Epirhyssa maynei Benoit, 1952

Rousse, Pascal & Noort, Simon Van, 2014, A review of the Afrotropical Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) with the descriptions of five new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 91, pp. 1-42 : 21-23

Epirhyssa maynei Benoit, 1952

Fig. 5

Diagnosis

Bright yellowish-orange overall with dark dorsal markings including apical half of metasoma; wings yellowish with apices strongly infuscate and an additional infuscate transverse subapical stripe on fore wing; face sparsely punctate, barely protruding; clypeus nearly smooth, without subapical tubercle, ventral margin truncate; frons smooth with a blunt Y-shaped mid-longitudinal carina ; antenna with 37 flagellomeres; epicnemial carina hardly extending onto mesopleuron; subtegular ridge convex; fore wing with 2m–cu opposite rs–m; tergite 1 stout; all tergites smooth, with fine isolated punctures; apical margins of tergites 3–5 strongly concave. CT 2.9; ML 0.5; POL 1.3; OOL 1.3; Fl 1 3.7; Fl 15 2.5; Fl 36 1.2; T1 1.2.

Differential diagnosis

Species characterized by its coloration, with apical half of metasoma black, wings yellowish with black patterns; otherwise characterized by the combination of the sparsely punctate face, the absence of subapical protuberances on the clypeus, the ventral margin of the clypeus not produced laterally, and the epicnemial carina nearly absent laterally. It is the only yellow Afrotropical species with banded wings.

Material examined

Holotype

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: ♂, Albertville [Kalemie, 05°56’ N 29°12’ E], Jul. 1918, R. Mayné ( MRAC).

Paratype

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: 1 ♂, Bambesa, Dec. 1946, P. L. Benoit ( MRAC).

Other material

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: 1 ♂, Préfecture Sangha-Mbaéré, Parc National de Dzanga-Ndoki, 38.6 km, 173° S of Lidjombo, 2°21.60’ N 16°09.20’ E, 350 m, 27 May 2001, S. van Noort, handnet, Lowland Rainforest, CAR 01- H 25, SAM–HYM–P049437 ( SAMC).

Description

Female

Unknown.

Male (3 specimens)

B 14.2–16.7; A 13.6–14.9; F 11.5–13.3 (holotype: B 16.7; A 14.9; F 13.3).

COLOR. Bright yellowish orange overall with dark brown to black markings: apical 2/3 of mandible, frons, vertex, temple, hind leg from femur and metasoma from tergite 4; flagellum dark brown; wings yellowish, apically strongly infuscate, fore wing with an additional transverse infuscate stripe at pterostigma level, venation yellow.

HEAD. Face sub-quadrate, sparsely punctate, barely protruding dorsally but with a short mid-longitudinal ridge near toruli; clypeus mostly smooth with some punctures along dorsal margin, without distinct subapical tubercle, ventral margin truncate; mandible stout, both teeth truncate and chisel-like; upper head quite smooth; frons with a blunt Y-shaped mid-longitudinal carina below median ocellus, inner margins of toruli not expanded backwards; occipital carina mid-dorsally evanescent; antenna with 34– 37 flagellomeres.

MESOSOMA. Mesosoma shallowly and moderately densely punctate, but mesonotum deeply transversely striate and anterior half of pronotum smooth; epomia very weak; epicnemial carina very short, hardly extending laterally onto mesopleuron; apex of subtegular ridge convex, not flanged laterally; submetapleural carina anteriorly moderately expanded, then abruptly narrowed from anterior third.

WINGS. Fore wing with 2m–cu opposite rs–m, cu–a distinctly apical to Rs&M, Rs moderately bowed forwards; hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu joining Cu&cu–a at its anterior third, remote from junction with M.

METASOMA. Tergite 1 slender; all tergites smooth but with fine isolated punctures; apical margins of tergites 3–5 strongly concave.

Distribution

Democratic Republic of Congo. New record: Central African Republic.

Figures

Fig. 5. Epirhyssa maynei Benoit, 1952, holotype, ♀. A. Habitus, lateral view (inset: data labels). B. Mesosoma, lateral view. C. Metasoma, dorsal view. D. Head, anterior view. E. Mandibles, anterior view.