Pseudagris albicauda ( von Schulthess, 1923 )

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 : 202-204

Pseudagris albicauda ( von Schulthess, 1923)

( Figs. 1a–e , 13a )

Rhynchium abyssinicum var. albicauda von Schulthess 1923: 1 , ♀, ♂—“N.-O.- Rhodesia ” (syntypes OUMNH and ZMB).

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: longitudinal carinae of male clypeus weak ( Fig. 1b ), F11 of male not flattened and pointed at apex ( Fig. 1d ), apical margin of female clypeus broad and 0.25 × as broad as clypeus width ( Fig. 1c ), pit on female vertex shallow and without elevated posterior margin ( Fig. 1e ), interspaces on mesepisternum as broad as diameter of punctures, tegula with sparse macropunctures, mesosoma entirely black or nearly so, wings with purplish reflections, apical tergites marked with white.

Material examined. MALAWI: Nyasaland, Mlanje , 10.V.1913, leg. S.A. Neave, 1♂ ( MSNVE) ; MOZAΜBIQUE: Port. East Africa, Kola Valley E. of Mt. Chiperone , 1700 ft., 21.XI.1913, leg. S.A. Neave, 1♂ ( MSNVE) ; TANZANIA: Dar es Salaam, Tan Ganyika , 14.IX.1961, leg. G. Heinrich, 1♂ ( MSNVE) ; D.O— Africa, Kigonsera , 1903, 1♀ ( MSNVE) ; ZIΜBABWE: Bulawaio, S. Rhodesia , 10.XI.1924, leg. R.H.R. Stevenson, 1♂ ( MSNVE) ; Penkridge, S. Rhodesia , XII.1927, leg. R.H.R. Stevenson, 1♂ ( MSNVE) .

Description. Male. Body length 10.9–11.9 mm; fore wing length 10.5–12 mm.

Head as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus 1.2× as long as wide in frontal view, narrowly truncated apically, apical margin 0.2× as wide as width of clypeus, two dull carinae running from apical angles up to basal third, becoming evanescent dorsally, area between carinae flattened; clypeus in lateral view evenly convex. Distance from posterior ocellus to occipital carina 1.65× as long as the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin. Gena 0.6× as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina entire, shortly lamellate on gena, weak on vertex. F1 2.1× as long as wide; F2–F10 longer than wide; F11 oval in section, hook-shaped in lateral view, tapering to pointed apex in dorsal view, reaching apex of F8. Mesosoma 1.25× as long as wide. Pronotal carina complete, sharp but not lamellate dorsally. Mesoscutum 1.2× as wide as long, evenly convex in lateral view. Scutellum weakly convex and slightly above level of mesoscutum. Metanotum oblique, evenly convex from base to apex. Epicnemial carina sharp and reaching transverse furrow dorsally, becoming higher and lamellate ventrally. Propodeum in lateral view strongly prominent; dorsal faces convex and sharply separated from posterior face; lateral faces shallowly convex on whole surface. T 1 in dorsal view 2× as wide as long; T 2 in dorsal view wider than long; S2 with deep depression on basal half not reaching basal corners, in lateral view more convex basally, then weakly convex.

Clypeus dull, densely micropunctate. Interantennal area and lower part of ocular sinus smooth and shiny. Frons with dense shallow flat-bottomed punctures; vertex with deeper punctures, interspaces with some micropunctures; gena smooth with deep punctures along eye margin. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with very deep dense punctures, larger on scutellum, interspaces equal to or slightly shorter than diameter of punctures; ventral corners of pronotum smooth. Metanotum coarsely punctured, interspaces reduced to thin carinae. Mesepisternum with large flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces equal to diameter of punctures dorsally and becoming larger posteroventrally; epicnemium densely microreticulate. Metaepisternum smooth with some punctures on dorsal plate. Tegula dull, with sparse shallow fine punctures on whole surface and some larger punctures posteriorly. Dorsal faces of propodeum coarsely punctured, punctures large and flat-bottomed, interspaces reduced to thin carinae; posterior face dull, with some fine striae ventrally; lateral faces dull with sparse shallow punctures. T1–T2 with sparse barely visible oblique punctures, deeper on apical margin of T2; T3 punctured like previous tergites, but punctures coarser; T4–T7 dull and impunctate; S2 shining, with deep punctures sparser on basal depression and denser on sides; S3–S7 punctured like respective tergites, but punctures shallower.

Head and mesosoma with sparse short brownish setae. T1–T3 with moderately dense dark-brown pubescence, T4–T7 with silvery pubescence.

Genitalia in Fig. 13a .

Black; the following parts dark red: clypeus, mandible except apical margin, area between and above antennal insertions, bottom of ocular sinus, scape, underside of flagellum, line on dorsal half of gena, anterior vertical face of pronotum, lateral margins of T1; following parts yellowish-white: apical margin of T4, T5–T7 largely to almost entirely, small lateral spots on S5–S6; legs dark brownish-red. Wings strongly fuscous with purplish reflections.

Female. Body length 17.6 mm; fore wing length 17.0 mm.

Like male, except clypeus 1.1× 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 bilobate depression, basal depression on S2 broader and deeper; clypeus densely covered by small deep punctures, except on smooth area between carinae, metasoma more coarsely punctured. Colored like male, except T4 with barely visible white apical band, T5 nearly entirely white, T6 white in basal half, legs blackish-brown.

Distribution. Malawi *, Mozambique *, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe * ( von Schulthess 1923, 1928) ( Fig. 14 ).

Notes. The female specimen from Kigonsera bears two original labels by von Schulthess, one saying “ S. carinata albicauda det. Schulthess 92” and the other one “Cotype” printed in red. The original description ( von Schulthess 1923) reports “N.-O.-Rhodesia” (presently part of Zambia) as the locality, while the present specimen comes from Tanzania. It, therefore, can not be part of the original series of syntypes.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pseudagris albicauda (von Schulthess, 1923). a, habitus of male. 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.