Epirhyssa johanna Hopkins

Hopkins, Tapani, Roininen, Heikki, Noort, Simon van, Broad, Gavin R., Kaunisto, Kari & Saeaeksjaervi, Ilari E., 2019, Extensive sampling and thorough taxonomic assessment of Afrotropical Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) reveals two new species and demonstrates the limitations of previous sampling efforts, ZooKeys 878, pp. 33-71 : 33

Epirhyssa johanna Hopkins sp. nov. Figs 14-20

Material examined.

Type material: UGANDA:

• 1 ♀, holotype; Kibale National Park, Kanyawara, Site R03, Malaise trap R03T2; 0.5403N, 30.3608E (WGS84); alt. 1490 m (GPS, WGS84); 7 May 2015-21 May 2015; Tapani Hopkins leg.; ZMUThttp://mus.utu.fi/ZMUT.4920.

Known material: One specimen (1 ♀, Ugandan specimen, data above).

Diagnosis.

This species can be distinguished from other Afrotropical Rhyssinae by the combination of a smooth frons without median carinae and a laterally absent epicnemial carina. No other species has the same colour pattern.

Head: frons without median carinae, without lateral carinae; hypostomal carina raised into a low flange, its height slightly less than or equivalent to the maximum width of the second maxillary palp segment.

Mesosoma: subalar prominence without a lateral flange; mesopleuron without a flange along the dorsal margin; epicnemial carina laterally absent.

Metasoma: tip of apical horn elliptical in posterior view; tergite 3 mostly smooth.

Description (female).

Body length 8.4 mm.

Head: Frons without median carinae, without lateral carinae, smooth or very faintly striate. Occipital carina interrupted dorsally and interrupted or extremely faint near hypostomal carina. Hypostomal carina raised into a low flange, its height slightly less than or equivalent to maximum width of second maxillary palp segment. Face smooth or very faintly punctate. Clypeus sparsely punctate, with a median apical tubercle. Antenna with 28 flagellar segments.

Mesosoma: Subalar prominence without a lateral flange. Mesopleuron without a flange along the dorsal margin. Epicnemial carina laterally absent. Fore wing with 2m-cu distal to rs-m.

Metasoma: Tip of apical horn elliptical (flattened ellipse) in posterior view. Tergites mostly smooth, anterior of tergites 2-6 medially striate, tergite 1 1.2 times as long as apically wide.

Colour: General colour orange. Other colour: white face, lower 1/4 of genae, lateral frons, black mandibles, median frons, occiput, upper genae, and median spot on apical half of tergite 6 and entire tergite 7, dark brown hind tarsi. Antennae black. Ovipositor sheaths dark testaceous. Wings hyaline, faintly infuscate near apex.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

Dedicated to Johanna Hopkins, the first author’s wife. This species is known from only one, quite exceptional, female specimen.

Distribution.

Uganda.

Remarks.

Only one specimen was caught during 382 trap months of sampling, in a habitat (successional forest logged 2002-2004) that generally yielded few rhyssines.

Figures

Figures 14 - 20. Epirhyssa johanna female (holotype http: // mus. utu. fi / ZMUT. 4920), a new species from Uganda. 14 habitus 15 face and clypeus 16 frons 17 hypostomal flange 18 mesopleuron dorsal margin 19 apical horn of metasoma 20 tergites 1 - 7. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (15 - 20), 1 mm (14).