Sphex rugifer Kohl, 1890

Doerfel, Thorleif H. & Ohl, Michael, 2015, A revision of the Australian digger wasps in the genus Sphex (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae), ZooKeys 521, pp. 1-104 : 39-41

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Sphecidae

Sphex rugifer Kohl, 1890

Sphex rugifer Kohl, 1890: 393, ♀. Syntypes: Australia: no specific locality (ZMB) and Western Australia: Swan River (NHMW). One syntype examined.

Material examined.

Syntype: ♀, AUSTRALIA:[state unknown]: [no specific locality], Preiss (ZMB).

Other material.

AUSTRALIA:WA: Applecross, 1♂, 28.01.1940, K. R. Norris (ANIC); Bunbury, 1♀, 2♂, 01.01.1961, A. Snell (AMS); Eradu, 1♀, J. Clark (ANIC); Fremantle City, 1♀, 28.01.1935, K. R. Norris (ANIC); 1♂, 09.02.1935, K. R. Norris (ANIC), 2♂, 09.02.1936, K. R. Norris (ANIC); Geraldton, 1♂, 1914 (ANIC), 1♀, 09.02.1931, L. F. Graham (ANIC); Perth, 1♀, 09.04.1914, J. Clark (ANIC); Shire of Waroona, Yalgorup National Park, 32°52'51"S, 115°40'35"E, 1♀, 4♂, 25.01.2010, L. Breitkreuz (ZMB); Shire of Waroona, Yalgorup National Park, 32°52'49"S, 115°40'57"E, 1♀, 27.01.2010, L. Breitkreuz (ZMB); Shire of Waroona, Yalgorup National Park, 32.880879°S, 115.676464°E, 1♂, 27.01.2010, S. Krause (ZMB); Shire of Waroona, Yalgorup National Park, 32°52'49"S, 115°40'57"E, 2♂, 27.01.2010, L. Breitkreuz (ZMB); Shire of Waroona, Yalgorup National Park, 32.880879°S, 115.676464°E, 1♂, 27.01.2010, S. Krause (ZMB); Shire of Waroona, Yalgorup National Park, 32°52'49"S, 115°40'57"E, 5♂, 27.01.2010, L. Breitkreuz (ZMB); Shire of Waroona, Yalgorup National Park, 32.880879°S, 115.676464°E, 1♂, 27.01.2010, S. Krause (ZMB).

Diagnosis.

Sphex rugifer differs from other Australian Sphex through a combination of the following characters: uniformly darkened forewing membrane without yellow tinge, hindwing membrane fuscous beyond the cellular area (Fig. 24 A–C), and silvery-white pubescence on the propodeal enclosure. Females can also be identified, in addition to the aforementioned features, in having a red metasoma, though the tone is often very dark. Both sexes of Sphex resplendens differ in having dark pubescence on the propodeum; and in Sphex fumipennis , the distal part of the hindwing membrane is hyaline (Fig. 16B). Males of Sphex fumipennis also have a conspicuous fringe of silvery setae near the apex of metasomal sternum VIII (Fig. 16C), whereas males of Sphex rugifer lack this pubescence (Fig. 24D).

Description.

Pro- and mesosoma black, but the following are light to dark brown: legs excluding coxae and basal half of claws excluding claw teeth. Basal half of mandible reddish. Forewing membrane uniformly fuscous. Hindwing membrane hyaline basally, remainder fuscous. Wing veins dark brown. Appressed pubescence on clypeus and frons silvery, erect setae on clypeus black, on frons silvery. Clypeus with narrow medial glabrous stripe. Pubescence on mesosoma silvery, on scutum denser laterally. Scutellum slightly convex, with shallow medial impression. Pubescence on propodeal enclosure sparse enough to leave sculpture clearly visible. Length of petiole 1.4 × length of flagellomere II.

Female: Body length 18.0-20.6 mm. Metasoma ranges from bright red to black with few dark red blurs. Forebasitarsal rake with 9-10 long spines. Free clypeal margin slightly scoop-shaped, with inconspicuous notch medially. Distance between hind- ocelli equal to their shortest distance to compound eyes. Propodeal enclosure with approximately 20 fine transverse ridges. Tomentum moderately dense on metasomal terga I and II.

Male: Body length 14.5-19.0 mm. Metasoma black. Free clypeal margin truncate, slightly concave medially. Distance between hind- ocelli 1.1 × their shortest distance to compound eyes. Propodeal enclosure with approximately 8-10 faint transverse ridges. Tomentum dense on metasomal terga I and II. Metasomal terga V and VI with few bristles. Metasomal sterna II–VI mostly glabrous, sternum VII with erect silvery setae laterally. Metasomal sternum VIII entire, with silvery pubescence, its lateral margin straight.