Dinapsis Waterston, 1922

van Noort, Simon, Shaw, Scott Richard & Copeland, Robert S., 2022, Revision of the endemic African genus Dinapsis (Dinapsini, Megalyridae, Hymenoptera) with description of seven new species, ZooKeys 1112, pp. 27-122 : 27

Dinapsis Waterston

Type species.

Dinapsis turneri Waterston, 1922, by original designation (South Africa, Western Cape, Ceres).

Diagnosis.

Dinapsis species have a distinctive forewing venation pattern, with vein Rs curving abruptly to the anterior wing margin to form a short, abruptly truncate marginal cell (cell 2R1) (Fig. 2A, B ) ( Waterston 1922; Hedqvist 1967; Shaw 1990b). They also have a distinctive pattern of six longitudinal, nearly parallel, propodeal carinae (Figs 6E , 25D ) ( Waterston 1922; Hedqvist 1967; Shaw 1990b). However, the patterns and degree of development of the propodeal transverse carinae vary among species.

Recognition.

The genus Dinapsis can be keyed out from the two other megalyrid genera present in Africa using the above generic key that is also available as an online interactive Lucid key on WaspWeb (https://www.waspweb.org) ( van Noort 2022).

Biology.

Unknown. Specimens are most commonly collected in Malaise traps, and less frequently in yellow pan traps, via tree canopy fogging, or through leaf litter sifting. To our knowledge only a single living specimen of this genus has ever been photographed (Fig. 1 ).

Species richness.

The genus Dinapsis was previously known from ten Madagascan and two continental African species ( Waterston 1922; Hedqvist 1967; Shaw and van Noort 2009; Madl 2010; Mita and Shaw 2020). The current revision has elevated species richness of the genus to 19 named species:

D. albicauda Mita & Shaw, 2020 (Madagascar)

D. albicoxa Hedqvist, 1967 (Madagascar)

D. bicolor van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. (South Africa)

D. centralis Shaw & van Noort, 2009 (Central African Republic, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda)

D. cresta Mita & Shaw, 2020 (Madagascar)

D. gamka van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. (South Africa)

D. hirtipes Hedqvist, 1967 (Madagascar)

D. igneus van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. (Mauritius)

D. luteus Mita & Shaw, 2020 (Madagascar)

D. nubilis Hedqvist, 1967 (Madagascar)

D. oculohirta Hedqvist, 1967 (Madagascar)

D. planifrons Mita & Shaw, 2020 (Madagascar)

D. scriptus Mita & Shaw, 2020 (Madagascar)

D. seyrigi Hedqvist, 1967 (Madagascar)

D. spinitibia van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. (Tanzania)

D. taita van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. (Burundi, Kenya)

D. tricolor Shaw & van Noort, sp. nov. (Kenya, South Africa)

D. turneri Waterston, 1922 (South Africa)

D. zulu Shaw & van Noort, sp. nov. (South Africa)

Distribution.

Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda (Figs 43 , 44 ). The currently recorded distribution is a highly biased artefact due to under-sampling in the Afrotropical region (see discussion).

Barcoding.

Of the ten Dinapsis samples submitted to BOLD (representing seven species: D. bicolor , D. gamka , D. igneus , D. taita , D. tricolor , D. turneri , D. zulu ) DNA was successfully extracted from seven specimens represented by five species (Table 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Dinapsis albicoxa female (Ranomafana National Park, 21 ˚ 14 ' 18.48 " S, 47 ˚ 23 ' 40.50 " E, alt. 1138 m, Madagascar). Photograph copyright Steve Marshall (used with permission).

Figure 2. A venation names of fore and hind wing of Dinapsis turneri holotype B fore wing cell names of Dinapsis turneri holotype. The closed cell 2 R 1 with vein Rs reaching the wing margin is a synapomorphy for the genus Dinapsis within the Megalyridae.

Figure 6. Dinapsis centralis non-type female, ICIPE 49120 (ICIPE) A habitus, dorsal view B habitus, lateral view C hind leg, lateral view D spatulate tibial setae, lateral view E propodeum, dorsal view F forewing.

Figure 25. Dinapsis taita van Noort & Shaw, sp. nov. holotype female ICIPE 49131 (NMKE) A head, dorsal view B head, dorsoposterior view C head, anterior view D mesoscutellum, propodeum, dorsal view E terminal ovipositor valves, lateral view F forewing, dorsal view G forewing, dorsal view (wing is strongly curved, necessitating two images to depict cell shape. Scale bars: 200 µm (A-D); 100 µm (E); 500 µm (F, G).

Figure 43. Distribution maps of Dinapsis species A country occurrences for the genus Dinapsis B specimen point data of described Dinapsis species plotted on a topographical relief map C Dinapsis species occurring in Madagascar and Mauritius, excluding the D. hirtipes species-group (specimen point data plotted on a topographical relief map) D Madagascan records of Dinapsis species in the D. hirtipes species group (specimen point data plotted on a topographical relief map).

Figure 44. Distribution map of Dinapsis species occurring on the African mainland (specimen point data plotted on a topographical relief map).