Ammoplanellus (Ammoplanus) bischo, MareAchal

Boucïek, Zdenek, 2001, Palaearctic species of Ammoplanus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), Journal of Natural History 35, pp. 849-929 : 871-872

A. (Ammoplanus) bischo MareÂchal

Ammoplanus Bischo MareÂchal, 1938: 404 ±405. Italy: Aosta. Holotype male, by original designation; in ZMHU (examined).

Marshakov (1976: 679) declared A. dusmeti Giner described from Spain and A. curvidens Tsuneki described from Mongolia as synonyms of bischo . Later he (1978: 369) described from Mongolia a female that he identi®ed as bischo . However, dusmeti proved to be a valid west Mediterranean species and curvidens a valid Mongolian species. In his 1978 paper he stated that the male identi®ed by him in 1976 (p. 675, 680, ®gure 17 on p. 669) as serratus actually belonged to bischo . I could not examine this male but from the ®gure of the mandibles with a broad tooth on the upper edge it should be a diOEerent species. The female of bischo so far has not been recognized among the European specimens and the head ®gured by Marshakov (1978: 371, ®gure 33) could not be studied either and probably belongs to yet another species.

Additional diagnostic features (otherwise see the good description by MarceÂchal)

Male. Mask on lower face pale yellow, above sides of clypeus moderately extensive. Part of head above eyes virtually two-thirds as high as length of eye (35 5 48). Distance between upper ends of eyes not much diOEerent from that between lower ends (69 5 62). Frons with orbital foveae present though not deep, in crossbelt at this level with distinct puncturation on rather shiny ground as the reticulation is weak, in places almost obliterated. Toruli slightly more apart than distance between torulus and eye; no fovea outside of torulus. Clypeus with bottom of quadrangular emargination on imaginary line between lower margins of toruli, clypeus outside of teeth fully as high as one torular diameter. Labrum long and narrow but not produced far beyond strong submedian clypeal teeth which are curved to outside (®gure 76). Underside of head with extremely short pilosity; oral fossa almost as long as its distance from foramen magnum, in middle not depressed but more or less striate, striae parallel to ventral branches of occipital carina but not reaching temples. Occipital carina dorsally interrupted for distance hardly shorter than that between posterior ocelli. Pronotal collar not distinctly carinate, its transversely rugulose sculpture weak, surface rather shiny; with few sparse short hairs. Hind basitarsi not modi®ed.

Posterior sternites not densely hairy; ®fth sternite bare at base, but apically with a slightly raised, narrow area delimited on sides by an impressed line (its sides described as`two carinae’ by MareÂchal) bearing in middle a double tubercle with a tuft of stiOE black setae partly directed forward (similar to perrisi ); closely behind this another tubercle with short dark hairs (®gure 77). Sternite 6 normally very short (if not exposed by mounting), medially rising to narrow shiny convex apex with sparse white setae radiating from margin. For gonostyle and penis valve see ®gure 4.

Female. Still unknown.

Comments. A. bischo is very close to A. atlasensis and the main diOEerence between them is found on the male sternites, as given in the key. Further, they diOEer in the aedeagus: gonostyles in atlasensis are ¯at on outer side and their sides converging to apex in almost straight lines; apex of penis valves abruptly turned laterad into short acuminate branches (®gure 4; not distorted?). In bischo apex of gonostyle is broad, almost truncate, but on mesal side rounded, the truncation bearing several very thin hairs.

It is also close to perrisi with which it shares the following features: the yellow pattern on the head; the labrum situated close to the toruli and itself thickened by a fork of Y-shape; the pterostigma is partly dark. It diOEers from perrisi especially in the following: the space between strong paraclypeal teeth (i.e. width of the labrum) is hardly broader than the intertorular space, the latter is slightly narrower than the distance between the torulus and eye; the labrum is more than 1.5 times as long as one torular diameter and ends with two narrow teeth each of which is longer than broad and as broad as the gap between them; median clypeal tooth very small, hardly distinct; middle ¯agellar segments in male oblong, only up to 1.3 times as long as broad.

The males of both bischo and curvidens (see below and in Tsuneki, p. 221, ®gures 110±114) have also some common features, including the very narrow and deep quadrangula r clypeal emargination. According to Marshakov ’s ®gure 33 (1978: 371), the face of his Mongolian male of A.`bischo ’ exhibits an elongate fovea above the inner margin of each antennal torulus. Such feature is known to me in Europe only in A. ceballosi Giner. Probably ceballosi and curvidens are close to each other but they also seem to be diOEerent species.

Material examined. Portugal ( Duero Litoral ): Vila B. de Quires, 1, 5 August 1995 (J. GarcõÂa; UZUS) . Spain ( Salamanca ): 1, ( Gayubo ). France (Vaucluse): Mont Ventoux, 1, 27 July 1978 (Gijswijt; ZMA); (Alpes Maritimes) : St. -Martin- VeÂsubie, 1, 27 July 1950 (Granger: MNHN) . Italy ( Aosta ): Gressan and St. Martin, 2, holotype and paratype, 8± 11 August 1925 (BischoOE; ZMHU) .

Distribution. Portugal, Spain, South France, Northwest Italy.