Synonymy
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Excerpt from Martynova et al 2019 regarding synonymy
(quoted verbatim):
“The genus
Protosclerogibba Olmi, Marletta, Guglielmino & Speranza, 2016 was
previously assigned to Sclerogibbidae by Olmi et al. (2016). We have
compared its type species, P. australis Olmi, Marletta,
Guglielmino & Speranza, 2016 (Fig. 4), with the female holotype of
Herpetosphex staphylinoides Arnold, 1940 (Pompilidae), collected in
Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls, December 1938 (Fig. 5), and deposited in SAMC.
This comparison showed that the holotype of P. australis is
conspecific with holotype of H. staphylinoides, thus the name
P. australis should be synonymized under H. staphylinoides.
This synonymy was further proved by comparison of multifocal photos of
the holotype of H. staphylinoides and one specimen collected in
Botswana, 18 miles NE of Kalkfontein, 12–13.IV.1972 (NHMUK); images were
provided by Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town,
South Africa) (see also
https://www.waspweb.org/Pompiloidea/Pompilidae/Pompilinae/Herpetosphex/index.htm).
Herpetosphex staphylinoides was originally assigned to Pompilidae by
Arnold (1940) and is now actually considered to belong to this family.
Olmi et al. (2016) ignored H. staphylinoides, being unaware of
the status of this pompilid species, and described the new genus
Protosclerogibba and the new species P. australis in the
family Sclerogibbidae based on evident morphological characters:
metasoma maintained obliquely vertical (as in all sclerogibbid wasps);
shape of the forelegs, with profemur strongly enlarged; general habitus
typical of sclerogibbid females. On the other hand, it is now clear that
the genus has some distinct characters of Pompilidae (Goulet & Huber
1993): hind leg inner tibial spur with row of fine brush-like setae;
legs conspicuously elongated. And it also shows some morphological
features absent in sclerogibbids: micropterous condition, frons not
produced over base of antennae (i.e. antennal toruli not concealed in
dorsal view); eyes large, occupying the hind three fourths of the head;
palpal formula 6/4; antenna composed of 12 segments (antennal
segmentation being within the normal range of Aculeata other than
Sclerogibbidae). These differences explain the reasons why
Herpetosphex was not previously assigned to Sclerogibbidae and why
we provisionally assign Protosclerogibba to Pompilidae, awaiting
discovery of the P. australis male and the biology of the species. In
conclusion, we propose the following new synonymies: Herpetosphex
Arnold, 1940 = Protosclerogibba Olmi, Marletta, Guglielmino &
Speranza, 2016, new syn.; Herpetosphex staphylinoides Arnold,
1940 = Protosclerogibba australis Olmi, Marletta, Guglielmino &
Speranza, 2016, new syn. “ |
