Afromeria microtera, Bartalucci, M. Boni, 2007

Bartalucci, M. Boni, 2007, The Afrotropical genera of the subtribe Meriina (Hymenoptera, Tiphiidae, Myzininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 39 (2), pp. 1257-1305 : 1275-1277

Afromeria microtera nov.sp.

H o l o t y p e - Namibia = /Arnhem 222 Windhoek SE 2218 Ca 23-28 Oct.1972 / /H 15062/ /NNIC/ (blue), NNMW.

P a r a t y p e s - Namibia = (1) / Arnhem 222 Windhoek SE 2218 Ca 23-27 Oct.1972 / /H 15062/ /Namibian National Insect Collection/ (blue), NNMW; (1) / Windhoek SE 2217 Ca 26-27 Oct 1973 / /Namibian national Insect Collection/ (blue), NNMW; (1) / Windhoek SE 2217 Ca 16-18 Nov 1973 / /Namibian national Insect Collection/ (blue), NNMW .

P a r a t y p e - Namibia = / Upper Ostrich gorges 22° 29’S 14° 59’E. Swakopmund Dist. 10april- 08May 1984 J. Irish ; H. Liesner / / Namibian national Insect Collection / (blue), NNMW

Male (holotype) Figs 17-21A . Measurements - body length: 11 mm

Black, brown, light brown, pale yellow.

Brown – Antennae. Tip of mandibles. Tip of Tsa. Ventral border of clypeus. Subcoastal vein. Tip of forecoxa. Mid and hind coxae, femurs and trochanters but light surfaces. The whole of metasoma but 1 st sternum which is blackish and the light markings.

Light brown – Veins of the wings and a small ventral portion of tibiae.

Pale yellow – Most of mandibles. Two lateral spots along the fore border and a subapical stripeon the N 1 disk. Most of ventral fore femur, apical ventral mid and hind femurs, most of tibiae and all tarsi. Apical stripe along the border of 1 st to 6 th terga and 2 nd to 6 th sterna.

Hair whitish, never covering underlying integument.

Modified flattened bristles like in A. poliorykta sp.n., even though less strong; hardly detectable at the posterior corner of 1 st tergum and at the sides of 7 th tergum.

Punctuation quite impressed with interspaces as long as or longer than single diameter throughout head and mesosomay. Punctures more densely packed on the lower frons, lower propodeal disk, while less dense on the metasoma.

Head – Ratio L/LA of the median flagellomeri about 1.7. Base of hypostoma and PoG dark and only lightly swollen. PoG clearly expressed, as long as 1/5 the length of FoO. Stripe of sensilla curvata covering more than the width of the median flagellomeri in beneath aspect.

Mesosoma – N 1 disk without either anteroventral tooth either keel along its fore border, which forms a clear angle with pronotal plate. Scutellum and postscutellar area flattened with smooth median surfaces. Subhorizontal area of the propodeum very thin and clearly

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known from the flattened posterior area, without any ridge between.

Metasoma – Terga less swollen than in A. poliorykta . Subhorizontal surface of 1 st sternum with width about 9 times its median height. The same ratio is about 3.8 for the 2 nd tergum. Tergal and sternal structures somehow like in A. poliorykta , even though less stressed. Otherwise it lacks the lateral extension of the deep transversal hollows behind graduli on 3 rd to 6 th terga (therefore the relative sul are well detectable in lateral aspect) and on 3 rd to 6 th sterna too (therefore there is not any lateral laminated keel under lateroterga).

N o t e. Similar in general habitus and coloration to A. poliorykta , it well differs because of its smaller size, shape and sculpture of metameri, epipygium and genitalia. In A. microtera the sides of 3 rd to 6 th terga are not hollowed. The bristles on the corners of 1 st tergum and at the sides of 7 th tergum too are weaker and less flattened than in the former. The aedeagus is more slender than in the two aforesaid taxa Afromeria poliorykta nov.sp.

Female. Figs 22-32 . Measurements: body length = 14 mm – Forewing length = 7.5 mm

Pitch black, brown and ferruginous.

Brown – Tsa. Scape. Forecoxa and all the femurs.

Light brown/Ferruginous – Mandibles. Tibiae and tarsi, tegulae. Veins. Pterostigma with darker inner spot. The whole of metasoma.

Head - Clypeus punctured throughout (but the narrow ventral lamella) more densely in teh median area. Very dense small p. on lower frons, between Tsa and area between FoO and mandibular socket. PoG well expressed, its length ½ the FoO. Vertex with a well defined irregular row of medially impressed p. enlarging sideways. Head smooth and shining elsewhere. Upper scape with a large stripe of dense p. worn out before its ending.

Mesosoma- Sides of N 1 completely punctured. Declivitous anterior surface also completely densely p. Sc 1, Sc 2 and postscutellar area without any p. Es 1 swollen with smooth tip. Es 2 with a ventral surface densely p. throughout and smooth posterior surface. Subhorizontal area of the P with p. throughout, more densely on the sides. LaSt 2 smooth. The twin apoophysis of St 3 with rounded tips. Bristles as long or longer than height of the pterostigma along the costal vein just before it. Fore tibial spur with an extremely long apex. Basal fore tarsomerus strongly asimmetric in dorsal aspect. Hind tibial spurs isometric, one of them enlarged medially. Claws weakly bifid.

Metasoma –Irregularly spaced p. on the whole surface of terga. Sterna with more extended smooth areas. Gradulus well expressed on 2 nd tergum, very weak on 3 rd. sul present on 1 st to 4 th terga.

Very dense short hispid black bristles on the genal area giving to the head a bearded aspect in lateral aspect. Black, short hispid bristles on the frons and declivitous N 1 too. Short rameic bristles on the occiput. Longer with rameic reflection hair on collar, lateral N 1, lateral Es 2, laeral propodeal disk, meatsoma and legs.

N o t e. The generic association has been made because it possess features present alternatively in Meria, Parameria and Poecilotiphia females, a situation occurring in the males too. There is no safety that some features listed at item 6 could have only specific value. The specific association is only due to the same provenance area and is highly dubitative too.

E c o l o g y: unknown

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D i s t r i b u t i o n. Namibia

D e r i v a t i o n n o m i n i s.fromthegreekμȚțȡȠIJİȡȠȢ = smaller

V a r i a b i l i t y.Themaleparatypesdifferjustinsize: 9-10mm

Figures

Figs 17-21A. Afromeria microtera nov.sp. Holotypus. (17) N1 with eN1 in dorsal aspect.; (18) basal terga in dorsal aspect; (19) basal metameri in lateral aspect; (20) 7th tergum in dorsal aspect; (21) gonostylus and volsella; 21A: aedeagus in lateral aspect. (17, 18, 19, 20: scale bar = 1 mm) (21, 21A: scale bar = 0,5 mm)

Figs 22-32. Afromeria microtera nov.sp. Paratypus. (22) Head, frontal aspect; (23) head ventral aspect; (24) head, ventral corner, lateral aspect; (25) mandible,frontal aspect; (26) stipe and Pam (left), labium (right) ventral aspect; (27) labrum, ¾ ventral aspect; (28) forewing, particular; (29) LaSt2 and metasternal lobe, ventral aspect; (30) foretibial spur and basal foretarsomerus; (31) hindtibial spurs; (32) mid and hindtarsal claws. (22, 23, 24: scale bar a =1 mm) (25, 28,29: scale bar b = 1 mm) (26, 27, 30, 31, 32: scale bar b = 0,5 mm)