Mesa xanthocera ( GERSTAECKER 1871)

Boni, M., 2013, Afrotropical taxa of the genus Mesa SAUSSURE 1892 (Hymenoptera, Tiphiidae, Myzininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (2), pp. 1657-1744 : 1681-1683

Mesa xanthocera ( GERSTAECKER 1871)

Myzine xanthocera GERSTAECKER 1871: 353 n.35. T y p u s - Tanzania, MNHU.

Plesia (Mesa) xanthocera: SAUSSURE (1892: 245) .

Myzine xanthocera (1870): DALLA TORRE (1897: 130).

Plesia reticulata CAMERON 1905: 300 – Holotypus - South Africa = /Brak Kloof Jan 95 Mrs G. White/ / Plesia reticulata Cam. Type Brak Kloof / (autographic) / Holotype Plesia reticulata Cameron teste C.J. Guillarmod/ Albany Museum. Syn.nov.

Elis (Mesa) xanthocera: TURNER (1912: 709) .

Elis ( Mesa ) incerta TURNER 1912: 710. Holotypus: South Africa = /Howick Natal J.P. Cregoe 1903 13/ / Elis incerta Turn Type / (autographic) /Type H.T./ (rounded wit red outer ring) BMNH! Lacking flagella.

Elis (Mesa) xanthocera: TURNER (1916: 460) .

Elis ( Mesa ) mutica TURNER 1917: 353. Holotypus: Zimbabwe = / Rhodesia Bulawayo 21 Dec 19 11 G. Arnold/ / Elis ( Mesa ) mutica Turn Type / (autographic) /Type H.T./ (rounded wit red outer ring) BMNH! Syn.nov.

Elis (Mesa) xanthocera: TURNER (1926: 107) .

Plesia reticulata: JACOT- GUILLARMOD (1961: 3).

M a t e r i a l.. Botswana = (1) / Botswana Kuke park 20à59’S 22°25’E 14-25.IV.1972 / / Southern African Exp. 1972-1/ BMNH ; Namibia = (1) / SW Africa Komgai 1-6.IV.1972 / / Southern African Exp. 1972-1/ BMNH; (1) / SW Africa Swakop. R 3 mls S Okahandja 7.IV.1972 / / Southern African Exp. 1972-1/ BMNH ; Malawi = (1) /Nyasaland Blantyre IV.1957 KLM Krauss B.M. 1957-458/ BMNH ; South Africa = (1) /S. Africa Natal Ingogo III.1902 / BMNH; (1) / S Africa Bechuanaland Ngamiland Nov. 1930 - Jan 1931 GD. Hale Car. B.M. 1931-160/ BMNH; (1) / Cape province Somerset East 1- 26.1.1931 / / Brit. Mus. 1931-95/ / Mesa xanthocera (Gerst) det 1947 C:J: Guillarmod / BMNH; (1) / Queenstown Cape Province 3.500 ft 16.I-10.II 1923 / /S. Africa RE Turner Brit. Mus 1923-140/ / Elis (Mesa) xanthocera Gerst. det Turn / /A003307/ SAM; (1) / Bronkhorstpruit Dam Tvl 21.11,64 HN Empey / / Mesa xanthocera det HN Empey / /A003319/ SAM ; Tanzania = (1) / Tanzania Mkomazi Game Reserve, Ibaya hill 03°58’40S 37°47’13E 15-30 April 1996 / /S. van Noort Malaise trap, wet montane forest margin bordering Setaria / Panicum grass/ / SAM HYM AO180095/ SAM .

. Botswana = (1) / Botswana (B9) L. Ngami 12 mls NE Sehithwa 16-17.IV.1972 / Southern African Exp. 1972-1/ BMNH ; Kenya = (1) / Kenya Kilagumi Tsavo 27.XI.1972 Coll. A. Mochi / USNM ; Mozambique = (1) / Mozambique Gaza pr 30.XII.2003 45 km W Xai. Xai J. Halada leg/ OLML ; South Africa = (2) / Queenstown Cape province 3500 ft 16.I-10.III.1923 / / South Africa R. E. Turner Brit. Muse. 1923-140/ // Mesa xanthocera (Gerst) det 1947 C:J: Guillarmod / BMNH; (1) / Cape Province Katberg 1-10. V.1933 / / S. Africa RE: Turner Brit. Mus. / BMNH; (2) / Bronkhorstpruit Dam Tvl 21.11,64 HN Empey / / Mesa xanthocera det HN Empey / /A003319/ SAM; (1) / Natal Estcourt Haviland / / Elis (mesa) reticulata Cam / / R. E. Turner determ/ /A003344/ SAM ; Zimbabwe = (1) / Zimbabwe 30 km W Harare 29.II.1998 lg J. Halada / OLML ; Tanzania = (1) / Tanzania Mkomazi Game Reserve, Ibaya hill 03°58’40S 37°47’13E 26 Nov-10 Dec 1995 / /S. van Noort Malaise trap, Acacia / Commiphora / Combretun Bushland/ / SAM HYM AO 17951 / SAM; (1) Tanzania Mkomazi Game Reserve, Ibaya hill 03°58’40S 37°47’13E 14 April-3 May 1996 / /S. van Noort Malaise trap, Acacia / Commiphora / Combretun Bushland/ / SAM HYM AO 18240 / SAM .

Female: figs 74-76 . Male: figs 77-79.

Past authors like TURNER and JACOT GUILLARMOD are the authorities about the interpretation of this taxon. Female well distinct by the colour of flagellum; gradulus present only on 2 nd tergum. The sex association and synonymy of Plesia reticulata has been performed in labels by JACOT- GUILLARMOD. He published the description of type of Plesia reticulata preserved at Albany Museum hinting at its synonymy with M. xanthocera , but did not formalize it. The type of P. reticulata has been as unaccessible to me as that of Plesia carbonaria and other CAMERON’ s types at Albany Museum, but I feel right to establish the synonymy all the same in memory of his authority. Before him TURNER (1926) established the synonymy of his E. (M.) incerta with M. xanthocera since he took "both sexes in large numbers at Queenstown in January 1923 on Mimosa - blossom" Types of Elis ( Mesa ) incerta and Elis ( Mesa ) mutica are identical to eachother and both perfectly fit with males identified as M. xanthocera by JACOT- GUILLARMOD, genitalia enclosed, as specimen from Natal determined as E. (M.) reticulata by TURNER does too.

Here probably Plesia carbonaria CAMERON 1905 could be listed, basing it on the shallow description by the author. Both Turner and Jacot Guillarmod did not give any clear hint about. On the other hand both collections at BMNH and SAM do not list specimens so classified, a fact which makes us think that both abovesaid authors did not retain it a good species. Nevertheless whichever doubt will be dissipated only by the examination of the type, so far unaccessible to me.

The unique difference occurring among male specimens here recorded is the stochastic absence/presence of small light spots on clypeus and sides of terga in some of them.

N o t e DALLA TORRE (1897) recorded this taxon with the year 1870 and TURNER (1912, 1916, 1926) followed him, but the year of publication is actually 1871.

Figures

Figs 74-76: Mesa xanthocera: (74) habitus; (75) basal hindtarsomerus; (76) epipygium. Figs 77- 79: Mesa xanthocera: (77) gonosquama; (78) volsella; (79) aedeagus; (74: scale bar: 5 mm; 75: scale bar =0,25 mm; 76 scale bar: 1 mm; 77-79: scale bar: 0,5 mm).