Arge deckerti Koch, 2005

Koch, Frank, Pauly, Alain, Hora, Zewdu A. & Boevé, Jean-Luc, 2015, Sawflies of Ethiopia (Hymenoptera: Argidae, Tenthredinidae), Zootaxa 4021 (1), pp. 119-155 : 124

Arge deckerti Koch, 2005

( Fig. 5 A–B)

Arge deckerti Koch, 2005: 194 . Locus typicus: Namibia, Okahandja, Otjiamongombe [Erichsfelde]. Holotype: ♀. Namibia, 43 km N Okahandja, Otjiamongombe (Erichsfelde), 21°37’S 016°56'E, 07. II.2004, J. Deckert (NMNW).

Ethiopian material. Nech Sar N. P. ( Fig. 6 A), 05°58’N 037°35’E, 1110 m, 19.IX.2012, P3632 (1 ♀), leg. J.-L. Boevé & A. Pauly ( RBINS). This is the first record of A. deckerti for Ethiopia.

Distribution. Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Host plant. Unknown. In southern Africa adults were feeding on pollen of Nidorella resedifolia DC. and N. auriculata DC. ( Asteraceae ).

Remarks. Arge deckerti is very similar to A. stuhlmanni ( Kohl, 1893) , both being widely distributed ( Koch 2005), but A. deckerti clearly differs by the entirely yellow costa of the fore wing. In A. stuhlmanni the colouration of the costa and subcosta varies from a black apical half to blackish at extreme apex adjacent to the stigma. The lancet of A. deckerti is uniformly covered with sensilla, which are absent in A. stuhlmanni , and the serrulae are flatter. In lateral view, the penis valve of A. stuhlmanni is distinctly broader than in A. deckerti ( Koch 2005) . Until now A. stuhlmanni is not reported for Ethiopia.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Arge deckerti. A, dorsal view. B, lateral view. A – B, female (P 3632, genitalia dissected), body length: 6.5 mm.

FIGURE 6. Biotopes in which sawflies were collected. A, Nech Sar N. P. (19. IX. 2012); collected: Arge deckerti and Neacidiophora brevifalcata. B, Ineseno (14. IX. 2012); collected: Athalia obsoleta and Athalia vollenhoveni. C, Ghedo (05. XII. 2013); collected: Athalia spp. D, Holeta HBRC forest (13. IX. 2012); collected: Arge massajae. E, near Lake Chamo (21. IX. 2012); collected: Distega montium. F, Senkele N. P. (17. IX. 2012); collected: Trisodontophyes aethiopica.