Sphex nefrens 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 nefrens

description: Sphex nefrens sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 9CE718A7-DF94-4037-8413-4147FC20B705
Figs 37, 123 (purple), 125–126
Differential diagnosis
This species (Figs 125–126) is very similar to S. meridionalis (Fig. 124), as both are characterized by having perpendicularly-oriented and anteriorly-curved erect propodeal setae (compare Fig. 4) combined with a finely pubescent scutellum (Fig. 8). Members of the umtalicus group have the erect propodeal setae oriented the same way, but are distinguished by their more coarsely-pubescent scutellum (Figs 3–4).
Female members of S. meridionalis have rich golden appressed setae on the paraocular area, and their clypeal setae are partially golden as well, but mostly dark (Fig. 36). On the other hand, females of S. nefrens sp. nov. possess uniformly brassy appressed setae on the paraocular region and clypeus (Fig. 37). Female S. decipiens somewhat resemble them in their scutellar vestiture and propodeal sculpture, but have the erect propodeal setae oriented anteriorly and the clypeus almost entirely black, occasionally with a ferruginous margin (Fig. 101), as opposed to a completely ferruginous clypeus in S. meridionalis and in the final member of the meridionalis group, S. occidentalis sp. nov. Sphex occidentalis sp. nov. is distinguished from the other taxa by its ferruginous collar, scutellum and metanotum (Fig. 127).
Male specimens of this species (Fig. 126) and S. meridionalis cannot yet be reliably distinguished based on morphology. They resemble S. decipiens (Fig. 100) more than their female counterparts do and are most easily differentiated from that species by the presence of a shorter, wider petiole, appressed golden facial setae and a different placoid pattern. Males of S. occidentalis sp. nov. are recognizable through having part of their flagellum, legs and thoracical dorsum ferruginous (Fig. 128).
Etymology
‘ Nefrens ’ is a Latin adjective that translates to ‘toothless’ and refers to the absence of a tooth-like process on the free clypeal margin in the male of this species, whereas in contrast the process is present in the somewhat similar males of the umtalicus group.
Material examined
Holotype KENYA – Taita-Taveta County • ♀; Voi; 3°24ʹ S, 38°33.2ʹ E; 21–22 May 2000; V.F. Lee and W.J. Pulawski leg.; CAS.
Paratypes
KENYA – Kitui County • 1 ♂; E of Mwingi; [0°56ʹ S, 38°03ʹ E]; 14 May 2007; M. Halada leg.; THD- 015-OOLM; GenBank CO1 gene: MW538565; GenBank EF-1α gene: MW558241; GenBank LWR gene: MW582280; OÖLM • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; OÖLM • 1 ♂; Mwingi, Kangonde vadi; [0°56ʹ S, 38°03ʹ E]; 18 Apr. 2007; M. Halada leg.; OÖLM. – Migori County • 1 ♂; E shore of Victoria Nyanza, near Karungu; [0°50ʹ35ʺ S, 34°09ʹ23ʺ E]; 28–29 Apr. 1911; S.A. Neave leg.; BMNH. – Taita-Taveta County • 1 ♂; Taita Hill Discovery Centre; 3°42.3ʹ S, 38°46.6ʹ E; 13–14 Dec. 2002; W.J. Pulawski leg.; CAS • 1 ♂; E of Taveta; [3°24ʹ S, 37°41ʹ E]; 7 Apr. 2007; M. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 4 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; CAS • 1 ♂; Voi River; [3°23ʹ26ʺ S, 38°34ʹ37ʺ E]; 14 Apr. 2007; M. Halada leg.; OÖLM.
SOUTH AFRICA – Eastern Cape • 1 ♀; Queenstown; [31°53ʹ51ʺ S, 26°52ʹ31ʺ E]; 16 Jan.–10 Feb. 1923; R.E. Turner leg.; BMNH.
TANZANIA • 1 ♀; Serengeti; [2°20ʹ S, 34°34ʹ E]; 5 May 2008; A.R.E. Sinclair leg.; ZMB. – Manyara Region • 1 ♂; “ Massai-Nyika; Mgera-Burunge ”; Sep. 1893; O. Neumann leg.; ZMB. – Mbeya Region • 1 ♂; near Majombe; 8°50ʹ13ʺ S, 33°57ʹ27ʺ E; 29 Feb. 2008; J. Oehlke leg.; coll. Jacobs.
Description
Female
SIZE. 21.5–22.7 mm.
COLOR. Black except for the following, which are ferruginous: basal half of mandible, scape, pedicel, flagellomeres I–IV and basal half of V, clypeus and legs from apical half of femora onward. Wings fuscous, forewing with violet iridescence.
VESTITURE. Appressed setae on clypeus and paraocular area brassy, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black. Erect setae on clypeus and paraocular region ferruginous to black, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black. Erect propodeal setae oriented perpendicularly, slightly curved towards anterior. Center of clypeus glabrous. Scutellum densely and finely pubescent.
STRUCTURE. Free clypeal margin medially with broad, notched tooth, stepped above. Clypeus with indentation in lower center, without carina. Scutellum convex. Metanotum raised, not notably bituberculate. 2 nd recurrent vein joins markedly proximal from interstitium between submarginal cells II and III. Propodeal enclosure with numerous very fine transversal ridges. Foretarsomere I 3.0–3.2× length of antepenultimate spine. Petiole length 0.9–1.2 × its medial width.
Male
SIZE. 20.0– 21.3 mm.
COLOR. Black except for the following, which are ferruginous: basal half of mandible, free clypeal margin medially and apical segment of metasoma. Wings fuscous, with violet iridescence.
VESTITURE. Appressed setae on clypeus and paraocular region silvery, on collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black. Erect setae on clypeus, paraocular region, collar, scutum and propodeal enclosure black. Erect propodeal setae oriented perpendicularly, slightly curved towards anterior. Lower center of clypeus glabrous. Scutellum densely and finely pubescent.
STRUCTURE. Free clypeal margin medially concave. Scutellum convex. Metanotum raised, not notably bituberculate. 2 nd recurrent vein joins markedly proximal from interstitium between submarginal cells II and III. Propodeal enclosure with numerous very fine 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 1.6× its medial width. Flagellomere V with narrow placoid covering almost its entire length.
Variation
Unknown.
Distribution
Eastern and southern 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 155-157, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.796.1665, http://zenodo.org/record/6299440