Ammatomus saharae

Schmid-Egger, Christian, 2019, Review oI the genus Ammatomus A. COSTA, 1859 (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) Irom the Palearctic region with description oI Iour new species, Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (1), pp. 437-457 : 446

Ammatomus saharae (HANDLIRSCH, 1895), stat. rev. ( figs 27-28 )

Gorytes saharae HANDLIRSCH, 1895: 856, female. Holotype: female, Algeria: Mraier near Chott Melhrir (NHMW).

S p e c i m e n s e x a m i n e d: Algeria:male 8.vi.1971 Biskra (CSE).

R e m a r k:PULAWSKI (1973) synonymised A. saharae with A. rufonodis . He already mentioned the shorter T1 of the female, but he obviously gave this character no taxonomic value. In my opinion the length/width-ratio of T1 is an important distinction character on species level in the genus Ammatomus , because it is constant in all examined species and differs between most taxa. Even in the male of A. saharae , this character is pronounced and differs from A. rufonodis . For that reason, I restore A. saharae from synonmy and give it a status of a valid species. The male is described here for the first time.

D i a g o s i s: A. saharae is characterized by a short T1 (see key) and agree otherwise with A. rufonodis and A. grandcourti . Yellow bands of T2 and T3I are in male somewhat larger as in A. grandcourti . The female could not be examined. The species was only known from Algeria by two females (PULAWSKI 1973). I describe here the male for the first time. Both related species A. rufonodis and A. grandcourti are recorded from southwestern and Central Asia and from Sudan, the distribution area of these species does not overlap.

D e s c r i p t i o n o f m a l e: Body length 8.5 mm. Colour: Black. Whitish yellow are: mandible except apex and base, labrum, clypeus, space below antennal socket, short band on lower eye margin, AS I-III (remaining antenna broken), pronotal lobe and band on apical pronotal margin, spot each on mesoscutum laterally in apical corner, small spot on scutellum, metanotum, apical bands on T1-T6. Band on T1 medially emarginated, large band on sternite II, underside of fore and mid femora, tibiae, tarsi. Hindtibia black below. Hindtarsomeres I-III apically black, hindtarsomere V in apical two thirds and claws black. Wing venation brown, wings transparent. Morphology: Face including clypeus and vertex, lower mesopleuron and propodeal declivity with dense, silver pilosity, T1 1.4x. Apical transparent border of T1 0,6x as wide as yellow tergal band. Mesoscutum with large punctures, 0,5-2 diameters apart.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Algeria.

Figures

Fig. 27-33: (27) Ammatomus saharae, male from Algeria; (28) Ammatomus saharae, male from Algeria, T1; (29) Ammatomus vanharteni, female holotype; (30) Ammatomus vanharteni, female holotype, face; (31) Ammatomus vanharteni, female holotype, mesoscutum; (32) Ammatomus vanharteni, female holotype, T1; (33) Ammatomus vanharteni, male from Oman.