Sphex darwiniensis R. Turner, 1912

Doerfel, Thorleif H. & Ohl, Michael, 2015, A revision of the Australian digger wasps in the genus Sphex (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae), ZooKeys 521, pp. 1-104 : 25-27

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Sphecidae

Sphex darwiniensis R. Turner, 1912

Sphex darwiniensis R. Turner, 1912: 56, ♀. Holotype or syntypes: ♀, Australia: Northern Territory: Darwin (BMNH). Presumed holotype examined.

Material examined.

Holotype (presumed). ♀, AUSTRALIA:NT: Port Darwin, 1911, F. P. Dodd (BMNH).

The collecting locality is shown in Fig. 20B.

Diagnosis.

Sphex darwiniensis (of which only the female is known) differs from all other Australian Sphex in having the features diagnostic for the Sphex resplendens group combined with orange legs and metasoma, partly yellowish wings and approximately ten distinct, fine transverse ridges on the propodeal enclosure. The similar Sphex rugifer has a uniformly dark forewing, black legs and a black petiole. Sphex rhodosoma , in contrast to both the former species, is almost completely orange, including the entire mesosoma.

Description.

Female: Body length 22.2 mm. Body black, but the following are orange: apical half of mandible, clypeus, scape, pedicel, base of flagellomere I, legs from trochanter onward except for claw teeth and apical half of claw, tegula, subalar area, petiole, gaster. Wing membrane yellow, darkened beyond submarginal cell I. Wing veins orange, brown in darkened area of wing. Forebasitarsal rake with seven long spines. Free clypeal margin medially with two lobes which are slightly convex above, distance between them less than 1/8 length of flagellomere II. Appressed pubescence and erect setae on clypeus and frons silvery-white. Clypeus with medial glabrous stripe. Distance between hind- ocelli slightly smaller than their shortest distance to compound eyes. Pubescence on collar and scutum silvery-white, the latter glabrous except laterally and posteriorly. Scutellum flat, shiny, without impressions. Propodeal enclosure with short, silvery-white pubescence and approximately ten distinct transverse ridges which are in terrupted medially, sculpture almost completely visible. Length of petiole approximately 0.9 × length of flagellomere II. Tomentum on metasomal terga I and II sparse and short.

Male: Unknown.