Sphecodes atlanticus Warncke, 1992

Astafurova, Yulia V., Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu. & Schwarz, Maximilian, 2019, The distribution of the genus Sphecodes Latreille (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding countries with description of hitherto unknown female of S. atlanticus Warncke, 1992 and male of S. dathei Schwarz, 2010, ZooKeys 872, pp. 13-40 : 16

Sphecodes atlanticus Warncke, 1992 Figures 5 , 9 , 10 , 19 , 22

Sphecodes atlanticus Warncke, 1992: 25, Abb. 17, ♂ (holotype: ♂, Algeria: Hoggar-Geb., Guelta; OLBL/PCMS), examined.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to the Trans-Palaearctic Sphecodes scabricollis Wesmael, 1835 owing to the flat genal area, the developed preoccipital lateral carina, the densely punctate head and mesoscutum, the size and shape of male antennal tyloids, and in the similar gonostylar shape. However, S. atlanticus differs from S. scabricollis by a number of characters outlined in Table 2. In addition to presence of preoccipital lateral carina, S. atlanticus clearly differs from the gibbus species group ( S. anatolicus Warncke, 1922, S. gibbus (Linnaeus, 1758), S. nippon Meyer, 1922, S. rufiventris (Panzer, 1798), S. schenckii Hagens, 1882, S. tadschicus Blüthgen in Popov, 1935; see Astafurova et al. 2018a) by a short distance from top of head to upper margin of lateral ocellus (2 lateral ocellar diameters as seen in dorsal view, versus those with a long vertex where this distance is at most 2.5-3.0 diameters).

Description of hitherto unknown female.

Total body length 6.5-8.5 mm. Head ( Fig. 5 ) black (except reddish mouthparts); transverse, 1.3 times as wide as long; vertex elevated, distance from top of head to upper margin of lateral ocellus ca. one lateral ocellar diameter as seen in frontal view and ca. two lateral ocellar diameters as seen in dorsal view; F1 and F2 transverse, 0.7-0.8 times as long as wide; F3 as long as wide; face with fine contiguous punctures (10-20 μm), clypeus with shiny interspaces between punctures separated by 0.1-0.5 of a puncture diameter; mandible with an inner tooth; paraocular areas and upper part of gena with dense adpressed, snow-white, plumose pubescence obscuring the integument.

Mesosoma black; mesoscutum with coarse punctures (25-50 μm) separated by at most a puncture diameter ( Fig. 10 ); mesoscutellum with irregular punctures separated by 0.1-4 puncture diameters; mesepisternum densely reticulate-rugose; propodeal triangle coarsely reticulate-rugose with large shiny, smooth interspaces between wrinkles ( Fig. 10 ); lateral parts of propodeum finely and densely strigate or strigate-rugose with granulate interspaces between wrinkles; vertical part of propodeum smooth with coarse and dense punctures; legs reddish or dark brown. Hind wing costal margin with 9-10 hamuli.

Metasoma ( Fig. 19 ) with colouration varying from red on T1-T4 to entirely dark-brown; tergal discs with coarse and dense punctures (20-30 μm / 0.5-2, sparser on anterior third of T1), marginal zone impunctate except on T1 with dense punctures (10-20 μm / 0.5-2); sterna finely tessellate with coarse setae pores; pygidial plate dull, as wide as metabasitarsus.

Material examined.

SAUDI ARABIA: 6 ♂♂, Wadi Majarish (below Taif), 12.II.1983, K. Guichard (NHMUK 013380451, 013380453, 013380460, 013380462, 013380466, 013380459); 4 ♂♂, Fayfa, 200 m, 29.I. 1983, K. Guichard (NHMUK 013380452, 013380461, 013380463, 013380464); 1 ♂, Lodar, 800 m, 16.V.1967, K. Guichard (NHMUK 0133804446); 1 ♂, Abu Arish, 26.III.1980, K. Guichard (NHMUK 013380465); 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂, Abu Arish, Jizzan Hot Springs, 25.III.1980, K. Guichard (NHMUK 013380458, 013380441, 013380454), 1 ♂, idem, 28.I.1983 (NHMUK 013380450); 1 ♀, Wadi Maraba, 25.I.1983, 1000 m, K. Guichard (NHMUK 013380457); 1 ♀, Jeddah, Locust Research Station, 17.I.1972, A. Basha (NHMUK 013380442); YEMEN: 1 ♂, Usaifira, 1 mile N Ta’izz, 4.500 ft, 21.XII.1937, H. Scott, E. Britton (NHMUK 013380468), 1 ♂, Wadi Maytam, 12 km SE Ibb, 1600 m, 13°53'N, 44°18'E, 27.X.2005, J. Halada (OLBL/PCMS); 2 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, Hawf NE Albhaydah, 200-730 m, 16°53'N, 53°05'E, 14.X.2005, J. Halada (OLBL/PCMS); 2 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂, 20 km S Taizz, 1200 m, 13°30'N, 43°57'E, 24.X.2005, J. Halada (OLBL/PCMS); 2 ♂♂, Jabal Bura, NEE Al Hudaydah, 200-800 m, 14°52'N, 43°24'E, 30.X-1.XI.2005, J. Halada (OLBL/PCMS); 1 ♂, Wadi Aniz, SSW Sana, 1520 m, 14°60'N, 44°09'E, 7.X.2005, J. Halada (OLBL/PCMS).

Distribution.

*Saudi Arabia, *Yemen; Algeria, the Canary Islands.

Figures

Figures 2 - 7. Head, females, frontal view. 2 Sphecodes majalis Perez 3 S. scabricollis Wesmael 4 S. barbatus Bluethgen 5 S. atlanticus Warncke 6 S. rubripes Spinola 7 S. albilabris (Fabricius). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figures 8 - 11. Mesosoma (8 - 10), dorsal view; lectotype labels (11). 8 Sphecodes scabricollis Wesmael, male 9, 10 S. atlanticus Warncke (9 - male, 10 - female) 11 S. intermedius Bluethgen, label of lectotype. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figures 16 - 19. T 1 (16, 17), metasoma (18, 19), females, dorsal view. 16 Sphecodes majalis Perez 17 S. barbatus Bluethgen 18 S. scabricollis Wesmael 19 S. atlanticus Warncke. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figures 22 - 25. Genitalia, males, dorsal view. 22 Sphecodes atlanticus Warncke 23 S. scabri collis Wesmael 24 S. dathei Schwarz 25 S. crassus Thomson. Scale bars: 0.25 mm.