Prionyx (Harpactopus) globosus (F. Smith, 1856 )

Odintsev, Yuriy N. Danilov Oleg A. & Kobets, Anastasia S., 2024, A taxonomic study on the genus Prionyx Vander Linden, 1827 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Prionychini). Subgenus Harpactopus F. Smith, 1856, Zootaxa 5551 (2), pp. 263-298 : 271-272

Prionyx (Harpactopus) globosus (F. Smith, 1856)

( Figs 2a , 4f , 5i , 6i , 9d )

Sphex globosus F. Smith 1856:251 , ♀, ♂ (as globosa). Syntypes: ♀, ♂, “ Van Diemen’s Land” [now Tasmania, no specific locality] (BMNH).— Kohl 1890:368; Dalla Torre 1897:424; R. Turner 1910:343; Berland 1926:206.— As Chlorion globosus : R. Turner 1915:551.— As Prionyx globosus : R. Bohart & Menke 1963:152; R. Bohart & Menke 1976:133; Danilov & Odintsev 2023:433; Pulawski 2024:9.

Harpactopus australis de Saussure 1867:42 , ♀. Syntypes: ♀, «Nova Hollandia» [now Australia: no specific locality] (NHMW). Synonymized with Sphex (Harpactopus) globosus by R. Turner 1910:344. Synonymy confirmed here.— Danilov & Byvaltsev 2020:402.— As Sphex australis : Kohl 1890:367; Dalla Torre 1897:416.— As Palmodes australis : van der Vecht 1973:352.— As tentative subspecies of Palmodes occitanicus : R. Bohart & Menke 1976:127.— As Palmodes occitanicus australis : Dollfuss 1989:11; Danilov 2019:77.— As Prionyx australis : Danilov & Odintsev 2023:432; Pulawski 2024:3.

Full bibliography see: Pulawski 2024:9.

Diagnosis. Both sexes of P. globosus closely resemble P. saevus , P. subfuscatus , P. reymondi , and P. zarudnyi . The female of P. globosus differs in having the clypeus entire, slightly emarginate anteriorly ( P. saevus , P. subfuscatus , P. reymondi , and P. zarudnyi have the clypeus with U-shaped median notch). The male of P. globosus differs in having the placoids on flagellomeres broad with medial line of setae (the placoids on flagellomeres narrow, depressed in P. saevus , P. subfuscatus , P. reymondi , and P. zarudnyi ).

Description. Body black with pale erect setae. Head. Labial palpomeres 2–4 elongate. Palpi, labrum, mandible in basal ⅔, and often clypeus anteriorly dark reddish. Clypeus entire, slightly emarginate anteriorly with appressed, silvery setae, distinctly concealing integument, and with glabrous triangle area medially. Subantennal sclerite and paraocular area with appressed, silvery setae, distinctly concealing integument. Gena with appressed, silvery setae, moderately concealing integument. Mesosoma . Pronotum with appressed, silvery setae, moderately concealing integument dorsally. Scutum punctatorugose, slightly shiny with appressed, silvery setae laterally, slightly concealing integument. Scutellum shiny. Mesopleuron, metapleuron, and propodeum finely rugose with patchs of appressed, silvery setae, slightly concealing integument. Wings smoky; veins light brown; recurrent vein II of forewing interstitial with 1 st intersubmarginal vein or received by submarginal cell III at its basal angle. Legs. Claws with 2 ventral teeth; arolia present.

Male. Body length 10–12 mm. Head. Placoids on F3–F6 broad with medial line of setae. Metasoma. S6 entire, without teeth.

Female. Body length 11–22 mm. Legs. Tarsal rake of foreleg with long, hairlike setae and short, stout, bladelike setae.

Justification of synonymy. Harpactopus australis was described by de Saussure (1867) from materials collected during the voyage of the frigate Novara along the coast of Australia (Nova Hollandia). Kohl (1890), discussing this taxon, noted the similarity with P. globosus , but concluded that a number of characters prevented him from synonymy, although he did not completely reject it. R. Turner (1910) disagreed with Kohl’s opinion that these taxa are different and placed australis in synonymy of globosus . The research of these authors was based on material from NHMW or conspecific. Having studied the material in MHNG in 1971, van der Vecht (1973) came to the conclusion that Harpactopus australis is a Palmodes , probably P. occitanicus , as he indicated on the label of the specimen. In addition, he is indicates that the type material is stored in MHNG, not in NHMW. A little later, Bohart and Menke (1976) listed australis as a possible subspecies of Palmodes occitanicus . Danilov and Byvaltsev (2020) raised the question of the status of this taxon again, and later australis was placed in the subgenus Harpactopus of Prionyx ( Danilov & Odintsev 2023) .

The specimen from MHNG, designated as the holotype is a male of the Palaearctic species Palmodes occitanicus . The characters of the taxon in de Saussure’s description, based on a female, match those of the typelabeled specimen in NHMW. At the same time, the drawing in the appendix to de Saussure’s description shows a male with the bicolor metasoma, which, as Kohl noted, was due to the draftsman’s error. In any case, the original description has an undoubted advantage over the drawing. The designation of the holotype in MHNG was made after de Saussure’s publication and is therefore invalid according to Article 73.1.3 of the Code (ICZN 1999), which states that the holotype can only be fixed in the original publication and by the original author.

Material examined. AUSTRALIA. Queensland: Brisbane [27°28’S, 153°01’E], 30.X.1938, C.F. Ashby (1 ♂, ZISP) .

Distribution. Semi-arid areas of Australasian region ( Australia).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Female clypeus: a: Prionyx globosus (F. Smith), b: P. chobauti (Roth), c: P. funebris (Berland), d: P. macula (Fabricius).

FIGURE 4. Male antennae, scheme: a: Prionyx crudelis (F. Smith), P. indus (Linnaeus), P. zarudnyi (Gussakovskij), b: P. judaeus (de Beaumont), P. saevus (F. Smith), c: P. subfuscatus (Dahlbom), P. stschurowskii (Radoszkowski), d: P. funebris (Berland), P. macula (Fabricius), P. persicus (Mocsáry), P. radoszkowskyi (Kohl), e: P. melanotus (F. Morawitz), f: P. globosus (F. Smith).

FIGURE 5. Labial palpi: a: Prionyx persicus (Mocsáry), b: P. radoszkowskyi (Kohl), c: P. macula (Fabricius), d: P. funebris (Berland),e: P.zarudnyi(Gussakovskij), f: P.saevus(F.Smith),g:P.melanotus (F.Morawitz),h: P.stschurowskii(Radoszkowski), i: P. globosus (F. Smith).

FIGURE 6. Maxillary palpi: a: Prionyx persicus (Mocsáry), b: P. radoszkowskyi (Kohl), c: P. macula (Fabricius), d: P. funebris (Berland), e: P. zarudnyi (Gussakovskij), f: P. saevus (F. Smith), g: P. melanotus (F. Morawitz), h: P. stschurowskii (Radoszkowski), i: P. globosus (F. Smith).

FIGURE 9. Collecting localities (red circles) and literature data (blue circles); a: Prionyx chobauti (Roth), b: P. crudelis (F. Smith), c: P. funebris (Berland), d: P. globosus (F. Smith), e: P. indus (Linnaeus), f: P. judaeus (de Beaumont), g: P. macula (Fabricius), h: P. melanotus (F. Morawitz).