Ammophila californica Menke

Menke, Arnold S., 2007, Ammophila nancy Menke, a new species in the pruinosa complex (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Ammophilinae), Zootaxa 1546, pp. 31-38 : 37

Ammophila californica Menke

( Figures 2, 5, 8 , 10 , 13 )

Ammophila californica Menke, 1964:18 . Holotype male, Mill Potrero, north side of Mt. Pinos, California (UCD).

Identification: The long mouthparts immediately separate californica from pruinosa and nancy . When folded, the apex of the proboscis reaches or exceeds the base of the stipes ( Fig.10 ). The face between the inner orbits in females is noticeably narrower toward the clypeus than in pruinosa and nancy (compare Fig. 5 with 3 and 4), and the least interocular distance (LID) varies from 0.63 to 0.70 X the upper interocular distance (UID). In females of pruinosa and nancy the inner orbits are less convergent ( Figs. 3–4 ). In these species the LID is at least 0.75 X the UID and is often as much as 0.81 X the UID. The ventral spine of the male penis valve head of californica is similar to that of nancy (compare Figs 11 and 13 )

Geographic range: Most records are from California, but I have seen isolated specimens from Paradise Valley, Humbolt Co., Nevada (UCD), and Notus, Canyon Co., Idaho (UCD).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. 1 – 2, left side of thorax. 1. Ammophila pruinosa female. 2. Ammophila californica male. 3 – 8, faces. 3. Ammophila nancy female. 4. Ammophila pruinosa female. 5. Ammophila californica female. 6. Ammophila nancy male. 7. Ammophila pruinosa male. 8. Ammophila californica male.

FIGURES 9 – 10. underside of head showing mouthparts and labrum. Note that in males of the pruinosa complex, genal setation reaches hypostomal carina. In females setation is confined to the upper part of the gena. 9. Ammophila nancy male. 10. Ammophila californica female.

FIGURES 11 – 13, right side of penis valve of male genitalia. 11. Ammophila nancy. 12. Ammophila pruinosa. 13. Ammophila californica.