Sphex rhodosoma (R. Turner, 1915)

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

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Sphecidae

Sphex rhodosoma (R. Turner, 1915)

Chlorion rhodosoma R. Turner, 1915: 65, ♀. Syntypes: ♀, Australia: Western Australia: Cue and Cunderdin (BMNH). Syntype examined. - As Sphex rhodosoma : Bohart and Menke (1976: 116) (new combination, in checklist of world Sphecidae ).

Material examined.

Syntype. ♀, AUSTRALIA:WA: Cue, H. W. Brown (BMNH).

Diagnosis.

Sphex rhodosoma (of which only the female is known) is unique among the Australian Sphex in combining the features of the Sphex resplendens group with a mostly orange body including orange legs and a petiole which is slightly longer than flagellomere II. A partially orange mesosoma is also found in Sphex sericeus . In that species, however, the propodeal enclosure is ridged and the metanotum has a pair of distinct tubercles, while Sphex rhodosoma lacks both these features.

Description.

Female: Body length 20.2 mm. Body orange, but the following are black: apical mandibular tooth, frons, vertex, gena, flagellomere II above and flagellomeres III–X entirely, parts of metasomal terga II, III and IV, parts of metasomal sternum II. Wing membrane yellow, with slightly fuscous band near apex. Wing veins brown, orange near base. Forebasitarsal rake with six long spines. Free clypeal margin with two lobes medially, distance between them less than 1/8 length of flagellomere II. Appressed pubescence and erect setae on clypeus and frons silvery-white. Clypeus with medial glabrous stripe. Distance between hind- ocelli equal to their shortest distance to compound eyes. Pubescence on collar and scutum silvery-white, on the latter longer and denser laterally and posteriorly. Scutellum flat, shiny, without impressions. Propodeal enclosure with short, appressed silvery-white pubescence, sculpture almost completely visible. Length of petiole approximately 1.1 × length of flagellomere II. Tomentum on metasomal sternum I moderately dense, on sternum II sparse.

Male: Unknown.