Quartinia carpenteri, Gess, 2012

Gess, Friedrich W., 2012, The genus Quartinia Ed. Andre, 1884 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Masarinae) in Southern Africa. Part VI. New and little known species both with complete and incomplete venation, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 24, pp. 95-115 : 99-102

Quartinia carpenteri sp. n. Figs 13-18

Holotype.

♂, SOUTH AFRICA: WESTERN CAPE: Bergendal Farm (33.30S, 21.19E), 4 km E[ast] of Ladismith, 2.xi.2010 (F. W and S. K. Gess), (visiting ye llow flowers of semi-prostrate mesem, Malephora sp., Aizoaceae : Mesembryanthema) [AMG].

Paratypes.

SOUTH AFRICA: WESTERN CAPE: same data as holotype, 12 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; 5 km S[outh] of Ladismith on R62 (33.32S, 21.15E), 9.xi.2010 (F. W. and S. K. Gess), 2 ♀♀ (visiting yellow flowers of semi-prostrate mesem, Malephora sp. Aizoaceae : Mesembryanthema) [AMG]; 3 km S[outh] of Meiringspoort (33°28'S, 22°32'E) (500m), 11.xii.1996 (J. Carpenter & A. Davidson), 4 ♀♀ [AMNH].

Diagnosis.

Large (4.8-5.4 mm). Fore wing with Cu1a and 2 m-cu complete and as thick as other veins. Tegula with inner posterior corner inwardly produced, acute. Angle of propodeum postero-ventrally produced into rounded, marginally translucent lamella. Posterior face of propodeum with ventral third shiny, contrasting markedly with closely punctured upper two thirds; shiny part laterally covering inner surface of lamella but smoothly concave and not passing upwards into a well marked pit as in Quartinia artemis . Male with clypeus and labrum yellowish-white; with posterior margin of tergum VII shallowly emarginate and with sterna atuberculate.

Description.

Female ( Figs 13, 15, 17 ): Black. The following are yellowish-white: underside of antenna; short transverse band medially on anterior margin of pronotum, small mark (effaced in one specimen) on humeral angle, minute spot at postero-dorsal angle; tegula (except for ferruginous median area); scutellar lamella (usually medially suffused with ferruginous); posterior bands, not attaining sides and progressively narrower and shorter on terga I - V; apex of femur and streak on dorsal aspect of tibia of fore leg; apex of femur and base of tibia of middle and hind legs. Various shades of ferruginous are: distal half of mandible; upper aspect of antenna; translucent posterior margin of propodeal lamella; terga laterally; diffuse posterior bands on sterna; most of femur, tibia and tarsomeres of all legs. Wings lightly browned; veins brown.

Length 5.0 - 5.4 mm; length of fore wing 3.5 mm (average of 3); hamuli 5.

Head in front view 1.23 × as wide as long; POL: OOL = 1: 0.8. Clypeus 1.3 × as wide as long; anterior margin shallowly emarginate; antero-lateral angle rounded.

Clypeus, frons and vertex moderately coarsely and closely punctured with microsculptured (shagreened) interstices; punctures on pronotum, mesonotum, scutellum and dorsum of propodeum larger than those on head, discrete, on mesonotum separated variously by less than their diameter to about four times their diameter. Gaster closely punctured; terga I and II coarsely so, remaining terga progressively more finely punctured.

Angle of propodeum postero-ventrally produced into rounded, marginally translucent lamella. Posterior face of propodeum with ventral third shiny, contrasting markedly with closely punctured upper two thirds; shiny part laterally covering inner surface of lamella but smoothly concave and not passing upwards into a well marked pit as in Quartinia artemis .

Male ( Figs 14, 16, 18 ): Black. The following are yellowish-white: variably sized spot (effaced in one specimen) on base of mandible; labrum; clypeus (except immediately below antennal socket); scape and pedicel (except dorsally); underside of intermediate flagellomeres and of proximal flagellomeres of club; transverse band on anterior margin of pronotum, either fused with marking on humeral angle or narrowly separated from it; minute spot at postero-dorsal angle; two minute dots at top of mesopleuron (in one specimen only); tegula (except for ferruginous median area); transverse mark of variable length posteriorly on scutellum; scutellar lamella (medially suffused with ferruginous); small streak edging upper part of propodeal lamella; posterior bands, not attaining sides and progressively narrower and shorter on terga I - VI and small crescent-shaped band margining emargination on VII; apex of femur and base of tibia of all legs. Various shades of ferruginous are: distal half of mandible; upper aspect of antenna; translucent posterior margin of propodeal lamella; terga laterally; diffuse posterior bands on sterna; most of femur, tibia and tarsomeres of all legs. Wings lightly browned; veins brown.

Length circa 4.8 mm; length of fore wing 3.0 mm; hamuli 5.

Head in front view 1.36 × as wide as long; POL: OOL = 1: 0.8. Clypeus 1.45 × as wide as long; anterior margin shallowly emarginate; antero-lateral angles rounded.

Punctation similar to that of female except that on mesoscutum and scutellum it is courser and closer.

Angles of propodeum and posterior face of the latter identical with that of female. Posterior margin of tergum VII shallowly emarginate, not slit-like. Sterna atuberculate.

Etymology.

Named after James Carpenter of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, co-collector with Amy Davidson of the first specimens of the present species, cladist of the Masarinae , and much esteemed colleague and friend.

Geographic distribution.

Known from three localities, not very far distant from each other, in the Little Karoo of the Western Cape. Its close congener, Quartinia artemis , appears, from the available records (see above), to be a species of the western Great Karoo.

Floral associations.

Aizoaceae : Mesembryanthema ( Malephora sp.).

Nesting.

Unknown.

Figures

Figures 13 - 18. Quartinia carpenteri 13 ♀, lateral view (x 8) 14 ♂, lateral view (x 9) 15 ♀, dorsal view (x 8) 16 ♂, dorsal view (x 9) 17 ♀, head, front view (x 23) 18 ♂, head, front view (x 23).