Homonotus maroccanus, Schmid-Egger, 2018

Schmid-Egger, Christian, 2018, A review of the genus Homonotus D, 1843 in the West Palaearctic region with description of a new species (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 809-824 : 812

Homonotus maroccanus SCHMID- EGGER nov.sp., figs 2-9

H o l o t y p e: Morocco: female 8.v.2003 Tiznit, leg. M. Halada (OLL). Paratype: male same data as holotype. Both specimens were identified as H. aegyptiacus by H. Wolf, 2014.

D i a g n o s i s: Homonotus maroccanus nov.sp. is characterized by two submarginal cells in forewing (other species have three submarginal cells). It shares this special character with H. semiflavus from Egypt. H. maroccanus can be distinguished from H. semiflavus by colour pattern: head apart from clypeus and mesosoma is all black in H. maroccanus , and tergites III-VI in females and III-VII in males are red, whereas head and mesosoma are red and abdomen is black H. semiflavus . Also, submarginal cell II is longer (1.4x as long as wide) in H. maroccanus as in H. semiflavus (as long as wide). Medial part of metanotum is flat medially in the new species, and bifurcate in H. semiflavus . The male is also characterized by a special form of tergal base I (laterally and medially depressed, with raising in-between, fig. 9, however diffcult to recognize on photo). This depression is unique amoung examined Homonotus species.

D e s c r i p t i o n f e m a l e: Body length 5 mm. Colour: Black with the following parts light red: clypeus, antenna including scape (apex of antenna darker than base), most parts of foreleg except coxa, midtibia partly, midtarsi, hindtarsi (legs are browinish red with some darker parts). Tegula brownish. Abdominal segments III-VI dark reddish. Spurs of mid- and hindtibia and base of hindbasitarsus white. Body covered with scattered apressed silver pubescence. Wing venation dark, wing transparent.

Morphology: Antenna, head, mesosoma and wing venation see figures 1, 2, 6 and 7. Clypeus in form of a semi-circle. Mesosoma comparatively slender (see figs.). Propodeal declivity convexe. Body shiny. Longest spur of midtibia as long as midmetatarsus, other spur half as long. Longest spur of hindtibia 2/3 as long as hindbasitarsis, shorter spur half as long as hindbasitarsus. Foretarsomeres without spines.

D e s c r i p t i o n m a l e: Body length 4.5 mm. Male agree with female in all aspects except of the following differences: Vertex shorter than in female. Apico-lateral spines of propodeum longer and slender as in female. Tergite I laterally and basodorsally with depression, medial depression U-shaped, with marked baso-lateral elevation between medial and lateral depression (fig. 9).

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