Pseudagris versicolor (von Schulthess, 1914)

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 : 224-228

Pseudagris versicolor (von Schulthess, 1914)

( Figs. 12a–d )

Synagris versicolor von Schulthess 1914a: 4 , ♀ —“ Sierra Leone … Togo, Misahöhe … Kamerun, Victoria … Duala ” (lectotype MSNVE).

Synagris versicolor var. meade-waldoi Maidl 1914a: 97 , ♀ —“ Budongo Forest , Unyoro ” (holotype NHMW). Syn. nov.

Diagnosis. The female of this species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: apical margin of clypeus 0.2× as wide as width of clypeus ( Fig. 12b ), pit on vertex deep and with raised posterior margin ( Fig. 12c ), body largely marked with orange-red, white spots absent or reduced to present on whole body, wings with bronzy reflections.

Material examined. LECTOTYPE OF SYNAGRIS VERSICOLOR : ♀, labeled “ Kamerun 1912 / vii Duala / v. Rothkirch // ♀ // Cotype // S. versicolor / det. Schulthess 913 // [red label] // Synagris versicolor / von Schulthess, 1914 / LECTOTYPE / Des. Marco Selis 2022 [red label] // Pseudagris versicolor / (von Schulthess, 1914) / Det. Marco Selis 2022 ” ( MSNVE). HOLOTYPE OF SYNAGRIS VERSICOLOR VAR. MEADE-WALDOI : ♀, labeled “ Uganda Prot. / Budongo Forest, / Unyoro. 3,400 ft. / 11–15 Dec. 1911. / S.A.Neave. // 1912-193. // S. versicolor ♀ / meade-waldoi / det. Fr.Maidl. // NHMW-HYM / # 0002509” ( NHMW) . CAΜEROON: Lolodorf, Cameroun, 1♀ ( MSNVE) ; CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Lobaye, Ngoto Forest, 150 km NWW Mbaiki near Grima , 600 m, 12–15.VI.2009, leg. A. Kudrna Jr., 1♀ ( MSVI) ; Lobaye, 20 km NNE Mbaiki , 400 m, 3–4.V.2010, leg. A. Kudrna Jr., 1♀ ( MSVI) ; GHANA: Gold Coast, 1913, leg. A.E. Evans, 1♀ ( MSNVE) .

Description. Female. Body length 13.7–15.8 mm; fore wing length 13.0– 15.9 mm.

Head as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus in frontal view 1.15× as long as wide, apical margin truncated and 0.2× as wide as width of clypeus; two rounded ridges running from apical angles up to basal third, area between carinae weakly depressed; clypeus in lateral view convex basally, then flattened to apex. Distance from posterior ocellus to occipital carina 2.5× as long as the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin; cephalic foveae located at bottom of an oval depression, broader than anterior ocellus, posterior margin of depression raised. Gena 0.75× as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina entire, sharp on gena, barely visible on vertex. F1 2.2× as long as wide; F2–F6 longer than wide; F7–F9 subquadrate. Mesosoma 1.35× as long as wide. Pronotal carina complete, very shortly lamellate dorsally and broadly rounded on humeri. Mesoscutum as long as wide between tegulae, weakly and evenly convex in lateral view. Scutellum flattened, on same level of mesoscutum. Metanotum oblique, evenly convex from base to apex. Epicnemial carina distinct but dull, reaching transverse furrow. Propodeum in lateral view oblique and weakly convex, with pointed lateral angles; dorsal faces convex and distinctly but not sharply separated from posterior face; lateral faces flattened, strongly curved along inferior carina; inferior carina dull and reaching lateral angle of propodeum, where it forms a short crenate point. T 1 in dorsal view 1.85× as wide as long; T 2 in dorsal view as wide as long; S2 broadly and shallowly depressed, in lateral view evenly convex from base to apex.

Clypeus dull; basal third and lateral areas with dense fine punctures, area between carinae densely microreticulate with very sparse almost indistinct punctures. Interantennal area and lower part of ocular sinus smooth and shiny. Frons densely and irregular punctate, with large flat-bottomed punctures and fine ones; vertex punctured like frons, but punctures deeper and sparser; gena shining with sparse punctures. Pronotum, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum very densely punctured, interspaces absent or reduced to thin carinae; ventral corners of pronotum smooth. Mesepisternum densely and coarsely punctured dorsally, punctures large and flat bottomed, interspaces flattened and shiny, shorter than diameter of punctures; ventral area less densely punctured, punctures becoming more shallow and indistinct posteroventrally; epicnemium densely microreticulate. Metaepisternum smooth, with some shallow punctures on dorsal margin. Tegula with dense micropunctures. Dorsal faces of propodeum coarsely punctured, interspaces reduced to thin carinae; posterior face with dense transverse striae; lateral faces with shallow punctures and striae. T1–T4 with deep oblique punctures, denser on sides and apical margins; T5–T6 dull with very fine punctures; sternites with larger and deeper puncture than respective tergites.

Head and mesosoma with reddish-golden short erect setae, longer on frons and mesepisternum. Metasoma with brownish dust-like pubescence.

Black; the following parts orange-red: clypeus, transverse spot above antennal insertions, mandible except apical margin, line behind eye on upper half of gena, whole antenna, pronotum, tegula, parategula, scutellum, metanotum, propodeum except median line and lateral margins, large spots on mesepisternum, metaepisternum partly to entirely, lateral spots to whole surface of T1, S1, whole legs; the following whitish-yellow markings are variable and can be partly or completely reduced to all present: spot above antennal insertions, lateral spots on dorsal face of pronotum, posterior spot on tegula, parategula, dorsal spot on mesepisternum, lateral spots on T1–T4. Wings fuscous with bronzy reflections.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Cameroon, Central African Republic *, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana *, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda ( Bequaert 1918; Giordani Soika 1977; Maidl 1914 a, 1914b; von Schulthess 1914 a, 1914b) ( Fig. 14 ).

Notes. Gusenleitner (2012) stated that no morphological characters could be found to differentiate the two subspecies of Pseudagris versicolor . The only character known to differentiate them is the presence of white spots in subspecies meadewaldoi, but Gusenleitner (2012) reported the presence of reduced white spots in a specimen of the nominotypical subspecies. The presence of reduced spots leads to the interpretation that the spots can vary in number and extension, representing a variable character with no diagnostic value; the subspecies meadewaldoi is therefore synonymized with the typical form.

A specimen from Duala ( Cameroon), collected by Rothkirch in 1912 and housed in MSNVE, is labelled as a cotype of Synagris versicolor by von Schulthess. Since von Schulthess (1914 a, 1914b) reports “ Kamerun … Duala (v. Rothkirch VII, 1912)” as collecting data in the original description, the examined specimen surely belongs to the original series of syntypes and is here designated as the lectotype ( Fig. 12d ).

Figures

FIGURE 12. Pseudagris versicolor (von Schulthess, 1914), female. a, habitus. b, head. c, vertex. d, lectotype of Synagris versicolor von Schulthess, 1914, habitus and labels.

FIGURE 14. Distributional map of Pseudagris species.