Ammoplanellus (Ammoplanus) minutus, Boucïek, 2001

Boucïek, Zdenek, 2001, Palaearctic species of Ammoplanus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), Journal of Natural History 35, pp. 849-929 : 900-901

A. (Ammoplanus) minutus sp. n.

Male

Body length 1.8±2.3 mm. Face mask white comprising clypeus, low spots above clypeus, a dot between toruli, labrum, mandibles, front side of scapes and underside of ¯agellum (upper side brown); tarsi yellowish, partly also tibiae. Pterostigma pale brown, its long margins darker. Head in facial view slightly broader than high, in upper part with sides moderately converging; ocelli large, well above upper ocular line; toruli one diameter above lower ocular line. Frons (as mesoscutum) slightly dull, densely ®nely engraved-reticulate, with traceable numerous piliferous punctures. Inner eye orbits without fovea above, slightly though distinctly converging downwards; distance between toruli subequal to their distance from eyes, greater than one torular diameter. Sides of clypeus shiny, its lower margin not expanded below ocular line, tentorial pits small but pit-like; short submedian teeth of clypeus slightly acute but short and almost as far apart as outer margins of toruli; sides of median excision of clypeus narrowly separated from toruli; clypeal median tooth small, slightly rising over base of labrum, its apex either truncate or more rounded though not sharp, in some specimens even shortly subquadrangular and emarginate at top and then appearing as double (except in a larger male mentioned below). Eye 1.9 times as long as broad, subelliptic, with upper inner and outer lower ends more broadly rounded. Labrum about 1.8 times as broad as high, sides strongly converging, lower margin subemarginate. Mandibles rather broad, without additional tooth on upper margin. Palpi short. Underside of head without cavities, sides minutely longitudinally striate. Antenna only moderately slender, pedicel 1.4 times as long as broad, proximal 3 ¯agellar segments subquadrate, distal ones becoming slightly oblong, the penultimate almost 1.3 times, last one 2.3 times, as long as broad. Flagellum subclavate, towards apex with short but not very dense suberect pilosity, placoid sensilla small, rather indistinct.

Mesosoma . Pronotal collar not carinate, in middle very short. Mesoscutum and scutellum with shallow, mainly longitudinal reticulation, minute puncturation traceable, not very sparse. Propodeum about 0.85 as long as broad in middle, sculpture very ®ne but not regular, super®cial on shiny and rounded hind corners, but with median carina distinct though irregular over two-thirds of length and with low irregular network partly suggesting some areolation in meso-anterior parts. Legs short; hind basitarsus simple, only 0.8 as long as rest of tarsus.

Metasoma. Sternites 2±5 without modi®cations, with faint cross-striae, on 4 with some rather sparse short subdecumbent pilosity, this slightly denser on sternite 5. Sternite 6 longer than preceding one, on either side of median line (which becomes

shiny and more apparent towards apex) with elongate dull area appearing as a low cushion with short dense pilosity and ending with four or ®ve long horizontal hairs pointing caudad.

Female. Body length 2.0± 2.7 mm. Black; scapes, labrum, mandibles and tarsi pale yellowish brown. Head with sides slightly rounded, frons almost down to toruli moderately convex, very similar to that of male, including the short truncate clypeal tooth (®gure 41). Labrum lobes triangular, their tips at 60ss, with straight outer margin. Flagellum distinctly clavate, short, extremely shortly pilose, proximal segments slightly transverse, the seventh subquadrate, 8 and 9 slightly oblong, last one twice as long as broad, rounded at apex. Mesoscutum and scutellum duller with deeper engraved reticulation. Propodeum with hind corners not shiny, sculpture (probably with larger body) slightly coarser than in male.

Variation. The largest male of 2.3 mm is aberrant in having the frons strongly transversely convex, in highest part smooth and shiny, with dispersed coarse punctures (apparently a`masculine’ form); and the clypeus with median tooth almost twice as long as in middle broad, slightly tapering to rounded apex.

Material examined. Bulgaria (SW): Sandanski , HOLOTYPE male ( NMP) and 1 l and 3m paratypes, all July 1956 (Kocourek; NMP, BMNH). Greece (Pieria): road Leptokaria-Karia, 1 land 1m paratypes, 15 June 1998 (Gijswijt; ZMA); (Fokis): Chriso 3 km W of Del ®, 2 land 2m paratypes, 5± 15 May 1998 (Gijswijt; ZMA). Turkey: AcigoÈl (Lake), nr Ardak, 1m paratype, 7 July 1993 (K. Denes; OLML); GoÈrenu, 54 km W of Kayseri, 1 lparatype, 17 July 1998 (Schmid-Egger).

Distribution. Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey.

Etymology. Name indicating the minute size of the species.