Masarina gabymariae, Gess, 2012

Gess, Friedrich Wolfgang, 2012, A new species of Masarina Richards 1962 from southern Africa, description of the female of Masarina ceres Gess 1997 and supplementary data on three other species of the genus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Masarinae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 25, pp. 83-92 : 84-87

Masarina gabymariae sp. n. Figs 1-6

Holotype.

♀, SOUTH AFRICA: WESTERN CAPE: Darling Renosterveld Reserve, Darling (33.23°S, 18.23°E), 25.ix.2011 (D. W., G. T. and G. M. Gess) (visiting red flowers of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa L. f., Malvaceae : Sterculioideae ) [AMG].

Paratypes.

Same locality and date as holotype, 1 ♀, 18 ♂♂ (1 ♀, 16 ♂♂ visiting red flowers of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ; 2 ♂♂ on ground near plants of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ); same locality, 1.x.2011, 1 ♀ (on ground near plants of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ); same locality, 8.x.2011, 21 ♀♀, 23 ♂♂ (visiting red flowers of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ) (all D. W., G. T. and G. M. Gess); same locality, 15.x.2011, 5 ♀♀ and 16.x.2011, 9 ♀♀ (visiting red flowers of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa and on ground near plants of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ) (all D. W., G. T. , G. M., F. W. and S. K. Gess); same locality, 20.x.2011, 1 ♀ (S. K. Gess) (visiting red flowers of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ) - [all AMG].

Diagnosis. Length 6.0 - 6.7 mm. Both sexes with head, thorax and metasoma black with yellowish white markings; male in addition with characteristic shield-shaped marking on disk of clypeus and distal third of fore femur of this colour. Tibiae and proximal tarsomeres light ferruginous. Frons in lower half and disk of clypeus longitudinally aciculate (less markedly so in male than in female).

Description.

Female ( Figs 1, 3, 5 ): Black. The following are yellowish white: small streak on temple behind top of eye; small streak anteriorly on humeral angle; posterior bands, not attaining sides, on terga I-III (laterally anteriorly produced, medially either interrupted or very narrow and suffused with ferruginous). Ferruginous are: tip of mandible; tegula laterally and posteriorly (medially black); extreme apex of femur, tibia (except black cloud medially on fore tibia) and tarsomeres of all legs (last tarsomere of fore leg and all tarsomeres of middle and hind legs, particularly last tarsomeres, darker than tibiae). Wings lightly infuscate; veins brown.

Length 6.7 mm; length of fore wing 4.2 mm; hamuli 6.

Head in front view 1.15 × as wide as long; POL: OOL= 1:1. Clypeus 1.35 × as wide as long; disk of clypeus basally raised above level of frons and of area below antennal insertion but with a longitudinal median depression (most marked on basal half) and with lateral wings depressed (most marked antero-laterally); depressed areas leaving on each side of disk a rounded elevation running obliquely from near antennal insertion to anterior margin and there meeting medially to form an obtuse projection into anterior emargination and effectively dividing it into two; antero-lateral angles of clypeus rounded. Frons in lower half longitudinally aciculate, finely so medially, more coarsely so laterally; clypeus over whole disk similarly longitudinally aciculate, finely so basally (particularly in median depression), more coarsely so elsewhere (particularly on lateral ‘wings’). Frons and vertex with moderate, in part subconfluent, punctures; clypeus with a scattering of finer punctures, most discernable on raised areas.

Pronotum, mesoscutum, scutellum and mesopleuron similarly punctured to head but more coarsely so; terga more finely punctured than head.

Setation on head noticable, that on frons longest and mostly porrect, that on pronotum and mesoscutum shorter and mostly semi-decumbent.

Middle tibia with one spur.

Male ( Figs 2, 4, 6 ): Black. The following are yellowish white: small spot at base of mandible (in small minority of specimens only); shield-shaped marking on disk of clypeus; small spot on scape (in small minority of specimens only); small streak on temple behind top of eye; narrow anterior band on pronotum; humeral angle; posterior bands, not attaining sides, on terga I - IV or V (that on tergum I widest, those of terga II - IV or V medially and laterally anteriorly produced; all bands medially suffused with ferruginous); extreme apex of trochanter and distal third of femur of fore leg; distal fifth of middle femur (in some specimens only). Ferruginous are: spot on basal half of mandible (in some specimens only); tegula anteriorly and posteriorly (medially very dark ferruginous to black); tibia and tarsomeres of all legs (last tarsomeres of middle and hind legs darker than others tarsomeres). Wings lightly infuscate; veins brown.

Length 6.0 - 6.4 mm; length of fore wing 4. 1 mm; hamuli 7.

Head in front view 1.14 × as wide as long; POL: OOL= 1: 1. Clypeus 1.4 × as wide as long; disk of clypeus evenly convex; anterior margin shallowly and evenly emarginate; antero-lateral angles narrowly rounded. Frons in lower half and disk of clypeus longitudinally aciculate but less markedly than in female. Punctation and setation as in female. Middle tibia with one spur. Parameres in dorsal view slightly incurved, with sides sub-parallel and with apices slightly down-curved and obliquely rounded.

Etymology.

The name, in the genitive singular, is formed from the name of the collector of most of the present specimens, Gaby Maria Gess, my grand daughter, aged eleven years, in recognition of her enthusiastic and diligent past and present collecting of Masarinae on my behalf.

Geographic distribution.

Known only from the type locality, the Darling Renosterveld Reserve. This small municipal reserve is situated at the top (south) of the village and represents a relict patch of the Coastal Renosterbosveld of Acocks (1953) or, more specifically, the Swartland Granite Renosterveld of Mucina and Rutherford (2006). The latter authors note that the largest patch is centred on Darling and state that this is a critically endangered vegetation unit of which almost 80% has already been transformed due to the prime quality of the land for agriculture. Indeed, from the top of the Darling Renosterveld Reserve it may be seen that, apart from the village below, the surrounding countryside, with the exception of the tops of some hills too difficult to plough, is in all directions given over to wheat fields. If Masarina gabymariae should be restricted to the Swartland Granite Renosterveld and to the Hermannia growing there, it too may be considered as endangered.

Floral association.

Malvaceae : Sterculioideae ( Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa L. f.).

Associated insects.

Chrysididae : Allocoelia quinqueden s Edney (unusually small and melanistic individuals), 25.ix.2011, 1 ♀ (on ground near Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ); 8.x,2011, 3 ♀♀ (1 ♀ visiting flowers of Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ; 2 ♀♀on ground near Hermannia (Mahernia) diffusa ). All Allocoelia species are known to be parasitic exclusively in the cells of Masarinae ; Allocoelia quinquedens has previously been found associated with Masarina strucki Gess at Bakleikraal near Kamieskroon, Namaqualand (Gess and Gess fieldnotes, 94/95/166).

Discussion.

Masarina gabymariae is most akin to Masarina strucki Gess but differs most notably from it in the female by the shape of the clypeus, in the male by the characteristic pale shield-like marking on the same and, in both sexes, by the differently formed and coloured tegula.

The keys to species of Masarina Richards given in Gess (2005: 12-14) are here augmented to include the new species.

Key to females

6	Metasoma black with yellowish-white markings	6b
-	Metasoma red with yellowish-white markings	Masarina hermanniae Gess
6b	Clypeal disk with longitudinal median depression wide and deep from base to anterior margin; anterior margin with a wide, rounded median lobe	Masarina strucki Gess
-	Clypeal disk with longitudinal median depression most marked on basal half, narrowing to anterior margin; anterior margin with a narrow, obtuse median lobe	Masarina gabymariae Gess

Key to males

5	Metasoma black with yellowish-white markings; scape (usually), mandible (usually), labrum, frons black	5b
-	Metasoma with terga roughly transversely banded, black anteriorly, red medially, and yellowish-white posteriorly; scape, mandible, labrum, clypeus, supraclypeal marking and ocular sinus yellowish-white	Masarina hermanniae Gess
5b	Scape and mandible black; disk of clypeus black, immaculate	Masarina strucki Gess
-	Scape and mandible occasionally with pale spots; disk of clypeus with characteristic yellowish-white, shield-shaped marking	Masarina gabymariae Gess

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. Masarina gabymariae 1 ♀, lateral view (actual length 6.7 mm) 2 ♂, lateral view (actual length 6.0 mm) 3 ♀, dorsal view 4 ♂, dorsal view 5 ♀, head, front view (actual width 2.1 mm), tongue not extended 6 ♂, head, front view (actual width 1.9 mm), tongue extended.