Workbook

[ Cover image: Reiner Richter (shared CC BY), inaturalist record 15750028 near Mackay, north QLD; Psenulus carinifrons scutellatus]

This short note arose out of an excursion into the Pemphredoninae to identify a local species of Arpactophilus - see detailed notes here, including a matrix for distinguishing Psenini from Pemphredonini.

As Psenulus is the only Australian genus within the tribe Psenini, and as there are only two Australian species listed, I sought diagnostic information on each.

A trawl through iNaturalist sightings revealed several P. interstialis … and one P. carinifrons ! (cover image)

References

Turner, R.E. 1907. New species of Sphegidae from Australia. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 19: 268-276

Turner, R.E. 1908. Notes on the Australian fossorial wasps of the family Sphegidae, with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1908: 457-535 pl. xxvi

Turner, R.E. 1912. Notes on fossorial Hymenoptera. IX. On some new species from the Australian and Austro-Malayan regions. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 10: 48-63

Van Lith, J.P. 1966. The group of Psenulus pulcherrimus (Bingham) (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 109: 35-48

Van Lith, J.P. 1969. Descriptions of some Indo-Australian Psenulus and revision of the group of Psenulus pulcherrimus (Bingham) (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae, Psenini). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 112: 197-212

This is a workbook page … a part of our website where we record the observations and references used in making species identifications. The notes will not necessarily be complete. They are a record for our own use, but we are happy to share this information with others.