Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5873 No. 2: 21 Aug. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-08-21
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5873.2.5
Page range: 314-320
Abstract views: 300
PDF downloaded: 16

Two species of spheciform wasps (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) new to Iraq

Department of Insects and Invertebrates; Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum; University of Baghdad; Baghdad; Iraq.
Department of Insects and Invertebrates; Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum; University of Baghdad; Baghdad; Iraq.
Hymenoptera Crabroninae New species Oxybelochardus Palarus Wasps

Abstract

Oxybelochardus mucrosis sp. nov. is described from Iraq, and Palarus funerarius F. Morawitz, 1889 (both Hymenoptera, Crabronidae, Crabroninae) first recorded form that country. The new species can be recognized by its unique mucro, which is elongate semi-triangular, bilobed apically; metanotal squama undivided and curved inward, and setaceous hind tibia.

References

  1. Antropov, A.V. (2000) A new genus of digger wasps of the tribe Oxybelini (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae, Crabroninae) from South Africa. Entomological Review, 80 (8), 973–981.
  2. Antropov, A.V. (2007) Guichardus is a new Palearctic genus of digger wasps of the tribe Oxybelini (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae). Entomological Review, 86 (2), 106–115. https://doi.org/10.1134/s0013873807010113
  3. Antropov, A.V. (2017) Family Crabronidae– Crabronid digger wasps, p. 217–218, Subfamily Crabroninae, p. 225–245. In: Belokobylskij, S.A. & Lelej, A.S. (Eds.), Annotated catalogue of the Hymenoptera of Russia. Volume I. Symphyta and Apocrita: Aculeata. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Supplement 6, 1–475. https://doi.org/10.31610/trudyzin/2017.supl.6.5
  4. Augul, R.S. (2015) Taxonomic study of the genus Liris Fabricius, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) in Iraq. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 3 (1), 278–286.
  5. Augul, R.S. & Hamodee, S.A. (2025) Description of female of Oxybelochardus iraqensis Hamodee and Shafeeq, 2023 (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae). Zootaxa, 5588 (4), 589–593. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5588.4.6
  6. Bohart, R.M. & Menke, A.S. (1976) Sphecid wasps of the world. A generic revision. University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, London, IX + 695 pp. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520309548
  7. de Beaumont, J. (1961) Sphecidae de l’Iraq (Hym.). Opuscula Zoologica (München), No. 56, 1–5.
  8. Derwesh, A.I. (1965) A preliminary list of identified insects and some arachnids of Iraq. Ministry of Agriculture [of Iraq]. Directorate General of Agricultural Research and Projects. Bulletin, 112, 1–68.
  9. Guichard, K.M. (1988) The genus Palarus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) in Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia, 9, 132–137.
  10. Hamodee, S. (2025) Crabronid wasps: an updated checklist from Iraq. Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum, 18 (3), 633–649.
  11. Hamodee, S.A. & Shafeeq, M.A. (2023) New taxa of digger wasps: tribe, Oxybelini (Crabronidae, Hymenoptera) from Iraq. Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum, 17 (4), 559–569.
  12. Hamodee, S.A., Shafeeq, M.A. & Augul, R.S. (2023) Two new records of Cerceris Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Crabronidae) from Iraq. IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science, 1259, 012108. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1259/1/012108
  13. Jahantigh, F., Rakhshani, E., Mokhtari, A. & Ramroodi, S. (2017) Catalogue of Ampulicidae, Crabronidae and Sphecidae of Iran (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Zootaxa, 4307 (1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4307.1.1
  14. Khalaf, A.N. & Al-Omar, M.A. (1974) A second list of insect from Iraq. Biological Research Center, Publication No. 2, 41 pp.
  15. Kohl, F.F. (1896) Die Gattungen der Sphegiden. Annalen des k.k. Naturhistorischen Hofmuseums, 11, 233–516, pls. V–XI. Dating after review by A. Handlirsch. 1897. Verhandlungen der kaiserlichköniglichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 47, 195–196. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.27397
  16. Morice, F.D. (1921) Annotated lists of Aculeate Hymenoptera (except Heterogyna) and Chrysids recently collected in Mesopotamia and North- West Persia. The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 27, 816–828.
  17. Nemkov, P.G. (2005) Review of the digger wasps of the genus Palarus Latreille in Russia and neighbouring countries (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae, Larrinae). Entomofauna, 26, 241–252.
  18. Pulawski, W.J. (2025) Catalog of Sphecidae sensu lato: Family Group Names and Classification. Available from: http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/entomology/entomology_resources/hymenoptera/sphecidae/family_group_names_and_classification.pdf (accessed 25 September 2025)
  19. Pulawski, W.J. & Prentice, M.A. (2008) A revision of the wasp tribe Palarini Schrottky, 1909 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Crabronidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, 59 (8), 307–479.
  20. Roche, C.G. & Gadallah, N.S. (1999) The sphecid wasps of Egypt (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae): Introduction and generic key. Egyptian Journal of Biology, 1, 104–117.
  21. Schmid-Egger, Ch. (2007) Revision of the genus Lithium Finnamore with description of three new species. Spixiana, 30, 85–92.

How to Cite

Augul, R.S. & Hamodee, S.A. (2026) Two species of spheciform wasps (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) new to Iraq. Zootaxa, 5873 (2), 314–320. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5873.2.5