Tachytes picticornis Arnold

Pulawski, Wojciech J., 2019, A Review of the Wasp Genus Tachytes Panzer, 1806 of Madagascar (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 66 (7), pp. 117-135 : 131

Tachytes picticornis Arnold

Figures 30 –32.

Tachytes picticornis Arnold, 1945:111 , ♀, ♂. Lectotype: ♂, Madagascar: Bekily (MNHN), present designation. – R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:266 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Leclercq, 1990:118 ( Madagascar: locality records); Pulawski, 2003:798 (in checklist of Malagasy Sphecidae ); Madl, 2014:987 (in catalog of Ampulicidae , Crabronidae , and Sphecidae of Madagascar, with synonymy and locality records).

LECTOTYPE SELECTION.— Through the kindness of Madame Claire Villemant of the MNHN, I received for examination in 2009 a pair of Arnold’s syntypes of Tachytes picticornis , both collected at Bekily, Madagascar. I have selected the male as the lectotype, and the female as a paralectotype.

RECOGNITION.— Like most Tachytes melanogaster , the female of T. picticornis has the apical depressions of sterna II-V finely punctate. Also, it has the postocellar punctures large, without micropunctures there ( Fig. 30 ). In the other species the depression of sternum II is impunctate mesally (only next to posterior margin in some T. rufomarginatus ), the depressions of sterna III-V

Figures

30 31 FIGURES 30-31. Tachytes picticornis Arnold. (30) Postocellar area of female; (31) Male genitalia in dorsal view (arrow shows apex of volsella). are impunctate, and the postocellar punctures are either of two distinct sizes or uniformly minute. The male can be recognized by the fol- lowing color combination: scape black, apical two or three flagellomeres black at least ven- trally and contrasting with the middle flagel- lomeres which are ferruginous. In addition, the volsella is shorter than the penis valve or the gonocoxite (Fig. 31). RECORDS (Fig. 32).— Antsiranana (= Diego Suarez) Province: Parc National Montagne d’Am- bre at 12º30’52’’S 49º10’53’’E (3 ♂, CAS) and 12º31’13’’S 49º10’45’’E (2 ♂, CAS), Réserve Spé- ciale d’Ankarana at 12º55’S 49º3’E (4 ♀, CAS), Sakalava Beach at 12º15’46’’S 49º23’42’’E (1 ♂, CAS), 1 km W Sakalava Beach at 12º15’59’’S 49º23’42’’E (1 ♂, CAS). Fianarantsoa Province: Forêt d’Ampitavananima at 23º7.79’S 47º43.02’E (3 ♀, CAS), 22 km SW Ilakaka at 22º46.75’S 45º1.50’E (14 ♀, 11 ♂, CAS), Isalo National Park at 22º36’S 45º10’E (1 ♂, CAS), near Isalo National Park at 22º37.60’S 45º21.49’E (3 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS), 7 km W Sendrisoa at 21º57.96’S 46º55.95’E (2 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS). Majunga Province: Ambovomamy Belambo at 15º27.07’S 47º36.80’E (3 ♀, 4 ♂, CAS), Forêt d’Analamanitra at 16º8’S 45º42’E (3 ♂, CAS). Toliara Province: Antanimora (Arnold, 1945), Bekily (1 ♀, 1 ♂ lectotype of Tachytes picti- cornis, MNHN), Bereboka village at 19º58.65’S 44º39.92’E (1 ♂, CAS), Beza Mahafaly Reserve at 23º41.19’S 44º35.46’E (4 ♂, CAS), Forêt de Mite at 23º31’27’’S 44º7’17’’E (1 ♀, CAS), Parc National FIGURE 32. Collecting localities of Tachytes picticornis d’Andohahela at 24º56.21’S 46°37.60’E (2 ♀, 2 ♂, Arnold. CAS), Réserve Privée Berenty at 25º00’40’’S 46º18’20’’E (1 ♀, 3 ♂, CAS).