African Arthropods/Philanthus
Appearance
There are 17 species in South Africa (Pulawski 2023):
- Philanthus bucephalus
- Philanthus capensis
- Philanthus fuscipennis
- Philanthus histrio
- Philanthus impatiens
- Philanthus loeflingi
- Philanthus major
- Philanthus melanderi
- Philanthus namaqua
- Philanthus natalensis
- Philanthus oraniensis
- Philanthus pilifrons
- Philanthus promontorii
- Philanthus rugosus
- Philanthus strigulosus
- Philanthus triangulum
- Philanthus turneri
All are described in Arnold (1925). However:
- Philanthus major is not in the key - Arnold (1925) merely presents the original description (Kohl, 1891) translated into English.
- Philanthus promontorii - only the male has been described; Arnold (1925) states that it is "closely allied to capensis Dahlb., and probably only a race of that species".
Review and key: Arnold, G. (1925). The Sphegidae of South Africa. Part VI. Annals of the Transvaal Museum, 11(3), 137-175. https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA00411752_704