Entomognathus sauditus Gadallah, 2024

Gadallah, Neveen S. & Abu El-Ghiet, Usama M., 2024, Sphecidae sensu lato (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Jazan Province, south-west of Saudi Arabia, with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 5492 (1), pp. 71-95 : 83-85

Entomognathus sauditus Gadallah , sp. nov.

Figs 8 (A–E), 9(A–D)

Type material: SAUDI ARABIA: Holotype (♀), Abu Arish (Jazan Province) [16º58'08"N 42º49'57"E], 16– 23.iii.2023, Malaise trap on Mangifera indica, Usama M. Abu El-Ghiet collector.

Description of female holotype: body length: 4.0 mm

Colouration. Black, the following parts yellow: scape beneath ( Fig. 8A, B ), apical flagellomere ( Fig. 8C ), three very thin transverse markings on pronotal collar, lateral stripe joining pronotal lobe ( Fig. 8E ), pronotal lobe ( Figs 8E , 9A ), tibiae (whitish except black streaks on inner surface of fore and mid tibiae, and outer surface of hind tibia), tarsi, apex of pygidial plate (golden yellow); mandible reddish with black tip and teeth ( Fig. 8A ); S 6 reddish ( Fig. 9C ); tegula largely black, bordered with yellow ( Fig. 8E ); fore wing hyaline, with some coloured reflections, with reddish brown stigma and veins ( Fig. 9B ).

Head ( Fig. 8A–C ). Distinctly wider than long in frontal view (1.2× as wide as long) ( Fig. 8A ); vertex shiny, sparsely punctate; with postocular sulcus; eye setose, setae very short, white, irregularly distributed ( Fig. 8C ); eye orbit greatly divergent above ( Fig. 8A ); interocular distance on vertex distinctly longer than flagellum; thin pyriform fovea present close to upper part of eye orbit; gena with very thin carina along posterior eye margin ( Fig. 8C ); ocellar triangle distinctly obtuse, with base distinctly longer than lateral side; POL 1.17× OOL; frons finely, densely punctate, posterior margin of head sparsely, finely punctate; occipital carina complete, sharp; clypeus (except tip) covered with fine silvery pubescence hiding punctures beneath, apical margin shiny, straightly notched medially, with distinct sharp tooth on each side, separated from clypeal midpoint by distance equal to antennal socket; scape long and thin, flagellomeres slightly longer than wide; F2 slightly shorter than F1 and distinctly shorter than F3; mandible distinctly notched externo-ventrally at base, with two very close, minute inner subbasal teeth, lined with some pale setae ( Fig. 8A ).

Thorax ( Figs 8D, E , 9A ). Pronotal collar slightly interrupted medially; scutum sparsely, finely, superficially punctate ( Fig. 8C ), with notauli distinct, deep, and with two short admedian lines antero-medially ( Fig. 8E ); parapsidal furrows superficial, scratch-like, unlike deep pit-like notauli ( Fig. 8 E ); scutellum smooth, dull; metanotum smooth, without median longitudinal carina ( Fig. 8D ); propodeum regularly areolate; mesopleuron nearly smooth to sparsely, superficially punctate, dull, episternal sulcus crenulate, with rounded scrobe posteriorly ( Fig. 9A ); precoxal carina present, hardly visible; starnaulus distinct ( Fig. 9A ); metapleuron smooth and shiny. Forewing ( Fig. 9B ) with somewhat short marginal cell, obliquely truncate at apex; submarginal and discoidal cells separated; hind wing with nervulus. Legs. Hindtibia with two longitudinal rows of short, sharp spines along its outer surface; longer hindtibial spur distinctly more than half length of basitarsus; hindcoxa usual, not produced ventrally.

Gaster ( Fig. 9C, D ). Nearly smooth to very finely, superficially punctate; pygidial plate triangular, nearly pointed at apex, covered with silvery setae, with dense large, rounded punctures throughout ( Fig. 9D ); S 2 densely finely punctate, slightly depressed medially along apical two-thirds ( Fig. 9C ), S 3–5 smooth and shiny (except densely punctate apically) ( Fig. 9C ), S 6 nearly smooth ( Fig. 9D ).

M ale: Unknown.

Etymology: The name “ sauditus ” refers to the country from which the holotype has been collected.

Distribution: Saudi Arabia (Abu Arish, Jazan).

Comments. The new species is an Entomognathus because of the following characters: eyes setose ( Fig. 8C ); truncation of marginal cell making an obtuse angle with the radial vein, not perpendicular to it ( Fig. 9B ); recurrent vein received in the middle of radial vein ( Fig. 9B ); mandible excised on posterior basal margin ( Fig. 8C ) (based on Arnold, 1926).This is the first record of Entomognathus Dahlbom from Saudi Arabia. The genus was first recorded from Arabian Peninsula by Schmid-Egger (2011) from the United Arab Emirates, based on E. stevensoni Arnold. Our female specimen agrees with E. stevensoni in Arnold’s key (1926: 321, couplet 2) except for having the parapsidal furrow superficial (scratch-like), not as deep as notauli ( Fig. 8E ) (in E. stevensoni , parapsidal furrow deep and rounded as notauli); tibiae yellow (except black streak beneath in fore and midtibiae and dorsally on hintibia) (in E. stevensoni , whole fore and midtibiae and basal third of hindtibia yellow); pronotal collar with three, very thin transverse yellow markings, of which lateral one joins the yellow pronotal lobe ( Fig. 8E ) (in E. stevensoni , pronotum without any yellow); mandible reddish, except tip and ventral teeth black ( Fig. 8A ) (in E. stevensoni , mandible yellow at base).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Entomognathus sauditus Gadallah, sp. nov. (holotype ♀): A, B, frontal view of head; C, lateral view of head; D, dorsal view of thorax (part); E, ppronotum and mesoscutum.

FIGURE 9. Entomognathus sauditus Gadallah, sp. nov. (holotype ♀): A, Lateral view of thorax; B, forewing; C, ventral view of gaster; D, last gastral terga and pygidial plate.