Pseudepipona tingjingliae Fateryga, 2022

Fateryga, Alexander V., 2022, Revision of the Pseudepipona herrichii-group of the eumenine wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) with the description of two new species from China and Russia, Zootaxa 5154 (2), pp. 101-126 : 116-119

Pseudepipona tingjingliae Fateryga , sp. nov.

( Figs 16–18 , 28 , 46–52 )

Holotype. CHINA. Inner Mongolia: “Алашань, ОаЗ. Дынь-Юань-инъ” [Alashan, Dyn-Yuan-In Oasis (currently Bayan-Khoto)], 3–4.VI.1908, 1 ♀, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP] ( Figs 46–49 ).

Paratypes. CHINA. Inner Mongolia: “Алашань, ОаЗ. Дынь-Юань-инъ” [Alashan, Dyn-Yuan-In Oasis (currently Bayan-Khoto )], 1–30. VI .1908, 1 ♀, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP]; ibid ., 3–4. VI .1908 , 1 ♂, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP]; ibid., 4. VI .1908 , 1 ♀, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP]; ibid., 5–6. VI .1908 , 1 ♂, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ FSCV]; ibid., 10–11. VI .1908 , 1 ♀, 1 ♂, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP]; ibid., 17–18. VI .1908 , 3 ♀, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP]; ibid., 18–20. VI .1908 , 1 ♂, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP]; ibid., 22–27. VI .1908 , 1 ♀, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ FSCV]; “Дын-Юань-ин, с. Алашань” [Dyn-Yuan-In, N Alashan ], 14–15. VI .1908 , 1 ♂, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP] ( Figs 50–52 ); “Ордосъ, 15 врс. ниЖе Хунчина” [Ordos, 15 versts below Khunchin ], 4. VI .1908 , 1 ♀, leg. P.Ya. Napalkov [ ZISP]. Qinghai: “Скв. Ганьсу, Дол. Синин-хэ” [SininKhe Valley, Gansu Borehole (E of Sinin)] , 29.VII.1908, 1 ♀, leg. P.K. Kozlov [ ZISP] .

Additional literature records. CHINA. Inner Mongolia: Hohhot, Hasuhai ( Bai et al. 2021, as Pseudepipona lativentris ). Ningxia: Zhongwei City, Zhongning County, Majialiang Township, Shagou Village, 37.353°N, 105.572°E ( Bai et al. 2021, as P. lativentris ); Yinchuan City, Helan County, Yueyahu Township, Near the Gobi Desert in Beier Village, 38.627°N, 106.643°E ( Bai et al. 2021, as P. lativentris ).

Diagnosis. Females of this species can be distinguished from other members of the P. herrichii -group by the following combination of characters: clypeus as wide as long, with hardly emarginated apical margin, yellow with a longitudinal black spot in its distal half, very rarely extended to the whole distal half; scutum without two commalike spots; scutellum with a thick apical band taking more than a half of its area; propodeum with a well developed transverse carina between the shelf and concavity forming laterally acute teeth-like projections; propodeal valvula pointed posteriorly; T1 with three small longitudinal carinae, in dorsal view approximately 1.45× as maximal wide as long. In the males, the clypeus is approximately 1.05× as wide as long; cuspis with a relatively small dorsal process which is not shorter than its width at the base; base of the digitus attached below the top of the cuspis apex so that the latter is protruding as a relatively long free acute spine; aedeagus with a median expansion; ventral lobe of the aedeagus broadly rounded in lateral view.

Description. Female. Body length (from head to apical margin of T2) 10.5– 12 mm; fore wing length 10.5– 11 mm.

Head about 1.1× as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus as wide as long, its apical emargination very shallow, less than 0.1× as deep as wide, taking about 1/4 of clypeal width, apical teeth blunt. Cephalic fovea as broad as distance between lateral ocelli, weakly impressed; distance between lateral ocellus and occiput 1.6× as distance between lateral ocelli. Pronotal carina well developed, forming slightly acute angles at anterolateral corners of pronotum. Epicnemial carina strongly developed. Scutellum convex. Metanotum with irregular horizontal surface and flat vertical posterior surface with right angle between them. Propodeum with distinct transverse carina between shelf and concavity forming laterally acute teeth-like projections. Propodeal valvula pointed posteriorly. T1 1.45× as wide as long in dorsal view, forms rounded right angle in lateral view, with three small longitudinal carinae. T2 evenly convex in lateral view. S 2 in lateral view evenly convex, in ventral view with longitudinal furrow at base.

Clypeus dull, longitudinally rugose, with minute punctures. Frons and vertex with deep punctures, interstices reaching puncture diameter; punctures on gena slightly sparser. Pronotum dorsally with punctures similar to those on vertex; lateral parts of pronotum longitudinally wrinkled. Sculpture on scutum coarser than that on dorsal surface of pronotum, punctures sometimes form longitudinal rows, especially posteriorly. Tegula nearly smooth, with few minute punctures. Punctures on dorsal mesepisternum and scutellum similar in size to those on dorsal surface of pronotum but interstices larger, exceeding puncture diameter. Ventral mesepisternum and mesepimeron reticulate, interstices sharp, much less than puncture diameter. Metanotum, dorsal and dorsolateral surfaces of propodeum with shallow irregular, indistinct but coarse punctures. Metapleuron and lateral surface of propodeum longitudinally rugose, without distinct punctures. Propodeal concavity transversally rugose, without distinct punctures. T1 except lateral parts and T2–T5 with distinct sparse punctures larger than those on clypeus but much smaller than on gena, interstices exceeding several times puncture diameter, dull, with reticulate microsculpture. Lateral parts of T1 with much larger punctures similar to those on dorsal mesepisternum and scutellum. T6 mostly with microsculpture only. Sculpture of S1 similar to that of lateral parts of T1. Basal part of S2 before transverse furrow dull, with microsculpture only. Sculpture of distal part of S2 after transverse furrow and S3–S6 as that of corresponding terga.

Frons, hind margin of gena, propleuron, and coxae with rather hooked setae somewhat less in length than diameter of scapus at base. Lateral edges of propodeum with similar but straighter and about 1.5 times longer setae. Most other body parts bare or with very minute setae.

Basal color black. The following parts orange-yellow: clypeus except anterior margin or sometimes central black spot (rarely enlarged to whole distal part of clypeus), spot on frons between antennal sockets, anterior and lower faces of scapus, bands along inner margins of eyes from clypeus to ocular sinuses, large spots on genae, most part of pronotum, large spot on dorsal mesepisternum, tegulae and parategulae, most part of scutellum except thin anterior margin, metanotum, large lateral spots on propodeum, T1, S1, apical band on T2 enlarged laterally, apical bands on T3–T5, most part of T6, apical band on S2, apical band on S3 (sometimes interrupted twice). Legs from femora onwards ferruginous. Wings fuscous, especially in marginal cell.

Male. Body length (from head to apical margin of T2) 6–9 mm; fore wing length 7–9 mm.

Structure as in female but mandible with notch and nearly quadrate preapical tooth, clypeus 1.05× as wide as long; its apical emargination deep, approximately 0.9× as deep as wide, taking about 1/3 of clypeal width, apical teeth acute. F11 rather blunt, curved, approximately of equal width at base and at top, reaching apical margin of F8. Male genitalia as in Figs 16–18 . Paramere comparatively broad; cuspis with small dorsal process of approximately equal length and width at base; base of digitus attached below cuspis apex. Aedeagus with median expansion; ventral lobe of aedeagus relatively large, broadly rounded in lateral view.

Sculpture similar to that in female but clypeus less rugose. T6 and S6 punctured similarly to previous segments. T7 and S7+8 mostly with microsculpture only.

Setae as in female.

Coloration mostly as in female but mandible, labrum, clypeus, spot on frons, anterior face of scapus, bands along inner margins of eyes, and ventral spots on coxae yellow. F10 and F11 brown. S4–S6 sometimes with yellow apical bands at center.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Ting-Jing Li (Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China) in recognition of her valuable contribution to the taxonomy of the Chinese eumenine wasps.

Distribution. China (Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai) ( Fig. 28 ).

Remarks. This species is closely related and somewhat similar to both P. kozhevnikovi and P. tricarinata but can be distinguished from them by a longer clypeus and a longer T 1 in both the female and the male as well as by a different structure of the genitalia in the male.

Bionomics. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 7–24. Male genitalia of Pseudepipona spp. 7–9, P. aldrichi (Fox, 1892); 10–12, P. herrichii (de Saussure, 1856); 13–15, P. kozhevnikovi (Kostylev, 1927); 16–18, P. tingjingliae Fateryga, sp. nov.; 19–21, P. tricarinata (Kokujev, 1913); 22–24, P. valentinae Fateryga, sp. nov. 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, left paramere and volsella in lateral view from inside (bd, base of digitus; ca, cuspis apex; dp, dorsal process of cuspis); 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, aedeagus in dorsal view (me, median expansion); 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, aedeagus in lateral view (vl, ventral lobe). Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURES 25–28. Distribution of Pseudepipona spp. 25, P. aldrichi (Fox, 1892); 26, P. herrichii (de Saussure, 1856); 27, P. kozhevnikovi (Kostylev, 1927); 28, P. tingjingliae Fateryga, sp. nov. (black dots), P. tricarinata (Kokujev, 1913) (white dots), and P. valentinae Fateryga, sp. nov. (grey dots).

FIGURES 46–52. Pseudepipona tingjingliae Fateryga, sp. nov. 46–49, ♀, holotype (China: Inner Mongolia); 50–52, ♂, para- type (China: Inner Mongolia). 46, 51, habitus in lateral view (pv, propodeal valvula); 47, labels; 48, 52, habitus in dorsal view (lc, longitudinal carinae of T1); 49, 50, head in frontal view. Scale bars 1 mm.