Leptomenes obliquepunctatus Selis, 2023

Selis, Marco, 2023, Taxonomy of the Afrotropical genus Leptomenes Giordani Soika, with description of a new species from South Africa (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), Zootaxa 5228 (5), pp. 584-594 : 585-586

Leptomenes obliquepunctatus Selis , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Diagnosis. Recognized by large size (8–9 mm in ♂, 10 mm in ♀), extensive red and yellow markings and following morphological characters: clypeus weakly shiny, frons shiny with dense deep punctures, vertex lacking protuberances, pronotal carina rounded on humerus, anterior face of pronotum without median pit, dorsal face of propodeum largely smooth with sparse deep punctures, posterior depression of propodeum obliquely striate, T1 wider than long in dorsal view and strongly convex in lateral view.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♂, labeled “ Durban, / Natal / 16-2-21 / C. N. Barker / Bluff / 2600 // O. / obliquepunctatus nsp. / Giordani Soika det. 1936 // Leptomenes obliquepunctatus / Selis , sp. nov. / HOLOTYPUS ♂ / det. Marco Selis ” ( MSNVE). PARATYPES. SOUTH AFRICA: Bluff , Durban, Natal, 19.III.1920, leg. C.N. Barker, 1♀ ( MSNVE); Bluff, Durban, 28.X.1916, leg. C.N. Barker, 1♂ (MSVI).

Description. Male holotype ( Fig. 1 ). Body length 8 mm; fore wing length 7 mm.

Head 1.1 × as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus 1.1 × as wide as long in frontal view, apically semicircularly emarginate, apical emargination about as wide as interantennal distance and 2 × as wide as deep, apical angles triangular and sharp and bearing short blunt carinae, area bounded by carinae weakly depressed; clypeus in lateral view barely convex in basal third, then flattened to the apex. Interantennal space nearly flat, with a weak indication of median longitudinal ridge. Distance from posterior ocellus to occipital margin 2 × as long as the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin; ocelli disposed as an obtuse triangle, distance between posterior ocelli 2.15 × as long as distance between anterior ocellus and posterior ocellus. Gena 0.6 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina complete but fading on transition from vertex to gena, evenly curved and shortly lamellate on gena. Scape 3 × as long as apically wide; F1 1.65 × as long as wide and 1.4 × as long as F2; F2–F8 barely longer than wide, becoming proportionally shorter, convex on dorsal side; F9 distinctly longer than wide; F10 small and subquadrate, concealed in a depression on F9; F11 small and claw-shaped with pointed apex, apically weakly curved in lateral view, reaching middle of F9; tyloid present on F9, as a subtriangular shiny depression. Mandible elongate and five-toothed, apical tooth long and pointed, other shorter and rounded. Mesosoma in dorsal view elongate, 1.35 × as long as wide; forming an even curve from pronotum to apex of propodeum in lateral view. Pronotum in dorsal view with weakly converging sides; pronotal carina complete and shortly lamellate on dorsal side, weakly sinuate below humeri, which are broadly rounded; pretegular carina fine but sharp; dorsal face of pronotum evenly convex and smoothly passing into lateral faces, which are weakly depressed. Mesoscutum as long as wide, with short and shallow hints of parapsidal sulci near posterior margin, evenly convex in lateral view. Scutellum nearly flat; axillary fossa small but circular. Metanotum weakly convex in lateral view. Tegula with evenly rounded outer margin, posterior lobe pointed and weakly exceeding parategula, largest width of tegula situated near middle; parategula evenly curved and apically rounded. Mesepisternum nearly flattened, depressed near posterior margin of ventral plate; epicnemial carina distinct but not sharp, not reaching transverse furrow dorsally. Propodeum evenly and strongly convex in lateral view; dorsal face convex and smoothly passing into median posterior depression; lateral face flattened and separated from dorsal face by a rounded margin; median depression of propodeum with a sharp median longitudinal carina; submarginal carina produced in a subtriangular lobe, fused to propodeal valvula but posteriorly separated by a shallow incision. T 1 in dorsal view subtriangular, 1.7× as apically wide as medially long, strongly convex near middle in lateral view, the convexity nearly delimiting an anterior and a posterior face, apical margin weakly swollen. S1 triangular with a short basal petiole; apical enlarged part margined laterally by sharp carinae. T2 1.25 × as wide as long in dorsal view, with sides convex basally and straight posteriorly; evenly convex in lateral view, with apical margin weakly depressed. S2 strongly convex in basal fourth, then weakly and evenly convex to the apex.

Clypeus weakly shiny and densely micropunctate, whit scattered fine punctures barely visible, some deeper punctures visible around apical emargination. Frons shiny with deep punctures, interspaces sparsely micropunctate and ranging from 0.5 to 1.5× as punctures diameter; interantennal space and lower third of ocular sinus nearly impunctate; vertex more densely punctate than frons; gena with large impunctate spaces, punctures similar to those on frons and disappearing ventrally. Scape micropunctate with scattered fine punctures, appearing silky shiny. Mandible densely microreticulate, appearing sub-opaque. Dorsal face of pronotum sculpted like vertex but punctures larger and deeper; lateral face of pronotum smooth and shiny with some deep small punctures arranged in irregular series; anterior face of pronotum smooth and shiny, with scattered fine deep punctures in lateral thirds. Mesoscutum and scutellum punctured like dorsal face of pronotum, but mesoscutum bearing some irregular interspaces ranging from 2× to 3× punctures diameter. Metanotum with large shallow punctures on anterior half, deep and fine punctures on posterior half, extreme sides impunctate. Mesepisternum with deep punctures similar to those on frons but sparser, interspaces wider and shinier, with scattered micropunctures, ventral third of ventral plate nearly impunctate; epicnemium shiny and microreticulate. Metaepisternum largely impunctate and finely microreticulate, upper plate more shiny, some shallow punctures along ventral margin of ventral plate. Tegula entirely micropunctate, except on posterior lobe. Dorsal face of propodeum largely smooth on anterior half, with sparse deep punctures and large interspaces on posterior half; posterior face mostly with fine and irregular oblique striae running from median carina, dorsal margins largely smooth with some shallow punctures; lateral face of propodeum irregularly microstriate with scattered deep small punctures. T1 densely micropunctate and shiny, with deep oblique punctures posteriorly to median depression; punctures arranged in irregular transverse series and interspaces from 1× to 3× punctures diameter, punctures not reaching apical margin, leaving smooth preapical band long about two punctures. T2 densely micropunctate and more dull than T1, punctures finer but more oblique, becoming denser and larger apically and laterally, leaving an impunctate preapical margin. T3–T6 with deep rounded punctures, larger and denser on T3 and becoming progressively smaller and sparser towards T6. T7 micropunctate with very scattered barely visible punctures. S1 with smooth and shiny basal petiole, apical enlarged part strongly shiny with deep punctures and irregular rugosities. S2–S6 sculpted similar to respective terga, but punctures less oblique and sparser, interspaces more shiny. Head and dorsal side of thorax with short and dense, but not very visible, brownish-yellow pubescence; clypeus, gena, sides of thorax and whole propodeum with short and dense silvery pubescence, with some longer fine setae near apex of propodeum; metasoma completely covered by dust-like grayish pubescence, with some short setae on T3–T7 and all sterna.

Genitalia in Fig. 2 .

Black; following parts red: clypeus, mandibles except margins, labrum, upper half of gena, scape, underside of flagellum, most of pronotum except triangular markings in front of pretegular carina, short longitudinal lines on posterior margin of mesoscutum, tegula, small oval spots on side of scutellum, metanotum, most of mesepisternum, dorsa face of propodeum, sides and preapical margin of T1 connected to transverse spots on top of convexity, lateral spots on T2 connected to thin preapical band, margins of S1, large lateral spots on S2, and legs; following parts pale yellow: basal triangular spot on mandible, thin line along pronotal carina, parategula, anterior band on metanotum, projection of submarginal carina, narrow apical band on T1, wider apical bands on T2 and S2, apical spot on fore femur, outer faces of fore and mid tibia; following parts orange: basal band on clypeus, oval spot above interantennal space, line along inner eye margin filling ocular sinus, T3–T7 and S3–S7. Wings fuscous with weak brassy reflections, venation brownish-black.

Female ( Fig. 3 ). Body length 10 mm; fore wing length 9 mm.

As male, but differing as follows: clypeus as long as wide, apical emargination shallower and apical teeth pointing out, F4–F9 wider than long, vertex with a pair of foveae close to each other near middle, foveae much smaller than punctures, T1–T2 more elongate, T3–T6 and S3–S6 with darker coloration, punctures on T1–T2 finer and sparser.

Distribution. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal.

Etymology. The specific name was found written by Giordani Soika on labels pinned under the specimens found in MSNVE; it probably refers to the oblique punctures on the metasoma.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Leptomenes obliquepunctatus Selis, sp. nov., male holotype. A, habitus in lateral view. B, habitus in dorsal view. C, head in frontal view. D, T1–T2 in dorsal view.

FIGURE 2. Leptomenes obliquepunctatus Selis, sp. nov., male genitalia. A, aedeagus in ventral view. B, aedeagus in lateral view. C, volsella and digitus.

FIGURE 3. Leptomenes obliquepunctatus Selis, sp. nov., female paratype. A, habitus in lateral view. B, head in frontal view. C, head in dorsal view. D, metanotum and propodeum in posterodorsal view. E, T1 in lateral view.