Malayepipona maculosa 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 : 379-381

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

( Figs 32–39 )

Material examined. Holotype, 1♀, Yunnan Province, Lijiang City, Ninglang County, Daxing Town , 27.282°N, 100.849°E, 2271 m, 26.VII.2011, Tingjing Li ( CNU).

Diagnosis. This species resembles M. malickyi ( Gusenleitner, 2010) with the character of S2 nearly flat at base, then slightly convex to apical margin ( Fig. 39 ). It differs from the related species and all other members of the genus by the following character combination: clypeus sparsely punctate, apical margin medially and deeply emarginated and laterally forming a pair of sharp teeth ( Fig. 33 ), apical lamella of T2 shorter, T3 without apical lamella, and T1–T5 with ferruginous apical bands( Fig. 38 ).

Description. Female ( Fig. 32 ). Body length 10.0 mm, forewing length 10.5 mm; body covered with short, silver setae except lower part of propodeum with dense long silver setae; black, with the following parts ferruginous: large spots on upper lateral corner and two small spots at apex of clypeus, narrow band along inner eye margin extending from bottom of frons to lower ocular sinus, scape ventrally, interantennal spot, long spot on gena, dorsal base of pronotum and with branches extending along posterodorsal margin of pronotum, tegula, parategula, two lateral spots of metanotum, apical bands of T1–T5 ( Fig. 38 ), apical spot of S2 laterally, and S3–S5 apical margins; wings brown, marginal cell of fore wing with an apical dark spot.

Head. In frontal view, head subcircular, about 1.0 times as wide as long ( Fig. 33 ); vertex with two small cephalic foveae as big as maximum punctures on vertex, bearing dense pubescence, distance between foveae about 0.7 times as long as distance between posterior ocelli ( Fig. 34 ), area surrounding foveae normal and punctate; distance from posterior ocellus to apical margin of the vertex about 1.6 times of the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin; vertex and gena with coarse punctures ( Fig. 34 ); punctures on frons coarser than vertex and gena, interspaces slightly reticulate ( Fig. 33 ); gena slightly narrower than eye, occipital carina complete along gena; in frontal view, distance between inner eye margins at vertex about 1.2 times that at clypeus; clypeus ( Fig. 33 ) about 1.1 times as wide as long, with sparse bigger punctures, interspaces densely with minute punctures at base and shiny at apex, in lateral view slightly convex at basal half; apical margin deeply emarginated medially, laterally forming a sharp tooth; clypeal width: emargination width = 1.26: 0.35; mandible with four teeth, the first tooth quite short and with inner side slightly concave, second and third teeth nearly square with inner side produced, the outer one pointed apically ( Fig. 33 ); A1 about 3.7 times as long as its maximum width, curved; A3 slightly longer than wide, A4–A11 wider than long, A12 bullet–shaped, about 1.4 times as long as its basal width.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma longer than wide in dorsal view ( Fig. 37 ); pronotum coarsely, densely punctate and reticulate, punctures coarser and larger than punctures on vertex and gena, pronotal carina raised and complete ( Figs 36, 37 ); mesoscutum weakly convex, about 1.1 times as long as wide, punctures on mesoscutum similar to those on pronotum ( Fig. 37 ); scutellum weakly convex, in lateral view at the same level of mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum medially with longitudinal furrow, punctures on scutellum similar to those mesoscutum ( Fig. 37 ); metanotum weakly convex, sloping down to apical margin, punctures on metanotum smaller than mesoscutum; mesepisternum with dense, flat–bottomed punctures, similar to those on pronotum posterodorsally, punctures on ventral mesepisternum shallower; metapleuron dorsally with several punctures and weak striae, ventral metapleuron with sparse shallow punctures ( Fig. 36 ); punctures on propodeum ( Figs 35–37 ) dorsally coarser than mesepisternum, strongly carinate and reticulate, and without a pair of blunt teeth behind metanotum, 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 sharp carina; posterior and lateral surfaces connected by bluntly angulate, lateral surface coarse, punctures much shallower and mixed with striae; posterior surface coriaceous, densely with fine punctures and striae, and with flask-shaped and deep depression along propodeal carina.

Metasoma. T1 ( Fig. 38 ) about 1.8 times as wide as long, narrower than T2, and basally truncate and weakly raised edge, with transverse carina; anterior vertical surface weakly convex, with sparse punctures, and clearly separated from posterior horizontal surface; T2 ( Fig. 38 ) with thin apical lamella, about 1.1 times as wide as long; S2 ( Fig. 39 ) widely flat at base, then slightly convex to apical margin; metasomal segment dull, T1 with moderate punctures laterally and sparser laterally, T2 with sparse punctures, punctures on T1–T2 larger than punctures on T3–T6, punctures on T3–T5 denser than T2, punctures on S2 similar to those on T2, S3–S6 with minute punctures smaller than T5, T6 punctures sparser than S6.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin word maculosus (= marked), referring to the four spots of the clypeus.

Figures

FIGURES 32–39. Malayepipona maculosa sp. nov., holotype, ♀. 32. Habitus, dorsal view; 33. Head, frontal view; 34. Head, dorsal view; 35. Propodeum, posterior view; 36. Mesosoma, lateral view; 37. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 38. Metasoma, dorsal view; 39. Metasoma, ventral view.