Anterhynchium (Anterhynchium) aestuans ( de Saussure, 1863 )

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 : 43-46

Anterhynchium (Anterhynchium) aestuans ( de Saussure, 1863)

( Fig. 4 )

Rhynchium aestuans de Saussure 1863: 206 , ♀ —“ Sénégal ” (holotype MNHN).

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by: larger size, yellowish markings abundant and present as pairs of spots on mesosoma and metasoma, occipital carina normal, pronotal carina not lamelliform and not produced on humeri, propodeal valvulae produced in rectangular lobe, F7–F10 of male antenna just flattened below and F11 with short birstles apically and not expanded on ventral margin, fore basitarsus of male normal, mid femur of male basally modified with depressed ventral face and expanded, apical margin of female clypeus weakly emarginate and with rounded teeth, vertex of female with foveae placed in depressed area broader than ocellar triangle.

Description. MALE. Fore wing length 14.0– 17.5 mm.

Head 1.2 × as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus in lateral view weakly convex in upper third, then flattened to the apex; in frontal view 1.25 × as long as wide, apical margin equal to interantennal space, truncate, apical corners bearing dull short carinae, median third of apical half weakly depressed. Interantennal space sharply carinate. Distance from posterior ocellus to occipital carina 2.5 × as long as the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin. Vertex weakly depressed in posterior half. Gena as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina lamellate on upper two thirds of gena and on sides vertex, fine medially. Scape 3.5 × as long as apically wide; F1 2.6 × as long as wide; F2–F10 longer than wide; F11 digitiform, broad and strongly arched in the middle, apically weakly expanded and rounded, apex reaching middle of F8; in dorsal view parallel sided and narrowed only at apex, with some short setae on extreme apex; F6–F10 with tyloids. Mandibles quadridentate, apical tooth long and weakly curved apically, second tooth forming a convex cutting margin, third and fourth teeth short. Pronotal carina complete, lamellate on humeral angles which are weakly prominent, therefore the anterior margin appears weakly arched; viewed from the front the angles are largely rounded; pretegular carina distinct though weak, preceded by a deep depression on ventral half. Mesoscutum as long as wide between tegulae, distinctly convex in lateral view. Scutellum convex, with a shallow median longitudinal furrow on posterior third. Metanotum angled in lateral view, with a short horizontal face and a longer vertical face, faces separated by a denticulate carina incised in the middle. Tegula narrow, outer margin weakly convex, posterior lobe triangular and short, not reaching apex of parategula. Parategula large and weakly arched, dorsally convex, with rounded apex; posteromedial margin situated below level of anteriolateral margin, therefore parategulae appearing oblique. Mesepisternum distinctly convex, epicnemial carina running from transverse furrow to ventral corners where it becomes lamellate. Propodeum in lateral view nearly vertical; sides of posterior face flat and angularly meeting on median line, therefore posterior face large and weakly depressed; dorsal face weakly convex; lateral face flat, becoming convex toward posterior margin; dorsal carinae distinct but irregular, confused with the irregular interspaces of punctures; lateral carina present from posterolateral angles and continuing into inferior carinae, distinct and denticulate. T 1 in dorsal view 0.7× as long as wide, sides sinuate, in lateral view with a flat vertical face which continues in a longer flat horizontal face, transition strongly convex; T 2 in dorsal view as wide as long, in lateral view weakly convex except for a shallow preapical depression; S 2 in lateral view almost evenly convex from base to apex, large shallow depression from base to disc of sternite. Mid femur with a dilated flattened area on basal half of ventral side, forming dilated lobe on anteroventral and posteroventral margins; apical half flattened anteroposteriorly.

Head with dense flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces narrow and forming irregular reticulation; vertex with two oval areas without macropunctures, densely micropunctate. Clypeus with large shallow irregular punctures, confluing in irregular shallow striae in apical half. Dorsal face of pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with dense deep punctures, interspaces reduced to narrow reticulation, coarser on scutellum; lateral face of pronotum microreticulate and shiny, with very sparse shallow punctures. Metanotum coarsely and irregularly sculpted, large punctures touching each other, interspaces reduced to irregular ridges and spines; ventral half of vertical face densely and irregularly micropunctate. Dorsal face of propodeum very coarsely sculpted, with large and irregular punctures confluent with each other, interspaces reduced to narrow and irregular ridges; posterior face transversely striate, with some punctures on upper margin; lateral face microreticulate, with very sparse shallow punctures, larger on posterior margin. Mesepisternum with large flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces forming reticulation, punctures becoming sparser ventrally. Metaepisternum microreticulate with some punctures on upper half of dorsal plate. T1 with deep punctures on horizontal face, denser and smaller in the middle, becoming sparser and larger on sides. T2 with dense oblique punctures, sparser preapically, interspaces very dull due to dense microreticulation. T3–T7 densely micropunctate, with sparse macropunctures becoming progressively shallower on apical terga. S1 with some transverse striae on narrow basal part, transverse irregular striae on expanded apical part. S2–S7 similar to respective terga, but punctures sparser and deeper, interspaces more shiny and with less microsculpture. Head and dorsal side of mesosoma with short erect pubescence, dark on black areas, lighter on red and yellow ones. Propodeum and sides of mesosoma with light setae, longer and denser on sides of propodeum. Frons with long erect black setae. Metasoma with dust-like pubescence, black on most of surface, whitish on yellow spots.

Black; following parts red: clypeus, scape, underside of flagellum, base of mandible to whole mandible, pronotum more or less extensively, tegula, sometimes lateral spots on scutellum, sometimes metanotum, most of mesepisternum and metaepisternum, propodeum except median longitudinal band, sides of T1, S1, legs; following parts pale yellow: median longitudinal band on clypeus, small basal spot on mandible, underside of scape, small spot above interantennal space, large spots on sides of dorsal face of pronotum, posterior third of tegula, dorsal transverse band on metanotum, large lateral spots at apexes of both T1 and T2. Wings weakly infuscate, with golden reflections, purplish in apical third.

FEMALE. Fore wing length 17.0– 21.5 mm.

Like male, except: head 1.1 × as wide as long in frontal view; clypeus in frontal view pyriform, 1.14 × as long as wide, apical margin broader and subtruncate, apical corners with barely visible carinae; vertex with broad and shiny bilobed depression, foveae located close to each other near posterior margin of depression, each bearing a tuft of setae, posterior margin of depression raised; scape 4 × as long as apically wide, F1 2.2 × as long as wide, F2–F9 barely longer than wide to subquadrate, F10 bullet-shaped; epicnemial carina blunter; mid femur normal; clypeus with coarse and dense oblique punctures; clypeus entirely red.

Distribution. Benin *, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania *, Uganda * ( Bequaert 1918; Carpenter et al. 2009; de Saussure 1863; Giordani Soika 1977, 1989; Gusenleitner 1999; Medler 1980; von Schulthess 1913a, 1914a) ( Fig. 3 ).

Remarks. All examined specimens and literature records of this species range from Senegal in the West to Uganda and northern Tanzania in the East, with the only exception being the record from “Port Natal” (Durban) provided by Gribodo (1892: 286). This South African record is really out of the known and confirmed range of this species, therefore we consider it erroneous.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Distributional map of grayi species-group.

FIGURE 4. Anterhynchium aestuans (de Saussure, 1863). 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.