Afromeria poliorykta, 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 : 1277-1278

Afromeria poliorykta nov.sp.

H o l o t y p e - South Africa = / Cape province Matjesfontein 1-18.XII.1928 / /S. Africa R.E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1929-15/ / Macromeria klugi Westwood Det. L.S. Kimsey/, BMNH.

P a r a t y p e - South Africa = / Cape province Prince Albert Rd Nov.1931 / /S. Africa R.E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1931-564/ / Macromeria klugi Westwood Det. L.S. Kimsey/, BMNH

Male (holotype) Figs 33-39A . Measurements: body length 16,5 mm

Black, brown, oranged brown, yellow.

Yellow – Small spots, on the apical femurs and at the base of tibiae. Preapical narrow stripe on N 1 disk. Small spot on the inner side of tegula and on humeral plate. Narrow stripe enlarging sideways with waving fore profile along the apical border of 2 nd to 6 th terga and 2 nd to 6 th sterna.

Brown – Upper surface of flagellum. Semitrasparent clypeal lamella and basal hypostoma and genal bridge.

Oranged brown – Ventral surface of flagellum. Most of mandibles. The remainder of legs but coxae which are blackish brown.

Head and mesosoma more ore less densely and regularly punctured. On clypeus disk, Es 2 and propodeum the space among them is less then their diameter. Smooth shining surfaces on templae, median scutellum, postscutellar area and median preapical narrow area on 2 nd to 6 th terga. Hair yellowish, denser on clypeus, Es 2 and propodeal disk.

Modified strongly flattened bristles present on posterior corners of 1 st to 5 th terga enlarging progressively toward the middle of the elements till occurring along the entire bor- der of 6 th tergum as it occurs on the border of 2 nd to 6 th sterna too. Less enlarged bristles are present on the sides of 7 th tergum too.

Head –Stripe of sensilla curvata a bit less the width of median flagellomeri from beneath. Base of hypostoma and genal bridge, which is very poorly expressed, quite swollen. cOc complete. Paramandibular process strongly produced, mandibular socket almost closed (less developed in A. capicola ). Flagellum thick, the ratio L/LA of the median flagellomeri about 1.3.

Mesosoma – Fore border of the N 1 disk distinctly angled with pronotal plate with a keel, worn out in the centre, just on its upper third; no tooth on its anteroventral corner. Scutellum and postscutellar area clearly swollen (like in A. capicola ). Metapleurae (Em 3) mostly punctured and wrinkled, with a narrow shining surface along smm. Posterior propodeal surface clearly hollowed, its upper contour with the narrow subhorizontal area like a rough ridge.

Metasoma –Terga swollen, constriction among them well evident in dorsal and lateral aspect. Subhorizontal surface of 1 st sternum with width about 5 times its median height. The same ratio is about 3.4 for the 2 nd tergum. Strong graduli on 2 nd to 7 th terga. The deep transversal hollows behind graduli on 3 rd to 6 th terga extend sideways like in A. capicola , therefore the inner dorsal borders of the lateroterga spring up from its surface and the sul

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running along it are detectable only in dorsal aspect. Elsewhere this feature occurs only in Allomeria pinguis . 1 st sternum strongly prominent and bluntly sharpened. 3 rd to 6 th sterna with a subrectilinear gradulus at its basal third; the strongly hollowed postgradular surface is deeply invaginated under it, forming the "colpus" wich extends laterally just beneath the lateroterga causing the formation of a strong laminated keel just beneath the ventral border of lateroterga. This occurs in A. capicola too and elsewhere in Parameria femorata, A. pinguis and less strongly in Myzine braunsi and Meria fusiformis DE GEER 1787. The deep gradulus of 7 th tergum (state 14i) extends sideways without solution and shapes a broad semicircular hollow around the spiracle. Swollen post-gradulus areas of 3 rd to 6 th sterna. The aedeagus is stouter than in most of the taxa of the tribe.

Female: unknown

E c o l o g y: unknown

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Cape province

D e r i v a t i o n o m i n i s.fromthegreekʌȠȜȣȢ = many and ȡȣțIJȠȢ = trench.

V a r i a b i l i t y.Theparatypedoesnotshowanydetectabledifferences.

N o t e. Well known from A. capicola because of the coloration, smaller prominence on 1 st sternum, lack of longitudinal hollow on 2 nd sternum, straight gradulus on 2 nd to 6 th sterna, genitalia. Also the modified flattened bristles are denser, stouter and longer.

Figures

Figs 33-39A. Afromeria poliorykta nov.sp. Holotypus. (33) head, frontal aspect; (34) N1 with eN, dorsal aspect; (35) basal terga, dorsal aspect; (36) basal metameri, lateral aspect; 37) 7 th 1 tergum, dorsal aspect; (38) 7th metamerus, lateral aspect; (39) volsella and gonostylus; 39A: aedeagus. (33, 34, 35, 36: scale bar = 2 mm) (37, 38: scale bar = 1 mm) (39, 39A: scale bar = 0,5 mm).