Gastrosericus barqaalsuqoorensis Schmid-Egger, 2022

Schmid-Egger, Christian & Harten, Antonius Van, 2022, Additions to the digger wasps (Hymenoptera, Spheciformes) of the United Arab Emirates with description of ten new species, Zootaxa 5219 (6), pp. 543-575 : 551-553

Gastrosericus barqaalsuqoorensis Schmid-Egger , sp. nov.

( Figs 20–24 )

Holotype. United Arab Emirates, 1♀, 20.iii.2018, Barqa al-Saqoor, 24,018N 52,592E, leg. A.S & AvH, in Malaise trap ( CSE) . Paratype. ♁, 25.vii.2006, Al Ajban, 24,60N 55,02E, leg. AvH ( CSE)

Remarks. The species was mentioned in Schmid-Egger (2011) as G. eremicus Pulawski, 1995 . Pulawski (1995) mentions an aberrant female of G. funereus from United Arab Emirates and gives a figure of the clypeus. Another female from Barqa al-Saqoor in the UAE agrees with the “aberrant” specimen. It is clearly distinguishable from true G. funereus from Iran (several specimens from the Kerman province were examined, in coll. CSE). The main difference is the form of lateral lower pronotum near propleuron. Shape of clypeal teeth also characterizes the female well (see. fig. 45b and 45e in Pulawski, 1995). Consequently, we describe this specimen as new. We also could examine other specimens from Dhofar in southern Oman. They agree with fig 45d in Pulawski (1995), also described as ”aberrant” specimen. These belong to a further, third species of this lineage. This species is described elsewhere (Schmid-Egger & Al-Jahdhamdi under prep.). We choosed the specimens from Iran as true “ G. funereus ”, because they agree with the description of Pulawski (1995) of type specimens from Turkmenistan, and is also closer to the type area than the Arabian specimens.

Diagnosis. Gastrosericus barqaalsuqoorensis is a member of the G. funereus species-group which is characterized in females by a shiny pygidal area in combination with a deeply sulcate pronotum and two teeth or a lamella on clypeal disc. The female of G. barqaalsuqoorensis is well characterized by the special form of lower margin of propleuron (latero-dorsal view, below the lateral pronotal edge). It is wing-like prolonged versus head, and normally rounded in other species. Teeth of clypeus are small and triangular, and lamelliform or otherwise in other species. Propleuron near hindmargin has on each side a large, triangular tooth, directed backwards. Abdomen is red in G. barqaalsuqoorensis as in G. funereus , and black in the new species from Oman. The new Omanian species is also characterized by the lack of the lateral pronotal edge and a rounded lower gena. Both G. funereus and G. barqaalsuqoorensis have a distinct lateral pronotal edge, and a clear edge between underside and lateral side of gena.

The male differs from true Iranian G. funereus by a rectangular medial tooth of clypeus. It is widely obtuse in G. funereus and the new species from Oman.

Description of female holotype. Body length 7.0 mm. Colour: Head and mesosoma black with the following parts yellow: basal two third of mandible, apex of scape, pronotal lobe. Abdomen and legs all orange red, coxae except apex and most parts of forefemur black.Wing venation yellow. Head, mesosoma and forefemur above with long, dense silver appressed pubescence. Pubescence on vertex and mesonotum less dense, integument partly visible. Morphology: Apical clypeal margin widely rounded, medially with small emargination. Clypeal disk below scape on each side with small, triangular tooth (cf. fig. 45e in Pulawski, 1995). Gena below (lateral view) with small tooth, underside of gena asetose, finely punctured and shiny. Lateral (vertical) side of pronotum with deep sulcus (“sulcate”), with sharp and prominent edge at transition to horizontal dorsum of pronotum. Lower lateral edge of pronotum in front with large rounded wing-like structure. Propleuron near hindmargin with large, triangular teeth on each side, directed backwards. Forebasitarus with four or five pale spines, basal spine somewhat longer than tarsomere II. Pygidial plate shiny, with some punctures. Tergal depressions with band-like silver pubescence.

Description of male paratype. Body length 5.0 mm. Colour: Whole body greyish black, with dense yellowish to silver pubescence on head and mesoma. Abdomen with sparse pubescence. Medial tooth of clypeus right-angled. Tergum VII with large and shiny pygidial plate, with some punctures. Midlegs and right wing broken off.

Distribution. United Arab Emirates. Some records from the UAE mentioned in Pulawski (1995) as “ G. funereus ” also may refer to this species.

Etymology. The species is named after the type area, Barqa al-Saqoor, near Abu Dhabi.

Figures

FIGURES 17–24. 17–19. Gastrosericus alwathbaensis ♁ holotype; 17. Sterna. 18. Apex of abdomen. 19. Forewing. 20–24. Gastrosericus barqaalsuqoorensis; 20. ♀ holotype, lateral view. 21. ♀ holotype, clypeus. 22. tergum 6. 23. ♁ lateral view. 24. ♁ face.