Sphex rufoclypeatus Dörfel & Ohl 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Dörfel, Thorleif H.
name: Ohl, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Vespidae
Sphex
Sphex rufoclypeatus

description: Sphex rufoclypeatus sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 5DBDFA5B-EA8C-45D3-8F41-D6CE0973DF9F
Figs 110–111, 118 (blue)
Differential diagnosis
Females of this species (Fig. 110) are easy to recognize within the satanas group. In contrast to those of S. satanas s. lat. (Figs 113–114) and S. socotrensis sp. nov. (Fig. 116), they have both the scutellum and the metanotum uniformly ferruginous, a character which they share with female S. pseudosatanas sp. nov. (Fig. 109). However, S. pseudosatanas sp. nov. has the upper half of the clypeus and the entirety of the scutum black, whereas the clypeus and the anterior half of the scutum are ferruginous in S. rufoclypeatus sp. nov.
Identification of males is more difficult.While male S. socotrensis sp. nov. stand out due to their ferruginous legs (Fig. 117), S. satanas satanas (Fig. 115), S. pseudosatanas sp. nov. and S. rufoclypeatus sp. nov. (Fig. 111) all have a black integument and silvery setae. The most reliable characters to distinguish them are a combination of wing infuscation and placoid pattern. The male of S. satanas satanas has uniformly fuscous forewings and largely fuscous hindwings, whereas in S. pseudosatanas sp. nov., only the apex of the forewing is fuscous. Sphex rufoclypeatus sp. nov. has slightly infuscate forewings and hyaline hindwings. Sphex satanas satanas and S. pseudosatanas sp. nov. share the pattern of narrow placoids on the proximal half or third of flagellomeres IV–VI, whereas S. rufoclypeatus sp. nov. has broad placoids covering the entire length of flagellomeres III–VI.
Etymology
‘ Rufoclypeatus ’ is a Latin participle meaning ‘armed with a red shield,’ referring to the ferruginous color of the female clypeus.
Material examined
Holotype CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC – Bamingui-Bangoran • ♀; Koukourou Bamingui Reserve; 7°15ʹ N, 20°03ʹ E; 20 Apr. 2010; J. Halada leg.; THD-012-OOLM; GenBank CO1 gene: MW538570; OÖLM.
Paratypes BENIN • 1 ♀; “ Cercle de Djougou-Kouandé ”; [10°03ʹ45.5ʺ N, 1°40ʹ40.9ʺ E]; 1908; Brot leg.; MNHN.
BURKINA FASO – Hauts-Bassins Region • 1 ♀; Samandéni; [11°27ʹ09ʺ N, 4°27ʹ27ʺ W]; 8 Jun. 1968; J. Hamon leg.; MNHN.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC – Ouham-Pendé • 1 ♀; Bozoum; [6°19ʹ02ʺ N, 16°22ʹ42ʺ E]; 1–10 May 1914; G. Tessmann leg.; ZMB.
GHANA – Northern Region • 1 ♀; Malawe [Maluwe]; [8°40ʹ17ʺ N, 2°17ʹ40ʺ W]; 20 May 1913; J.J. Simpson leg.; BMNH.
NIGERIA – Bauchi State • 1 ♀; Azare; [11°40ʹ29ʺ N, 10°11ʹ26ʺ E]; 1924; Ll. Lloyd leg.; BMNH. – Niger State • 1 ♂; Zungeru; [9°48ʹ26ʺ N, 6°09ʹ08ʺ E]; Nov. 1911; J.W. Scott Macfie leg.; BMNH.
SENEGAL • 1 ♀; between Tambacounda and Kaffrine; 27–30 Dec. 1967; M. Coruet leg.; MNHN.
Description
Female
SIZE. 17.0– 21.6 mm.
COLOR. Black except for the following, which are ferruginous: basal half of mandible, clypeus, scape, pedicel, flagellomeres I–V, collar, pronotum, prepectus, mesopleuron, tegula, legs from coxa onward except inner margin of claw, anterior half of scutum, scutellum, metanotum and apical metasomal segment. Cellular area of forewing increasingly fuscous toward apex, with violet iridescence. Apical margin of fore- and hindwing fuscous. Hindwing hyaline.
VESTITURE. Appressed setae on clypeus, paraocular area, collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure silvery. Erect setae on clypeus and paraocular area golden-ferruginous, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure silvery. Erect propodeal setae short, sparse, oriented anteriorly. Lower center of clypeus glabrous. Scutellum sparsely and finely pubescent.
STRUCTURE. Free clypeal margin simple, stepped medially. Clypeus with slight indentation in lower center, without carina. Scutellum flat. Metanotum not raised, not bituberculate. 2 nd recurrent vein joins markedly proximal from interstitium between submarginal cells II and III. Propodeal enclosure with 4–5 transversal ridges. Foretarsomere I 1.55–1.65 × length of antepenultimate spine. Petiole length 1.8× its medial width.
Male
SIZE. 15.7 mm.
COLOR. Black except for ferruginous stripe in center of mandible. Forewing and apical margin of hindwing slightly infuscate.
VESTITURE. Appressed and erect setae on clypeus, paraocular area, collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure silvery. Erect propodeal setae oriented anteriorly. Free clypeal margin glabrous. Scutellum densely and finely pubescent.
STRUCTURE.Free clypeal margin folded medially. Scutellum flat.Metanotum not raised, not bituberculate. 2 nd recurrent vein joins markedly proximal from interstitium between submarginal cells II and III. Propodeal enclosure with four indistinct transversal ridges. Posterior margin of metasomal tergum VII convex. Posterior margin of metasomal sternum VII simple, of metasomal sternum VIII triangular. Penis valvae without conspicuous modifications. Petiole length 1.8 × its medial width. Flagellomeres III–VI with broad placoids covering their entire length.
Variation
Unknown.
Distribution
Western to central Africa.
description: Published as part of Dörfel, Thorleif H. & Ohl, Michael, 2022, The wasp genus Sphex in Sub-Saharan Africa (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae), pp. 1-170 in European Journal of Taxonomy 796 (1) on pages 139-141, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.796.1665, http://zenodo.org/record/6299440