Prionyx (Harpactopus) persicus
Creators: name: Odintsev, Yuriy N. Danilov Oleg A.
name: Kobets, Anastasia S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Sphecidae
Prionyx
Prionyx persicus

description: Prionyx (Harpactopus) persicus (Mocsáry, 1883)
(Figs 3a, 4d, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8f, 10a, 11a)
Sphex persicus Mocsáry 1883:33, ♂. Lectotype: ♂, “ Persia ” [Iran: no specific locality], designated by Danilov 2012b:65 (TMB).— Kohl 1885:181; Ed. André 1888:146; Kohl 1889:24.— As Prionyx persicus: Bohart & Menke 1976:134; Kazenas 2001:15; Danilov 2012a:163, 2012b:65; Jahantigh, Rakhshani, Mokhtari & Ramroodi 2017:26; Danilov 2019:78; Danilov & Odintsev 2023:433; Pulawski 2024:28.
Sphex hispidus F. Morawitz 1890:576, ♀. Lectotype: ♀, «Artschman» [Turkmenistan: Ahal Province: Artchman], designated by Danilov 2012b:65 (ZISP), examined. Tentatively synonymized with Sphex persicus by de Beaumont 1957:130, synonymy confirmed by Danilov 2012b:65.— Kohl 1890:352; Dalla Torre 1897:425; F. Morawitz 1897:151; Gussakovskij 1933:278; de Beaumont 1957:130; Danilov 2016:340.— As Priononyx hispidus: de Beaumont 1968:150.— As Prionyx hispidus: Bohart & Menke 1976:134.
Diagnosis. Both sexes of P. persicus closely resemble P. radoszkowskyi in having the labial palpus extremely shortened, inconspicuous, with the club-shaped labial palpomeres 2–4, the arolia absent, the male F3–F6 with broad placoids, and the female tarsal rake with short, stout, bladelike setae, but differ in having the labial palpomere 1 elongate: 3–4 × as long as the combined length of club-shaped labial palpomeres 2–4 (P. radoszkowskyi has the labial palpomere 1 short: 1–1.5 × as long as the combined length of club-shaped labial palpomeres 2–4).
The male of P.persicus differs from P. radoszkowskyi in having S6 with distinctly prominent teeth posterolaterally (P. radoszkowskyi has S6 with slightly prominent teeth). It is similar to P. melanotus and P. stschurowskii in habitus, but differs in having labial palpomeres 2–4 extremely short, the placoids on flagellomeres broad, flat, S6 with pair teeth posterolaterally, and the arolia absent (P. melanotus and P. stschurowskii have labial palpomeres 2–4 elongate, the placoids on flagellomeres narrow, depressed, and S6 entire, without teeth).
The female of P. persicus differs from P. radoszkowskyi in having the scutum with appressed, silvery setae and thick, black, erect setae (P. radoszkowskyi has the scutum with black erect setae). It is similar to P. stschurowskii in having the scutum with appressed, silvery setae, but differs in having the labial palpus extremely shortened, inconspicuous, the arolia absent, and the tarsal rake of foreleg with short, stout, bladelike setae (P. stschurowskii has labial palpomeres 2–4 elongate, the arolia present, and the tarsal rake with long, bladelike and long, fine, hairlike setae).
Description. Head. Labial palpomeres 2–4 extremely shortened, club-shaped, palpomere 1 elongate: 3–4 × as long as combined length of club-shaped labial palpomeres 2–4. Maxillar palpomere 6 inconspicuous. Vertex and occiput slightly shiny, microsculptured and punctate, with black erect setae. Gena shiny, punctate. Mesosoma. Scutellum slightly longitudinally depressed, rugose. Metanotum slightly tuberculate dorsally. Mesopleuron, metapleuron, and propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with black erect setae. Wings dark; veins black; recurrent vein II of forewing received by submarginal cell III. Legs. Claws with 2 ventral teeth; arolia absent.
Male. Body length 23–25 mm. Head. Labrum trapeziform; Clypeus with wide V-shaped median emargination, glabrous and shiny along apical margin. Face dull, densely punctate and microsculptured with long, black, erect setae.F3–F6 with broad, flat placoids. Mesosoma. Pronotum slightly angulate laterodorsally. Scutum and propodeal enclosure dull, finely, densely rugose, with black erect setae. Metasoma. S6 with distinctly prominent teeth posterolaterally.
Female. Body length 26–32 mm. Head. Clypeus entire, nearly rectangular; clypeal disk moderately convex, with rounded depression anteriorly; clypeus laterally and posteriorly, subantennal sclerite, paraocular area, and frons anteriorly with appressed, silvery setae, moderately concealing integument. Mesosoma. Pronotum moderately triangularly prominent dorsally, with black erect setae. Scutum with appressed, silvery setae, moderately concealing integument. Legs. Tarsal rake of foreleg with short, stout, bladelike setae.
Material examined. AFGHANISTAN. North Afghanistan, no specific locality [37°00’N, 65°40’E, approximately], 25.VI.1930, Umnov (1 ♀, ZISP). IRAN. No specific locality (1 ♀, ZISP); Sistan and Baluchestan Province: near Taftan Mount [28°37’N, 61°07’E], 25.V.1955, D. Steinberg (1 ♀, ZISP); South Khorasan Province: Nehbandan [31°32’N, 60°02’E], 12–13.VII.1901, N. Zarudny (1 ♀, ZISP); Semnan Province: Shahrud [36°23’N, 55°02’E] (1 ♀, ZISP). TURKMENISTAN. Sumbar River, no specific locality, Herz (1 ♂, ZISP); Ahal Province: Archman [38°35’N, 57°07’E], Christoph (1 ♀, lectotype, ZISP); Pulikhatum [35°58’N, 61°08’E] (1 ♀, ZISP); Balkan Province: Sunt-Hasardag Nature Reserve, Sunt mount [38°31’N, 56°21’E], 21.VI.1952, Odintsova (1 ♂, ZISP); 03.VI.1956, G. Medvedev (1 ♂, ZISP).
Distribution. Desert areas of the Iranian Plateau (* Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan).
description: Published as part of Odintsev, Yuriy N. Danilov Oleg A. & Kobets, Anastasia S., 2024, A taxonomic study on the genus Prionyx Vander Linden, 1827 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae: Prionychini). Subgenus Harpactopus F. Smith, 1856, pp. 263-298 in Zootaxa 5551 (2) on pages 276-277, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5551.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/14421160