Mesa abdominalis (GUÈRIN 1838)

Boni, M., 2013, Afrotropical taxa of the genus Mesa SAUSSURE 1892 (Hymenoptera, Tiphiidae, Myzininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (2), pp. 1657-1744 : 1678-1679

Mesa abdominalis (GUÈRIN 1838)

Plesia abdominalis GUÉRIN 1838: 57 . Lectotypus (here designated in order to ensure the name proper and consistent use) - South Africa = /Cap / / abdominalis Guèrin type d. Guér./(autographic) /Type/ (red) /C. ne de Saussure/ MHNG!

Mesa abdominalis: SAUSSURE (1892: 244) .

Mesa hottentotta SAUSSURE 1892: 245 (Lectotypus - South Africa = /Cap / /43/ / Pseudoplesia hottentotta Sss Cap / (blue autographic) /Type/ (red) MHNG!) Syn. nov.

Elis (Mesa) abdominalis: TURNER (1912: 707) .

Elis ( Mesa ) spoliata TURNER 1912: 711. Lectotypus (here designated in order to ensure name proper and consistent use) – South Africa = /Algoa bay Capland Dr. Braun 8.3.96 / /Brauns Coll. 1912-44/ /10/ / Elis spoliata Type Turn. / (autographic) /Type/ (rounded with red outer ring) BMNH. Syn.nov.

Elis ( Mesa ) permutans TURNER 1935: 348-349. Syn. nov.

Elis (Mesa) abdominalis: Turner (1935: 350-351) .

M a t e r i a l.. Africa = (1) /Umtata Trapskei 18.ii-18.iii.1923 / /S. Africa R.E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1923-189/ / Elis ( Mesa ) spoliata Turn Type RET 1934 / (autographic) /Type/ (rounded with red outer ring) BMNH; (5) /Umtata Trapskei 18.ii-18.iii.1923 / /S. Africa R.E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1923- 189/ BMNH; (2) /Witzenberg Vall. District Cape Prov. 21-23.XII.1920 / /S. Afr. R.E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1921-38/ /Elis longiventris Turn/ / Mesa permutans (Turn)/ / Mesa hottentotta Sauss det 1949 C.J. Guillarmod/ BMNH; (1) /Witzenberg Vall. 3500 ft Ceres District Cape Prov. 21-23.XII.1920 / /S. Afr. R.E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1921-38/ /Elis longiventris Turn/ / Mesa permutans (Turn)/ / Paratype / (rounded with yellow outer ring) / Mesa hottentotta Sauss det 1949 C.J. Guillarmod/ BMNH; (1) /Mossel bay Cape province 15-28.III.1922 / /S. Afr. R.E:Turner Brit. Mus. 1922-153/ / Mesa spoliata (Turn) det 1947 C.J. Guillarmod/ BMNH; (1) / S. Africa Cape peninsula N of Cape point 3.XII.1931 R.E. Turner BM 19. South 3500 ft Ceres 38-6 / / Elis ( Mesa ) sp. N.? / BMNH; (2) / RSA Mpumalanga 20 km SW Lidenburg 20-30.XI.2003 J. Halada leg/ OLML; (2) / RSA W Cape 20 km N Citrusdale 27.X.1999 leg. M. Halada/ OLML;

. South Africa = (1) / Capetown Jan-Apr 1915/ /J.G. Bridwell Collection / USNM; (2) / Wint-hoek Tullbagh 3600 ft- April 1916 R. M.L. / BMNH; (1) / Mossel bay Cape Province 15-28.III.1922 / / S. Africa R. E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1922-153/ BMNH; (1) / Umtata Trapskei 18.ii-18.iii.1923 / / S. Africa R. E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1923-189/ / Mesa spoliata (Turn) det 1947 C.J. Guillarmod / BMNH; (1) / Cape Province Ceres April 1925 S. Africa R. E. Turner Brit. Mus. 1925-210/ BMNH; (1) / Cape province Ceres Aprl 1925/ /S. Afr. R. E. Turner Brit. Mus. / Mesa spoliata (Turn) det 1947 C.J. Guillarmod / BMNH; (1) / South Africa Pletenenberg bay CP III.14-68 Paul S. Spangler / USNM .

Female: figs 5, 7-12, 14-18, 29, 40- 44. Male: figs 45-49 .

In spite of its being the species type of the genus, it has not been well recognised by authors after SAUSSURE; they probably did not examine the type preserved at Geneva Museum. The typus shows: ventral side of cOc wearing out ventrally near Hypc, so that PoG is illy defined (this character state is uniquely expressed within the genus); very short and shallow, almost undetectable median furrow on propodeal disk; gradulus on 3 rd tergum too, well impressed longitudinal wrinkles on most of 6 th tergum with a lot of intermingled p and a smooth stripe along apical border. Its recent examination permits to propose the above said synonymies.

The first one is based on identity of lectotypes preserved at Geneva Museum; their unique difference is the darker dull ferruginous coloration of metasoma in Saussure’s lectotype.

The second synonymy has been based on TURNER’ s and GUILLARMOD’ s actions. They associated in labels under the name M. spoliata males identical to its lectotype with female specimens identical to M. abdominalis lectotype (probably referring to the series from Umtata). TURNER labelled one of these female specimens as female type (sic) of Elis ( Mesa ) spoliata. In his very short description (1935) about these females he referred "sixth tergite punctured", but their examination revealed a longitudinally wrinkled element with a lot of intermingled p and a smooth stripe along apical border, the exact pattern of GUÉRIN‘ s taxon.

There is no ground to doubt about the aforesaid association, since the authors passed many years on the field in South Africa, even though they did not publish anything more about.

TURNER never referred about his direct examination of type of M. abdominalis . HE (1912) just catalogued it without any note, then (1935) described a male under the same name recording "a number of both sexes taken on the same plant, but not coupled". From description this male has dark clypeus and light markings only on metasoma. It seems to be identical to male specimens preserved at BMNH, that JACOT- GUILLARMOD labelled " Mesa abdominalis " together with females which really differ from the type and belongs to another species (see under M. campsa nov.sp.).

Third synonymy has been grounded on the examination of the paratype specimen of E. permutans at BMNH, identical to lectotype of M. hottentotta .

Female specimens show variability about colour of metasoma; specimens referred to M. hottentotta have also longer and denser whitish hair on head and pronotum.

Darker males with reduced light markings on the legs could appear very like to M. rufofemorata , but the presence of semitransparent border of clypeus and light marking on hind femur easily distinguish it.

Figures

Figs 45-49: Mesa abdominalis: (45) habitus, (46) epipygium, (47) gonosquama, (48) volsella, (49) aedeagus; (45: scale bar: 5 mm, 46: scale bar: 2 mm, 47-49: scale bar: 0.5 mm).