The genus Odontosphex, according to Menke (1967), Bohart and Menke (1976) and Pulawski (1991) with clarifications, is characterized by: eyes in males nearly holoptic, in females conspicuously converging above; lateral ocelli vestigial and close to midocellus; clypeus transverse and apicomedially with two to seven teeth, no lateral clypeal brushes in male, upper margin medially not unusually expanded upward; antennae short and with F1 not longer than F2, antennal sockets separated from clypeus by not more than two their diameters; no subantennal sclerite defined by lines from antennal sockets through tentorial pits to clypeus; a small tubercle between antennae; mandible edentate and with socket not completely closed, no hairbrushes in male; palpal formula 6–4; pronotal collar thin, depressed and appressed to scutum; episternal sulcus absent; scrobal sulcus absent or weakly indicated; omaulus present or absent; propodeum long; metapostnotum defined, wide and triangular, with a median longitudinal carina, its apex extending onto vertical posterior propodeal surface; foretarsal rake of female consists of short spines, absent in male; midcoxae nearly contiguous; midtibia with one apical spur; hindcoxa with lamella at inner apex; hindfemur truncate apically; plantulae present; marginal cell of forewing acutely narrowed and slightly separated from wing edge toward apex; second submarginal cell not petiolate in front and receiving both recurrent veins; hindwing media diverging before cu-a; jugal lobe occupying about four-fifth length of anal area; metasoma sessile; female S6 not cleft apically; male S8 somewhat narrowed and triangularly emargined at apex; female with pygidial plate; no cerci; volsella differentiated into digitus and cuspis.

Holotype : ♂, Туркмения / Бадхызский зап-к / Ероюландуз / Курзенко 16 V 1990 [Turkmenistan, Badkhyz Nature Reserve, Yeroyulanduz valley, 35.70°N, 61.97°E, 16.V.1990, leg. N. Kurzenko] // Holotype ♂ Odontosphex / leleji Mokrousov et / Proshchalykin [ZISP]. Paratypes: 3 ♂, with same data as the holotype [2 ♂ in ZISP, 1 ♂ in MMC].

Odontosphex leleji sp. nov. clearly differs from the other Palaearctic species, O. bidens Arnold, by a 4-dentate clypeus, longer basal flagellomeres and not swollen flagellar segments (in the male of O. bidens the clypeus is bidentate, the basal flagellomeres are transverse, F7 and F10 are swollen behind); from Afrotropical O. damara Pulawski, the new species differs by short setation on vertex and T1, and by coloration of the body with brown, yellow and reddish pattern (O. damara has long erect setae on the vertex and base of T1, and predominantly black body).

Male. Body length 5.8–7.1 mm (holotype: 6.0 mm); fore wing length 3.7 mm (holotype). Head (Fig. 2A–C). Head ratio H:W = 0.84 (Fig. 2A); eyes markedly convergent above, vertex linear, least interocular distance equal to 0.3 × transverse midocellar diameter, with central longitudinal sulcus (Fig. 2B, C) which continues behind as very thin line. Posterior ocelli elongated, flattened and inconspicuous. Clypeus short, about half length from anterior margin to antennal sockets at middle; central part of anterior margin with two long median and two triangular lateral teeth (Fig. 1D). Occipital carina well developed, joining hypostomal carina and then forming thin partition dividing hypostomal and occipital cavities. Antennae thickened, flagellomeres without swellings or excisions, F1–F5 nearly as long as wide, F6–F11 longer than wide; F4–F9 with tyloids, which are very small, in form of tubercles on F4 and F9, and oval, protruding and clearly visible on F5–F8 (Fig. 1C). Lower frons and clypeus with dense silver setation concealing integument; upper frons dull, with spaced small punctures, ocellar area shiny with larger punctures about 0.5–1 diameter apart; gena slightly shiny, with obscure fine punctures. Mesosoma (Fig. 1E). Omaulus short and visible only in upper part ventrally of pronotal lobe; scrobe unclear. Mesoscutum with wide depressed admedian area limited by furrows; notauli short but distinct and depressed; parapsidal furrow thin, not reaching anterior and posterior edges of mesoscutum (Fig. 1E). Upper third of metapleuron longitudinally elevated. Mesonotum with fine and dense punctation in anterior part, with scattered punctures at middle and more dense punctures laterally and posteriorly. Mesoscutellum with scattered punctures at middle and more dense punctures posteriorly. Metanotum matt, microsculptured, densely punctate. Dorsal part of metapostnotum punctato-rugose, almost smooth and shiny apically. Mesopleuron densely punctate, punctures partly contiguous, interspaces shiny. Propodeum dorsolaterally matt and finely wrinkled, densely punctate ventrally. Mesoscutum anterolaterally, metapostnotum at center and mesopleuron with dense semierect and sparse erect setae, length of some setae more than one midocellar diameter. Propodeum posterolaterally with erect setae, length about 1.5 midocellar diameter. Wings (Fig. 2F). Venation typical for genus. Setation. Foretarsal rake lacking, represented only by thin and rather sparse bristles; forefemur with dense semierect and sparse long erect setae ventrally. Metasoma with dense short setation forming indistinct bands at apical parts of segments. Genitalia (Fig. 2D, E). Penial valve hooklike; cuspis and digitus longitudinally elongate. Coloration (Fig. 1A). Black with reddish (brownish) and yellow pattern. Head black with light brown or yellowish mandibles (except base and apex), labrum and distal parts of mouth appendages; antenna brownish ventrally and darkened dorsally, apical flagellomeres almost completely light brown. Mesosoma black, pronotal lobe yellow. Fore and mid femora dark brown with lighter apex; hind femur, tibiae and tarsi yellowish or light brown. Tegula and wing veins basally yellow, veins brownish apically; forewing Sc+R mostly brownish. Metasomal segments 1–3 predominantly reddish brown, apical parts of segments translucent, metasomal apex reddish brown; in particular specimen, first three segments completely red.

Female. Unknown.

The species is named after a well-known Russian entomologist Prof. Arkady S. Lelej (Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia) on the occasion of his 75^th birthday.

Only known from the type locality in Turkmenistan.