Plesiopanurgus Cameron, 1907

Ascher, John S. & Engel, Michael S., 2017, A new species of Mermiglossa from Kenya, with comments on the arrangement of Old World Panurginae (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Journal of Melittology 2017 (75), pp. 1-11 : 3

Genus Plesiopanurgus Cameron

Plesiopanurgus Cameron, 1907: 130 . Type species: Plesiopanurgus cinerarius Cameron, 1907 , monobasic.

Neopanurgus Schwammberger, 1971: 2 . Type species: Neopanurgus richteri Schwammberger, 1971 , by original designation.

Plesiopanurgus (Zizopanurgus) Patiny & Rasmont, 1999: 78 . Type species: Panurgus (Plesiopanurgus) zizus Warncke, 1985 [1987], by original designation.

DIAGNOSIS: Clypeus strongly protuberant; scape and flagellum of male thickened; distal flagellomere strongly tapered at apex. Pronotum with strong dorsolateral lamella or protuberance. Mesobasitarsus of male longer than metabasitarsus; mesobasitarsus with a patch of small, dense setae apically on inner surface. Pubescence of male elongate, profuse. Metasomal sternum IV of male with distal margin convex, pectinate medially; apical process of sternum VIII with elongate apicolateral projections, base of apical process laterally expanded; base of sternum VIII emarginate.

DISTRIBUTION: Four species are known from deserts of North Africa ( Morocco) and the Near East (eastern Turkey, Iran, Balochistan in northwestern Pakistan). The more western species from Morocco [ P. zizus (Warncke) ] and Turkey ( P. ibex Baker ) were placed in Zizopanurgus by Patiny & Rasmont (1999).

LIFE HISTORY: Species of Plesiopanurgus are known or suspected to be oligoleges of Convolvulus L. ( Convolvulaceae ) and have been collected during April–June ( Patiny, 1998a; vide etiam Warncke, 1985 [1987]; Baker, 1997; Patiny & Rasmont, 1999).

COMMENTS: Both Baker (1997: who apparently failed to consider Warncke, 1985 [1987]), Patiny (1998a), and Patiny & Rasmont (1999) disputed Warncke’s (1983 [ 1985]) conclusion that P. ibex and P. richteri (Schwammberger) are subspecies of P. cinerarius . Patiny (1998c) recognized P. hanno Baker , from Morocco as a junior synonym of P. zizus .