Ageniella caerulea, Rapoza & Waichert, 2022

Rapoza, Márcia & Waichert, Cecilia, 2022, Two new species of Ageniella Banks, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Brazil and updated keys, European Journal of Taxonomy 787, pp. 71-85 : 73-77

Ageniella caerulea sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:23CDBD6C-B833-4182-9109-61962BC8BB22

Figs. 1–2 , 4

Diagnosis

Ageniella caerulea sp. nov. is the only South American species with blue integument and purple-greenish metallic reflections; the legs are castaneous with bluish reflections and the tarsi are light castaneous ( Fig. 1A ); the antenna is castaneous; the clypeus is trapezoidal, blue with greenish reflection; and the forewing is hyaline with two darkened bands. In females, the wing cells are darker than in males; the antennae, tibiae and fore tarsi are paler in males than in females ( Fig. 1A, C ).

Etymology

The specific epithet is Latin and refers to the blue color that stands out from that of the other spider wasps known from the Amazonian area.

Material examined

Holotype BRAZIL • ♀; Amazonas , Manaus, Embrapa; 2°53′42.18″ S, 59°59′10.58″ E; 11 Oct. 2012; E. Moerick and K. Schoeninger leg.; INPA.

Allotype BRAZIL • ♂; same collection data as for holotype; INPA.

Paratypes BRAZIL • 1 ♂; Amazonas , Manaus, Embrapa; 2°53′29.14″ S, 59°58′45.80″ E; 1 Feb. 2013; E. Moerick and K. Schoeninger leg.; INPA • 1 ♀; same locality as for holotype; 18 Jan. 2013; E. Moerick and K. Schoeninger leg.; INPA .

Description

Female (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 10.1 mm. Forewing length 7.9 mm; maximum wing width 2.8 mm.

COLORATION ( Fig. 1 ). Head blue with purple-greenish reflections; antenna dark castaneous; clypeus blue with greenish reflections, apical margin dark castaneous; setae silver; mandible dark castaneous with greenish reflections; maxillary setae castaneous; mesosoma blue with purple-greenish reflections; metasoma dark castaneous with blue-greenish reflections; wings hyaline; forewing with two darkened bands: inner band covering vein M, basal portion of cells R, 2Cu, distal portion of vein 1Cu, and outer band covering cells 2R1, 3Rs, 2Rs, distal portion of 2M; forewing apex slightly darkened; veins castaneous.

HEAD ( Fig. 1B ). Wide; TFD 1.1× DF; MID 0.6 × DF. Punctation inconspicuous. Pubescence short. Ocelli in equilateral triangle; POL 0.8 × OOL. Mandible narrow, wider at base, two sharp apical teeth. Clypeus trapezoidal, flat, anterior margin slightly curved; LC 0.2 × WC. Antenna elongate; fourth segment 3.9× as long as wide; proportion of first four antennal segments 9: 3:10: 11; WA3 0,2× LA3; LA3 0.7× UID.

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 1A, C ). Punctation inconspicuous. Pubescence sparse, thin; propodeum with long setae. Pronotum not elongated, width about 2.6× its length; pronotal collar short. Propodeum with slope slightly curved in profile. Forewing long, maximum width 0.35 × its length; 2R1 3.0 × as long as its distance to apex; 3Rs 1.3 × as long as 2Rs; 2Rs cell 2.0× as wide as long; 3Rs somewhat triangular; second recurrent vein curved, meeting 2Rs at 2.0× distance from base to apex of cell. Fore, mid and hind tibiae with thick, short spines; hind tibiae with spines arranged in rows.

METASOMA. Polished, 1.31 × as long as mesosoma; pygidium covered with short, erect pubescence.

Male (allotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 8.5 mm. Forewing length 6.6 mm; maximum wing width 2.0 mm.

COLORATION ( Fig. 2A ). Head blue with greenish metallic reflections; antenna pale castaneous; clypeus blue with greenish reflections; setae silver; mandible pale castaneous and blue with greenish metallic reflections; mesosoma purple-blue with greenish metallic reflections; metasoma castaneous with purpleblue-greenish metallic reflections; wings hyaline, darkened band covering cells 2Rs and 3Rs, cell 2M partially darkened, apex of wing slightly darkened; veins castaneous; leg castaneous with blue metallic reflections on coxae, trochanter and tibia; fore tibia, fore, mid and hind tarsi pale castaneous, distal portion of fore femur pale castaneous.

HEAD ( Fig. 2B ). Wide; TFD 1.3× DF; MID 0.5× DF; punctation inconspicuous. Ocelli in equilateral triangle; POL 0.8× OOL. Mandible narrow, base wider than apex. Clypeus trapezoidal, flat, median apical margin concave with lateral edges angulate; LC 0.2× WC; few long bristles present. Antenna elongate; fourth segment length 4.0× its width; ratio of first four antennal segments 9: 3: 1:11; WA3 0.2× LA3; LA3 0.8× UID.

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 2A ). Punctation inconspicuous; pubescence scarce, thin. Propodeum with long, sparse erect setae. Pronotum not elongated, width about 4.3× its length; pronotal collar short. Propodeum with discrete punctation; posterior slope smooth. Forewing long, maximum width 0.3 × its length; 2R1 3.5× distance from its end to wing apex; 3Rs 1.7× larger than 2Rs; 2Rs 1.1 × as wide as long; 3Rs triangular; second recurrent vein curved, meeting 2Rs at 1.7 × distance from base to apex of cell. Tibia with few short spines.

METASOMA. Broken; polished; metasoma 1.17 × as long as mesosoma.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 4A–D ). Parapenial lobe split; lobe digitus-shaped, wide curved, total length 0.6× total genitalia length; apex truncate, curved; width constant along its length; dorsal lobe longer than ventral lobe, apex rounded inward, setae short, erect; ventral lobe spatulate, short, angulate, covered with thick bristles. Digitus wide, apex arched, inner margin truncate; total length 0.6 × paramere total length. Aedeagus tongue-like, almost as long as parapenial lobe; apex truncate, apical median margin concave, gradually broadening apically. Paramere short, total length 0.7× total genitalia length; robust, constricted basally, two small projections on 0.3 and 0.6 portion from base; apex lanceolate; setae long, thick, sparse along the length, more abundant at apex. Subgenital plate trilobed; median lobe projected; lanceolate apically, setae thick, long at apex.

Distribution

Brazil (Amazonas).

Remarks

The allotype has lost the antennal segment four onwards and the last three terga of the metasoma. This species has a unique blue-greenish color among the species of Ageniella . Usually the species of Ageniella have dark blue reflections, but they are rarely completely metallic blue and with greenish reflections as seen in this species. Ageniella dominguensis ( Banks, 1944) has a blue color similar to that of A. caerulea sp. nov., but it differs from the latter by having a large body size, long setae covering the integument, and wings darkened without bands. Moreover, A. dominguensis is endemic to the Dominican Republic.

Figures

Fig. 1. Ageniella caerulea sp. nov., ♀, holotype (INPA). A. Profile. B. Head, frontal view. C. Fore wing and dorsal view.

Fig. 2. Ageniella caerulea sp. nov., ♂, allotype (INPA). A. Profile. B. Head, frontal view. C. Fore wing.

Fig. 4. Ageniella caerulea sp. nov., ♂, allotype (INPA). A. Genitalia, ventral view. B. Genitalia, dorsal view. C. Paramere, lateral view. D. Hypopygium, frontal view.