Azepyris gen. nov.

Type species.

Azepyris delamarrei sp. nov.

Etymology.

The genus name is a combination of Az -, honouring both Dr. Celso O. Azevedo and Dr. Dany Azar who first named the Lancepyrinae, and - Azepyris epyris, a suffix traditionally used to name bethylids. Gender masculine.

Diagnosis.

Female. Body depressed, elongate; head longer than wide; eye elliptical, longer than high, located anteriorly on head; clypeus with median lobe projecting forward and lateral lobe not developed; mandible with three teeth, apical tooth longest; 11 flagellomeres; anterior ocellus not crossing supra-ocular line (Fig. 1A, B); mesosoma flattened; dorsal pronotal area narrow with lateral margin slightly incurved, posterior margin concave; notaulus and parapsidal signum present; mesoscuto-mesoscutellar sulcus conspicuous, reniform; mesoscutellum subquadrate, posteriorly overlapped by developed metanotum (Fig. 1C, D); metapectal-propodeal complex smooth, posterolateral corners with lateral dentiform projection (Fig. 1E); fore wing with 1Rs&1M angled at junction with Rs+M; Rs+M spectral; cu-a post-furcal to 1M; distal abscissa of R1 tubular for short distance; 2r-rs&Rs arising on distal half of pterostigma, long but not reaching wing margin (Fig. 1F); pro- and metafemora moderately thickened; proarolium well-developed (Fig. 1B); metasoma fusiform; T2 longest, laterally covering sternites (Fig. 1A, C).

Systematic remarks.

Following the key to the genera of Lancepyrinae of Jouault et al. (2021), this specimen keys to Zophepyris due to the fore wing with Rs+M weak or spectral and cu-a post-furcal to 1M. However, Azepyris gen. nov. differs from this genus in having the head longer than wide (vs. ovoid in Zophepyris), the eyes elliptical (vs. rounded), the pronotum narrower, 1Rs&1M angled at junction with Rs+M (vs. straight), Rs+M nebulous to spectral but distinct (vs. absent?), the pterostigma rounded (vs. elongate), 2r-rs&Rs not fully pigmented (vs. reaching anterior wing margin), and the posterolateral corners of metapectal-propodeal complex with small projection (vs. no projections). Therefore, we propose the new genus Azepyris gen. nov. to accommodate this particular morphotype.