Anterhynchium (Anterhynchium) denticulatum ( Mocsáry, 1903 ) Selis & Carpenter, 2023

Selis, Marco & Carpenter, James M., 2023, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Anterhynchium de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), Zootaxa 5233 (1), pp. 1-102 : 57-59

Anterhynchium (Anterhynchium) denticulatum ( Mocsáry, 1903) stat. nov.

( Fig. 12 )

Synagris denticulata Mocsàry 1903: 506 , ♀ —“Africa orientalis (Ukami)” (holotype HNHM).

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by combination of following characters: dorsal face of propodeum entirely punctured, propodeum nearly entirely rounded with a curved tooth above propodeal valvula, pubescence of head and mesosoma ferruginous-goldish, male clypeus with narrow apical margin, male F11 narrow and straight, mid femur of male simple, vertex of female with small circular depression, head, mesosoma and T1 red, T3–T5 with broad white bands.

Typical material examined. Holotype of Synagris denticulata : “Deutsc- / O.-Afrika / Synagris / denticulata Mocs. / typ. / det. Mocsáry // Rhynchium // Anterhynchium / grayi ssp. / denticulatum / Giordani Soika det. 198 // id nr.128284 / HNHM / Hym. coll.” ( HNHM).

Description. MALE. Fore wing length 12.0– 12.5 mm.

Head 1.25 × as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus in lateral view convex in basal half, then flattened to the apex; in frontal view 1.2 × as long as wide, apical margin truncate and very narrow, about 0.2 × as wide as clypeal width, apical teeth dull and shortly carinate. Interantennal space carinate. Distance from posterior ocellus to inner occipital carina 1.6 × as long as the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin. Gena 0.85 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina strong ventrally, becoming finer toward vertex. Scape 3.7 × as long as apically wide; F1 2.2 × as long as wide; F2–F10 longer than wide; F11 bacilliform, apically rounded and practically straight in lateral view, weakly curved in dorsal view, apex reaching middle of F8; F6–F10 with indistinct tyloids. Pronotal carina complete, elevated into a very short lamella; pretegular carina indistinct dorsally. Mesoscutum 0.95 × as long as wide between tegulae, evenly convex in lateral view. Scutellum convex, with a barely visible median longitudinal furrow. Metanotum in lateral view weakly angled, horizontal and vertical faces not distinctly separated by a transverse carina, vertical face transversely convex. Tegula elongate, outer margin evenly convex, posterior lobe triangular and short, not reaching apex of parategula. Parategula large and straight, with weakly curved rounded apex. Mesepisternum weakly convex, epicnemial carina complete and strong, becoming lamellate ventrally. Propodeum in lateral view almost vertical; sides of posterior face flat and angularly meeting on median line, therefore posterior face large and weakly depressed; dorsal faces convex; lateral faces flat with weak apical depression; dorsal carinae absent, therefore dorsal and posterior faces are not clearly separated; lateral carinae absent; inferior carina weak with a curved tooth above propodeal valvula. T 1 in dorsal view 0.7 × as long as wide, almost parallel-sided, in lateral view with a flat vertical face which continues in a flattened horizontal face, transition broadly rounded; T 2 in dorsal view wider than long, in lateral view regularly convex from base to apex; S 2 in lateral view weakly and evenly convex basally, then flattened to apex, with a large triangular depression that runs from basal margin to posterior third of sternum.

Head with deep flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces shorter than punctures diameter on frons, becoming wider on vertex and gena; interantennal space and lower third of ocular sinus smooth. Clypeus micropunctate with scattered larger but shallow punctures on basal half, densely microstriate in apical half. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with dense deep punctures, interspaces shorter than punctures diameter and forming reticulation. Metanotum coarsely punctured on horizontal face, interspaces forming irregular carinae; vertical face punctured in dorsal half, impunctate ventrally. Mesepisternum, except epicnemium and posterior margin, with large flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces forming sharp reticulation above transverse furrow, larger and flattened below. Dorsal plate of metaepisternum smooth and shiny, with some punctures on dorsal third; ventral plate dull and microreticulate. Dorsal faces of propodeum with coarse irregular punctures and transverse striae, interspaces irregular; posterior face finely and obliquely striate in the middle, smooth on sides; lateral faces dull, with dense transverse striae and some shallo large punctures. T1 with fine punctures, nearly absent on vertical face, denser on disc of horizontal face. T2 with oblique punctures, becoming larger and denser apically, forming a preapical band of large and dense deep punctures, leaving an impunctate apical margin. T3–T7 with small punctures, becoming finer apically. S1 with transverse irregular striae on apical expanded part, basal narrow part smooth. S2–S7 punctured like respective terga, but punctures deeper and sparser, interspaces shiny. Head, mesosoma, T1 and S1–S2 with short ferruginous-goldish setae, longer on frons, mesepisternum, propodeum and S2; T2–T7 and S3–S7 with dust-like blackish pubescence, whitish on white bands of T3–T5.

Red; following parts black: interantennal area, area between dorsal lobes of eyes and vertex, margins of mandible, irregular markings on posterior margin of mesoscutum, sides of proepisternum, extreme base of T1, broad apical band on T1, whole T2 except basal angles, sides and middle of T3–T5, whole T6–T7, apical band on S2, whole S3–S7; base of clypeus and interantennal tubercle suffused with yellow, broad white bands on T3–T5. Wings strongly fuscous, with dark purplish reflections.

FEMALE. Fore wing length 16.0 mm.

Like male, except: head 1.15 × as wide as long in frontal view; clypeus in frontal view pyriform, 1.15 × as long as wide, apical margin narrow and shallowly emarginate, apical teeth short and rounded, coarsely and densely punctured; gena as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; vertex with circular depression near occipital margin; scape 4 × as long as apically wide; F1 2 × as long as wide; F2–F9 becoming proportionally shorter towards apex; F10 bullet shaped; T 1 in dorsal view 0.85 × as long as wide and more densely punctate.

Distribution. Tanzania ( Cameron 1910a; Carpenter et al. 2009; Giordani Soika 1987; Mocsáry 1903) ( Fig. 10 ).

Remarks. Giordani Soika (1987) considered this taxon as a subspecies of Anterhynchium (A.) grayi , but stating that he was inclined to consider it as specifically distinct. Examining a paralectotype of Rhynchium usambaraense and specimens housed in MSNVE, and confronting them with specimens of all other forms of grayi , it is obvious that they can not be considered conspecific. Due to the shape of propodeum, rounded with a tooth above propodeal valvula, this species is closer to A. (A.) mephisto .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Distributional map of mephisto species-group.

FIGURE 12. Anterhynchium denticulatum (Mocsáry, 1903). A, habitus of female. B, head of male in frontal view. C, head of female in frontal view. D, head of female in dorsal view. E, flagellum of male in lateral view. F, propodeum in lateral view. G, T2 in dorsal view.