Aphaniosoma trisetum Ebejer, 1998

Fig. 82

Material examined

ISRAEL • 5 ♂♂; Akko; 29 Oct. 1994; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; ‘ En Afeq; 17 May 1994; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 8 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; ‘ En Mor; 11 Oct. 1994; F. Kaplan and A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 6 ♂♂, 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 11 Oct. 1994; F. Kaplan and A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 30 Mar. 1995; I. Yarom leg.; on Tamarix sp.; SMNHTAU • 9 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 25 Jul. 1995; SMNHTAU • 5 ♂♂; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 25 Aug. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 7 Jun. 1996; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 3 Mar. 1998; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix sp.; SMNHTAU • 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 22 Apr. 1998; on Tamarix jordanis; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 1 Feb. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 28 Apr. 1999; SMNHTAU • 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 5 Oct. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 6 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 24 May 2000; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; on Tamarix nilotica; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 7 Jul. 1998; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 30 Mar. 1999; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 30 Mar. 1999; SMNHTAU • 9 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 5 Oct. 1999; SMNHTAU • 7 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 12 Apr. 2000; SMNHTAU • 10 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 24 May 2000; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 24 Nov. 2000; SMNHTAU • 4 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀; ‘ En Gedi; 11 May 1995; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; ‘ Iddan; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; ‘ Iddan; 20 Jun. 1995; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; En ‘Iddan; 20 Jun. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Sappir pond; 9 Jul. 1996; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; ‘ En Yahav; 24 Jul. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; ‘ En Zin; 8 Aug. 1998; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix sp.; SMNHTAU • 5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 13 May 1999; on Tamarix negevensis; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; on T. parviflora; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 19 Jul. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 6 Sep. 1999; on Tamarix negevensis; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; Park Caesarea; 7 Sep. 1998; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 7 Nov. 1998; SMNHTAU • 1 ♀; ‘ Enot Samar; 10 Nov. 1998; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix nilotica; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 3 Mar. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 30 Mar. 1999; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 28 Apr. 1999; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 5 Oct. 1999; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; Nahal Neqarot; 10 May 1999; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix parviflora; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; on Tamarix sp.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 17 Oct. 1999; on Tamarix aphylla; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; on Tamarix nilotica; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Ma‘agan Mikha ‘el; 30 May 1999; N. Meltzer and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix tetragyna; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 3 Nov. 1999; SMNHTAU • 2 ♂♂; Qalya; 2 Jan. 1997; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Dead Sea, Zomet Zohar; 31°08ʹ N, 35°21ʹ E; alt. - 338 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp.; MJE • 8 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Dead Sea, ‘ Enot Zuqim; 31°43ʹ N, 35°27ʹ E; alt. - 400 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp.; MJE • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; N. Arava valley; 30°46ʹ N, 35°14ʹ E; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix and chenopods; MJE • 3 ♀♀; ‘ En Gedi /N Arugot; 31 May 2000; B. Merz leg.; MHNG.

JORDAN • 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, preserved in alcohol; Azraq Reserve; 8 Oct. 2000; W. Rossi leg.; NMWC.

SAUDI ARABIA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Najran, Hay Alshurfa; 17°31ʹ N, 44°15ʹ E; 7–28 May 2014; H.A. Dawah leg.; Malaise trap; NMWC.

Remarks

A common and widespread species that may well turn out to be a species complex. It has much in common with A. approximatum. The two species are similar in their male hypopygial characters: both have the distally narrowed postgonite that is apically curved, and a largely translucent bilobed distiphallus with each lobe flat, mostly translucent, and rounded apically. Aphaniosoma approximatum has one darker more sclerotized ‘rib’ along the middle of each lobe (Ebejer 1998: 200, figs 5–6), whereas A. trisetum has three (Fig. 82B). In A. trisetum, the base of the surstylus is variable in thickness and length; and tergite 6, ventrally has a narrow and medially directed lobe below the 3 (rarely 2 or 4) large broad pale setae. Aphaniosoma approximatum has a shorter, broader and more curved lobe in outline at the ventral margin of tergite 6 and no such distinctive setae. The pregenital sternites differ. In A. approximatum sternite 5 is more or less square and sternite 6 is transversely narrow especially at its middle (Ebejer 2006: 684, fig.2) and can be partly flexed (Ebejer 1998: 200, fig. 7). In A. trisetum this is a more complex structure appearing as an irregular transverse rectangle broadly concave at the middle posteriorly and on each side with extended arms to a trilobed sclerite (Ebejer 1998: 226, fig. 78). This part of the sternite may appear separated and look different from specimen to specimen if its orientation is not flat relative to the basal part (Fig. 82C). An inconsistent but frequent difference is that the pair of setae on the frons in front of the anterior ocellus are often shorter and less distinct in A. trisetum compared to the same in A. approximatum. The author has seen specimens of A. trisetum that are almost completely yellow and others that are almost completely grey. Photographs of the male hypopygium in situ are given in Ebejer (2021a). The hypopygium is re-illustrated with line drawings here with the pregenital sternites and more detail of the distiphallus included.

Distribution

Canary Islands, Cyprus, Morocco, Tunisia (Ebejer 1998, 2016, 2021a; Ebejer & Báez 2021). New records for Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.