SPHEGIDAE, E T C .
B y O . K e r t z R a d o s z k o v s k y .
In carrying-out the wish of Fedchenko regarding tables, I was obliged to
take as a handbook Dahlbom’s work (“ HymenopteraEuropasa,” tom. i.,
Sphex in sensu Linnaeano, Berolini, 1845) as the only one in which all the.
Sphegidae groups are reduced to a general system, though there exist
incomplete separate monographs on certain genera of this group, for
instance, Sphex, Nysson, Oxybelus, and Crabro. I myself have added
three new genera :—Kaufmannia, Oxybeloid.es, and Olgia.
In the collection described, I found the following distribution of
genera ;•—
The family Sphegidae has not many representatives. Of the genus
Sphex 6 species were collected, of which 3 were new; and amongst
them, S. Stschurofskii is remarkable for its beauty. The American
genus Podium has a representative in the Central Asian fauna.
The family Pompilidae is very characteristic; Ap'orus has 2 new,
and 1 known, species ; Salius, 3 new; Ceropales, out of 4 species,
3 are new; Pompilus, of 16 species, 8 are new; Priocnemis, of 7
species, 2 are new. In this family some Egyptian species are found.
In the family Larridae the very rare Egyptian genus Gastrosericus
is met with. In Palarus, P . histrio has been, up to the present,
found only in Egypt. Tachytes, of 11 species,* 6 are new. If
Savigny’ s drawings in “ Exp. d’Egypte” were coloured, I have no
doubt that among them would be found species identical with several
described by me. Astata included 1 known and 3 new species,
with veiy beautiful representatives among them. From the want of
literature on this family the difficulty of drawing, a line between the
species and the varieties is increased, and not a little labour is incurred
in the separation of species nearly related to one another. A
trustworthy sketch of the geographical distribution of many of the
species is quite impossible.
The family Nyssonidae was well represented. Alysson has 2 new
species. Stizus, of 11 species,t 7 are new. Among them, A. Fedchenkoi,
S. rufiventris, S. lutescens, are remarkable for their beauty and
size. S. nigricornis is in great quantity, and must be very common in
the locality where they -were found. Hoplisus, 4 known, and 2 new
species, which do not differ much from European forms, are remarkable
for their beauty and shape. The new genus Kaufmannia is remarkable
for its resemblance to the genera Ceramius and Paragia. Nysson has
4 new species, of which N . grandissimus is the largest species of this
genus known up to the present; the remaining three species are
remarkable for their beauty. Enthomosericus has a new, remarkable,
and very rare species.
Bembex might be expected to have many representatives in the
country. Of 11 species found, 7 are new. The majprity of the new
* D a h l b o m a n d L e p e l e t i e r e a c h d e s c r i b e d 1 7 s p e c i e s ,
f D a h l b o m d e s c r i b e d 1 4 i n a l l ; L e p e l e t i e r 1 1 s p e c i e s .
species are remarkable either for their structure or beauty ; B. dilatata
is remarkable for the shape of the front tarsi; B . bicolor, and B.
femoralis, are remarkable for the shape of the intermediate legs.
Philanthidae is very rich. Philanthus has 2 new, beautiful representatives.
Of 25 species* of Cerceris 14 are new. The majority
resemble Egyptian species in their colouring.
The family Pemphredonidae is very poor, both in the number of genera
and species.
Lastly, the family Crabronidae, with the exception of Oxybelus,
is very poor. Oxybelus has many representatives, 10 (sic) new, and 6
known species.f Amongst them, very beautiful and characteristic
forms are met with ; O. Savignii, previously only known as Egyptian,
serves as another of the clearest evidences that the sands of
Kizil-Kum and the sands of Egypt have similar inhabitants, at least
among the insects of the groups treated by me. A comparison of the
flora of these two localities might lead to more precise conclusions regarding
their similarity.
Notwithstanding the monographs of Gerstacker and Chevrier on the
genus Oxybelus, the determination of species of this genus, and particularly
the identification of the males, presents no little difficulty.
However, in order to avoid misunderstanding and possible errors, I
must explain that in determining the species, as well as in identifying
the males, I adopted, as a principal basis, the study of the shape of
the spine of the metanotum, and the scales of the postscutellum, and
then compared the place and time in which the females and males were
taken.
The remarkable new genus Oxybeloides differs from the foregoing
by the absence of the spine of the metanotum in the male and female.
Crabro has 2 new species.
As a concluding observation it may be remarked that the valleys
of Ferghana and the Zarafshan do not present much speciality. Their
fauna resembles that of the Mediterranean Sea. Kizil-Kum alone,
appearing as a separate part of Asia, abounds in new species and
even genera,. sharply distinguished from known species both in the
form of the body and in the beauty and size of the individuals. Almost
all that were found in the Kizil-Kum were new, hut at the same time the
undoubted similarity between the species belonging to the Kizil-Kum and
the Egyptian sands is remarkable.
I. S p h e g id a e . - 1 4. Psammophila, Dlb.
1. M i s c u s , J u r . I - P s a m m o p h i l a a t r o c y a n e a , E v e r s m .
1. M i s c u s c a m p e s t r i s , L a t r . \ 2.. „ a f f i n i s , K i r b y .
2. A m m o p h i l a . D l b .
1 . A m m o p h i l a s a b u l o s a , L i n .
2 . . , H e y d e n i , D l b .
3 . „ h o l o s e r i c e a , F .
v i a t i c a , L .
5. Pelopaeus, Latr.
1 . P e l o p a e u s d e s t i l l a t o r i u s , D l b .
2 . „ t u b i f e x , L t r .
4 . ” r u b r a , S i c h ! 3- v i o l a c e u s , F .
3. Mimesa, Shuck. ! Podium, Ltr.
1 . M i m e s a u n i c o l o r , D l b . f P o d i u m M a r a c a n d i c u m , R a d .
2 . „ a t r a , , , 7. Sphex, Lin.
3- È l u t a r i a , , , I . S p h e x S t s c h u r o w s k i i , n.s., R a d .
* D a h l b o m d e s c r i b e d 2 9 s p e c i e s i n a l l ; L e p e l e t i e r 2 2 .
t D a h l b o m d e s c r i b e d 1 8 ; L e p e l e t i e r 1 5 s p e c i e s .