Mesa coeruleipennis ( TURNER 1913) Boni, 2013

Boni, M., 2013, Afrotropical taxa of the genus Mesa SAUSSURE 1892 (Hymenoptera, Tiphiidae, Myzininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (2), pp. 1657-1744 : 1689

Mesa coeruleipennis ( TURNER 1913) comb.nov.

Elis (Mesa) coeruleipennis TURNER 1913: 737-738 . Lectotypus:(here designated in order to ensure proper name and consistent use): / Uganda Prot.[ectorate]. Between Kumi & N.E. shore L. Kioga. 3,400 -3,600 ft. // Aug. 18- 20, 1911 S.A. Neave/ /1912-193// Elis ( Mesa ) coeruleicornis Type Turn./ BMNH.

M a t e r i a l.. Gambia = (7) Gambia Keneba malaise IX-X.1975 H.C.D. Speight / BMNH ; Ghana = (1) / Place : Nyanskpala Ghana Date: 28.6.65 Konaf / /Hy-114/ / C.I.E. Collection A 1649/ (red) / Mesa / BMNH ; Nigeria = (1) / Nigeria Samaru 4.IX.1970 ward Coll. / BMNH; (1) / N. Nigeria Zaria Samaru 6. VI.1972 J.I. Musa / /feeding on honeydew on Sorgum leaves/ BMNH .

. Gambia = (1) Gambia Keneba malaise IX-X.1975 H.C.D. Speight / BMNH ; Nigeria = (1) /N. Nigeria Zaria Samaru 7. VI.1971 / /feeding on sorghum leaves/ BMNH; (1) / N. Nigeria Zaria Samaru 15. VI.1971 / BMNH; (1) / N. Nigeria Zaria Samaru 6.VII.1972 / BMNH; (2) / Nigeria Llora Lu State Aug 1974 J. T. Medler coll/ BMNH; (1) N. Nigeria Zaria Samaru 6. VI.1972 J.I. Musa / /feeding on honeydew on Sorgum leaves/ BMNH ; Senegal = (1) / Senegal Nioro du Ryi XI.1983 / / Sp LB 312 a pearl mallet C. I.E. R 17916/ /LB312/ BMNH .

Female: figs 137-139. Male: figs 140-146 .

Female completely black. Wings strongly darkened. Deeply impressed oblong p, packed in longitudinal rows on frons and N 1 disk and Sc 2. cOc complete on the upper side. P disk clearly known from posterior declivitous surface by a prominent transversal ridge; it shows a large median furrow which cross it completely from stm to that ridge. Scopa like in fig. 139. No gradulus both on 3 rd and 4 th terga. 6 th tergum completely crossed by longitudinal wrinkles with narrow smooth stripe along apical border.

Male. Described forv the first time. Size = 13.5 mm. Black. Yellow: most of mandible and clypeus but semitransparent ventral edge; subapical Tsa; apical palpi; subapical stripe on N 1 disk; fore tegula; perimeter of LaSt 2; ventral surface of X 1 and X 2, most of legs; apical stripe on 1 st to 6 th terga, two very small lateral spots on 2 nd to 5 th sterna. Wings hyaline. Clypeus with hair covering underlying integument. Very dense p on Tsa, clypeus, temples and lower genae, along fore border and anterolaterally on N 1 disk, Es 2.

PoG longer than half FoO, its suture like a prominent ridge. Mid flagellomeri with a ratio L / LA mor than 2.4. Lamellar carina along fore border of N 1 disk, with blunt anteroventral corner; its ratio LApos / Lmed about 2.6. Apical 1 st sternal surface largely p. Epipygium with median ridge and very shallow broad notch.

N o t e. The present association has been proposed on the base of identity of labels. At BMNH 10 specimens exist (6 from Senegal, 2 from “French Soudan ”, 1 from Niger, 1 from Mali) which look very like it, but have bicolour wings with hyaline basal half and darkened apical half.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a r e a. Northern equatorial belt from Uganda to Senegal.

Figures

Figs 140-146: Mesa coeruleipennis: (140) head, frontal aspect; (141) pronotum, dorsal aspect; (142) pronotum, lateral aspect; (143) epipygium, dorsal aspect; (144) gonosquama; (145) volsella; (146) aedeagus; (140, 141, 142: scale bar: 1 mm; 143, 144, 145, 146: scale bar: 0.5 mm).