Philanthus minor Kohl 1891

Philanthus minor Kohl, 1891

Figs 9A–D, 10A–E

Philanthus minor Kohl, 1891: 358, ♀.

Diagnosis. Body length: 12 mm (female), 12 mm (male).

Female with head and thorax black and following parts yellow: postero-lateral margin of head, lower face (not reaching inner eye emargination laterally, and forming trifid marking medially between antennal bases, far from median ocellus), clypeus, basal half of mandible, first three antennal segments, and inner side of fourth segment, pronotum, scutellum, postscutellum, tegula, upper mesopleuron; gaster with all terga yellow banded with ferruginous and black; legs yellow and ferruginous (Figs 9A–C, 10A). The yellow is more developed in male, extending to middle ocellus, and with two small, rounded spots on head posterior margin; mesoscutum with two middle as well as lateral yellow makings, yellow of mesoscutum interrupted medially; first three gastral terga largely yellow, surrounded with light ferruginous, T 4–6 mainly black, each with narrow, medially interrupted yellow band posteriorly (Figs 9D, 10B–E). Male clypeal moustache dense, meeting medially (Fig. 9D); pronotum distinctly emarginate medially (Fig. 9B, C); propodeal enclosure with coarsely sculptured, broad median sulcus, sculpture covering whole basal area of propodeum as inverted triangle (Fig. 10A, E); upper mesopleuron smooth and shiny (Fig. 10C, D); hind femur with relatively long fine setae, about as long as greatest femur width (Figs 9A, 10A).

Material examined: 1♀, Dahshour, 15.iii.1927 (AUCE); 1♁, Burg, 4.V. 1955, Sh. M. collector (EFC).

Previous Egyptian Records: Dahshour (Kohl 1891; Honoré 1942; de Beaumont 1949; Roche 2007), no specific locality (Dalla Torre 1897; de Beaumont 1953), Marsa Matruh (Guichard 1994; Gadallah 1996; Roche 2007).

Extralimital distribution: Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates.

Remarks. Characters of Egyptian specimens agree with Guichard’s key (1994: 208, couplet 8), however, in the male, the ferruginous extends along the first three gastral terga (Fig. 10E). They also agree with the North African specimens of de Beaumont (1949: 179, couplet 8).