Afromaimetsha, Rasnitsyn & Brothers, 2009

Rasnitsyn, Alexandr P. & Brothers, Denis J., 2009, New genera and species of Maimetshidae (Hymenoptera: Stephanoidea s. l.) from the Turonian of Botswana, with comments on the status of the family, African Invertebrates 50 (1), pp. 191-204 : 200

Afromaimetsha gen. n.

Etymology: The generic name is derived from Africa and the genus Maimetsha . Gender feminine.

Type species: Afromaimetsha robusta sp. n., by present designation.

Diagnosis: Similar to Afrapia except for notauli distinctly diverging cephalad, first visible metasomal tergum longer (as long as cell 3r), ovipositor slightly longer, and, possibly (not precisely known for Afrapia ), propleura longer (may form a short but distinct neck in life). No reliable venational differences are known. The characters relevant to the higher taxonomic levels of Stephanoidea are the head with postgenae widely separated (most probably by the lower tentorial bridge), mesopleuron with complete lateral horizontal furrow and with posterior submedial lamella, and postepisternal lobes apparently forming medial midcoxal articulation. The last character may be taken as an indirect indication of a distal position of the articulatory condyle on the midcoxa, the putative synapomorphy of the stephanoid and evanioid clades (Rasnitsyn 1988).

Species included: Type species only.

Comparison: Similar to Afrapia , except notauli diverging and propleura apparently much longer. Differs from Maimetsha and Guyotemaimetsha in having cells 2rm and 3rm both delimited, from Maimetsha also in having RS starting well before the pterostigma.

Remarks: The horizontal midpleural furrow which is similar to that (although incomplete) in Maimetsha , and which is rare in other Stephanoidea , may support attribution of the present genus, and Afrapia by inference, to Maimetshidae . The broad lower tentorial bridge is unusual for Stephanoidea , generally being replaced by the postgenal bridge there.