters of the only specimen collected agree with de Beaumont’s key (1949: 180, couplet 9). It also agrees with de Beaumont’s (1949: 178, fig. 5) except in the absence of the two median black spots between antennal sockets. It differs from the Tunisian male in having apical margins of gastral terga black, and T 3 with two black markings laterally (in Tunisian male, apical markings of terga are ferruginous, T 3 has no black markings laterally, see Ben Khedher et al. 2021: 7, fig. 1B), but agrees with fig. 3B ( Ben Khedher et al. 2021: 8).

Figures

FIGURE 23. Male genitalia of some Philanthus species:A, Philanthus ammochrysus W. Schulz, 1905; B, Phialnthus coarctatus Spinola, 1838; C, Philanthus triangulum abdelcader Lepeletier, 1845; D, Philanthus variegatus Spinola, 1839