Arge intermedia Pasteels, 1963

Koch, Frank & Eardley, Connal, 2011, Revision of the Afrotropical Arge mirabilipes group, with description of two new species and annotations to other Arge species of this region (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Argidae: Arginae), African Invertebrates 52 (2), pp. 457-457 : 468-469

Arge intermedia Pasteels, 1963

Figs 29–31

Arge intermedia : 3DVWHHOV l9ϭ: ƽƽ8, ¿J. ƻƽ. 7\SH ORFDOLW\: 6RXWK $IULFD, 'XUEDQ.

Redescription:

Female. Unknown.

Male.

Head black; apical half of mandible yellow, becoming reddish brown apically; anterior margin of labrum yellow. Thorax black; posterior margin of katepimeron, metapleuron yellow, a small median spot on posterior margin of mesoscutellum light brown. Legs yellow: fore coxa and trochanter as well as mid coxa blackish, apex of mid tibia narrow, hind tibia broadly blackish ringed apically, apexes of tarsomere 3 and tarsomeres 4/5 of fore tarsus blackish, tarsomeres 1–3 of mid tarsus blackish ringed, following tarsomeres entirely black, tarsomeres 1/2 of hind tarsus broadly blackish ringed, following tarsomeres entirely black. Wings infuscate; substigmal spot of forewing and intercostal area somewhat darker, stigma, subcosta and rest of venation dark brown, subcosta light brown. Abdomen yellow; tergum 1 blackish with yellow median and lateral markings, tergum 5 with blackish median spot, terga 6–8 nearly entirely black only lateral parts and anterior margin of tergum 6 yellow.

Head very slightly narrowed behind eyes. Antenna 2.2× as long as maximum head ZLGWK; VHJPHQW QRW HQODUJHG WRZDUG DSH[DQG FRQVSLFXRXVO\ ÀDWWHQHG, LQWHULRU VXU‒ face with distinctly compressed longitudinal carina, lateral surface with weaker compressed longitudinal carina, gradually disappearing apically. POL:OOL = 1.0:0.8; MS:IA = 1.0:6.5. Eyes conspicuously converging below, lower interocular distance 1.2× eye length; anterior margin of clypeus deeply circularly emarginated medially, VXSUDFO\SHDO DUHD ÀDWO\ SURWUXGLQJ WR SRLQW RI LQWHUDQWHQQDO FDULQDH, LQWHUDQWHQQDO FD‒ ULQDH VKDUSO\ ULGJHG EHWZHHQ DQWHQQDH, EHFRPLQJ JUDGXDOO\ ÀDWWHQHG, VFDUFHO\ FRQ‒ verging downward, short, ending about ¼ way from ventral margin of toruli to clypeus. Vertex scattered micropunctuate, shining; gena, frons, supraclypeal area and interantennal area, somewhat more densely punctuate with larger punctures, shining; paraantennal area and clypeus densely and irregularly sculptured, shining; malar space densely punctate, dull; pubescence yellowish, a little shorter than diameter of lateral ocellus. Micropunctures and pubescence of mesoscutum similar to that on vertex. Abdomen smooth and shining; tergum 1 with transverse microsculpture, tergum 8 with two lateral and one medial membranous hollows ( Fig. 29 ). Penis valve as in Fig. 30 .

Length: 7.0 mm.

+RORW\SH. ƃ ³7\SH´>UHG FLUFOH@; ³'XUEDQ, 8.;,,.l9ƽƽ, 1DW. 0XVHXP 6. 5KRGHVLD´; “B. M. Type, Hym., 1.760”; “Brit. Mus., 1957-171.”; “ Arge intermedia n. sp., J. Pasteels det., 1957”; “ Holotypus, Arge intermedia 3DVWHHOV ƃ, WHVWH:). Koch, 2011” [red]; “ Arge intermedia 3DVWHHOV ƃ, GHW.:). Koch, 2011” (BMNH).

Host plant: Unknown.

Distribution: South Africa ( Fig. 28 ).

Remarks: According to Pasteels (1963), the typical characters of the A. marabilipes group (evenly widened hind tibia over its total length and a very short hind basitarsomere, a quarter of the tibia length) are not present in A. intermedia .

Furthermore, the tergum 8 with its membranous tergal hollows in a more or less conspicuous form seems to be typical for the males of the Arge xanthomela group ( Pasteels 1953), for example Arge braunsi Konow, 1904 and A. fenestralis Forsius, l9ƻ7 (VHH 3DVWHHOV l9ƽ: l9, ¿JV lϭ, l7). 7KHUHIRUH A. intermedia probably belongs in the A. xanthomela group. This character of A. intermedia is clearly distinct from the male of A. bisignata.

The penis valve ( Fig. 30 ) of A. intermedia resembles that of A. pasteelsi Blank, Liston & Taeger, 2009 in Blank et al. (2009). Arge pasteelsi is a replacement name for Arge nigrescens Pasteels, 1955 , which was recognized as secondary homonym by Blank et al. (2009). The penis valve of A. pasteelsi is illustrated by Pasteels (1953: 21, ¿J. l8).

Figures

Figs 29, 30. Arge intermedia Pasteels: (29) tergum 8 with two lateral and one medial membranous tergal hollows; (30) penis valve, left, lateral aspect.

Fig. 31. Arge intermedia, male.

Fig. 28. Distribution of Arge kungveldensis sp. n., A. taitaensis sp. n., A. mirabilipes Pasteels, A. bisignata Konow and A. intermedia Pasteels.