Sphecodes setiger Blüthgen, 1924

Fig. 16 A–D

Sphecodes setiger Blüthgen, 1924: 511–512, ♀.

Sphecodes setiger – Ascher & Pickering 2020: map.

Diagnosis

This species is similar to small Palaearctic species with simple mandibles which lack the inner tooth (i.e., Sphecodes decorus (Cameron, 1897), S. longuloides Blüthgen, 1923, S. hirtellus Blüthgen, 1923, S. longulus Hagens, 1882, S. puncticeps Thomson, 1870, S. turanicus Astafurova & Proshchalykin, 2017 and S. trjapitzini Astafurova & Proshchalykin, 2018). Among these species S. setiger is closest to S. puncticeps, but differs from this species by having square (as long as wide) F1 and F2 (vs 0.6– 0.7 times as long as wide).

Material examined

Holotype INDIA • ♀; “Type // Simla [India], Nurse 9. 98 // Col. C.G. Nurse Collection. 1920-72 // Sph. setiger, ♀, Type P. Blüthgen det. // B.M.Type HYM.17a562”; NHMUK 013380328.

Descriptive notes

Wings hyaline, without darkening; hind wing with basal vein strongly curved with the angle between basal (M) and cubital (Cu) veins almost 90°, costal margin with five hamuli.

Female

Total body length 5.5 mm. Head strongly transverse, 1.25 times as wide as long (Fig. 16A); vertex not elevated; F1–F3 square, as long as wide (Fig. 16B); clypeus with punctures separated by at most a puncture diameter; ocello-ocular area with dense punctures separated by at most a half puncture diameter; paraocular and supraclypeal areas with relatively dense plumose pubescence, but not obscuring integument. Mesoscutum with punctures (15–30 μm) separated by at most a puncture diameter; hypoepimeral area coarsely reticulate; legs red-brownish. Metasomal T1 impunctate, except a few punctures (5 μm) along marginal zone; anterior half of T2–T4 discs distinctly punctate (10– 15 μm / 2–5), sparser on posterior half; T1–T3 red (Fig. 16C); pygidial plate as wide as metabasitarsus.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Himalayas: India (Himachal Pradesh).

Remarks

Since we could not clearly differentiate between females of S. setiger and S. puncticeps, except by relative flagellar length, more specimens from the type locality including the male are needed to be studied to make a decision on their synonymy.