Ammatomus wathabensis SCHMID- EGGER, 2019

Schmid-Egger, Christian, 2019, Review oI the genus Ammatomus A. COSTA, 1859 (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) Irom the Palearctic region with description oI Iour new species, Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (1), pp. 437-457 : 447-448

Ammatomus wathabensis SCHMID- EGGER nov.sp. ( figs 35-40 )

As Ammatomus mesostenus in SCHMID- EGGER (2011: 490).

Holotype: female United Arab Emirates, 26.vi.-25.vii.2006 Al Aijban 24.36N 50.01E leg. A.v.Harten in Malaise trap (coll CSE) . Paratypes: 1 female same data as holotype; further material from Al Aijban: 3 females 4 males 25.vii.-7.viii.2006; 3 males 7-21-xiii.2006, 1 female 12-19.ix.2006; male 9.iv.-2.v.2006. Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba , 24.245N 54.742E: 12 females 12 males 15.xi.2014, 15.iii.2015, 15.v.2015, 15.vi.2013, 15.xi.2014;, all leg. A.v.H. in malaise traps, in coll CSE . Further material from Al Aijban, mentioned in Schmid-Egger (2011) as A. mesostenus and now deposited in the coll. Leiden and Berlin, was not reexamined and is not labeled as paratype.

D i a g n o s i s: A. wathabensis is mainly characterized by lack of the transparent lamella on apex of T 1. This character differs distinctly from other species of the A. mesostenus lineage, which always have a transparent lamella on apex of T 1. In some specimens, apex is somewhat more pale coloured than remaining tergite, but generally there is no difference in colour and structure of disc and apex of T 1. This character is combined with very small lateral yellow spots on T 1, a red coloured T 2, a brownish apex of hindtarsomere V and claws. T 1 additionally is shorter than in remaining species. This character combination makes the species unmistakable.

D e s c r i p t i o n o f h o l o t y p e, f e m a l e: Body length 8,5 mm. Colour: Yellow: mandible in basal half, clypeus, face below antennal socket, short band on lower inner eye margin, antennal segment I and II, fore- and midleg (basal parts of both legs reddish), pronotal lobe, scutellum, apical bands on T 1- T 5, small lateral spots on T 1, a band with medial interruption on T 2. Red: last flagellomeres below, hindleg, T 1 and T 2 (apart from yellow apical part and some black in apical half). Medial AS dark brown to reddish, sternites mostly red and partly mixed with brown, mainly in last sternites. Hindtarsomere apico-dorsally and claws brown. Remaining body black. T 1 apically red, without transparent margin. Morphology. Similar to M. mesostenus (see PULAWSKI 1973), differs by the following characters: mesonotum, scutellum and propodeal dorsum with fine punctation, most punctures 1̅2 diameters apart, puncture diameter distinctly smaller than on mesopleuron. T 1 1.1x.

V a r i a t i o n i n f e m a l e s: Body length 7.5-9.2 mm. Yellow spots on T 1 lacks in some specimens, and tergite may be all red. Extension of red colour of T 1I is variable and lacks in some female. Size and density of punctures of mesonotum is variable, but always finer as in A. mesostenus . T 1 1.1x-1.2x.

D e s c r i p t i o n o f m a l e. 7-7.5 mm. The male agrees in colour and other characters with the female. In some specimens, red of T 2 is replaced by black. T 1 1.4x-1.5x.

E t y m o l o g y: The species is named after the type area, the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

D i s t r i b u t i o n:UnitedArabEmirates.

Figures

Fig. 34-40: (34) Ammatomus vanharteni, male from Oman, T1; (35) Ammatomus wathabensis, female holotype; (36) Ammatomus wathabensis, female holotype, T1; (37) Ammatomus wathabensis, female holotype, face; (38) Ammatomus wathabensis, female holotype, mesoscutum; (39) Ammatomus wathabensis, male from UAE; (40) Ammatomus wathabensis, male from UAE, T1.