Abernessia giga, Waichert, Cecilia & Pitts, James P., 2013

Waichert, Cecilia & Pitts, James P., 2013, Two new species of Abernessia Arle (Pompilidae, Ctenocerinae), ZooKeys 353, pp. 71-79 : 75-77

Abernessia giga sp. n.

Holotype.

♀ (Figs 7-9), labeled "[BRAZIL]: Minas Gerais, Reinhardt. Mus: Drenis (ZMUC)".

Diagnosis.

This species can be recognized by the following unique combination of characters: the integument is black, with scale-like setae reflecting metallic bluish-green (Fig. 7); the antennal scape is red apically (Fig. 8); the clypeus is slightly folded ventrally on the apical-lateral margin, and the wing is dark with a large pale brown band (Fig. 9).

Description.

Body length 2.81 cm; fore wing 2.00 cm; maximum wing width 0.63 cm.

Coloration. Head black; mesosoma black, legs brown with purple reflections (Fig. 7); metasoma brown, tergites distally reddish, hypopygium reddish; body pubescence with bluish-green metallic reflections; wings dark brown with pale brown spots, hind wing with pale brown band (Fig. 9); wing venation brown, pale brown on pale spots; stigma brown (Fig. 9).

Head. Head as long as wide; TFD 1.0 × FD; MID 0.7 × FD; punctuation conspicuous, small, shallow. Pubescence abundant, short, thin, apressed, with metallic reflections from above ocelli to vertex. Eye short, HE 0.6 × FD; vertex long, distance from posterior ocellus to vertex 0.2 × FD. Ocelli in an obtuse angle; lateral ocelli closer to each other than to compound eyes; POL 0.3 × OOL. Mandible wide, elbowed, with two sharpened apical teeth; distal margin with a row of setae. Clypeus undifferentiated from frons, flat, bilobed, apical median margin invaginated; clypeal lobes rounded, sides slightly turned downwards (Fig. 8); LC 0.4 × WC. Labrum partially exposed, setose (Fig. 8). Maxillary beard not present. Flagellum elongate; length of second flagellomere 3.1 × width; ratio of the scape, pedicel, and flagellomeres 1-2 15:3:16:14; WA3 0.3 × LA3; LA3 0.4 × UID; scape curved, internal margin flat. Torulus circular, antennal scrobe large.

Mesosoma. Pronotum not elongate (Fig. 7), width 1.6 × length; posterior margin arched, anterior margin slightly invaginated medially; propodeal disc with thin-shallow median sulcus, lateral margins rounded. Notauli shallow, complete. Postnotum striated. Propodeum with punctures small, almost inconspicuous under setae; propodeal disc covered with short-apressed pubescence, setae equally abundant; propodeal disc slightly elevated medially, edges rounded. Wing long; maximum width 0.3 × length; third submarginal cell about as long as second submarginal cell; second recurrent vein straight, meeting third submarginal cell about half the distance from base to apex of cell; 2r-m straight (Fig. 9). Fore tibia with short, sharpened spines, posterior edge angulated. Front tarsal claw bifid, mid dentate (hind tarsi broken in holotype). Tarsi spinose.

Metasoma. Metasoma long (Fig. 7), total length 1.4 × mesosoma + head lengths, wide; covered by short, scale-like setae. Apical tergite setose.

Etymology.

The specific epithet was taken from Greek, giga, meaning “giant” in English. It refers to the large size of the specimen.

Remarks.

This species can be distinguished from Abernessia irmgardae Arlé by having the wing brown, with venation both pale and dark brown. In Abernessia irmgardae the wing is yellow and the venation is only dark brown. Additionally, the eyes are convergent on vertex in Abernessia giga and the vertex expanded unlike in Abernessia irmgardae .