Malayepipona Gordani Soika, 1993

Nguyen, Lien Thi Phuong & Carpenter, James M., 2013, Taxonomic Notes On The Species Of The Genus Malayepipona Giordani Soika (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) From Northern Vietnam, With Description Of Three New Species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (2), pp. 727-734 : 727-728

Genus Malayepipona Gordani Soika, 1993

Malayepipona Giordani Soika, 1993: 151 , genus

Type species. — Malayepipona pagdeni Giordani Soika, 1993 , by original designation and monotypy.

Diagnosis. — This genus was separated from related genera by the combination of the following characteristics (Gordani Soika, 1993): first metasomal tergum in dorsal view truncate anteriorly with front vertical face weakly convex, with lateral margins weakly divergent backwards (nearly straight), about two third as wide as second tergum and about twice as wide as long; maxillary palp six segmented, labial palp four segmented; head in frontal view as wide as long; temples well developed; mesosoma slightly longer than wide; pronotal carina thin and regular, slightly reflexed on humeri; epicnemial carina absent; pretegular carina well developed; tegulae more than twice as long as wide, with the posterior lobe narrow, but well developed, shaped like a long triangle; parategula small, short, not reaching the apex of the tegula; metanotum moderately convex, oblique; propodeum rounded laterally, ecarinate, lateral surfaces flat; second metasomal sternum convex.

Gordani Soika (1993) proposed the genus Malayepipona based on M. pagdeni . This is a small species (body length about 9.5mm), covered with small punctures. The other species of this genus, including M. assamensis and species described below, are bigger (body length about 11–13mm), and covered with coarse punctures.