New additions to the crabronid fauna of the Arabian Peninsula and Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea (Spheciformes): Crabronidae), new distribution records and new species.

The present study is based on specimens collected in coffee orchards on the mountains in the Jazan Province (southwestern Saudi Arabia) using Malaise traps. The genera Carinostigmus Tsuneki, 1954, and Polemistus de Saussure, 1892 are first recorded for the Arabian Peninsula, each with a single species. Three new species: Bembecinus similis Gadallah & Edmardash, Crossocerus arabicus Gadallah & Edmardash, and Oxybelus coffeae Edmardash & Gadallah are described and illustrated. The previously unknown female of Nysson ohli (Schmid-Egger 2011) (UAE) is discovered, described and illustrated.

Further addition to the crabronid fauna of Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea (Spheciformes): Crabronidae), with new genera and species records, and the description of two new species.

The present study is based on specimens collected from the Farasan Archipelago (southwestern Saudi Arabia), and Sala Mountain (Jazan) using Malaise traps. Eleven species in six genera and two subfamilies (Bembicinae, Crabroninae) are recorded. The genera Ammatomus A. Costa (with one species), Solierella Spinola (with two species), and Nysson Latreille (with a new species) are first recorded from Saudi Arabia. Tachysphex nitidior de Beaumont, is also first record from Saudi Arabia. Two new species: Miscophus sauditus Gadallah and Edmardash, and Nysson arabicus Gadallah and Edmardash are described and illustrated. All eleven species are new to the Farasan Archipelago. Diagnostic features, previous records to species already known from Saudi Arabia, and overall distributions are given. Illustrations of the recorded species are also provided.

The genera Philanthus Fabricius, 1790 and Philanthinus de Beaumont, 1949 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Philanthinae) in Egypt, with a new record and the description of a new species.

The digger wasps of the genera Philanthinus de Beaumont and Philanthus Fabricius (Crabronidae: Philanthinae) of Egypt are reviewed. One species in Philanthinus and 10 in Philanthus are recorded. Philanthus ammochrysus is newly recorded for the country, and a new species, Philanthus pulawskii Malash, Edmardash and Gadallah is described. The following species and subspecies are doubtful records: Philanthus sulphureus F. Smith, P. venustus (Rossi), and P. triangulum obliteratum Pic. A key to the Egyptian species of Philanthus is provided. Illustrations to all important characters of species under study are also provided.

Parasitoid wasps (Ichneumonoidea) collected from faba bean fields, Kharga Oasis, New Valley, Egypt, with new records and the description of a new species.

A faunistic inventory of ichneumonoid wasps collected from faba bean fields (Vicia faba L.) in Kharga Oasis, New Valley, Egypt is presented. Fourteen species of Braconidae in 11 genera and five subfamilies (Aphidiinae, Braconinae, Euphorinae, Microgastrinae, and Opiinae); and six ichneumonid species in five genera and three subfamilies (Campopleginae, Diplazontinae, and Ichneumoninae) were collected and identified. Among those, three genera Barichneumon Thomson, and Virgichneumon Heinrich (Ichneumoninae, Ichneumonidae), and Centistes Haliday (Euphorinae, Braconidae), and five species: Cotesia icipe Fernndez & Fiaboe, 2017 (Microgastrinae) (Braconidae), Diadegma trochanteratum (Thomson, 1887), and Sinophorus tibialis Sanborne, 1984 (Campopleginae), Barichneumon bilunulatus (Gravenhorst, 1829), and Virgichneumon callicerus (Gravenhorst, 1820) (Ichneumoninae, Ichneumonidae) are new records to the Egyptian fauna. A new species, Trioxys khargaiensis Gadallah & Edmardash (Aphidiinae: Braconidae) is described and illustrated. A faunistic list comprising diagnostic characters and distribution in the Middle East and North Africa is provided. Illustrations of species characters are also provided.

New species and records of braconid wasps from Farasan Archipelago (Jazan), Saudi Arabia, with notes on Diolcogaster mayae Shestakov.

Two new species of the genus Aleiodes Wesmael, 1838 (Braconidae: Rogadinae) and one new species of Avga Nixon, 1940 (Braconidae: Pambolinae), collected from Farasan Islands, Jazan, south-western part of Saudi Arabia, are described and illustrated: Aleiodes farasanensis Gadallah Edmardash, sp. nov., A. subpallidator Edmardash Gadallah, sp. nov. (Rogadinae), and Avga saudita Gadallah Edmardash, sp. nov. The braconid subfamilies Gnamptodontinae, Hormiinae and Pambolinae are recorded here for the first time for the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the genera Adelius Haliday, 1833 (Cheloninae) and Braconella Szpligeti, 1906 (Braconinae). Coccygidium luteum (Brull, 1846) and the genera, Diolcogaster Ashmead, 1900 (Microgastrinae) and Yelicones Cameron, 1887 (Rogadinae) are new records for Saudi Arabia. The hitherto unknown male of Braconella minor Szpligeti, 1906 (Braconinae) is described for the first time. A new form (form D) of Diolcogaster mayae (Shestakov, 1932) (Braconidae: Microgastrinae) from the Farasan Islands is described, illustrated, and compared with the previous forms collected in Iran and other countries.

Taxonomic revision of the subgenus Eutricharaea Thomson in Egypt, with a key to the species and the description of two new species (Hymenoptera, Anthophila, Megachilidae, genus Megachile Latreille).

The subgenus Eutricharaea Thomson of the genus Megachile Latreille (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Egypt is revised. Fifteen species are recognized, of which two are new: Megachile laniventris Praz sp. nov. and M. rufomandibularis Praz sp. nov. In addition, three unclear taxa known from few specimens in one sex are documented to facilitate future work. The following new synonymies are proposed: M. microxantha Cockerell 1937, M. privigna Rebmann 1968, and M. submucida Alfken 1926 are synonymized with M. leucostoma Prez 1907 (syn. nov.); M. blanda Rebmann 1968 with M. walkeri Dalla Torre 1896 (syn. nov.); M. uniformis Alfken 1934 (not M. uniformis Mitchell 1929) and the replacement name M. minutuloides Alfken 1936 with M. minutissima Radoszkowski 1876 (syn. nov.); and M. tkalcui Zanden 1996 with M. rugipuncta Alfken 1934 (syn. nov.). Lectotypes are designated for M. soikai Benoist 1961, M. rugipuncta, M. tenuistriga Alfken 1938, M. niveascopa Ferton 1908, and M. naevia Kohl 1906. The previously unknown males of M. impressipuncta Alfken 1934 and M. rugipuncta, as well as the undescribed female of M. soikai are described. Illustrated keys for both males and females are provided and DNA barcodes are published for most species.

First record of the subfamily Epitraninae from Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Chalcididae), with the description of three new species.

The monotypic subfamily Epitraninae Burks, 1936 (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Chalcididae) is reported for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Seven Epitranus species are recorded in the Southwestern and Central regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, of which three species are new: E. delvarei Soliman & Gadallah, sp. nov. (female & male), E. similis Gadallah & Soliman, sp. nov. (male), and E. subinops Soliman & Gadallah, sp. nov. (female), are described and illustrated. Four new records, E. clavatus (Fabricius), E. hamoni complex, E. inops Steffan, and E. torymoides (Risbec), are also reported. An illustrated key to species is provided.

First contribution to the doryctine fauna (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) of Farasan Archipelago, Saudi Arabia, with new records and the description of a new species.

The doryctine wasp species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of Farasan Archipelago (Saudi Arabia) are studied here for the first time. Six species are reported, of which Mimodoryctes arabicus Edmardash, Gadallah & Soliman is described and illustrated as a new species. Neoheterospilus sp. is most probably a new species but further collecting should be done to obtain the female. Four species are new records for Saudi Arabia as well as for the whole Arabian Peninsula: Dendrosotinus ferrugineus (Marshall, 1888), Hecabalodes anthaxiae Wilkinson, 1929, Mimodoryctes proprius Belokobylskij, 2001, and Rhaconotus (Rhaconotus) carinatus Polaszek, 1994. The newly recorded species are re-described and illustrated.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Preface.

During the past 20 decades, many taxonomic and ecological studies were undertaken on different taxa of a fascinating, biologically diverse group of insects, the aculeate wasps, in different areas of the Arabian Peninsula. These wasps comprise all Aculeata, except for the ants (Formicidae) and bees (Anthophila) which are specialized monophyletic groups that have attracted more focused attention across the world. The Arabian studies have been published in the form of scattered articles in various journals, newsletters, book chapters, etc., many being rather obscure and difficult to trace. Recently, the number of such studies has increased as a result of targeted collecting projects. The results of most of these have now been published, making this an opportune time to collect all the available information into a single volume that makes it more accessible to researchers interested in this group of insects. In the process, this provides us an opportunity to estimate the diversity and distributions of aculeate wasps in the Arabian countries. This is also important for the development of the Arabian national collections, especially in aggregating taxonomic changes with their subsequent synonymous forms and pointing out the very many gaps in sampling, so indicating where additional work is needed.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Apoidea (Spheciformes), Ampulicidae.

An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Ampulicidae is provided here. The list includes four identified valid species in three genera and two subfamilies: Ampulicinae (2 genera, 3 species) and Dolichurinae (1 genus, 1 species). Distributions, both on the Peninsula and extra-limital, are provided for each species; of these, one (25%) is confined to the Arabian Peninsula.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Overview.

The current knowledge of the distribution and diversity of extant aculeate wasps (Aculeata excluding ants and bees) in the Arabian Peninsula (and Socotra) is reviewed. The number of species (1096 of which about 28% are apparently endemic) represents about 3% of the world fauna, with Crabronidae the most diverse family (about 35% of Arabian species). Most species (46%) are Afrotropical, 37% are Palaearctic, and 17% are Indo-Malayan (Oriental).

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Apoidea (Spheciformes), Crabronidae.

An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Crabronidae is provided here. The list includes 383 identified valid species in 54 genera and seven subfamilies: Astatinae (3 genera, 16 species), Bembicinae (10 genera, 86 species), Crabroninae (27 genera, 199 species), Dinetinae (1 genus, 3 species), Eremiaspheciinae (2 genera, 7 species), Pemphredoninae (7 genera, 14 species) and Philanthinae (4 genera, 58 species). Distributions, both on the Peninsula and extra-limital, are provided for each species and subspecies; 77 species (20%) are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, as is one subspecies.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Apoidea (Spheciformes), Heterogynaidae.

An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Heterogynaidae is provided here. The list includes two identified valid species in one genus. Distributions on the Peninsula are provided for each species; both (100%) are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Apoidea (Spheciformes), Sphecidae (sensu stricto).

An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Sphecidae is provided here. The list includes 70 identified valid species in 10 genera and four subfamilies: Ammophilinae (4 genera, 35 species), Chloriontinae (1 genus, 6 species), Sceliphrinae (2 genera, 8 species) and Sphecinae (3 genera, 21 species). Distributions, both on the Peninsula and extra-limital, are provided for each species and subspecies; four species (6%) are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Chrysidoidea, Bethylidae.

An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Bethylidae is provided here. The list includes 29 identified valid species in 25 genera and five subfamilies: Bethylinae (2 genera, 0 species), Epyrinae (5 genera, 8 species), Mesitiinae (7 genera, 13 species), Pristocerinae (5 genus, 1 species) and Scleroderminae (6 genera, 7 species). Distributions, both on the Peninsula and extra-limital, are provided for each species; 17 species (59%) are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Chrysidoidea, Chrysididae.

An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Chrysididae is provided here. Three new synonymies (valid name first) are proposed: Chrysis mirifica Balthasar, 1953 = Chrysis dawahi Strumia, 2012 syn. nov.; Chrysis viridissima Klug, 1845 = Chrysis decolorata Strumia Dawah, 2019 syn. nov.; Trichrysis longispina (Mocsáry, 1912) = Trichrysis flavicornis Strumia Dawah, 2019 syn. nov.. Consequently, the list includes 124 identified species in 22 genera and three tribes, all in the subfamily Chrysidinae: Elampini (11 genera, 48 species), Chrysidini (9 genera, 73 species), and Parnopini (2 genera, 3 species). In addition, there is a single record of an unidentified species of the subfamily Cleptinae. Distributions, both on the Peninsula and extra-limital, are provided for each species and subspecies; 41 species (33%) are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, as are five subspecies.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Vespoidea, Bradynobaenidae.

An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Bradynobaenidae is provided here. The list includes 40 identified species in four genera and one subfamily: Apterogyninae (Apterogyna, 9 species; Gynecaptera, 1 species; Macroocula, 24 species; Micatagla, 6 species). Distributions, both on the Peninsula and extra-limital, are provided for each species and subspecies; 29 species (73%) are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.

Biodiversity of the aculeate wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) of the Arabian Peninsula: Vespoidea, Mutillidae.

An updated checklist of the Arabian species of Mutillidae is provided here. The list includes 64 identified species in 21 genera and five subfamilies: Dasylabrinae (2 genera, 16 species), Mutillinae (14 genera, 37 species), Myrmillinae (3 genera, 6 species), Pseudophotopsidinae (1 genus, 4 species), and Ticoplinae (1 genus, 1 species). Distributions, both on the Peninsula and extra-limital, are provided for each species; 31 species (50%) are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.