N F D G Notes fauniques de Gembloux 2004 54, 3-69 Revision of Bembecinus (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) of the Palaearctic region Dr Christian Schmid-Egger (1) (1) Kirchstr. 1 – 82211 Herrsching (Germany). E-Mail : [email protected] The Palaearctic Bembecinus are revised. Fifty-one species and 2 subspecies are recognized. The revision includes keys to species identification, diagnoses, descriptions, and illustrations of important characters. Thirteen new species and 1 subspecies are described: Bembecinus adeni (Yemen, Oman), asiaticus iranicus ssp. n. (southern Palaearctic Asia), birecikensis (Turkey), guichardi (Turkey, Iran), heinrichi (Turkey), henseni (Turkey), khuzestani (Iran), mhamidus (western Sahara), niehuisi (Israel, Syria), nigrolabrum (Turkey), priesneri (Sudan), remanei (Sudan), schlaeflei (Morocco), urfanensis (Turkey). Six new synonyms are established: touareg de Beaumont = argentifrons (F. Smith); tridens errans de Beaumont = tridens (Fabricius); dentipes Gussakovskij = acanthomerus (Morice); diacanthus de Beaumont = validior Gussakovskij; cyprius creticus de Beaumont = rhodius de Beaumont; tridens mongolicus Tsuneki = tridens cyanescens (Radoszkowski). For the following species, the status is restored or changed: Bembecinus cyanescens Radoszkowski = tridens cyanescens (Radoszkowski), revindicatus anatolicus de Beaumont = anatolicus de Beaumont, cyprius rhodius de Beaumont = rhodius de Beaumont. A brief zoogeographic analysis is given. With 24 of 51 species, Bembecinus shows a remarkable share of endemic species. Turkey displays the highest species diversity with 20 species. Key words: Hymenoptera, Sphecidae, Crabronidae, Bembecinus, taxonomy, systematics, identification keys. 1. INTRODUCTION Peninsula and Morocco. B. carinatus is included in the key, but not treated as European species. Bembecinus Costa, 1859, is a worldwide genus including 175 described species (Bohart, 1997, Bohart The aim of the present paper is a revision of & Menke 1976). Menke (1997) placed it in the Palaearctic Bembecinus (excluding China and Japan). subfamily Bembicinae (the former Nyssoninae sensu A final cladistic analysis and the recognition of species Bohart & Menke 1976). The revision of Stizus by groups cannot be done before a complete revision of Handlirsch (1892) is still the basic reference for the worldwide fauna. Especially the Ethiopian fauna, Bembecinus. Handlirsch included a large number of revised by Arnold (1929), is rich in undescribed species in his monograph, which species were divided species. In the present paper, provisional species by subsequent authors into the species groups (now groups are used, a concept which was first proposed by genera) Stizus Latreille, Stizoides Guérin-Méneville, Arnold (1929) and later used by de Beaumont (1954). 1844 and Bembecinus Costa, 1859. De Beaumont Detailed information about the Bembecinus (1954) revised the genus in the Palaearctic region and relationships within the Sphecidae (now Apoidea, was the first to recognize Bembecinus as a valid genus. Crabronidae) are summarized by Bohart & Menke (1976). The knowledge of Bembecinus is still poor. In the western and central Palaearctic region, Handlirsch 1.1. Study areas (1892, 1895) included 13 species in his revision and The present revision treats the species from Europe, supplements. De Beaumont (1954) treated 26 species North Africa, Arabian Peninsula, temperated Asia from the Mediterranean area and described further 10 including Mongolia, and Iran. China and Japan are not species in later publications (1960, 1967, 1968) (Table included. North African species were considered if 1). The table 2 gives a survey of the authors who they occur north of the Central Sahara: Egypt, Libya, described Bembecinus species in the Palaearctic Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco (including Hoggar, region. Tasilii n. Ajjer). Species described from Northwest The present paper includes 51 species and 2 subspecies Sudan or Niger will be treated in a later publication. from the western and central Palaearctic region, 13 Two species mentioned by de Beaumont (1954), species and a subspecies are new (Table 1). Other new Bembecinus kotschyi (Handlirsch, 1892), described species might be expected, especially in poor from Sudan (Sennaar) and Bembecinus monody examined regions as Eastern Turkey, Iran, the Arabian (Berland, 1950), described from Niger (Aïr, Agadez) 4 Notes fauniques de Gembloux 2004 54, 3-69 C. Schmid-Egger are excluded. An exception is made for the Nile valley, 1.2. Zoogeographical aspects from where I include two new species from the The present revision includes 51 Palaearctic species. northern Sudan. These species might also occur in Table 3 gives the species names and the geographic Egypt or in Arabia. The present key is not valid for distribution of the species. Turkey has the highest Mauritania, Mali or Spanish Sahara, but valid for the species diversity with 20 species of Bembecinus, border of the Sahara desert in southern Morocco. followed by Israel and the Arabian Peninsula with 12 Table 1. History of descriptions of Bembecinus species. The species each. In northern Africa, Morocco is the most number of species described in a 10-year period between diverse country with 11 species. 1900 and 2004 is given, species names before 1900 are summarized. Dominant authors of each period are named. The genus Bembecinus has a remarkable share of endemic species. Twenty four of 51 species are Period Number Dominant author endemic (restricted to one country or to a very small 1700-1799 1 geographic area), with 8 species known from one 1800-1849 1 location. Turkey displays the highest number of 1850-1899 11 Handlirsch endemic species (7 species), followed by Morocco (4 1900-1910 3 species) and southwest Europe (4 species). 1911-1919 3 1920-1929 0 1.3. Technical terms 1930-1939 1 The species are listed in alphabetical order within their 1940-1949 0 species groups. Literature citations are taken from an 1950-1959 10 de Beaumont unpublished catalogue of W. Pulawski. For common 1960-1969 7 de Beaumont species such as tridens or hungaricus, only citations of 1970-1979 0 nomenclatural significance are listed. Records 1980-1989 1 comprise all specimens examined by the author. 1990-1999 0 Geographic distribution also includes reliable literature 2000-2004 13 Schmid-Egger data. Table 2. Authors who described (valid) Bembecinus taxa in The morphological terminology employed in this the Palaearctic region, and number of taxa they described. paper follows Bohart & Menke (1976), Goulet & Huber (1993), Ohl (1999) and most subsequent Author Number authors. The following terms measurements used in de Beaumont 16 the text require detailed description: Schmid-Egger 13 Handlirsch 8 Clypeus: Clypeal width: shortest distance between Gussakovskij 2 eyes at clypeal base. Clypeal length: distance between Mercet 2 clypeal base and apical clypeal margin. Morice 2 Flagellomeres: Are measured and drawn at the dorsal Smith 2 side, when flagellomeres are stretched forwards. Distal Costa 1 flagellomeres are drawn in the lateral view. Fabricius 1 Frivaldzky 1 Tergites: Tergal length: distance between anterior and Guichard 1 posterior margin of tergites. Tergal bands: the width of Klug 1 a band is measured in relation to tergal length. If the Schulz 1 apical half of the tergal surface is yellow, the band is half as wide as the tergal length. The knowledge of Bembecinus of the Arabian Propodeal emargination: A U-shaped or small Peninsula and of Iran remains incomplete. The fauna triangular emargination on outer edge of propodeum, of southern Iran is de facto unknown. Turkey is also best seen in lateral view. very rich in species and further undescribed species especially from the east, might be expected. Femora. Length and width of the male hindfemur are measured from the outside (lateral view). Length is The situation in Central Asia is much clearer because measured along the midline, the width at its widest of the detailed studies of some Russian authors as place. In the peregrinus group, the hindfemur of most Gussakovskij 1935. But in these regions also, the key species is illustrated in anterior, posterior and dorsal must be used carefully and further undescribed species view. The form of the hindfemur is a valuable cannot be excluded. recognition character. Bembecinus (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) : The Palaearctic Species 5 The identification of males in general can be done tridens group by the form of the propodeal easily by morphological characters. Sternal tubercles, emargination, and by the length of the antennal hindfemoral spines, form and length of antennal segments and proportions of the clypeus. The key to segments, form of second submarginal cell or form of females takes the distribution of the species also into genitalia allow an reliable recognition of most account. Nevertheless some species of the peregrinus- specimens. Some similar species can be distinguished group remain unidentifiable or doubtful, specially from by their color pattern. southern Turkey. I have not studied all types. De Beaumont (1954) examined and described most types, Identification of females remains problematic because so the identity of most Mediterranean species is clear. I of lack of useful morphological characters. Females examined only types of some doubtful species. can mainly be recognized by their color pattern, in the Table 3. Palaearctic species of Bembecinus and their distribution: Afr = Africa, Mo = Morocco, Al = Algeria, Tu = Tunisia, Eg = Egypt, S = Sahara south of the