Pseudagris pygmaea Gusenleitner, 1998

Selis, Marco, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical genus Pseudagris de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), with description of four new species, Zootaxa 5315 (3), pp. 201-230 : 219-221

Pseudagris pygmaea Gusenleitner, 1998

( Figs. 9a–e , 13g )

Pseudagris pygmaea Gusenleitner 1998: 183 , 189, figs. 6–8, ♂—“ Etiopia, Koka , Shoa ” (holotype WBVI).

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: apical margin of male clypeus very narrow and rounded ( Fig. 9b ), F11 of male obliquely truncated at apex and flattened ( Fig. 9d ), posterior half of male mesoscutum with interspaces reduced to thin carinae and appearing dull, apical margin of female clypeus wide and 0.27× as wide as clypeus width ( Fig. 9c ), pit on female vertex deep and without elevated posterior margin ( Fig. 9e ), tegula densely micropunctate but without macropunctures, T1–T2 dull due to pubescence and shallow punctures, apical tergites and sternites orange.

Material examined. PARATYPE OF PSEUDAGRIS PYGMAEA : ♂, labeled: “ Coll. A. Mochi / 5-IX-76 / Koka / Shoa / Etiopia // Pseudagris / pygmaea nov. spec. ♂ / J. Gusenleitner. det.1997 / Paratypus // Paratypus [red label]” ( JGLA) . ETHIOPIA: Harar, 3.V.1937, leg. A. Mochi, 1♀ ( MSNVE) ; Harar, 10.V.1937, leg. A. Mochi, 4♂ 1♀ (4♂ MSNVE; 1♀ MSVI) ; Harar, 19.V.1937, leg. A. Mochi, 1♂ 1♀ ( MSNVE) ; Harrar , V.1937, leg. Mochi, 1♂ ( MSNVE) ; Shoa province, Koka , 10.II.1976, leg. A. Mochi, 1♂ ( MSVI) ; SOΜALIA: Somalia, Dolo , III.1938, 1♀ ( MSNVE) ; SUDAN: W. Darfur , N. Jebel Murra, Kurra Barrie, 6200 ft., 9.VII.1932, leg. M. Steele, 2♂ ( MSNVE) .

Description. Male. Body length 9.1–11.4 mm; fore wing length 8.9–11.0 mm.

Head 1.15× as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus in frontal view 1.25× as long as wide, apical margin narrowly truncated and 0.2× as wide as width of clypeus; two weak rounded carinae running from apical angles up to basal third, becoming evanescent dorsally, area between carinae flattened; clypeus in lateral view convex basally, then flattened to apex. Distance from posterior ocellus to occipital carina 1.85× as long as the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin. Gena 0.5× as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina entire, shortly lamellate on gena, weak on vertex. F1 2× as long as wide; F2–F10 longer than wide; F11 flattened dorsoventrally, hook-shaped in lateral view, parallel sided with truncated apex in dorsal view, reaching apex of F8; F4–F9 dorsally weakly convex. Mesosoma 1.3× as long as wide. Pronotal carina complete, shortly lamellate dorsally and angled on humeri. Mesoscutum 1.2× as wide as long, convex in lateral view. Scutellum weakly convex. Metanotum nearly vertical, evenly convex from base to apex. Epicnemial carina sharp and almost reaching pronotal margin, shortly lamellate ventrally. Propodeum in lateral view weakly convex; dorsal faces convex anteriorly and shallowly depressed near lateral angles of propodeum, distinct but not sharply separated from posterior face; lateral faces shallowly depressed along upper margin; inferior carina lamellar and denticulate reaching lateral angles of propodeum, where it continues in dull lateral carina. T 1 in dorsal view 2× as wide as long; T 2 in dorsal view as wide as long; S2 with shallow depression on basal half reaching basal corners, in lateral view more convex basally, then evenly and weakly convex to apex.

Clypeus densely micropunctate, dull. Interantennal area and lower part of ocular sinus smooth. Frons with dense and shallow flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces low and barely visible; vertex with deeper punctures and some sparse micropunctures; gena with row of large punctures along eye margin. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with deep dense punctures, interspaces very narrow and dull, almost disappearing on posterior half of mesoscutum; ventral corners of pronotum smooth. Metanotum coarsely punctured, interspaces sharp and elevated. Mesepisternum with large flat-bottomed punctures, denser on dorsal part, disappearing posteroventrally; epicnemium microreticulate and dull. Metaepisternum smooth, with some striae on dorsal plate. Tegula with barely visible dense fine punctures. Dorsal faces of propodeum coarsely punctured, punctures large and flat-bottomed, interspaces reduced to thin carinae; posterior face coarsely punctured dorsally and striate ventrally; lateral faces dull with fine striae and some sparse shallow punctures. T1–T3 with dense and shallow oblique punctures, denser on sides and apex of T2; T4–T7 impunctate and dull; sternites more deeply and sparsely punctured than respective tergites.

Head and mesosoma with dense setae about as long as 1.5× ocellar diameter, yellowish-brown on head and black on mesosoma; metasoma with dust-like brown pubescence and short setae on sternites.

Genitalia in Fig. 13g .

Black; following parts red to orange: basal triangular spot on mandible, transverse spot above antennal insertions, bottom of ocular sinus, short line behind eye on gena, scape and underside of flagellum, anterior face of pronotum dorsally (may be entirely black), short basolateral lines on T1, fore tibia, tarsi of all legs; clypeus deep orange to yellowish-orange; following parts bright orange: T4–T7 and S5–S7 entirely, S4 with laterally widened apical band; legs blackish brown. Wings fuscous with purplish reflections.

Female. Body length 13.8–16.3 mm; fore wing length 14.7–16.8 mm.

Like male, except clypeus 1.2× as long as wide, apical margin truncated and 0.25× as wide as width of clypeus, longitudinal carinae sharper but dull on upper part, cephalic foveae located in a deep heart-shaped depression; clypeus densely covered by deep punctures, except on nearly smooth area between carinae, punctures on whole body coarser and denser. Colored like male, except the following: clypeus bright orange, mandible more extensively orange-red, antennae red-orange with F3–F10 weakly darkened dorsally, tarsi of mid and hind legs black except apical tarsomere, T4–T6 and S4–S6 orange.

Distribution. Ethiopia, Somalia *, Sudan * ( Gusenleitner 1998) ( Fig. 14 ).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Pseudagris pygmaea Gusenleitner, 1998. a, habitus of female. b, head of male. c, head of female. d, antenna of male. e, vertex of female.

FIGURE 13. Male genitalia: aedeagus in ventral view, aedeagus in lateral view, volsella. a, Pseudagris albicauda (von Schulthess, 1923). b, P. apicalis sp. nov. c, P. brunnea Gusenleitner, 2007. d, P. carinata (de Saussure, 1863). e, P. nigrithorax sp. nov. f, P. nigrorufa sp. nov. g, P. pygmaea Gusenleitner, 1998.

FIGURE 14. Distributional map of Pseudagris species.