Masarina ceres Gess, 1997

Gess, Friedrich Wolfgang, 2012, A new species of Masarina Richards 1962 from southern Africa, description of the female of Masarina ceres Gess 1997 and supplementary data on three other species of the genus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Masarinae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 25, pp. 83-92 : 87-88

Masarina ceres Gess Fig. 7

Masarina ceres Gess, 1997: 60, figs 23, 24, ♂; 71-73 (key to Masarina ). Holotype: ♂, South Africa: Western Cape: 17 km N of Ceres, near top of Gydo Pass (AMG). - Carpenter 2001: 19 (listed); Gess and Gess 2003: 55 (flower visiting); Gess 2005: 11-14 (key to Masarina ); Gess and Gess 2010: 45 (listed), 107(flower visiting).

Masarina sp. A: Gess, S. K., 1996: 245, 293 (flower visiting).

Diagnosis.

Length 5.7 - 7.5 mm. Both sexes with clypeus and adjacent part of frons slightly longitudinally depressed, moderately coarsely punctured, non aciculate; clypeus steeply raised from sides and disk markedly broad and short. Head, thorax and gaster yellow-marked.

Description.

Female (hitherto undescribed) ( Fig. 7 ): Black. The following are yellow: large transverse marking at base of clypeus; spot within ocular sinus; streak on temple behind upper part of eye; elongate transverse streak on humeral angle; mere indication of marking on postero-dorsal angle of pronotum; large mark on upper part of mesopleuron; posterior third of tegula; round spot on disk of scutellum; small median spot and larger, anteriorly convex, lateral spots on terga I - IV (markings progressively smaller from I - IV); large postero-dorsal spot apically on fore femur; streak dorsally on basal half or more (in case of fore tibia) of tibia of all legs. Various shades of ferruginous are: labrum; clypeus antero-laterally; distal half of mandible; antenna (upper surface dark, lower surface light); anterior two thirds of tegula; legs (other than for yellow markings); sterna.

Length circa 7.5 mm; length of fore wing 4.0 mm; hamuli 11.

Head in front view 1.3 × as wide as long; POL: OOL= 1: 1.1. Clypeus strikingly wide, 1.8 × as wide as long (measured to bottom of emargination), markedly raised from sides; disk slightly depressed in basal half, narrowly but more noticeably so antero-medially; anterior margin widely emarginate; lateral angles rounded, lamellate.

Punctation as in male. Setation on clypeus long, fairly dense.

Material examined.

SOUTH AFRICA: WESTERN CAPE: Graafwater [32.09°S, 18.37°E], 15.xi.1990 (R. Miller and L. Stange), 1 ♀ [FSCA].

Discussion. In the keys to species of Masarina ( Gess 1997, 2005) the female of Masarina ceres Gess, though at the time unknown, is included using presumed characters. Other than that the middle tibia has only one spur, not two as presumed and given as the second character in the last couplet, the characters are correct and the female runs down without difficulty.

Figures

Figure 7. Masarina ceres, ♀, head, front view (actual width 2.0 mm)