New Synonymy in the Afrotropical Tachytes Panzer, 1806 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)
Author
Pulawski, Wojciech J.
text
Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences
2022
2022-07-29
67
10
269
279
journal article
299162
10.5281/zenodo.11067080
d94b60f0-2a52-4e08-8bd3-204961f96001
0068-547X
11067080
Tachytes nigroannulatus
Bischoff
Tachytes nigroannulatus
Bischoff, 1913
c:69
,
♂
.
Holotype
:
♂
,
Zimbabwe
: Springvale (
ZMHU
), examined. – R. Turner, 1917:42 (in revision of Afrotropical
Tachytes
;
Zimbabwe
; as
nigroannulata
);
Arnold, 1923a:152
(as junior synonym of
Tachysphex syriacus
Kohl, 1888
=
T. albocinctus
(Lucas, 1849))
, 1927:117 (valid species), 1930:5 (in checklist of Afrotropical
Sphecidae
); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:266 (in checklist of world
Sphecidae
).
Tachytes glabriusculus
Arnold, 1923b:209,
♂
(as
glabriuscula
, incorrect original termination).
Syntypes
:
Zimbabwe
:
Victoria Falls
,
Sawmills
(
SAM
,
TMP
).
Synonymized
with
Tachytes nigroannulatus
by
Arnold
, 1927:117
NOMENCLATURAL
HISTORY
.
— Arnold thought in 1923 that
Tachytes nigroannulatus
was a junior synonym of
Tachysphex syriacus
Kohl, 1888
(i.e., of
T. albocinctus
(Lucas, 1849))
, but in 1927 and 1930 he treated it as a valid species, apparently without seeing the type. Having examined the
holotype
of
T. nigroannulatus
in 2019, I can confirm Arnold’s opinion of 1927.
RECOGNITION
CHARACTERS
.
—
Tachytes nigroannulatus
is a small species (female length
7.1-10.2 mm
, male length
6.7-8.7 mm
), with the galea about as long as wide (markedly shorter than the scape), the thorax, propodeum, and gaster black, gastral terga I-IV with silvery fasciae (setae of tergum V black), and the palpal formula 6 + 4. It differs from most of its African congeners, in particular from
T. niloticus
R. Turner
, in lacking erect setae on the scape (a previously unobserved feature).
T. dilaticornis
R. Turner
and
T. pygmaeus
shares this character, but both of them are very different. The first of these species has the tergal setae golden, including tergum V (among other differences), and the second differs in having the propodeal enclosure glabrous and the gaster ferruginous at least basally (among other differences). Other characters of
T. nigroannulatus
include: punctures of postocellar area minute, close to each other (a few punctures larger than most); wing membrane hyaline; erect setae absent on female hindfemoral venter and sternum II; width of male clypeal lamella greater than distance between lamella and eye margin; dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.5-1.7 × apical width in female, 1.3-1.5 × in male. The color of hindfemur and of all tibiae varies from black to ferruginous.
GEOGRAPHIC
DISTRIBUTION
(
Fig. 6
).—
Tachytes nigroannulatus
was known from
Zimbabwe
only. In reality, it also occurs in
Kenya
,
Namibia
,
South Africa
, and
Tanzania
.
RECORDS
(except for the
holotype
of
Tachytes nigroannulatus
,
all the specimens recorded are from the California Academy of Sciences collection).
KENYA
:
Rift Valley Province
:
Marich Pass Field Studies Centre
at 1°32.2ʹN 35°27.4ʹE (
7 ♀
,
2 ♂
)
.
NAMIBIA
:
Karibib District
:
43 km
E Karibib
(
1 ♂
)
,
Khan River
23 km
N
Karibib
at 21°47ʹS 15°57ʹE (
1 ♀
)
.
Kavango District
:
100 km
SW Rundu
(
1 ♂
)
.
Okahandja District
:
Waldau River
17 km
W
Okahandja
at 21°57ʹS 16°45ʹE (
4 ♂
)
.
Otjiwarongo District
:
3 km
NE Kalkfeld
(
1 ♂
)
,
18 km
NE
Kalkfeld
at 20°45ʹS 16°16ʹE (
1 ♀
)
.
Rehoboth District
:
9 km
S Rehoboth
(
1 ♂
)
.
Tsumeb District
:
30 km
E Namutoni
(
1 ♂
)
,
10 km
SE
Tsumeb
(
3 ♂
)
.
SOUTH
AFRICA
:
Free State
:
Sandveld Nature Reserve
at 27°40ʹS 25°41ʹE (
2 ♀
,
3 ♂
)
.
Gauteng
:
Pretoria Botanical Garden
at 25°44ʹS 28°16ʹE (
1 ♂
)
.
TANZANIA
:
Mara Region
:
Seronera in Serengeti National Park
(
1 ♂
)
.
Morogoro Region
:
3 km
S
Mikumi
at 7°25.6ʹS 36°59.1ʹE (
2 ♀
,
1 ♂
).
Tanga Region
:
2 km
NE
Mkomazi
at 4°37.8ʹS 38°05.5ʹE (
4 ♀
)
.
FIGURE
6. Collecting localities of
Tachytes nigroannulatus
.
ZIMBABWE
:
Bulawayo
:
Umguza River
at 20°05ʹS 28°37ʹE (
1 ♀
)
,
Charara
20 km
ESE Kariba
at 16°33ʹS 28°58ʹE (
1 ♂
)
,
Kami
(=
Khami
)
Ruins
at 20°09ʹS 28°26ʹE (
1 ♀
,
1 ♂
)
,
Kariba
at 16°32ʹS 28°49ʹE (
1 ♀
,
6 ♂
)
,
11 km
NE
Nyamandhlovu
at 19°48ʹS 28°16ʹE (
2 ♀
,
1 ♂
)
,
Redbank
at
Kami River
at 20°00ʹS 28°22ʹE (
2 ♂
)
,
Sawmills
at
Umguza River
at 19°35ʹS 28°02ʹE (
1 ♀
)
,
Springvale
(
1 ♀
,
ZMHU
,
holotype
of
Tachytes nigroannulatus
),
Victoria Falls
at 17°56ʹS 25°50ʹE (
2 ♀
,
5 ♂
)
.