Tachysphex testaceipes Bingham 1897

Tachysphex testaceipes Bingham

Tachysphex testaceipes Bingham, 1897:193, . [Lectotype: , Burma: Tenasserim: Thaunguin Valley (BMNH), present designation, examined.].—Giner Marí, 1945:856 (India).—Bohart and Menke, 1976:277 [listed].

DIAGNOSIS.—Tachysphex testaceipes is characterized by the setae erect and sinuous on scape, vertex, and thorax, but short, appressed, on tergum I. In the female, the pygidial plate is unusually broad (Figure 216), and in the male the foretarsal rake is well developed, and sterna are partly asetose. Tachysphex indicus is similar, but in testaceipes the hindwing vein cu-a is vertical (and not inclined), the forebasitarsus is not expanded apically, and male tergum VII is densely punctate mesally and sparsely punctate laterally (Figure 219). The conspicuously microareolate thoracic integument of testaceipes (Figure 215) is a subsidiary recognition feature, and the male genitalia are unusual and distinctive (Figures 213, 214, 217).

DESCRIPTION.—Head and thorax dull, conspicuously microsculptured (Figure 215), thorax with ill-defined punctures that are more than one diameter apart on scutal disk and mesopleuron; in female averaging several diameters apart on mesothoracic venter. Episternl sulcus complete. Propodeal dorsum microsculptured, irregularly rugose; side ridged or (many males) irregularly microsculptured. Hindcoxal dorsum: inner margin carinate basally, carina not expanded.

Setae erect on vertex, scape, along hypostomal carina, and on scutum (setal length, on vertex, 0.7–0.9 × basal mandibular width); mesopleural setae somewhat sinuous; propodeal setae oriented apicomesad, but almost vertical basomedially.

Body black, female pygidial plate and tergum VII of many males reddish; tarsi red brown (all or mesally). Terga I–V silvery fasciate apically. Wings hyaline.

.—Clypeus (Figure 211): flat, bevel absent; lip arcuate, not incised laterally. Vertex width 2.0 × length. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 2.0 × apical width. Forefemoral venter finely punctate, punctures more than one diameter apart. Foretibia densely, uniformly punctate and setose throughout, outer surface with spines. Forebasitarsus with seven or eight rake spines. Apical tarsomeres: venter with two basomedian spines and one long, preapical seta. Apical depression of tergum V impunctate, glabrous. Pygidial plate unusually broad, uniformly microareolate except apically (Figure 216). Length 9.5 mm.

.—Clypeus (Figure 212): bevel not differentiated; lip weakly arcuate, corners well defined, but not prominent; distance between corners 1.5–1.7 × distance between corner and orbit. Vertex width 1.7–1.8 × length. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.8–1.9 × apical width. Forefemoral notch shallow, pubescent (Figure 218). Outer margin of forebasitarsus with five or six preapical spines, all or most spines more than twice basitarsus width. Apical tarsomeres with one thin spine on venter and no spines on lateral margins. Tergum VII with large punctures that are dense mesally and sparse laterally (Figure 219). Sterna III–VI largely glabrous, setose apically and laterally. Length 7.0–8.0 mm. Genitalia unusually large, penis valve markedly thickened basally (Figure 217), with no apicoventral teeth ((Figure 214), volsella setose along the ventral margin (as usual in the genus), but also on a large portion of the inside surface (Figure 213).

Frontal setae silvery.

RELATIONSHIPS.—The unusually broad pygidial plate of the female, clearly an apomorphy, indicates that testaceipes is related to species in the julliani group of de Beaumont (1936a, 1947a) and Pulawski (1971, 1988), such as argentatus Gussakovskij, cockerellae Rohwer, desertorum F. Morawitz, julliani Kohl, and vulneratus R. Turner.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—Burma and Thailand; record from India needs verification.

RECORDS.—BURMA: TENASSERIM: Thaunguin Valley (1 , BMNH), lectotype of testaceipes), Yunzalin Valley (1, BMNH).

INDIA: MAHARASHTRA: Khandala near Bombay (Giner Marí, 1945; the identification may have been incorrect but the voucher specimen cannot be found in MNCN).

LAOS: VIENTIANE PROVINCE: Tha Ngone (2, BISH, CAS).

THAILAND: TAK PROVINCE: Sam Ngao at Bhumiphol Dam (2, CAS; 1, 2, ZMK).