Quartinia persephone Richards

Gess, Friedrich W., 2011, The genus Quartinia Ed. Andre, 1884 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Masarinae) in Southern Africa. Part IV. New and little known species with complete venation, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 21, pp. 1-39 : 16-18

Quartinia persephone Richards Figs 49-55

Quartinia persephone Richards 1962: 133 (key), 165, female. Holotype: female, South Africa: Northern Cape: Calvinia (BMNH). - Gess 1996: 246 (flower visiting); Carpenter 2001: 27 (listed); Gess and Gess 2003: 61 (flower visiting).

Diagnosis.

Medium to large (3.8-4.6 mm). Fore wing with Cu1a and 2 m-cu complete and as thick as the other veins. Tegula brown (that of female occasionally pale posteriorly) with posterior inner corner markedly inwardly produced and acute. Body black with posterior bands on terga orange-brown. Head in front view wider than long; angle of propodeum unmodified. Female with mesoscutum closely and coarsely punctured; interstices finely reticulate; with gaster closely and finely punctured with some coarser punctures on terga I and II. Male with antennal club, legs and tergum VII unmodified (simple); mesoscutum and gaster with sculpture as in female; head with labrum, mandible distally, scape, pedicel and proximal flagellomeres brown; underside of antennal club light orange-brown.

Description.

Female (previously adequately described) ( Figs 49, 51, 53 ).

Male (hitherto undescribed) ( Figs 50, 52, 54, 55 ): Black. The following are brown: labrum; distal two thirds of mandible; scape, pedicel and proximal flagellomeres; tegula.The following are light orange-brown: underside of antennal club (more proximal flagellomeres of club almost white); posterior bands on terga I - IV (that on I broad but not attaining lateral margins; those on II - IV progressively narrower and shorter); apex of femur, base and apex of tibia, tarsomeres of all legs (fore and middle tibiae anteriorly with a band connecting basal and apical pale areas). Wings lightly infuscate; venation dark brown.

Length 3.8-4.6 mm (average of 3: 4.2 mm; length of front wing 2.8-3.0 mm (average of 3: 2.8 mm); hamuli 4.

Puncturation as in female. Tergum VII with a median slit; lobes flanking slit rounded terminally. Sterna atuberculate.

Material examined.

SOUTH AFRICA: NORTHERN CAPE: 15 km N of Nieuwoudtville on road to Loeriesfontein, [Skuinshoogte Pass] (31.16S, 19.08E), 3-8.x.1989 (F. W. Gess), 1 ♀ (on yellow rayed Senecio sp., Asteraceae ); 6 km W [of] Nieuwoudtville on road to Van Rhyns Pass (31.22S, 19.03E), 25.ix.1994 (F. W. and S. K. Gess), 7 ♀♀ (5 ♀♀ in/on pale violet fls of Wahlenbergia sp., Campanulaceae ; 2 ♀♀ on yellow fls of Leysera gnaphalodes (L.) L., Asteraceae ); WESTERN CAPE: Olifants River Bridge, Clanwilliam - Klawer (31.50S, 18.37E), 27.ix.1985 (F. W. and S. K. Gess), 1 ♀ (det. J. M. Carpenter, 1986) (on white pink fls of Prenia pallens (Ait.) N. E. Br., Aizoaceae : Mesembryanthema ); Clanwilliam District, 5 km W [of] Clanwilliam [on] road to Graafwater (32.10S, 18.51E), 5-6.x.1988 (F. W., S. K. and D. W. Gess), 1 ♀, 3 ♂♂ (in violet fls of Microcodon sparsiflorum A. DC., Campanulaceae ); Clanwilliam District, Clanwilliam Dam (32.11S, 18.54E), 3-7.x.1988 (D.W.Gess), 2♀♀ (in violet fls of Wahlenbergia paniculata (Thunb.) A. DC., Campanulaceae ); same locality, 16-20.x.1989 (S. K. Gess), 2 ♀♀ ((in violet fls of Wahlenbergia paniculata ); Clanwilliam Disttrict: Klein Alexandershoek (32.20S, 18.46E), 1-2.x.1990 (F. W. and S. K. Gess), 1 ♀ (on yellow fls of Athenasia trifurcata (L.) L., Asteraceae ) - [all AMG].

Provenance of material examined by Richards (1962).

SOUTH AFRICA: NORTHERN CAPE: Calvinia.

Geographic distribution.

Known from the north-western part of the Western Capeand the adjacent south western part of the Northern Cape of South Africa, many (but not all) of the collecting sites being in the Macchia (Fynbos) of Acocks (1953).

Floral associations.

Aizoaceae : Mesembryanthema ( Prenia pallens (Ait.) N. E. Br.); Asteraceae ( Athenasia trifurcata (L.) L., Leysera gnaphalodes (L.) L., Senecio sp.); Campanulaceae ( Microcodon sparsiflorum A. DC., Walhlenbergia paniculatum (Thunb.) A. DC., Wahlenbergia sp.). On four separate occasions and at three localities in the Clanwilliam District Quartinia persephone was found together with Quartinia parcepunctata. On three of these occasions the two species were visiting the same flowers ( Microcodon and Wahlenbergia ).

Figures

Figures 49 - 55. Quartinia persephone 49 ♀, lateral view (x 12) 50 ♂, lateral view (x 11) 51 ♀, dorsal view (x 12) 52 ♂, dorsal view (x 12) 53 ♀, head, front view (x 15) 54 ♂, head, front view (x 19) 55 ♂, tergum VII, dorsal view (x 20).