Astata flavipennis (R. Turner, 1917b)

Jacobs, Hans-Joachim, 2023, Astata Latreille, 1796 (Hymenoptera, Astatidae) from Africa, south of the Sahara, Contributions to Entomology 73 (2), pp. 251-267 : 251

Astata flavipennis (R. Turner, 1917b)

Type.

Dimorpha . Holotype or syntypes ♂, Kenya, 30 mi. from Magadi Junction (BMNH) .

Material.

Ethiopia • 1 ♂; Wachile env,; 1070 m alt.; 4°32'N, 39°03'E; 22.05.2015; J. Halada leg.; OLML .

Description male.

Habitus. Dorsal Fig. 6 , lateral Fig. 7 . Body length. 11-12 mm. Head. Black. Face, gena and occiput with long white setae. Gena and occiput with very fine micro-reticulation, coarsely and densely punctate, distances between punctures narrower than puncture diameter. Mandible black with pale bristles, normal. Clypeus densely punctate, middle lobe rectangular with slightly concave anterior margin. Antenna. Black. Antennomere I on inner surface with white setae; III about 5 × as long as apically wide; IV-IX slightly widened distally, slightly concave in profile (Fig. 9 ). Thorax. Black with short and backward-facing setae on mesoscutum and mesopleuron. Tegula black. Mesoscutum densely punctate with large smooth spot on posterior half (Fig. 8 ). Mesopleuron posterior densely punctate, more scattered anteriorly. Prepectus and epimeron densely punctate, the latter without longitudinal rugae. Metanotum dull, completely and densely punctate. Wings. Basal sclerite, costa and subcosta dark brown, remaining veins reddish-brown. Forewing brownish hyaline adjacent to veins, distinctly darker brown apically. Marginal cell about 4 × as long as maximal width. Legs. Black. Propodeum. Black. Dorsal surface glabrous, reticulated with more or less distinct longitudinal striae. Lateral and posterior surface dull, irregularly reticulated, with long pale setae. Metasoma. Red; sternum I black, II red with large black spot. Sternum II with white setae, following ones with pale brown setae. Metasomal hairbrush long, beginning on sternum III, lateral setae nearly twice as long as those on sternum II. Terga smooth and shiny, without punctures.

Female unknown.

Astata fuscistigma complex

Note. The following taxa are described in the A. fuscistigma complex:

Astata fuscistigma Cameron, 1905: Holotype or Syntypes ♂, South Africa, Eastern Cape Province, Dunbrody, 33°29'S, 25°33'E (BMNH).

Astata albopilosella Cameron, 1910. Holotype or syntypes ♂, South Africa, Transvaal, now Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces, no specific locality (TMP). - Description ♀ ( Arnold 1923). - var. of Astata fuscistigma ( Arnold 1924).

Astata fuscistigma race nana Arnold, 1946. ♀, ♂, syntypes, South Africa, Western Cape Province, Mossel Bay (SAM).

Remarks. All specimens mentioned here are running to A. fuscistigma respective A. albopilosella in the keys provided by Arnold (1924). It is not possible to distinguish between these two taxa according to the characteristics given in his keys. This is obviously a mixture of different species. The females here examined can be divided into three species. The males are not clearly distinguishable. The assignment is made here provisionally after the females. The descriptions ( Cameron 1905, 1910; Arnold 1923, 1924) are not sufficient for a secure classification to the described species. Without revision of the types, a reliable assignment to individual taxa is not possible. This applies to both females and males.

The length of ventral setae of hindfemur is highly variable, as indicated in the descriptions of both sexes. Specimens with long ventral setae of hindfemur are characterised by distinctly longer setation of the mesosoma, as well as on tergum I and metasomal sterna. There are all transitions between specimens with short and long setation, but I cannot detect any other difference between these specimens. Males with long setae on tergum I were described as Astata albopilosella by Cameron (1910). The description is very short and contains no other valuable information for separation from A. fuscistigma . Arnold (1924) could not separate males of these taxa and treated A. albopilosella as a northern variety of A. fuscistigma . Arnold (1946) separated the females of A. fuscistigma nana from A. fuscistigma s. str. by the more convergent inner orbits, measured by the distance of inner orbits at the level of clypeus compared to the distance at the level of vertex. The difference in this relationship between A. fuscistigma nana and A. fuscistigma s. str. is very small (0.7 versus 0.8). Body length and roughness of dorsal surface of propodeum are variable and not suitable for separation from A. fuscistigma s. str. The record from Ghana ( Arnold 1951) needs confirmation.

Species A

Material. Republic of South Africa. • 5 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; West Cape, 5 km S Lambert’s Bay; 20.11.2002; Ma. Halada leg. • 1 ♀; West Cape, Klein Karoo, Langberg Grot riv.; 15.12.2002; Ma. Halada leg.

Species B

Material. Republic of South Africa. • 2 ♂♂; West Cape, Greyton, Riviersonderend r.; 07.11.1999; Ma. Halada leg. • 1 ♂; West Cape, 20 km N Citrusdal; 27.10.1999; Ma. Halada leg. • 1 ♂; Mpumalanga, 20 km SW Lydenbrug; 20-21.11.2003; Ma. Halada leg. • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; North Cape, SW of Loriesfontein; 13.10.1999; Ma. Halada leg. • 1 ♂ North Cape; W of Calvinia; 12.10.1999; M. Halada leg. • 1 ♀; Pretoria, 5 km S Brits; 20.01.2000; J. Halada leg.

Species C

Material. Kenya. 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Tsavo, Voi; 23.03-04.04.1997; Ma. Halada leg. • 1 ♂; Tsavo, Tai Hill, Wundanyi; 19-21.11.1996; Ma. Halada leg. • 4 ♀♀; Tsavo, Tai Hill, Wundanyi; 18.03-10.04.1997; Ma. Halada leg. • 1 ♀; Elmenteita Lake; 0°28'S, 36°16'E; 15.06.2006; E. Jendek leg.

Description male. Habitus. Dorsal Figs 50 (RSA), 52 (Ethiopia), lateral Figs 51 (RSA), 53 (Ethiopia). Body length 8-12 mm. Head. Black with white setae on face, gena and occiput. Mandible normal, black, sometimes reddish mesally. Gena and occiput shiny with shallow punctures. Clypeus shiny, densely punctate; middle lobe longer than lateral lobes, anterior margin straight. Frons and vertex densely punctate. Antenna. Black. Antennomere I on inner surface with white setae, III about 4 × as long as apically wide. Antennomeres V-X with carinate tyloids, more or less concave in profile, maximum width in apical third (Figs 54 , 55 ). Tyloids with two more or less pale tubercles. Thorax. Black with white setae. Tegula black. Pronotal collar black, densely punctate. Mesoscutum anteriorly densely punctate or rugose; posteromesally with smooth area and scattered punctures. Mesoscutellum smooth, laterally and distally with dense punctures. Mesopleuron densely punctate, shiny. Wings. Basal sclerite, costa and subcosta dark brown, remaining veins and pterostigma brown. Forewing slightly brownish with hyaline apical fringe. Legs. Black. Femora with white setae. Ventral setae of hindfemur variable, from about half as long to equal in length of maximal femur diameter. Midcoxa rounded on inner surface. Hindcoxa and -trochanter without special characters. Propodeum. Black. Dorsal surface glabrous, reticulate. Lateral and posterior surface densely punctate-reticulate with long greyish setae. Metasoma. Red and black, tergum I red with black declivity, II red, III red with dark posterior margin, terga IV-VI black. Sterna I-III red, I with black basal spot; IV-VI black. Sterna with white setae. Metasomal hairbrush well developed, lateral setae as long as or a little longer than setae on sternum II.

Description female. Habitus. Dorsal Fig. 56 , lateral Fig. 57 . Body length 9-11 mm. Head. Black with white setae. Clypeus densely punctate, middle clypeal lobe rectangular, anterior margin straight. Frons shiny, with sharp and dense punctures. Area between hind ocelli very densely punctate, dull. Vertex behind ocelli with some scattered punctures. Occiput smooth and shiny. Antenna. Black. Antennomere I on inner surface with pale setae, III about 4 × as long as apically wide. Thorax. Black with white setae. Pronotal lobe and tegula black. Mesoscutum shiny, densely punctate in anterior quarter (spec. B) or anterior half (spec. C) and with very scattered punctures on posterior surface or very densely punctate on the anterior half and scattered punctures on posterolateral surface (spec. A). Mesoscutellum smooth and shiny with scattered punctures, densely punctate posterolaterally. Mesopleuron densely punctate-reticulate, smooth and shiny ventrally. Wings. Basal sclerite and veins dark brown, pterostigma internally brown. Forewing hyaline, marginal and submarginal cells slightly darkened. Marginal cell about 3.5 × as long as wide. Legs. Black. Coxae, trochanters and femora with pale setae; longest ventral setae of hindfemur variable in length, from about half as long up to equal to maximal femur diameter. Forebasitarsus with four rake spines; inner surface with 15-20 spines, 6-7 basal spines long, distal ones distinctly shorter and almost equal length, basal third with white fimbriae (Fig. 58 ) (spec. A); with 8-12 spines, distal ones only slightly shorter than the basal spines; basal half with white fimbriae (Figs 60 , 62 ) (spec. B, C). Midbasitarsus straight, inner surface with 15-22 slightly undulating spines (Figs 59 , 61 , 63 ); for spec. A distally very short and almost of the same length (Fig. 59 ). Propodeum. Black. Dorsal surface glabrous, reticulate. Stigmal area straight (spec. A) slightly rounded (spec. B) or distinctly obtuse-angled (spec. C). Lateral and posterior surface irregularly reticulate with long white setae. Metasoma. Red and black, segments I-III red, IV-VI black, pygidial plate more or less red basally. Sterna with white setae.

Ecology. Nesting in friable soils ( Gess 1981). Namibia, visiting flowers of Apiaceae ( Gess and Gess 2003).

Figures

Figures 1 - 18. 1 - 5. A. lubricata male: 1. Habitus dorsal; 2. Habitus lateral; 3. Head frontal; 4. Clypeus; 5. Antenna. 6 - 9. A. flavipennis male: 6. Habitus dorsal; 7. Habitus lateral; 8. Mesoscutum; 9. Antenna. 10. A. gracilicornis female: Pygidial plate (after Arnold 1924). 11 - 15. A. melanaria male: 11. Habitus dorsal; 12. Habitus lateral; 13. Head frontal; 14. Clypeus; 15. Antenna. 16 - 18. A. enslini male (after Pulawski 1959): 16. Clypeus; 17. Hindfemur; 18. Antenna.

Figures 47 - 63. 47 - 49. A. tropicana sp. nov. female paratype: 47. Habitus dorsal; 48. Habitus lateral; 49. Mesoscutum. 50 - 55. A. fuscistigma complex male: 50. Habitus dorsal (RSA); 51. Habitus lateral (RSA); 52. Habitus dorsal (Ethiopia); 53. Habitus lateral (Ethiopia); 54. Antenna (Ethiopia); 55. Antenna (RSA). 56 - 63. A. fuscistigma complex female: 56. Habitus species A dorsal; 57. Habitus species A lateral; 58. Forebasitarsus species A; 59. Midbasitarsus species A; 60. Forebasitarsus species B; 61. Midbasitarsus species B; 62. Forebasitarsus species C; 63. Midbasitarsus species C.