Arachnospila (Ammosphex) scythia Loktionov & Lelej

Loktionov, Valery M. & Lelej, Arkady S., 2015, New and little-known species of Arachnospila (subgenus Ammosphex) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from East Siberia, Zootaxa 3911 (2), pp. 218-230 : 224-225

Arachnospila (Ammosphex) scythia Loktionov & Lelej , sp. nov.

( Figs 5–7 , 19, 20)

Type material. Holotype, ♂, RUSSIA, Tuva, 20 km SSW Erzin, Tore-Khol Lake, 3.VII.2013 (V. Loktionov, M. Proshchalykin) [ IBSS]. Paratypes, RUSSIA, Tuva: 4 ♂, 20 km SSW Erzin, Tore-Khol Lake, 2, 3.VII.2013 (VL, MP); 1 ♂, 27 km SSW of Erzin, Tore-Khol Lake (oasis), 12.VII.2014 (AL, VL, MP); 1 ♂, 25 km SE Erzin, Tes- Khem River, 15.VII.2014 (AL, VL, MP) [ IBSS, ZISP].

Diagnosis. MALE. Hypopygium without row of setae or bristles baso-laterally, not concave, roof-like (lateral view), with tuft of long erect setae ventro-medially. FEMALE. Characters unknown.

Description. MALE. Length of body 4.5–7.5 mm. Length of fore wing 4.5–6.0 mm. Width of head 1.1–1.2 × its height. Ocelli small, ratio POD/OOD 0.9–1.0 ×. Width of gena medially 0.5–0.6 × width of eye medially (lateral view). Clypeus weakly longitudinally convex, anterior border weakly emarginate, with narrow smooth rim. Labrum flat, anterior border straight. Malar space weakly developed. Length of flagellomere 1 2.2–2.5 × its width. Relation of scape, pedicel and two first flagellomeres 20–22:10–11:19–22:21–24. Apical flagellomere pointed on apex. Length of mesosoma dorsally 1.4–1.5 × its maximum width. Length of pronotum medially 0.3–0.4 × its width medially, posterior pronotal border angulate. Pronotum distinctly broadened posteriorly, its anterior width 0.8 × posterior width. Length of metanotum medially 1.0–1.3 × length of metapostnotum. Metapostnotum with very fine transverse striae or with transverse striae in anterior half and gentle micropunctation in posterior half. Posterior border of metapostnotum with small median smooth shiny triangle. Length of propodeum medially 0.8 × its maximum width. Wings slightly infuscated with darker apical part, venation of fore wing as in Fig. 19, venation of hind wing as in Fig. 20. Posterior border of S6 arcuate, emarginated. Hypopygium as in Figs 6, 7 . Genitalia as in Fig. 5 .

Frons, vertex and sides of propodeum with long pale brown, scattered erect setae. Gena and propleura with denser and longer pale brown setae. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with few short pale brown setae or lacking setae. Mandible with 2–3 strong and few soft curved erect setae. Other body parts lacking setae. Head and mesosoma with iridescent silver-brown pubescence (denser on lower part of face and base of mandible).

Propodeum with regular silver pubescence. Legs and metasoma with iridescent grey-brown micropubescence. Body regularly micropunctate. Body and legs black or with colored pattern: outer eyes orbit with small yellowish spot, basal metasomal segments ferruginous-red. T2 (except apical half) ferruginous-red only, or T1 (except extreme basal portion) and T2 (except apical portion) ferruginous-red, or T1 (except extreme basal portion), T2 (completely), T3 (except apical half) and S2 (except apical portion) ferruginous-red.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Comparison. The male of this species resembles ones of Arachnospila (Ammosphex) kurentzovi Lelej, 1995 and A. (A.) kuwayamai ( Ishikawa, 1966) by having similar shape of hypopygium, but easily differs from both of them by having tuft of long erect setae ventro-medially (ventro-apically in A. (A.) kurentzovi and A. (A.) kuwayamai ). The differences from other males of the subgenus Ammosphex , which are distributed in the Russian Far East and East Siberia, are given in the key below.

Etymology. Named after the Scythians, who were a nomadic tribe that dominated the steppes from the 8th to approximately the 3rd centuries BC. Scythian influence extended west to east from Ukraine to an area of Siberia just above Mongolia, including current territory of Tuva.

Distribution. Russia (Tuva).

Ecology. Inhabits sandy biotopes in steppe areas.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 10. Genitalia and sterna 7 and 8 (hypopygium) of male. 2, 5, 8. Genitalia (ventral view). 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10. sterna 7 and 8 (3, 6, 9, ventral view; 4, 7, 10, lateral view). 2 – 4. Arachnospila (Ammosphex) maxim sp. nov., holotype. 5 – 7. A. (A.) scythia sp. nov., holotype. 8 – 10. A. (A.) kasparyani sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.