Ammoplanus (Ammoplanus) diversipes, Gussakovskij, 1931

Boucïek, Zdenek, 2001, Palaearctic species of Ammoplanus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), Journal of Natural History 35, pp. 849-929 : 879-880

A. (Ammoplanus) diversipes Gussakovskij

Ammoplanus diversipes Gussakovskij, 1931: 452 , 441. Turkmenistan: Kopet-Dagh (Mts) SW

of Ashkhabad. Lectotype male, designated by Marshakov (1976: 679); in ZMAS (one

paralectotype examined).

Additional diagnostic characters

Male (see also the key). Face mask varying in colour, from virtually white to pale yellow. Frons moderately, mostly regularly convex, without orbital fovea. Clypeus produced into long and narrow median tooth with more or less parallel sides (®gures 86, 87). Mandibles distinctly widening to base (®gure 87), without strong emargination or tooth on inner margin. Flagellum slender, with most of its segments about 1.8 times as long as broad. Legs (and palpi) also very slender, fore trochanter four times as long as broad, almost 0.4 the length of fore femur. Hind basitarsus with ventro-mesal expansion similar to that of marthroicus but setae on its outer edge less crowded and less stiOE, but looser and often somewhat curved (®gures 13, 14), distinctly longer than half width of expansion. Fifth sternite in middle quarter produced and raised into a rounded spatula bearing dense and rather long white setae, longest apically at margin, in a broadly curved line (®gure 85), their tips usually curved caudad.

Female. Not known.

Comment. In A. diversipes the pale pattern on the lower face of males is found variable from white to pale yellow. The great variation in the head size and shape (allometry) mentioned by Gussakovskij (1931: 452) is not present in the material examined, although some indications are found on some other body parts. Marshakov’s ®gure of the shape of the projection of the sixth sternite may be misleading. In the specimens that I could examine the projection bearing a curved line of erect setae is not so high, and the tips of the more distal setae reach higher than those in front of them.

Material examined. Israel: En Boqeq , 1, 3 March 1992; En Yahav, 1, 19 April 1992; Qualya, 1, 2 January 1997 (all A. Freidberg; TAUI and BMNH) ; Arava Valley , small Wadi 2.4 km W of highway 90 at km 149, 1, 21 March 1995 (M. E. Irwin; Coll. Schmid-Egger) . Turkmenistan: Firyuza (FiriuÈsa), 21 km SW of Askhabad, 1 lparalectotype, 17 May 1928 (Gussakovskij; ZMAS) , 1, 20 April 1980 (Kasparyan; ZMAS, det. Marshakov) .

Distribution. Israel, Turkmenistan.