Malayepipona triangula Bai, Chen & Li, 2021

Bai, Yue, Chen, Bin & Li, Ting-Jing, 2021, Two newly recorded genera Malayepipona Giordani Soika and Megaodynerus Gusenleitner, with eight new species from China (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae), Zootaxa 5060 (3), pp. 371-391 : 385-387

Malayepipona triangula Bai, Chen & Li , sp. n.

( Figs 60–67 )

Material examined. Holotype, 1♀, China, Yunnan Province, Baoshan City, Tengchong County, Jietou Township , Baiguo Village , 25.435°N, 98.689°E, 1775 m, 19.VII.2011, Xin Zhou ( CNU).

Diagnosis. This species is easily distinguished from all other species of Malayepipona by the following character combination: clypeus with triangular emargination medially and yellow at base ( Fig. 61 ); metasomal segments strongly dull ( Fig. 66 ), S2 laterally convex and mediallyconcave at basal half ( Fig. 67 ).

Description. Female ( Fig. 60 ). Body length 9.8 mm, forewing length 10.0 mm. Body covered with short, silver setae except lower part of propodeum with dense, long silver setae; black, with the following parts orange–yellow: clypeus basally, narrow band along inner eye margin extending from bottom of frons to lower ocular sinus, interantennal spot, one small spot on gena, pronotum dorsally, parategula, scutellum, metanotum, posterodorsal spot of mesopleuron, apical bands on T1–T2, lateral apical bands on S2; tegula dark; wings brown, marginal cell of fore wing with an apical dark spot.

Head. In frontal view, head subcircular, about 1.1 times as wide as long ( Fig. 61 ); vertex with two small cephalic foveae, bearing dense pubescence, distance between foveae about 0.6 times as long as distance between posterior ocelli ( Fig. 62 ); distance from posterior ocellus to apical margin of the vertex about 1.7 times of the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin; vertex and gena with coarse, dense punctures ( Fig. 62 ); punctures on frons coarser than vertex and gena, interspaces slightly reticulate ( Fig. 61 ); gena slightly narrower than eye; occipital carina complete along gena; in frontal view, distance between inner eye margins at vertex about 1.3 times that at clypeus; clypeus ( Fig. 61 ) with sparse punctures, about 1.1 times as wide as long, in lateral view slightly convex at basal half; apical margin triangularly emarginated medially, laterally forming a sharp tooth; clypeal width: emargination width = 1.20: 0.36; mandible with four teeth, the second and the third with inner side slightly produced to form round edges, the outer one pointed apically ( Fig. 61 ); A1 about 3.4 times as long as its maximum width, curved; A3 about 1.5 times longer than wide, A4–A11 wider than long, A12 bullet–shaped, about 1.2 times as long as its basal width.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma longer than wide in dorsal view ( Fig. 65 ); pronotum coarsely, densely punctate and strongly reticulate, punctures coarser and larger than punctures on vertex and gena, pronotal carina raised and complete; mesoscutum weakly convex, about 1.1 times as long as wide; punctures on mesoscutum slightly larger than pronotum; scutellum weakly convex, in lateral view at the same level of mesoscutum, medially with shallow longitudinal furrow ( Fig. 65 ), punctures on scutellum smaller and sparser than mesoscutum; metanotum weakly convex, sloping down to apical margin, metanotum punctures smaller than mesoscutum; mesepisternum with dense, large, flat–bottomed punctures, similar to those on pronotum posterodorsally; metapleuron dorsally with same punctures and long striae, ventrally with sparse shallow punctures ( Fig. 64 ); propodeum ( Figs 63–65 ) dorsally with coarse, dense, flat-bottomed punctures, strongly carinate and reticulate, medially excavated roundly and the basal fovea about 0.4 times of the length of the median carina which runs from the fovea to the apical margin; dorsal and posterior surfaces connected by a sharp edge; posterior and lateral surfaces connected by bluntly angulate, lateral surface coarse, punctures much shallower and mixed with striae, posterior surface densely and thinly striae mixed with minute punctures, and with shallow flask-shaped depression along propodeal carina.

Metasoma. T1 ( Fig. 66 ) about 2.0 times as wide as long, narrower than T2, and basally truncate and weakly raised edge; anterior vertical surface weakly convex, with sparse punctures; T2 ( Fig. 66 ) with thin apical lamella, about 1.1 times as wide as long; S2 ( Fig. 67 ) in lateral view strongly convex from base to apical margin, in frontal view laterally slightly convex and medially with concave at base; metasomal segments strongly dull, T1 laterally with dense punctures, interspaces slightly reticulate, T2 with sparse punctures, S2 punctures similar to those on T2, punctures on T3–T5 denser and smaller than on T2, S3–S6 punctures sparse than T5, T6 punctures sparser than S6.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from two Latin words: tri– and angulus, referring to the triangular apical emargination of the clypeus.

Figures

FIGURES 60–67. Malayepipona triangula sp. nov., holotype, ♀. 60. Habitus, dorsal view; 61. Head, frontal view; 62. Head, dorsal view; 63. Propodeum, posterior view; 64. Mesosoma, lateral view; 65. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 66. Metasoma, dorsal view; 67. Metasoma, ventral view.