Ammoplanus (Ammoplanus) monticola, Gussakovskij, 1952

Boucïek, Zdenek, 2001, Palaearctic species of Ammoplanus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), Journal of Natural History 35, pp. 849-929 : 901-902

A. (Ammoplanus) monticola Gussakovskij

Ammoplanus monticola Gussakovskij, 1952: 323 ±324. Tajikistan: Kondara Canyon in Hissar

Range , N of Dushanbe. Lectotype female, by subsequent designation ( Marshakov, 1976:

679); in ZMAS (a pair of paralectotypes examined).

Marshakov (1976) designated as lectotype a female, probably because the syntypic males mentioned in the original description were not in good condition. He also suggested that monticola may be the same species as hoOEeri and ceballosi . The clypeal tooth of the female monticola is very narrow (as in ceballosi ), but the bottom of the clypeal emargination is slightly produced, arcutate and the submedian teeth are as far apart as outer sides of toruli. A substantial diOEerence from ceballosi , apart from completely diOEerent male sexual characters on sternites, is in the mandibles: in the female of ceballosi the upper edge is not expanded, whilst in monticola the inner margin is widened into a subrectangular tooth even stronger than in hoOEeri (®gure 96; also ®gure 26 in Marshakov, 1976: 669). However, unlike in hoOEeri the pterostigma in monticola is bicolorous (as in perrisi ), whilst in hoOEeri it is pale, unicolorous. The male of monticola , at least the paralectotype that I examined, has the parastigma almost unicolorous, brown (not pale), which raises a suspicion that this male may belong to yet another species. At present I have been unable to reach certainty in this question. Gussakovskij (1952) as well as Marshakov (1976) apparently regarded this diOEerence as intraspeci®c variation.

Male. Additional notes from a paralectotype. Frons without transverse swelling. Lower ends of eyes extended towards toruli (®gure 42). Middle part of clypeus brown, lateral parts greyish white; median clypeal tooth long and slender, subhorizontal (i.e. parallel to face plain), apex slightly bent downwards; clypeal emargination below the tooth slightly arched, very short but fully as broad as distance between outer sides of toruli, on outer side delimited by very small (submedian) teeth. Underside of head ®nely striate behind eyes, broad ¯at part towards oral fossa with regular parallel striae a little coarser than elsewhere; this part hardly concave, unlike in hoOEeri, but a broad groove along the hind margin of the fossa is present, becoming shallower laterally. Palpi relatively slender, hairy, fourth segment of maxillary palpus fully twice as long as broad. Sternite 6 rather strongly produced and this part moderately rising to apex and bearing a round patch of erect setae with longest ones forming a transverse comb at apex. Hind tibia on mesal side of apex and basitarsus on mesal side of its slightly darkened expansion with longer setae, thin part reduced to distal one-third of basitarsus. Fifth sternite in median quarter distinctly produced and raised, this part with a thick patch of erect setae ending at apex with high transverse comb (®gure 109). Hind basitarsus in middle expanded, similar to that of A. insularis but the thick hairs on expansion longer.

In male characters A. monticola seems to be close to platytarsus .

Female. Median tooth of clypeus triangular of about 60ss, dorsally slightly ¯attened; clypeal plate outside of tooth about as high as torular diameter (as in male, ®gure 110). Underside of head outside of oral fossa with coarse parallel striae and more or less depressed.

Biology. Xerophilous, in sparse mountain forests ( Marshakov, 1976: 679).

Material examined. Tajikistan: Kondara Canyon , 1100 m, 1 land 1m (`syntypes’ labelled by me as paralectotypes), 13 June and 18 September 1938 (Gussakovskij; ZMAS) . Pakistan ( North ): Tirich Valley nr Chitral, 3550 m, 1 l and 1m, 11± 23 August 1984 (W. J. Budenberg; BMNH) .

Distribution. Tajikistan and North Pakistan (both in Pamir Mountains region).