Lispe leucospila (Wiedemann 1830)

Coenosia leucospila Wiedemann 1830: 441.

Distribution. This species was previously recorded from Saudi Arabia by Abu-Zoherah et al. (1993). It was described from “Ostindien” [= East Indies]. In the Middle East is recorded from Yemen (Pont 1980).

Taxonomic remarks. This species resembles L. pectinipes Becker and is separable from it by characters of the male genitalia, as figured in Pont, (1991: 354). All of the numerous specimens that we have seen from Arabia have proved, upon dissection to be L. pectinipes. Pont (1991:353–354) examined material previously recorded as L. leucospila by van Emden (1948) and found it to be distinct from it, but of the leucospila complex of species or forms. Since no specimens are available to confirm the present record, we regard the record of Abu-Zoherah et al. (1993) as being suspect. However, the fact that no other specimens of L. leucospila are known from the Arabian Peninsula does not exclude the possibility that it exists or has existed there.