Cerceris mauritania DOLLFUSS, 2025

Cerceris mauritania DOLLFUSS , nov.sp. ( Figs 10 View Figs 10 a-g, 11a-i)

Holotype: ♀, MAURITANIA, 20 km NE Aleg , 3.XI.1993, leg. W.J. Pulawski ( CAS) . Paratypes: 1J, same data as holotype. MALI: 1J, 25 km E Hombori, 18.VIII.1991, leg W.J. Pulawski ( CAS). MAURITANIA: 1♀, 30 km S Nonakchott , 18.X.1993, leg W.J. Pulawski ( CAS) ; 1♀, 30 km S Nonakchott , 19.X.1993, leg. W.J. Pulawski ( CAS) ; 1♀, 22 km SE Nonakchott , 15.X.1993, leg. W.J. Pulawski ( CAS) ; 1J, Oued Segelit (25 km S Atar), 23.X.1993, leg. W.J. Pulawski ( CAS) .

E t y m o l o g y: The holotype was collected in Mauritania.

R e c o g n i t i o n The female of Cerceris mauritania has no longitudinal carina on coxa III, has a large and clearly protruding nasiform clypeal process ( Fig. 10a View Figs 10 ), the mandible has two teeth internally, the prosternum a tubercle laterally and the mesopleuron has also a tubercle. Additionally, the propodeal enclosure is dull and transversely mircrostriate with a shallow medio-longitudinal furrow, the cheek has a small tooth behind (in some specimens nearly lacking), the apical margin of pygidial plate is emarginate ( Fig. 10d View Figs 10 ) and the body is nearly all yellow.

The female of C. straminea DUFOUR is similarly coloured but differs from C. mauritania by having no nasiform clypeal process, but a distinct tooth on cheek behind and the apical margin of pygidial plate is rounded. The female of C. nugax ARNOLD differs from C. mauritania by having no nasiform clypeal process, the mandible only with one triangular tooth and more black colour on the body. The female of C. tyrannica F. SMITH is easily to distinguish by having the pygidial plate longitudinally striate and without a clypeal process. The also predominantly yellow female of C. palmetorum DE BEAUMONT differs from C. mauritania by having no nasiform clypeal process, the prosternum has no transverse carina and the pygidial plate is rounded apically. The female of C. priesneri MOCHI differs from C. mauritania in having no nasiform clypeal process, a distinct medio-basal plate on sternum II and a pygidial plate rounded apically. The similarly coloured female of C. hausa ARNOLD differs from C. mauritania by having no clypeal process, a distinct medio-basal plate on sternum II and an apically rounded pygidial plate. The predominantly yellow female of C. pulchella KLUG differs from C. mauritania by having no nasiform clypeal process, a medio-clypeal plate and the pygidial plate is rounded apically. The also predominantly yellow female of C. pharaonum KOHL differs from C. mauritania by a different shaped clypeus, the mandible without tooth internally and scutum, scutellum and propodeal enclose are shiny (in C. mauritania scutum, scutellum and propodeal enclosure are dull). The predominantly yellow female of C. chromatica SCHLETTERER differs from C. mauritania by having no nasiform clypeal process, the terga II-IV are apico-lateral produced and the sternum VI has four teeth of equal length.

The male of Cerceris mauritania has no longitudinal carina on coxa III, the body is nearly all yellow, the clypeal brush is broad ( Fig. 11a View Figs 11 ) and the flagellomere XI is curved ( Fig. 11c View Figs 11 ). Additionally, the apical margin of the clypeus is shallowly tridentate, the prosternum has an acute tooth laterally, the pronotal collar is laterally raised, the mandible has no tooth internally, the propodeal enclosure has more or less developed transverse striae and the terga II-VII have long erect setae.

The similarly shaped male C. margarita DE BEAUMONT differs by having more black colour on head, thorax and abdomen (variably). The also similarly shaped male of C. straminea DUFOUR differs by having a small triangular clypeal brush and more black colour on the head and the scutum. The male of C. nugax ARNOLD is also similar but differs by having more black colour on head, thorax and abdomen and slightly differently shaped genitalia. Note: The males of C. straminea , C. margarita and C. nugax cannot be reliably distinguished without the presence of associated females. The similarly coloured C. tyrannica F. SMITH differs from C. mauritania by having the mandible with distinct tooth internally and the propodeal enclosure is coarsely punctured. The also similar coloured male of C. chromatica SCHLETTERER differs from C. mauritania by having the terga II-IV apico-laterally produced and the propodeal enclosure is smooth with distinct punctures laterally. The male of C. priesneri MOCHI differs from C. mauritania by having the sternum II with a semicircular medio-basal plate which is distinctly delimited, the epimeron has a shallow crest, the propodeal enclosure is smooth, sterna have no erect setae and the longitudinal carina on coxa II is shallow developed. The male of C. pulchella KLUG is smaller (8 mm) than C. mauritania , the sternum II has a medio-basal plate, the epimeron a shallow crest, the propodeal enclosure is smooth, the terga have no long erect setae and the longitudinal carina on coxa III is shallow developed. The male of C. hausa ARNOLD differs from C. mauritania by having the sternum II with medio-basal plate, the scutellum is densely punctate and the coxa II has a longitudinal carina. The male of C. pharaonum KOHL differs from C. mauritania by having the sternum II with medio-basal plate, the propodeal enclosure is smooth and the male is smaller (6-8 mm). The male of C. clytia DE BEAUMONT differs from C. mauritania by having the sternum II with medio-basal plate and by its smaller size (6.5-8.5 mm). The male of C. cheops DE BEAUMONT differs from C. mauritania by having the sternum II with medio-basal plate and by its smaller size (5.5- 7.5 mm).

D e s c r i p t i o n: ♀, 12-15 mm. Sculpture: apical margin of clypeus straight with lateral tooth; clypeal process nasiform protruding ( Fig. 10a View Figs 10 ); mandible with two teeth internally; prosternum with tooth laterally; cheek with small tooth in some specimens; mesopleuron with tubercle; epimeron without crest; pronotal collar slightly depressed medially; propodeal enclosure dull, very finely transversely striate, medio-longitudinal and lateral furrows shallow developed; petiole slightly wider than long ( Fig. 10e View Figs 10 ); terga II-IV with small fossa medio-basally; pygidial plate apically emarginated ( Fig. 10d View Figs 10 ); sternum II without medio-basal plate; flagellum as in Fig. 10c View Figs 10 ; coxa III without longitudinal carina. Puncturation: clypeus and frons dull and densely punctate; vertex densely punctate; pronotal collar and scutum dull and densely punctate; scutellum dull and sparsely punctate; metanotum dull; mesopleuron densely punctate; tegula dull and impunctate; propodeal side and terga I-IV densely punctate; tergum V more sparsely punctate; pygidial plate dull, irregularly finely structured; sterna lateral punctate. Pilosity: clypeus median with sprouting conspicuous bristles; clypeal side covered with appressed long silvery setae; frons covered with short appressed silvery setae; gena, propodeal side covered with erect long setae; sternum V apico-lateral with bundle of erect setae; rest of body with short erect setae. Colouration: yellow; following parts black: apical margin of mandible, short band between hind-ocelli, median line on basal half of scutum, and apical margin of pygidial plate; wings hyaline, apically fuscous.

J, 10-12 mm. Sculpture: apical margin of clypeus shallowly tridentate ( Fig. 11a View Figs 11 ); mandible edentate internally; prosternum with tooth laterally; flagellomere XI curved ( Fig. 11c View Figs 11 ); pronotal collar laterally raised and with more or less developed tooth before edge; mesopleuron without tubercle; propodeal enclosure with more or less developed transverse striae, medio-longitudinal furrow shallow developed; petiole wider than long ( Fig. 11e View Figs 11 ); sternum II without medio-basal plate; coxa III without longitudinal carina; pygidial plate ( Fig. 11d View Figs 11 ); genitalia as in Figs 11f, g View Figs 11 . Puncturation: clypeus shiny and shallowly punctate; frons shiny and irregularly punctate; vertex, gena, pronotum, propodeal side densely punctate; prosternum shiny and sparsely punctate; tegula impunctate; scutum shiny and irregularly punctate (punctures 0-1 diameter apart); scutellum sparsely punctate; terga I-V shiny and densely punctate, tergum VI sparsely punctate; sterna irregularly punctate. Pilosity: clypeal brush short but broad; clypeus and frons nearly glabrous; gena and prosternum covered with long erect setae; terga II-V nearly without setae; sterna II-VII covered with long erect setae; rest of body irregularly covered with setae. Colouration: body yellow; following parts variably black: apex of mandible, transverse stripe behind ocelli, medio-longitudinal stripe on scutum, transverse stripe on scutum posterior and in some specimens last terga partly; wings hyaline, apically fuscous.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Mali, Mauritania.