Gastrosericus moricei E. Sauders, 1910

Abu El-Ghiet, Usama M., Gadallah, Neveen S., Gasib, Abdulmajeed M., Al-Fifi, Zarrag I. A. & Edmardash, Yusuf A., 2023, Further addition to the crabronid fauna of Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea (Spheciformes): Crabronidae), with new genera and species records, and the description of two new species, Zootaxa 5319 (2), pp. 151-177 : 159

Gastrosericus moricei E. Sauders, 1910

Fig. 6A–F

Gastrosericus moricei E. Saunders, 1910: 529 , ♁.

Diagnosis. Body length: 7.5 mm.

Body colour: see Fig. 6 (A–F).

The female of this species shares with that of Gastrosericus sanctus the entire pygidial plate covered with dense, stout setae ( Fig. 6F ); appressed genal ( Fig. 6C ) and propodeal pubescence ( Fig. 6D ); the apical tarsomeres with one or more basoventral spines (spines lacking in some sanctus ); gastral terga without yellow bands ( Fig. 6A ). It differs from G. sanctus by the following: free margin of clypeal lobe arcuate ( Fig. 6B ) (somewhat sinuate in most G. sanctus , see Pulawski 1995: 119, fig. 102a, b); the lobe free margin and the lip are simple (free margin slightly projecting close to lateral corners in G. sanctus , see Pulawski 1995: 120, fig. 103a, b); apical tarsomeres with one to four basomedian spines ventrally (0–2 spines in G. sanctus ).

Material examined: 1♀, Farasan, Abdulmajeed farm [16 Q 42.07970’N; 42 Q 08.5781’E], 23–30.ix.2022.

Previous Saudi Arabian records: Asir (Wadi Lasaba), Bahra, Riyadh ( Pulawski 1995), Jeddah, Haddat Asham ( Pulawski 1995; Gadallah & Assery 2004), Hutet Beni Tamim (10 km south of Riyadh) ( Gadallah et al. 2013).

Distribution: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Gambia, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

Comments. Characters of the only specimen collected agree with Pulawski’s key (1995: 19, couplet 18). It differs from the Arabian specimens in having femora black, pale yellow apically (in the Arabian specimens, femora reddish, pale yellowish apically, Pulawski 1995), but it resembles the Somalian females in having all femora black, yellow at tip ( Pulawski 1995). This may be attributed to the fact that Farasan Archipelago belongs to the Afrotropical region.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Gastrosericus moricei E. Saunders, 1910 (♀): A, dorsal habitus; B, frontal view of head; C, lateral view of head and thorax; D, dorsal view of thorax; E, fore wing; F, pygidial plate.