Epirhyssa copelandi Varga, 2020

Varga, Oleksandr, 2020, First record of Epirhyssa Cresson, 1865 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Rhyssinae) from Kenya, Zootaxa 4852 (5), pp. 590-593 : 590-593

Epirhyssa copelandi Varga , sp. n. ( Figs 1–2 )

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Material examined. Holotype. KENYA: female, Coast Province , Mrima Hill Forest, 212 m, 4.48576°S, 39.25845°E, indigenous forest edge, Malaise trap, 31.x.–13.xi.2011, leg. R. Copeland (deposited in: ICIPE) . Paratypes. KENYA: female, Coast Province , Gede Forest, 19 m, 3.30946°S, 40.01941°E, indigenous secondary growth forest, Malaise trap, 31.x.–13.xi.2011, leg. R . Copeland (deposited in: ICIPE); female, idem, 27.xi.–11.xii.2011, leg. R . Copeland (deposited in: SIZK) .

Diagnosis. Epirhyssa copelandi sp. n. is characterized by the combination of the following characters: body generally pale yellow with brown and black marks; frons smooth, with median carinae that diverge before continuing towards the lateral ocelli, rugulose around median carinae, without lateral carinae; hypostomal carina raised into a low flange, its height slightly less than or equivalent to maximum width of second maxillary palp segment; face and clypeus densely punctate; mesopleuron with epicnemial carina distinct, reaching lower 0.5 of mesopleuron; subalar prominence without a lateral flange; first metasomal tergite 1.7× as long as apical width, smooth, sparsely punctate, without carinae; apical horn of metasoma shaped like an ellipse in posterior view; ovipositor about 3.6× length of hind tibia.

Description. Female. Holotype ( Fig 2 ). Body length approximately 15.5 mm. Fore wing 12.0 mm.

Head ( Figs 2C, E, G, H ) depressed, temples narrowed and short behind eyes, densely pubescent; frons smooth, with median carinae that diverge before continuing towards the lateral ocelli, rugulose around median carinae, without lateral carinae (Fig. 3G); length of the ocellar-ocular distance 1.6× maximum diameter of lateral ocellus; temples smooth, vertex densely punctate centrally; occipital carina indistinct behind ocelli; hypostomal carina raised into a low flange, its height slightly less than or equivalent to maximum width of second maxillary palp segment; antenna with 35 flagellomeres; face about as long as wide, densely punctate, tentorial pits deep; malar space 0.4× basal width of mandible, subocular groove reaching lower edge of tentorial pit; clypeus 0.4× as long as wide, densely punctate, with a median apical tubercle.

Mesosoma ( Figs 2E, F, H ) densely pubescent; propleuron rugulo-punctate; pronotum smooth, punctate dorsally, epomia distinct; mesoscutum elongate, smooth, strongly transversely wrinkled, with strong, short notauli; scutellum transversely wrinkled and postscutellum smooth; mesopleuron sparsely punctate anteroventrally, smooth posteriorly; speculum rugulo-punctate, epicnemial carina distinct, reaching lower 0.5 of mesopleuron; sternaulus indistinct; subalar prominence without a lateral flange; metapleuron punctate; propodeum punctate laterally, smooth dorsally, without carinae, with a weak central longitudinal furrow; pleural and submetapleural carinae distinct; spiracles elongate.

Legs slender, hind femur 5.1× as long as wide; tarsal claws simple.

Wings. Fore wing vein 2 rs-m long, about 7.5× distance between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu; vein cu-a distad of Rs&M by about 0.2 of its length; hind wing with distance between distal abscissa of Cu 1 and M about 0.1× length of vein cu-a.

Metasoma ( Figs 2A, B, D, F ) sparsely pubescent; first tergite 1.7× as long as apical width, smooth, sparsely punctate, without carinae; second tergite 1.1× as long as apical width, smooth, sparsely punctate; tergites 3–5 aciculate, densely punctate except apical 0.2; the remaining tergites indistinctly sculptured; apical horn of metasoma shaped like an ellipse in posterior view ( Fig. 2B ); ovipositor about 3.6× length of hind tibia, with the apical teeth ( Fig. 2D ); ovipositor sheaths densely pubescent.

Colouration. Body generally pale yellow with brown and black marks ( Fig. 2A ); head pale yellow except mandible, vertex and occiput partly black, antenna brown with scape and pedicel partly yellow; mesosoma and legs pale yellow with brown and black marks; wings brownish apically; metasoma with tergites 1–6 tricoloured: brownish with two posterior yellow spots and apical brown-black band.

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Head from pale yellow to yellow; antenna with 32–35 flagellomeres; apical band on first metasomal tergite almost indistinct in paratypes; ovipositor 3.6–4.0× length of hind tibia.

Etymology. The species is named after collector of the specimens, Robert Copeland.

Distribution. Kenya ( Fig. 1 ).

Comments. Epirhyssa copelandi sp. n. has similar colouration with E. brianfisheri Rousse & van Noort, 2014 and E. overlaeti Seyrig, 1937 , but differs from both species in the shape of hypostomal carina and carinae on frons. In addition, E. copelandi sp. n. differs from E. overlaeti by the aciculate and densely punctate proximal half of third metasomal tergite. In contrast to E. brianfisheri , E. copelandi sp. n. has more abundant yellow colouration of metasoma.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of the Afrotropical Epirhyssa species:A–B) Type localities of Epirhyssa copelandi sp. n.: A) Mrima Hill Forest; B) Gede Forest.

FIGURE 2. Epirhyssa copelandi sp. n., holotype female: A) lateral view of habitus; B) frontal view of apical horn of metasoma; C) frontal view of head; D); lateral view of the ovipositor apex; E) lateral view of head and mesosoma; F) dorsal view of propodeum and metasomal tergites 1–3; G) dorsal view of frons (carina marked with red arrows); H) dorsal view of head and mesoscutum.