Afrepsilon aterrimum gen. et sp. nov., 2024

Selis, Marco & Carpenter, James M., 2024, Revision of the Afrotropical genus Afrepipona Giordani Soika, 1965 and description of Afrepsilon gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), European Journal of Taxonomy 944, pp. 1-80 : 61-64

Afrepsilon aterrimum gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A1F9227A-514E-48DB-821D-C48B99D0ABFA

Figs 21D, H , 22

Diagnosis

Recognized by the following characters: clypeus sparsely micropunctate with large and flat-bottomed punctures ( Fig. 22B ); vertex evenly punctate, with foveae separated by more than their diameter and placed in a shallow depression ( Fig. 22C ); pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with sparse and not coalescent punctures, interspaces flattened; posterior lobe of tegula depressed and apically rounded; dorsal carinae of propodeum absent; metasoma covered by sparse brownish pubescence, not hiding surface of tergites; preapical ridge of T2 sharp but not lamellate and short, not covering lamellate apical margin, which is about as long as half ocellar diameter ( Fig. 22D ); apical margin of T3–4 brownish but not translucent; body with very reduced yellow markings on head, metanotum, legs and T1–2.

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to the deep-black coloration of most of the body.

Type material

Holotype

UGANDA • ♀; between Seziwa River and Kampala; 27–31 Aug. 1911; S.A. Neave leg.; MSNVE.

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 7.0 mm; fore wing length 6.5 mm.

MORPHOLOGY. Head 1.3 × as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus 1.25 × as wide as long, apical margin evenly emarginate between apical teeth, 0.25 × as wide as maximum width of clypeus, emargination 0.2 × as deep as wide; apical teeth subtriangular, with slightly pointing out rounded apex, with short longitudinal fold but not carinate; clypeus in lateral view very slightly convex. Vertex 1.3 × as long as distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin; cephalic foveae very small and separated by more than their diameter, placed in a small barely depressed area with different sculpture; gena 0.5 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina complete, sharp but not raised on vertex, raised in a sharp ridge on gena, evenly curved in lower third: F1 1.4 × as long as wide and 1.3 × as long as F2, F2–3 subquadrate, F4–9 transverse and becoming progressively shorter. Mesosoma 1.3 × as long as wide. Sides of pronotum in dorsal view convex and converging in dorsal view, weakly sinuate behind humeri; pronotal carina complete, sharp and raised but not lamellate, evenly rounded on humeri; pretegular carina complete and sharp even if weak; lateral faces of pronotum smoothly passing into dorsal face, weakly depressed in lower half. Mesoscutum 0.9 × as long as wide, evenly convex in lateral view. Scutellum weakly convex; anterior margin crenate with very large pits, median one slightly larger. Metanotum very weakly convex in lateral view. Tegula not equaling parategula, outer margin strongly convex in the middle, posterior lobe very short and blunt, shallowly depressed with raised posterior margin; parategula small and curved. Epicnemial carina strong and distinct but dull, exceeding epipleural suture and reaching mesosternum. Propodeum falling almost vertically behind metanotum in lateral view; posterior face shallowly concave but sharply separated from other faces; lateral faces distinctly depressed with strongly convex posterodorsal margin. T1 semicircular, 0.5 × as long as wide in dorsal view; posterior margin thin with a short hyaline lamellar margin. T2 0.85 × as long as wide in dorsal view, apical margin lamellate and brownish-hyaline, transition between tergite and lamella marked by a very short lamellar ridge. S2 evenly convex in lateral view.

SCULPTURE AND VESTITURE. Clypeus matte, finely shagreened with very fine sparse micropunctures and shallow rounded punctures, latter smaller basally and larger apically with interspaces always wider than one puncture diameter. Frons with shallow flat-bottomed polygonal cells, touching and separated by irregular interspaces reduced to narrow ridges, cells with shiny bottom and interspaces matte; vertex shiny with barely visible shagreen and sparse shallow punctures, gena densely micropunctate and very shiny with punctures mostly restricted to anterior margin. Scape matte, shagreened and with dense fine punctures. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with dense deep punctures; interspaces mostly flattened and some reduced to narrow ridges, narrower than puncture diameter on pronotum and mesoscutum, scutellum more sparsely punctate and with an impunctate median area; lateral faces of pronotum micropunctate and shiny with some shallow striae. Metanotum with coarse oblique punctures in median area, more finely punctate laterally. Mesepisternum with large flat-bottomed punctures, very dense along epicnemial carina and becoming sparser posteriorly, posterior third almost entirely impunctate and finely shagreened; epicnemium and mesosternum finely shagreened and shiny, with sparse fine punctures on mesosternum. Dorsal faces of propodeum with very large and coarse punctures, interspaces mostly reduced to very narrow and sharp raised ridges, anterior third with some shiny and micropunctate flattened interspaces; posterior face densely shagreened with short oblique striation near mid-line, some large shallow punctures along dorsal margin; metaepisternum and lateral faces of propodeum finely shagreened and striate, suddenly replaced by large flat-bottomed punctures along posterodorsal margin of propodeum. T1 finely shagreened and micropunctate, silky shiny, with sparse shallow oblique punctures; T2 similar to T1 but punctures and micropunctures deeper and denser, interspaces more shiny; T3–4 shagreened with coarse and dense oblique punctures; T5–6 shagreened and micropunctate, with very sparse fine punctures; S1 matte and irregularly sculpted; S2 similar to T2 but punctures much larger and deeper, forming a dense preapical series; S3–6 similar to respective tergites but with finer sculpture. Head and mesosoma with pale brownish suberect setae; clypeus, lower third of frons, gena and sides of mesosoma with dense pale pubescence; propodeum covered in very short white pubescence, denser on lateral faces and present only on margins of posterior face, corners with longer setae; metasoma with dense short brownish setae with reddish tinge, T2–6 and S2–5 with preapical series of suberect longer setae.

COLORATION. Black; following parts yellow: lower face of scape, spot at bottom of ocular sinus, short line on upper part of gena, spots on anterior corners of metanotum, narrow apical band on T1–2. Wings weakly infuscate, with slight brassy reflections.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Uganda.

Figures

Fig. 21. Diagnostic characters of Afrepsilon gen. nov. A–C, F. A. hybridum gen. et sp. nov., ♀, holotype from Umtali (MSNVE). D, H. A. aterrimum gen. et sp. nov., ♀, holotype from Uganda (SNVE). E, G. A. ferrugineoaureum gen. et sp. nov., ♂, paratype from Berea (MSVI). A. Head, frontal view. B. Mandible, frontal view. C. Head, dorsal view. D. Palpi, lateral view. E. Head, lateral view. F. Metanotum and propodeum, posterior view. G. Apex of wing, dorsal view. H. T1–2, dorsolateral view. Scale bars: A–C, E–H = 1 mm; D = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 22. Afrepsilon aterrimum gen. et sp. nov., ♀, holotype from Uganda (MSNVE). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Head, frontal view. C. Head, dorsal view. D. T2–3, dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.