The wasp genus Sphex in Sub-Saharan Africa (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)
Author
Dörfel, Thorleif H.
11B5C093-23D5-417C-AB64-65764FC2AF05
Museum für Naturkunde, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
thorleif.doerfel@mfn.berlin
Author
Ohl, Michael
878259F2-C3C6-4264-B04A-C397E01E5C8E
Museum für Naturkunde, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
michael.ohl@mfn.berlin
text
European Journal of Taxonomy
2022
2022-02-23
796
1
1
170
http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.796.1665
journal article
10.5852/ejt.2022.796.1665
9c3fa32d-4320-4170-83e3-a5c045a4ba68
2118-9773
6299440
76C5C9C4-C6C1-4EDC-8FF8-9828A6EF2040
Sphex jansei
Cameron, 1910
Figs 2
,
29–30
,
106–107, 112
(purple)
Sphex jansei
Cameron, 1910: 139
,
♂
(
holotype
or
syntype
:
1 ♂
,
South Africa
,
Gauteng
, Pretoria, TMP, not examined).
Chlorion rufiscute
R.
Turner, 1918: 359
,
♀
,
♂
(as
C. rufiscutis
, incorrect original termination).
Syn. nov.
Sphex mochii
Giordani Soika, 1942: 197
,
♀
(as
S. Mochii
, incorrrect original capitalization) (
holotype
:
♀
,
Ethiopia
,
Oromia Region
, km 46 on Harrar–
Dire Daua
Road, depository?, not examined).
Syn. nov.
Differential diagnosis
Females of
S. jansei
(
Fig. 106
) are distinguished through their hyaline cellular wing area (
Fig. 29
) and silvery-white propodeal setae, whereas those of
S. gaullei
(
Fig. 104
) and
S. schmideggeri
sp. nov.
(
Fig. 108
) have the propodeal setae brownish-grey. The cellular wing area of
S. gaullei
is somewhat infuscate (
Fig. 31
), while that of
S. schmideggeri
sp. nov.
has a distinct yellow tinge.
Males of
S. jansei
(
Fig. 107
), as well as those of
S. gaullei
(
Fig. 105
), are distinguished from those of the remaining group members by their combination of a notable ferruginous clypeus and golden erect facial setae.
Sphex jansei
has the cellular forewing area hyaline and only a fuscous spot on the anterior part of the apical hindwing margin (
Fig. 30
), whereas
S. gaullei
has most of the cellular forewing area and all of the hindwing apex infuscate (
Fig. 32
).
Material examined
AFRICA •
3 ♀♀
;
ZMB
.
BOTSWANA
–
South-East District
•
1 ♂
,
1 ♀
;
Gaborone Dam
; [
24°42ʹ0.58ʺ S
,
25°55ʹ34.97ʺ E
];
28 Dec. 1977
;
H.R. Feijen
leg.;
RMNH
.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
–
Ouham-Pendé
•
1 ♀
;
Bozoum
; [
6°19ʹ02ʺ N
,
16°22ʹ42ʺ E
];
30 Apr. 1914
;
S. Tessmann
leg.;
ZMB
.
KENYA
–
Homa Bay County
•
1 ♂
;
Gembe Hills
,
near seasonal stream
;
0.48933° S
,
34.24333° E
;
15– 22 Jan. 2005
;
R. Copeland
leg.;
ICIPE
. –
Nakuru County
•
1 ♂
;
Mount Longonot Crater
; [
0°54ʹ55ʺ S
,
36°27ʹ25ʺ E
];
Dec. 1911
;
Ch. Alluaud
and
Jeannel
leg.;
MNHN
.
MALAWI
•
1 ♂
,
1 ♀
;
NW shore of Lake Nyasa, between Florence Bay and Karonga
;
30 Jun.–6 Jul. 1910
;
S.A. Neave
leg.;
BMNH
. –
Northern Region
•
1 ♂
;
Karonga
; [
9°56ʹ S
,
33°56ʹ E
];
7–11 Jul. 1910
;
S.A. Neave
leg.;
BMNH
•
1 ♂
,
1 ♀
;
Karonga District
,
valley of N Rukuru
; [
9°56ʹ S
,
33°56ʹ E
];
15–18 Jul. 1910
;
S.A. Neave
leg.;
BMNH
. –
Southern Region
•
1 ♂
;
Liwonde
; [
14°50ʹ S
,
35°20ʹ E
];
23 Apr. 1975
;
G.G.M. Schulten
leg.;
RMNH
.
MOZAMBIQUE
–
Maputo City
•
1 ♂
;
Maputo
; [
25°58ʹ S
,
32°35ʹ E
];
12 Feb. 1994
;
G.G.M. Schulten
leg.;
RMNH
. –
Maputo Province
•
1 ♂
;
Moamba
; [
25°36ʹ14.4ʺ S
,
32°14ʹ45.6ʺ E
];
27 Jan. 1976
;
G.G.M. Schulten
leg.;
RMNH
•
1 ♀
;
Rikatla
,
N of Maputo
; [
25°46ʹ57.9ʺ S
,
32°37ʹ22.1ʺ E
];
7–18 Apr. 1982
;
G.G.M. Schulten
leg.;
RMNH
.
SOUTH AFRICA
–
Gauteng
•
3 ♂♂
,
1 ♀
;
Pretoria
; [
25°43ʹ32ʺ S
,
28°14ʹ38ʺ E
];
25 Jan.–5 Mar. 1969
;
R.T. Simon Thomas
leg.;
RMNH
•
1 ♀
;
Salt Pan
,
Pretoria
; [
25°24ʹ30.55ʺ S
,
28°04ʹ57.1ʺ E
];
4–10 Feb. 1929
;
G. van Son
leg.;
TMP
•
1 ♀
; same collection data as for preceding but
14 Mar. 1956
;
TMP
. –
KwaZulu-Natal
•
1 ♂
;
Estcourt
; [
29°00ʹ S
,
29°53ʹ E
];
4 Mar. 1963
;
H.N. Empey
leg.;
RMNH
•
1 ♂
;
Ithala Game Res.
;
27°30ʹ S
,
31°20ʹ E
;
28–30 Jan. 1995
;
F. Koch
leg.;
THD-025-ZMB
; Genbank CO1 gene:
MW538561
;
ZMB
•
1 ♀
;
Lake St Lucia
,
False Bay
; [
28°00ʹ31.3ʺ S
,
32°21ʹ39.9ʺ E
];
13–17 Feb. 1967
;
D. Gillissen
and
L. Blommers
leg.;
RMNH
•
1 ♂
;
Mkuze Game Reserve
;
27°37ʹ S
,
32°14ʹ E
;
26 Feb.–3 Mar. 1987
;
A.J. Weaving
leg.;
AMG
•
1 ♂
,
2 ♀♀
; same collection data as for preceding but
8–12 Mar. 1987
;
AMG
•
1 ♀
;
Weenen
; [
28°50ʹ57ʺ S
,
30°04ʹ38ʺ E
];
Feb. 1925
;
H.P. Thomasset
leg.;
BMNH
•
1 ♂
; same collection data as for preceding but
Mar. 1925
;
BMNH
•
1 ♂
,
1 ♀
; same collection data as for preceding but
Jan.–Mar. 1927
;
BMNH
. –
Limpopo
•
1 ♂
;
Punda Milia
,
Kruger National Park
; [
22°41ʹ51.5ʺ S
,
31°01ʹ13.8ʺ E
];
22 Feb. 1969
;
R.T. Simon Thomas
leg.;
RMNH
. –
Mpumalanga
•
1 ♀
;
40 km
SW of Komalipoor
; [
25°48ʹ43ʺ S
,
31°49ʹ46ʺ E
];
1–2 Jan. 2004
;
J. Halada
leg.;
OÖLM
•
2 ♀♀
;
Blyde River Canyon
; [
25°14ʹ40.5ʺ S
,
30°16ʹ24.1ʺ E
];
28 Feb. 1982
;
F.J. Herbst
leg.;
AMG
. –
North West
•
1 ♀
;
Mamagalieskraal
; [
25°32ʹ S
,
27°49ʹ E
];
16 Mar. 1926
;
W. Lingnau
leg.;
DEI
.
TANZANIA
–
Lindi Region
•
1 ♂
;
Lindi
; [
9°59ʹ49ʺ S
,
39°42ʹ59ʺ E
];
24–30 Jun. 1936
;
Zerny
leg.;
NHMW
. –
Mbeya Region
•
2 ♀♀
;
Langenburg [now Tukuyu]
; [
9°15ʹ S
,
33°39ʹ E
];
26 Jul.–8 Aug. 1898
;
F. Fülleborn
leg.;
ZMB
•
1 ♀
; same collection data as for preceding but
3 Sep.–4 Nov. 1898
;
ZMB
. –
Morogoro Region
•
1 ♀
;
50 km
SW of Morogoro
;
6°50ʹ S
,
37°15ʹ E
;
12 Jan. 2007
;
J. Halada
leg.;
OÖLM
. –
Rukwa Region
•
1 ♀
;
Kafokola
,
Rukwa Valley
,
SW Tanganyika
; [
8°00ʹ S
,
32°00ʹ E
];
9 Jun. 1952
;
O.W. Richards
leg.;
BMNH
.
ZAMBIA
•
1 ♀
; “
Luangwa to Petauke
”;
14–17 Sep. 1910
;
S.A. Neave
leg.;
BMNH
•
1 ♀
, holotype of
Chlorion rufiscute
R.
Turner, 1918
; “
Sinapunge
”;
13 Feb. 1911
;
Silverlock
leg.;
BMNH
•
1 ♂
,
1 ♀
; same collection data as for preceding;
BMNH
. –
Eastern Province
•
1 ♂
;
near mouth of Lusangazi River
; [
13°25ʹ57.5ʺ S
,
31°32ʹ31ʺ E
];
1–3 Sep. 1910
;
S.A. Neave
leg.;
BMNH
.
ZIMBABWE
–
Bulawayo
•
1 ♀
;
Bulawayo
; [
20°10ʹ12ʺ S
,
28°34ʹ48ʺ E
];
26 Jul. 1923
;
R.H.R. Stevenson
leg.;
USNM
. –
Manicaland
•
2 ♂♂
;
10–20 km
S of Birchenough Bridge
; [
20°05ʹ35.8ʺ S
,
32°21ʹ06.7ʺ E
];
24 Dec. 1998
;
M. Snižek
leg.;
OÖLM
. –
Mashonaland West
•
1 ♀
;
15 km
NW of Makuti
; [
16°12ʹ S
,
29°09ʹ E
];
12 Apr. 1985
;
J. Gusenleitner
leg.;
NHMW
•
1 ♂
;
Sanyati Camp
,
Lake Kariba
; [
17° S
,
28° E
];
8–10 Jan. 1985
;
A.J. Weaving
leg.;
AMG
. –
Matabeleland North
•
1 ♂
;
Lonely Mine
; [
19°30ʹ06ʺ S
,
28°44ʹ49ʺ E
];
18 Apr. 1914
;
H. Swale
leg.;
BMNH
•
1 ♂
; same collection data as for preceding but
19 Sep. 1914
;
BMNH
•
1 ♀
;
Matetsi
; [
18°05ʹ S
,
26°07ʹ E
];
1 Apr. 1934
;
R.H.R. Stevenson
leg.;
RMNH
•
1 ♀
; same collection data as for preceding but
28 Oct. 1934
;
BMNH
•
1 ♂
;
Victoria Falls
; [
17°56ʹ S
,
25°50ʹ E
];
14 Jan. 1969
;
F.J. Herbst
leg.;
AMG
. –
Matabeleland South
•
1 ♀
;
Beit Bridge
; [
22°13ʹ S
,
30°00ʹ E
];
Apr. 1932
;
A. Mackie
leg.;
BMNH
•
2 ♂♂
; same locality as for preceding;
27 Mar. 1960
;
C.F. Jacot-Guillarmod
leg.;
AMG
.
Description
Female
SIZE. 21.2–25.0 mm.
COLOR. Black except for the following, which are ferruginous: basal half of mandible, scape, pedicel, flagellomeres I–IV, clypeus, legs from trochanter onward, excluding apical half of claw, and occasionally collar dorsally, tegula, scutellum, dorsal part of metanotum and apical segment of metasoma. Cellular area of fore- and hindwing hyaline, apical margin fuscous.
VESTITURE. Appressed and erect setae on clypeus and paraocular area golden, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure silvery. Erect propodeal setae oriented anteriorly. Clypeus medially with vertical glabrous stripe. Scutellum densely and finely pubescent.
STRUCTURE. Free clypeal margin stepped medially, with slight indentation above. Scutellum convex. Metanotum slightly raised, not markedly bituberculate. 2
nd
recurrent vein joins markedly proximal from interstitium between submarginal cells II and III. Propodeal enclosure without any notable ridges. Foretarsomere I 1.8–2.0× length of antepenultimate spine. Petiole length 2.4–2.7× its medial width.
Male
SIZE.
20.1–22.8 mm
.
COLOR. Black except for the following, which are ferruginous: basal half of mandible, scape, pedicel ventrally, lower part of clypeus, legs from trochanter onward, excluding posterodorsal portion of trochanter and femur as well as apical half of claw, tegula and dorsal part of scutellum. Cellular area of forewing hyaline, apical margin fuscous. Hindwing hyaline.
VESTITURE. Appressed setae on clypeus and paraocular area silvery-golden, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure silvery. Erect setae on clypeus and paraocular area golden, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure silvery. Erect propodeal setae oriented anteriorly. Clypeus medially with vertical glabrous stripe. Scutellum densely and finely pubescent.
STRUCTURE. Free clypeal margin simple. Scutellum convex. Metanotum slightly raised, not bituberculate. 2
nd
recurrent vein joins markedly proximal from interstitium between submarginal cells II and III. Propodeal enclosure with indistinct ridges. Posterior margin of metasomal tergum VII convex. Posterior margin of metasomal sternum VII simple, of metasomal sternum VIII concavely emarginate. Penis valvae without conspicuous modifications. Petiole length 2.3–2.8 × its medial width. Flagellomeres III + IV with narrow placoids covering their entire length.
Variation
Unknown.
Distribution
Southeastern to eastern Africa.
Figs 106–112. 106–107
.
Sphex jansei
Cameron, 1910
.
108
.
S. schmideggeri
sp. nov.
109
.
S. pseudosatanas
sp. nov.
110–111
.
S. rufoclypeatus
sp. nov.
106, 108–110
. Habitus of ♀.
107, 111
. Habitus of ♂.
112
. Geographic distribution of
S. decipiens
Kohl, 1895
(red),
S. pruinosus
Germar, 1817
(blue),
S. gaullei
Berland, 1927
(yellow),
S. jansei
(purple) and
S. schmideggeri
sp. nov.
(green).
Remarks
Besides the original description, there are almost no other publications that mention diagnostic characters for this species.
Brauns (1917)
placed it in the genus
Isodontia
Patton, 1880
, which, as correctly noted by
Arnold (1928)
, must be incorrect due to the length of the petiole being described as only one-fourth longer than the hind coxa. Arnold also indicated that
S. jansei
may be synonymous to
S. rufiscutis
, but he was not able to certify this because of “the description of the colour […] [being] too confused”. He stated that the
type
specimen of
S. jansei
could no longer be found in the TMP. Despite receiving material from the collection and having specifically requested the
type
specimen to be sent, it was not included in the loan, and further inquiries remained unanswered. Thus, we were forced to rely solely on the original description.
Part of the reason why it is difficult to interpret the color characters given by
Cameron (1910)
is that there likely were some important words omitted in the text; an attempt at correcting this issue is presented here:
“Black; … mandibles, except the teeth, [red, as well as] the apex of clypeus, the centre broadly (the red colour extending near to the middle in the centre), the sides narrowly, antennal scape, tegulae, and the legs, except the [following which are all black:] coxae, greater part of the trochanters, a streak on the basal outer half of the fore femora, the basal three-fourths of the middle behind, and the hinder with more than three-fourths, …”
Assuming these changes concur with Cameron’s intended description, the characters mentioned very closely match those we observed in males of
S. rufiscutis
and even rule out conspecificity with the similar
S. gaullei
, which is found in the equatorial regions of Africa, on account of the wing coloration. The geographic distribution of
S. jansei
and
S. rufiscutis
fit together as well, and all other species from southern Africa, an area from which we examined a large amount of material, are quite distinct. Therefore, we propose that
jansei
becomes the valid name for this species.
The
type
material of
Sphex mochii
Giordani Soika, 1942
, is apparently lost, so the original description by
Giordani Soika (1942)
is the only basis we can use to discern its taxonomic identity.
The original description stated that the female of
S. mochii
is similar to that of
S. rufiscutis
(R.
Turner, 1918
)
(=
S. jansei
Cameron, 1910
). The scutellum was said to be more convex than in
S. jansei
, and the scutellum and metanotum are medially impressed. The petiole was described as being much shorter than in
S. pruinosus
. The wings of
S. mochii
were stated to be hyaline with the apical margin of the forewing infuscate, and the color pattern described corresponds with that of
S. jansei
and three other African species that are superficially similar (
S. gaullei
,
S. pseudosatanas
sp. nov.
and
S. occidentalis
sp. nov.
). Even so, the description cannot refer to
S. pseudosatanas
sp. nov.
, as this species has the scutellum markedly flatter than in
S. jansei
. Additionally,
S. occidentalis
sp. nov.
can be ruled out due to its having uniformly fuscous wings. Finally,
S. gaullei
does not entirely match the description either, because a large part of its cellular wing area is infuscate (
Fig. 31
). Also, the scutellum of
S. jansei
and
S. gaullei
is more or less identical. We conclude that
S. mochii
is identical to
S. jansei
(=
rufiscutis
), which is in contrast to Giordani Soika’s original interpretation.