Bembecinus similis Gadallah & Edmardash, 2024

Gadallah, Neveen S., Edmardash, Yusuf A., Abu El-Ghiet, Usama M. & Al-Fifi, Zarrag I. A., 2024, New additions to the crabronid fauna of the Arabian Peninsula and Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea (Spheciformes): Crabronidae), new distribution records and new species, Zootaxa 5403 (5), pp. 549-570 : 550-554

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5403.5.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:02652963-45F2-4A8D-9C5A-62771B5EFC9B
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10562354
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DC875546-2A68-47C0-958D-8BDCBDB19D1E
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:DC875546-2A68-47C0-958D-8BDCBDB19D1E
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Bembecinus similis Gadallah & Edmardash
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Bembecinus similis Gadallah & Edmardash sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DC875546-2A68-47C0-958D-8BDCBDB19D1E

Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 (A–E), 2(A–C), 3(A–C)

Type material: Saudi Arabia, Holotype (♀), Fifa Mountain (Jazan Province), 1260 m [17º16’07ʺN 43º07’32.3ʺE], May, 2023, Malaise trap in coffee orchard, Usama Abu El-Ghiet collector. GoogleMaps

Recognition. The new species belongs to B. tridens group because of the following combination of characters ( de Beaumont 1954; Schmid-Egger 2004): eyes noticeably convergent towards clypeus; flagellum normal, not claviform, F1 about 2.2× as long as wide; clypeus shorter than least distance between eyes; front metatarsus not enlarged; hindfemur more than 3.5× as long as wide; gastral terga shiny, sparsely punctate. Characters of our female specimen does not agree well with Schmid-Egger’s key (2004: 12). It resembles B. proximus in having T 1 with a band interrupted medially, T 2 with complete band, T 3 with small band medially and T 6 black. It differs from B. proximus in having T 4 completely black ( T 4 with complete yellow band in B. proximus ), and T 5 with complete band ( T 5 with lateral spots in B. proximus ). It matches B. bytinskii in de Beaumont’s key (1954: 246, couplet 2) in having the propodeum without posterior notch and T 4 entirely black. However, it differs from female of B. bytinskii in having T 1 with the band interrupted medially ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ) ( T 1 with complete band in B. bytinskii , see fig. 60 in Schmid-Egger 2004, or very slightly notched medially ( de Beaumont 1954), as well as Saudi Arabian specimens (see Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 ); T 5 with band widened laterally and medially ( T 5 with band widened laterally, and deeply concave medially in B. bytinskii ); scutellum, metanotum and propodeum all black ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ) (scutellum with lateral yellow spots, metanotum with central band, and sometimes outer edge of propodeum with some yellow in female of B. bytinskii ( Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 )); S 2 and S 3 with lateral small triangular yellowish spots ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ) (S 2 –S 5 with lateral spots and small band apically in female of B. bytinskii ); apical flagellomere distinctly excavated ventrally, spoon-like ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ) (apical flagellomere normal in female of B. bytinskii ); clypeus with baso-medial black, quadrate spot, among which a rounded yellow spot could be seen ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ) (clypeus with apico-median black spot in female of B. bytinskii ( Fig. 3D View FIGURE 3 )).

Description of female holotype: Body length: 10 mm.

Colouration ( Figs 1A–E View FIGURE 1 , 3B, C View FIGURE 3 ): Body shiny black, with the following parts yellow: inner eye orbit with thin streak not reaching upper margin, clypeus (except for a baso-median black quadrate area), labrum (whitish), antenna ventrally, pronotal collar, pronotal lobe, postero-lateral spot on mesoscutum, long spot on tegula, subapical band on T 1 (distinctly interrupted medially), complete band on T 2 apically, slightly widened laterally and medially, small median posterior marking on T 3, complete band on T 5 (conspicuously narrowed laterally), forefemur apically as well as apical half ventrally, foretibia (except apical two-thirds ventrally), foretarsus (except metatarsus black ventrally), tips of midfemur and midtarsus (which are ivory white), hindtibia (except black tip ventrally), all hindtarsus; claws yellow with dark tip. Gastral T 4 & T 6 entirely black; mandible ferruginous medially, black at base and tip; apical middle tarsomere pale brownish; gastral S 2 and S 3 with posterolateral triangular whitish markings.

Head ( Figs 1C, D View FIGURE 1 , 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Smooth, impunctate; frons with fine short setae medially as well as along inner eye orbits; vertex smooth and shiny, very short; eye inner margins conspicuously convergent towards clypeus; ocellar triangle with base longer than lateral side; antennal scape relatively long, about as long as F1 & F2 combined, F2 less than 2.0× as long as wide; apical flagellomere deeply concave ventrally (spoon-like); clypeus wider than long, with dense silvery pubescence laterally, flattened to slightly concave at apex; labrum semicircular; mandible short, with blunt tip, with one subapical tooth.

Thorax ( Fig. 2A, B View FIGURE 2 , 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Entirely smooth and shiny; pronotal collar is visible in dorsal view; propodeum with fine, whitish short setae laterally, superficially punctate medially, roundly projected postero-laterally. Fore metatarsus somewhat edged ventrally (black here), with five unequal whitish to yellowish spines; tarsomere II very short, like metatarsus with sharp ventral black edge, with two long unequal spines; pulvillus distinctly large; midtibia and tarsus spinose (with short transparent spines); hind legs normal. Wings hyaline, with dark veins.

Gaster ( Figs 1E View FIGURE 1 , 2C View FIGURE 2 , 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Shiny, with fine setiferous punctures; last tergum pointed apically; gastral sterna as finely punctate as terga.

Male: Unknown.

Etymology: The name of the new species refers to its similarity to Bembecinus bytinskii .

Distribution: Saudi Arabia (Fifa in Jazan Province).