Tachysphex auriceps Cameron 1889

Tachysphex auriceps Cameron

Tachysphex auriceps Cameron, 1889:145, , . [Lectotype: , India: Maharashtra: Pune (OXFORD), present designation, examined.].—Bingham, 1897:194 (redescription, Bombay, Bangalore, incorrectly reported from Sri Lanka.].—nec Giner Marí, 1945:856 [= Tachysphex paneri].—Bohart and Menke, 1976:272 [listed].

DIAGNOSIS.—The female of auriceps is unique in having an irregularly, coarsely sculptured pygidial plate (Figure 190). Subsidiary recognition features are: tarsi of the brullii type, frontal vestiture gold, gaster red basally, and legs largely red.

DESCRIPTION (based on lectotype female).—Scutal punctures less than one diameter apart. Mesopleural punctures less than one diameter apart anteriorly, but a few to several diameters apart posteriorly beneath scrobe. Episternal sulcus complete. Propodeal dorsum irregularly rugose and ridged, side ridged. Hindcoxal dorsum: inner margin not carinate.

Setae appressed on vertex and scutum; suberect adjacent to hypostomal carina (longest setae about 0.2 basal mandibular width); oriented posterad on propodeal dorsum.

Head and thorax black. Legs red except coxae and trochanters black. Gastral terga I and II red, remainder black. Cephalic and thoracic setae golden. Terga I–III silvery fasciate apically. Wings yellow.

.—Clypeus (Figure 189): bevel about as long as basomedian area; lip arcuate, incised laterally. Vertex width about 0.95 × length. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.3 × apical width. Punctures of forefemoral venter several diameters apart. Foretibia: outer surface with row of spines, punctures along spines several diameters apart. Forebasitarsus with 20 rake spines. Hindtarsomere IV as wide as long, obtusely emarginate; apicoventral margin shallowly concave. Apical tarsomeres: venter with central cluster of small spines, apicoventral margin produced into lobe; each lateral margin of tarsi I and II with one spine. Pygidial plate coarsely, irregularly sculptured (Figure 190). Length 11.5 mm.

.—The male described by Cameron could not be located and may be lost. It may belong to a different species than the female.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—Known with certainty from the type locality only. Bingham's records from India and Sri Lanka almost certainly refer to other species. I have examined the specimen determined as auriceps by Giner Marí (1945): it is a male of panzeri.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—INDIA: MAHARASHTRA: Pune (lectotype of auriceps).