Carinostigmus marocensis ( TSUNEKI , 1956)

Schmid, Christian & Wolf-H, 2024, New and rarely collected digger wasps from Morocco with description of two new species (Hymenoptera, Spheciformes), Linzer biologische Beiträge 56 (1), pp. 301-311 : 302-303

Carinostigmus marocensis ( TSUNEKI, 1956) – description of male ( figs 1-3 , 21 )

Stigmus marocensis TSUNEKI, 1956: 263 , ♀. Holotype: ♀, Morocco: Agadir (RMNH).

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: ♁ 23.iii.2024 Morocco, Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, Dakhla town 27.168N 15.920W (CSE).

R e m a r k Carinostigmus is a small genus, and most species are distributed in southern and eastern Africa and in southeastern Asia, a few also in the Palaearctic region. Species from the Ethiopian region can be identified with LECLERQ (1959), southeastern Asian species with TSUNEKI (1954 a) and others. Three species are known from the western Palaearctic region, and only one, C. marocensis , in northwest Africa. It was therefore only known by the female paratype, described from Agadir. The male is here described for the first time. It agree in general with the female description.

With the identification key of LECLERQ (1959), the male keyes out with C. gueinzius (R. TURNER, 1912) . This species could not be examined. However, according to the description, the only detectable difference in the male are the setae on the underside of the mandible, which are said to be arranged in clusters in C. gueinzius , but are solitary in C. marocensis . Otherwise both agree. As C. gueinzius is widespread in southern Africa and known from West Africa and also reaches the Cape Verde Islands ( PULAWSKI 2024), both species should be compared and it is not entirely impossible that C. marocensis is synonymous with C. gueinzius .

D e s c r i p t i o n o f m a l e: 4.0 mm. Color: Black. Mandible except brown apex, labrum and pronotal lobe yellow. AS 1-2, AS 3-8 below, fore- and midtarsi and – tibiae brownish-yellow ( fig. 1 ). Morphology: Apex of mandible with two teeth, mandible below with 6 pale setae, as long as mandibular diameter. Labrum medially deeply emarginate, ACM slightly rounded, clypeus finely crosswise striae. Frons below scape deeply impressed, with small spine, crosswise striate. Inner eye margin with strong furrow, ending at level of foreocellus, clearly cross-ribbed ( fig. 3 ). Head divergent behind eye. Occipital carina strong. Gena striate. AS 3-9 widened downwards to roundish. Pronotum 0,3x as long as apical width. Anteriorly with strong lamella, mediolaterally each with 5 coarse oblique rugae. Large (cross-ribbed) part of notauli short, ending at the top at the end of the arch of the mesonotum, pronlonged by a thin line until mid-mesonotum. Mesonotum apically with triangular impression, including 3 rugae. Base of scutellum with deep furrow, also distinctly fielded. Propodeal dorsum anteriorly and medially fielded and shiny, laterally with large polished areas. Petiole somewhat longer than hindtibia (7:6), dorsally somewhat impressed with lateral edge. Tergites polished and shiny.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Only known from the type location Agadir and from Dakhla in Morocco ( fig. 21 ). It can be expected that the species occurs also in other places along the coast of the atlantic Ocean and can also be found further south.

H a b i t a t: The specimen was catched in a small garden area at the western border of Dakhla town on flowering plants.

Figures

Figs 1-6: (1) Carinostigmus marocensis, ♁ lateral; (2) Carinostigmus marocensis, ♁ dorsal; (3) Carinostigmus marocensis, ♁ face; (4) Entomognathus brevis, ♁ dorsal; (5) Entomognathus fortuitus, ♀ dorsal; (6) Entomognathus fortuitus, ♀ mesopleuron.

Fig. 21: Distribution of Carinostigmus marocensis (blue), Spilomena canariensis (red) and the African distribution of Entomognathus fortuitus (green).