Aphaniosoma impeditum Ebejer 2008

Aphaniosoma impeditum Ebejer, 2008

Fig. 41

ISRAEL • 1 ♂; ‘ Enot Zuqim; 25 Aug. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Dead Sea, ‘ Enot Zuqim; 7 Jun. 1996; B. Merz and A. Freidberg leg.; MHNG • 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Nahal Zin; 8 Jun. 1998; I. Yarom and V. Kravchenko leg.; on Tamarix sp.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 7 Aug. 1998; SMNHTAU • 21 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; Dead Sea, Zomet Zohar; 31°08ʹ N, 35°21ʹ E; alt. - 338 m; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on Tamarix sp.; MJE.

One of several small and predominantly yellow species, four of which were described from the United Arab Emirates. This species has a pair of longer setae in front of the anterior ocellus and a black mediotergite; as with most species of Aphaniosoma that have scutal vittae, these vary in the intensity of brown colouration, and in this species the middle pair are sometimes indistinct compared to the lateral vittae – those near the dorsocentral and intra-alar lines (Fig. 41B). Identification of A. impeditum requires examination of the dissected male hypopygium, as the appearance of the hypopygium in situ rarely shows distinctive features (Fig. 41C).

United Arab Emirates (Ebejer 2008). New record for Israel.