African Arthropods/Philanthus

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