Trissepyris ruficeps Kieffer, 1905

Colombo, Wesley D. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2023, Synopsis of Trissepyris Kieffer, 1905 (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), an endemic Afrotropical genus, with description of a new species, Zoosystema 45 (4), pp. 129-135 : 130-132

Trissepyris ruficeps Kieffer, 1905

( Fig. 1 )

Trissepyris ruficeps Kieffer, 1905: 117 (description), plate I, figs 5, 14; 1908: 20 (list), plate I (figs 13 and 16), plate II (fig. 10); 1914: 420 (description) fig. 157. — Medler 1980: 470 (list). — Gordh & Móczár 1990: 170 (catalog). — Azevedo & Alencar 2010: 1 (redescription and synonymisation with Epyris ). — Colombo et al. 2022: 21 (genus revalidation and redescription), fig. 6F, 8I.

DIAGNOSIS OF FEMALE. — Body length c. 15.0 mm. Head subtrapezoidal in lateral view, subquadrate in dorsal view. Malar space shorter than proximal mandibular width. Mandible robust, with three distal teeth. Clypeus trilobate, with subtrapezoidal median lobe, as long as lateral ones, lobe delimitation distinct, anterior margin angled in anterior view; median carina high, straight in profile; apical margin thick. Antenna with 11 flagellomeres, subfiliform-filiform; pedicel chalice-shaped, longer than flagellomere I. Eye glabrous, oval, not touching mandibular base. Frons coriaceous, with very sparse punctures. Frontal line shorter than scape, conspicuous. Ocellar triangle very compact, less than individual ocellus diameter; anterior ocellus almost crossing to supraocular line; posterior ocelli very distant from vertex. Palpal formula apparently 6:3. Hypostomal carina emarginate, rounded medially. Occipital carina present. Mesosoma. Pronotal flange conspicuous; dorsal pronotal area ecarinate, slightly depressed forward, weakly coriaceous, strongly punctate. Prosternum small. Notaulus complete, well impressed, progressively wider posterad. Parapsidal signum complete. Mesoscuto-scutellar foveae not connected by conspicuous sulcus, oval, parallel, deep. Metapectal-propodeal disc with transverse anterior, metapostnotal median, transverse posterior, paraspiracular and lateral carinae; lateral margins straight, subparallel. Metapectal-propodeal declivity with median carina complete. Propodeal spiracle dorsal, elliptical, wide. Mesopleuron with mesopleural pit very small, displaced posteriordorsally. Wings amber, veins dark castaneous. Forewing with anterior margin straight, R cell longer than 1Cu cell. Pterostigma wide, oval; 2r-rs&Rs vein tubular, curved, straight posteriorly. Hind wing with nine hamuli equally spaced. Metasomal tergum I polished; other terga weakly coriaceous. Metasomal apical segments oriented downward.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Holotype. Democratic Republic of Congo • ♀; 21, 113, Dapitan Mindanao Baker ; Collection Ernest André, 1914; MNHN-EY-EY1689 .

DISTRIBUTION. — DR Congo.

REMARKS

Described from a single female.This single specimen is currently pinned with several labels ( Fig. 1G ), two of them are related to the locality, “ Congo ” and “Dapitan Mindanao”. Considering that Dapitan is a famous locality of Mindanao in the Philippines, we have to assume that one of them was misattached to the specimen. In the original description, Kieffer (1905: 118) stated only Congo as its locality, and posteriorly Azevedo & Alencar (2010) also stated only Congo. Furthermore, the label of Congo is the first pinned label that comes below the specimen. Thus, it is more reasonable to assume that this is an Afrotropical species rather than an Oriental one. Furthermore, the new species here described was collected in Ivory Coast, a locality very close to Congo, which supports our conclusion.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Trissepyris ruficeps Kieffer, 1905, holotype: A, head, dorsal view; B, head and mandible, frontal view; C, mesosoma,dorsal view; D, mesopleura, lateral view; E, hamuli, dorsal view; F, mesosoma in part and wings, dorsal view; G, labels. Scales-bars: A-D, 0.5 mm, E, 0.25 mm; F, 4.0 mm.