Pristepyris masii ( Giordani Soika, 1933 )

Fadeev, Kirill I., 2021, Review of the genera Pristocera Klug and Pristepyris Kieffer (Hymenoptera Bethylidae, Pristocerinae) of Russia and adjacent territories, Zootaxa 4965 (3), pp. 461-482 : 475-478

Pristepyris masii ( Giordani Soika, 1933)

( Figs 7 , 8 )

Pristocera masii Giordani Soika, 1933: 99 (male). Type locality: Lido, Venice ( Italy); Gordh & Móczár 1990: 240 (catalogue); Olmi 1994, 2003.

Acrepyris masii ( Giordani Soika, 1933) : Alencar et al. 2016: 799 , Figs 1 –9 (redescription, transferred to Acrepyris ); Fadeev 2017: 24 (new distribution); Lelej & Fadeev 2017: 123.

Pristepyris masii ( Soika, 1933) : Azevedo et al. 2018b: 104 (checklist of species, transferred to Pristepyris ).

Material examined. RUSSIA: Krasnodar Territory : 2♂, 1♀, Krasnodar, VNIIBZR [ All-Russian Research Institute of Biological Plant Protection ], 45°02’56.1”N 38°52’32.4”E, 13.VII.2013, Malaise trap, O. Kosheleva leg. ( ZISP) ; 1♂, Sochi, Razdolnoye [43°35’N 39°46′E], 21.IX.1926, A. Shestakov leg. ( ZISP) ; 2♂, Sochi, Okhun [=Akhun] Station [43°32’N 39°49’E], 02.X.1926, A. Shestakov leg. ( ZISP) ; 1♂, Sochi, Lazarevskoe, Mamedova Shchel’ , 43°57’11.1”N 39°18’26.6”E, 29.VII.2020, net swiping on meadow and forest, K. Fadeev leg. ( ZISP) ; 2♂, Sochi, Lazarevskoe , 43°53’51.9”N 39°21’23.8”E, 31.VII.2020, net swiping on meadow under power lines, A. Timokhov leg. ( ZISP) ; 1♂, same locality and date, O. Kosheleva leg. ( ZISP) . Rostov Province: 1♂, 5 km NW of Matveyev Kurgan, 47°36’51.1”N 38°47’57.6”E, forest, edges, 05.VIII. 2020, S. Belokobylskij leg. ( ZISP) . Stavropol Territory: 1♂, Arzgir , 45°22′44.35″N 44°12′27.84″E, 8–14.VII.2020, Malaise trap, O. Kosheleva leg. ( ZISP) . Volgograd Province: 1♀, Volgograd, Rostovskaya street, 19 [48°42’19.0”N 44°29’11.5”E], 14.VIII.1984, 10:15 [am], in the morning on furniture in apartment, [on the back of label] possible accidental bringing, D. Matveev leg. ( ZISP) . Crimea Republic: 1♂, Sevastopol [44°35’N 33°32’E], Delgardt steading, 14.IX.1908, W. Pliginski leg. ( ZISP) ; 1♂, Evpatoria [45°11’N 33°21’E], 09.IX.1905, V. Yakovlev leg. ( ZISP) ; 2♂, Koktebel’ [44°58’N 35°15’E], 1– 8.VIII.2007, K. Tomkovich leg. ( ZMMU) . AZERBAIJAN: 1♂, Ganja [40°41’N 46°22’E], “Az.O.E.st.” [Azerbaijan Experimental Entomological (or Silkworm) Station ?], 27.X.1932, sweeping on Vicia , [without collector] ( ZISP) ; 1♂, Mardakert, Leninavan [40°19′ N. 46°54′E], 01.IX.1980, Kh. Aliyev leg. ( ZISP) . GEORGIA: 1♂, Tbilisi [41°42’N 44°49’E], Botanical Garden, 21.IX.1981, V. Trjapitzin leg. ( ZISP) .

Description of female (first record). FEMALE ( Fig. 7 B , 8 ). Measurements. Body 4.0–6.0 mm long. HL 0.88–1.05 mm; HW 0.68–0.88 mm; LP 0.45–0.63 mm; WP 0.40–0.50 mm.

Colour. Body from yellowish-brown to brown. Metasomal segments yellow-brown and only yellow posteriorly Antennae, legs and sting yellow, paler than body.

Head. Head 1.20–1.29 × longer than wide, slightly widening anteriorly in dorsal view; its dorsal surface parallel to ventral surface in lateral view. Median lobe of clypeus with central notch and bidentate in dorsal view. Mandible with four subequal distal teeth. Head dorsally punctuate and setose, punctures arranged in 12–16 longitudinal rows, smooth and shiny in intervals, hardly noticeably reticulate or imbricated. Eye small, with about 20 facets, its width half of width of scape. Head shiny, setose, covered with subequal setae. Ratio of first five antennomeres 15–17:3–4:4:3–4:3.

Mesosoma . Dorsal pronotal area narrow anteriorly, 1.12–1.20 × longer than wide, shiny with sparse punctures arranged in eight–ten longitudinal rows like on head, smaller ones to sides; lateral pronotal area slightly punctured and imbricated. Mesothorax obtuse-angular triangular with distinctly concave posterior sides and rounded apices or T-shaped. Mesopleuron inclined, its lateral surface converge at angle posteriorly (dorsally). Mesopleuron coarsely punctate, with setae and imbricate. Metapectal-propodeal complex shiny in median part, sparsely punctate dorsally and finer punctate towards sides, intervals polished; its maximum width 1.8–2.5 × minimum width. Lateral marginal carina of metapectal-propodeal complex developed, curved, its lateral surface not punctured, imbricated or with mesh pattern. Mesosoma and femora setose, covered with subequal setae like on head. Mesotibia markedly spinose, with seven spines in two rows.

Metasoma. Metasoma dorsally shiny, markedly pubescent posteriorly. First metasomal spiracles round.

Remarks. I have no reliably established copulating pairs of this species. Аt the initial stage of the study, I found in the collection the alone unknown female of Рristocerinae from Volgograd (see material). Its species identification was questionable, but it was distinctly different from the available females of Pristocera and other Pristocerinae genera, such as Pseudisobrachium . I was inclined to assign it to the species Pristepyris masii . But without the discovery of copulating pairs or molecular studies, it was not possible to assign this specimen to the species Pristepyris masii with a full guarantee.

Then after the accurate and unquestionable assignment of males and females of the genus Pristocera by copulating pairs aforementioned, and also taking into account that the diversity of large representatives of the genera Pristocerinae in the south-west of Russia is not high, only two genera and three species, I assigned this female to the species Pristepyris masii by exclusion.

Finally, I found two males Pristepyris masii and a previously unknown second female in one sample of Malaise trap from Krasnodar. This unknown female shared the same morphological features as mentioned earlier female specimen as indicated in the diagnostic characters, and I hypothesized them as forming one single species. Thus, I assume that these females are an unknown female of the species Pristepyris masii .

Distribution: Italy ( Giordani Soika 1933; Olmi 1994, 2003; Alencar et al. 2016); Russia: Crimea Rep., Krasnodar Terr. ( Fadeev 2017, Lelej & Fadeev 2017), * Rostov Prov., * Stavropol Terr.,* Volgograd Prov.; * Azerbaijan; * Georgia.

Hosts. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pristocera depressa (Fabricius, 1804). A. Male, habitus, dorsal view. B. Female, habitus, dorsal view. C. Metasomal petiole of male, ventral view. D. Hypopygium of male, outer view. E. Male genitalia, dorsal view. F. Male genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm for A and B; 0.5 mm for C–F.

FIGURE 7. Pristepyris masii (Giordani Soika, 1933). A. Male, habitus, dorsal view. B. Female, habitus, dorsal view. C. Hypopygium of male, outer view. D. Male genitalia, dorsal view. E. Male genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm for A and B; 0.5 mm for C, D, E.

FIGURE 8. Pristepyris masii (Giordani Soika, 1933), female. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Head and mandible, front view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Mesosoma, lateral view. E. Head, lateral view F. Head, lateral view. G. Mesotibia. H. Metasomal petiole, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.