Stizus rhopaloceroides Brauns, 1911:92 Datura Stizus rhopaloceroides Arnold, 1929:294 Arnold, 1930:20 Sphecidae Bembecinus rhopaloceroides (Arnold) Evans, 1966:135 Sphecidae Gess, 1996:273 Gess, 2003:117 Pulawski, 2014:33 Sphecidae A Revision of the rhopalocerus Species Group of Bembecinus Costa (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Bembicinae) Gess, Friedrich W. Pulawski, Wojciech J. Gess, Sarah K. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 2015 2015-04-15 62 7 207 256 LD7J (Arnold) Arnold 1929 [123,548,1410,1434] Insecta Crabronidae Bembecinus Animalia Hymenoptera 31 238 Arthropoda species rhopaloceroides   Figures 5b, 19a-c.      Stizus rhopaloceroides Brauns, 1911:92(sleeping on  Datura). Nomen nudum.     Stizus rhopaloceroides Arnold, 1929:294, Figs 47 and 47a, ♀, ♂(authorship attributed to Brauns). Syntypes: South Africa: Eastern Cape Province: Willowmore ( TMSA).—  Arnold, 1930:20(in checklist of Afrotropical Sphecidae); Handcock, Chawanda, and Mhlanga, 1995: 40 ( syntypesin NMZB].— As  Bembecinus rhopaloceroides(Arnold):  Evans, 1966:135(new combination, observations by Brauns, 1911); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:532 (in checklist of world Sphecidae); S.  Gess, 1996:273(floral records); S. Gess and F.  Gess, 2003:117(floral records), 2006:14 (floral records);  Pulawski, 2014:33(in catalog of world Sphecidae sensu lato).    RECOGNITION. —The female of  B. rhopaloceroidesshares with  gariepensisthe ferruginous terga (at least terga I and II) with pale yellow apical fasciae.  Bembecinus inexspectatusand  omarurushare this color pattern, but in  inexspectatusthe length of hindtarsal arolium is about 0.5 × of the inner claw, whereas about 0.25–0.30 × in  rhopaloceroidesand  gariepensis; in  omaruruthe setae of tergum II are erect at least laterally, where as they are appressed in the females of the other two species. Some  karasanusare also similar, but in that species the labrum punctures are larger than those on the scutum, where as markedly smaller in the other two species. The females of  gariepensisand  rhopaloceroidesare identical morphologically and can only be identified by association with the topotypical males. The geographic distribution is of some help:  rhopaloceroidesoccurs in the Eastern, Western, and Northern CapeProvinces of South Africaas well as in southern Namibia, whereas  gariepensisis found in the Northern Cape Provinceof South Africaas well as in southern Namibia(in other words,  gariepensisis unknown from the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces). The male of  rhopaloceroidesshares with  gariepensisan incrassate foretibia, with the dorsal margin convex in profile ( Fig. 19c, 7a). They differ as follows: in  gariepensis, the foretibial inner surface is flat or nearly so, without emargination in the dorsal view ( Fig. 7b); in  rhopaloceroides, it has an oblique impression that in the dorsal view looks like an emargination at the tibia’s basal third ( Fig. 19b).   VARIATION.— In most of the specimens examined, terga II and III are ferruginous or with insignificantly narrow black fascia basally and the pale yellow apical fascia not broadened laterally, in some females with a pair of black spots in the middle. The specimens from Aus, Namibia, have the pale yellow apical fasciae of terga broadened laterally; in the female, tergum II has a conspicuous black basal fascia and tergum III has only a minimum of ferruginous (anterior to the pale yellow apical fascia).   FIGURE19.  Bembecinus rhopaloceroides: a – apical hindtarsomere of female showing length of arolium, b – male foretibia in dorsal view, c – male foretibia in profile In most males, the gaster is all or largely ferrugineus (except for the yellow apical fasciae), but all black (except for the apical fasciae) in some specimens; some intermediate specimens have a small amount of ferruginous color on tergum I, just anterior to the yellow apical band. In the vast majority of specimens, the setae are appressed on tergum II, but they are erect laterally in the single male from Aus, Namibia, up to 0.5 × midocellar width.    MATERIAL EXAMINED.—    NAMIBIA: Aus,  xii.1929, R.E. Turner( 1 ♀, 1 ♂, BMNH).    SOUTH  AFRICA: North West Province: Constable,  xii.1962, SAM ( 1 ♀, SAMC).   Northern Cape Province: Namaqualand, Springbok, Hester Malan Reserve[now Goegap],  3–7.xi.1987, M. Struck( 1 ♂, PPRI);  Bloukransnear Calvinia,  17.xi.1931, J. Ogilvie( 1 ♀, 2 ♂, BMNH); Pofadder, Bushmanland, Mus. Staff,  x.1939( 1 ♀, SAMC).   Western Cape Province: Doringbos[ NE of Clanwlliam],  3.xi.1966, J.G. Rozen( 1 ♂, AMNH);  Clanwilliam, F.W. Gessand S.K. Gess( 2 ♂, AMGS);   43 kmENE Cereson road to Sutherland,  2–3.xii.1989, R.W. Gess( 1 ♀, 1 ♂, AMGS),  ♀on flowers of mauve-white “mesem”, Mesembryanthemaceae( Aizoaceae); 18 miles[ 28.98 km] E Touws Riverto Hondewater,  xii.1962, SAM [staff] ( 7 ♀, 123 ♂, SAMC);  18 miles[ 28.98 km] southeast Touwsrivier,  12.xi.1966, J.G. Rozen( 3 ♂, AMNH);  Koupat 33°07′S 21°17′E,  26.xii.1996, W.J. Pulawski( 1 ♀, CAS);  Koup Siding, Laingsburg,  xi.1939, Museum Staff[ SAMC] ( 1 ♀, SAMC);  Dikbome, Merweville, Koup,  x.1952, Museum Expedition[ SAMC] ( 1 ♂, SAMC);  Laingsburgat 33°12′S 20°51′E,  25 and 26.xii.1996, W.J. Pulawski( 4 ♀, CAS);  Oudtshoorn, Onverwacht,  9–12.xii.1986, F.W. and S.K. Gess( 3 ♀, 1 ♂, AMGS),  1 ♀and 1 ♂on flowers of  Zygophyllum retrofractumThunb., Zygophyllaceae.  Eastern Cape Province: Willowmore, no date, H. Brauns( 2 ♀, SAMCex NMZB; 1 ♂, UCDC), same locality,  20.i.1903, H. Brauns( 1 ♀, SAMC), same locality,  25.ix.1909, H. Brauns( 1 ♂, SAMC), same locality,  1.xii.1909, H. Brauns( 1 ♂, SAMC), same locality,  15.i.1910, H. Brauns( 1 ♀, SAMCex NMZB), same locality,  10.i.1912, H. Brauns( 1 ♀, SAMCex NMZB), same locality,  ii.1914( 1 ♀, UCDC), same locality,  xi.1916, H. Brauns( 1 ♀, 1 ♂, AMGS), same locality,  1.xii.1917, H. Brauns( 1 ♂, SAMCex NMZB), same locality,  xii.1920, H. Brauns( 1 ♀, AMGS), same data ( 1 ♀, SAMCex NMZB), same locality,  12.i.1965, H. Empey( 1 ♀, 1 ♂, AMGS); near Fullerton, C. Jacot-Guillarmod( 3 ♂, AMGS);  4 miles[ 6.44 km] E Waterford,  29.x.1967, C. Jacot Guillarmod( 1 ♀, AMGS).   GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.— Known from southwestern Namibia, the Northern, Western and Eastern CapeProvinces of South Africa. It appears to have a southern distribution from the Succulent Karoo in the west to the Nama-Karoo in the east ( Fig.26b).   FLORAL ASSOCIATIONS.— Visiting flowers of three plant families: Asteraceae(  Athanasia trifurcata(Linnaeus) Linnaeus) (S. Gess and F. Gess 2003), Zygophyllaceae(  Zygophyllum retrofractumThunb.) and Aizoaceae (Mesembryanthema)(label data, see Material Examined; S. Gess and F. Gess 2003, 2006).   NESTING. —Unknown.    PREY.— Unknown. 4905172521 [446,1082,1659,1683] 1929-12 Turner Namibia Aus 32 239 2 1 1 4905172371 1962-12 SAMC South Africa Constable 32 239 1 1 North West 4905172374 1987-11-03 1987-11-07 1987-11-03 PPRI Struck South Africa Namaqualand 33 240 Hester Malan Reserve Springbok 32 239 1 1 Northern Cape 4905172456 1931-11-17 1939-10 1931-11-17 SAMC J. Ogilvie South Africa Bloukrans Pofadder Calvinia 33 240 4 2 2 4905172369 1966-11-03 AMNH Rozen South Africa Doringbos 33 240 1 1 Western Cape 4905172478 [597,1166,317,341] AMGS Clanwilliam, F. W & Gess South Africa 33 240 2 2 4905172313 [123,1041,349,374] 1989-12-02 1989-12-03 1989-12-02 AMGS Gess South Africa Sutherland 33 240 2 1 1 4905172414 1962-12 SAMC South Africa Hondewater Touws River 33 240 131 8 123 4905172468 1966-11-12 AMNH Rozen South Africa Touwsrivier 33 240 3 3 4905172395 1996-12-26 CAS Pulawski South Africa -33.116665 Koup 1207 21.283333 33 240 1 1 4905172523 [370,1166,480,504] 1939-11 SAMC Museum Staff South Africa Laingsburg Koup Siding 33 240 1 1 4905172365 [123,1010,512,537] 1952-10 SAMC Museum Expedition South Africa Dikbome Koup Merweville 33 240 1 1 4905172494 1996-12-25 1996-12-26 1996-12-25 CAS Pulawski South Africa -33.2 Laingsburg 1206 20.85 33 240 4 4 4905172387 1986-12-09 1986-12-12 1986-12-09 AMGS Gess South Africa Onverwacht Oudtshoorn 33 240 4 3 1 4905172452 1903-01-20 1986-12-12 1986-12-09 SAMC, UCDC Willowmore & Brauns South Africa Onverwacht Oudtshoorn 33 240 6 4 2 Eastern Cape 4905172423 1909-09-25 1986-12-12 1986-12-09 SAMC Brauns South Africa Onverwacht Oudtshoorn 33 240 1 1 Eastern Cape 4905172463 [624,1167,676,700] 1909-12-01 1986-12-12 1986-12-09 SAMC Brauns South Africa Onverwacht Oudtshoorn 33 240 1 1 Eastern Cape 4905172407 1910-01-15 1914-02 1910-01-15 SAMC, NMZB, UCDC Brauns South Africa Onverwacht Oudtshoorn 33 240 3 3 Eastern Cape 4905172339 1916-11 1914-02 1910-01-15 AMGS Brauns South Africa Onverwacht Oudtshoorn 33 240 2 1 1 Eastern Cape 4905172392 1917-12-01 1920-12 1917-12-01 SAMC, NMZB, AMGS Brauns South Africa Onverwacht Oudtshoorn 33 240 2 1 1 Eastern Cape 4905172314 1965-01-12 1920-12 1917-12-01 SAMC, NMZB, AMGS Empey South Africa Onverwacht Oudtshoorn 33 240 3 2 1 Eastern Cape 4905172416 [466,1013,839,863] AMGS Fullerton, C & Jacot-Guillarmod South Africa 33 240 3 3 4905172411 1967-10-29 AMGS E Waterford & Jacot Guillarmod South Africa 33 240 1 1