Icteranthidium limbiferum

Icteranthidium limbiferum (Morawitz, 1875) Fig. 16 Anthidium limbiferum Morawitz, 1875. – Female, male, Uzbekistan. Lectotype and paralectotype in St. Petersburg (ZISP) (Warncke 1980; Ivlev et al. 2025 a). Icteranthidium bilobatum Pasteels, 1969. – Female, Egypt. Holotype at USNM, Washington. Synonymized with Anthidium ferrugineum discoidale Latreille, 1809 by Warncke (1980). Proposed as junior synonym of I. limbiferum Morawitz herein. syn. nov. Genetic Barcode ID. n / a. Material (literature). • 1 ♀; Behairra Governorate: Wadi Turrel in the vicinity of Rashid; 24. 04. 1916; A. Alfieri leg.; holotype of I. bilobatum Pasteels; deposited in Washington (USNM) (Pasteels 1969 b). Examination of a specimen listed by Alfken (1926) and deposited in the SMF reveals that it was misidentified as A. limbiferum and actually belongs to I. ferrugineum s. l. Salem and El-Azab (2017) list the following localities of I. limbiferum (records between May and September): New Valley Governorate (Kharga Oasis), South Sinai Governorate (Wadi Hussein), Cairo Governorate (Wadi Digla, Tura), Qualyobyia Governorate (Jebel Asfar), Ismailia Governorate (Ismailia); Giza Governorate (Kom Osheim, Pyramids), Western desert. Elshaier (2022) provided the following data, which at least partly refer to the same material presented by Salem and El-Azab (2017): • 1 ♀; Cairo Governorate: Wadi Digla; 22. 08. 1924 (PPRI). • 1 ♀; South Sinai Governorate: Wadi Hussein; 31. 05. 1919; Qdair leg. (PPRI). • 2 ♀; Wadi Umelek (near Cairo?); 15. 10. 1919; Qdair leg. (PPRI). • 1 ♀; Giza Governorate: Pyramids; 3. 05. 1914; Qdair leg. (PPRI). • Giza Governorate: Wadi Rashrash; 20. 06. 1932 (PPRI). • 1 ♂; Qalyoubia (Kalubia) Governorate: Abu Zaabal; 9. 08. 1953; Aly leg. • 2 ♂; Monufia Governorate: Khatatbah; 23. 05. 1952; Saleh leg. • 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Fayyum Governorate: Kom Osheim (Kom Oshim); 01. 08. 1953; Z. R. leg. • 1 ♂; Alexandria Governorate: Borg El Arab; 20. 08. 1955; A. Shahat leg. • 1 ♀; Qalyoubia Governorate: Jebel (Gebel) Asfar; 19. 05. 1952; Saleh leg. • 3 ♀; Giza Governorate: Pyramids; 20. 07. 1952; Aly leg. [ASUC]. • 9 ♀; South Sinai Governorate: Wadi Khoshbi,; 16–18.04. 2016; A. Shahat leg. (coll. Shahat). • 2 ♀; New Valley Governorate: Dakhla Oasis; 28–30.08. 2016; A. Shahat leg. (coll. Shahat). • 1 ♀; Matrouh Governorate: Siwa Oasis; 11–12.09. 2015; A. Shahat leg. (coll. Shahat). Sources for identification. Key in Warncke (1980), key with drawings and photographs in Kasparek (2022). Fig. 16 herein: image of I. bilobatum, which is considered synonymous with I. limbiferum. Taxonomy. Icteranthidium bilobatum was described by Pasteels (1969 b) based on a single female, characterized, among other features, by a very long, bilobed projection of the apical margin of T 2 and a coarsely punctate clypeus. Warncke (1980) compared Pasteels’ description — apparently without examining the type material — with I. ferrugineum and noted that “ this single specimen has a clypeus that is also punctate in the middle and a broader appendage of the second tergite; otherwise, it resembles the other discoidale ” (translated from German). He consequently synonymized I. bilobatum with I. ferrugineum subsp. discoidale. However, the female of I. ferrugineum is clearly distinct (cf., e. g., figures in Kasparek 2022). It differs from I. bilobatum in having broad, uninterrupted tergal bands (proximal terga interrupted in the middle in I. bilobatum), fine punctation of the clypeus (coarse in I. bilobatum), uneven clypeal punctation with a less punctate or impunctate midline (uniform in I. bilobatum), and a single-lobed appendage on T 2 (bilobed in I. bilobatum). The type of I. bilobatum instead most closely resembles I. limbiferum. The elongated projection of T 2 is conspicuous but still falls within the variation observed in I. limbiferum. Pasteels’ statement that “ [the structure is the] same as ferrugineum Lepel., but the marginal notch of the 2 nd tergite is larger; bilobate, both lobes covering almost the whole length of the 3 rd tergite ” requires correction: the projection of T 2 does not extend over almost the entire length of T 3 but at most reaches approximately half its length (Fig. 16). It is therefore proposed that I. bilobatum be treated as a junior synonym of I. limbiferum. The type locality of I. bilobatum (Rashid) lies less than 200 km from the locality where I. limbiferum was recorded by Alfken (Heliopolis). Distribution. The distribution extends from the eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia, and the species has been found in Turkey, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt (Alfken 1938; Kasparek 2022). The records presented by Salem and El-Azab (2017) and Elshaier (2022) indicate a wide distribution within Egypt and include northern Egypt, the Western Desert, and Sinai. Taking into account that the species was previously considered a possible synonym of I. ferrugineum (e. g., Gribodo 1894; Alfken 1933) and that Warncke (1980) also placed I. bilobatum in I. ferrugineum s. l., it would be worthwhile to confirm these records.