Arge mirabilipes Pasteels, 1955

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 : 462-464

Arge mirabilipes Pasteels, 1955

Figs 13–17 , 26

Arge mirabilipes : 3DVWHHOV l9ƽƽ:, ¿JV 7±lo. 7\SH ORFDOLW\: 6RXWK $IULFD, -RKDQQHVEXUJ.

Redescription:

Female.

Head black; labrum with light brown margin, apical half of mandible light brown becoming reddish brown apically; frons and base of clypeus dark brown, postocellar area light brown medially; antenna black. Thorax black with pronotum, tegulae, mesoscutellum and mesoscutellar appendage yellow. Legs black except for: fore tibia yellowish, mid tibia brown, hind tibia dark brown with posterior surface from basal quarter downwards to narrow apex dirty whitish. Forewings infuscate, with hyaline apex, substigmal spot of forewing distinct, stigma blackish, costa yellowish with dark brown at apex, subcosta and rest of venation blackish; hindwings hyaline. Abdomen yellow; tergum 1 black with yellow posterior margin, terga 2–7 broadly black coloured becoming narrower posteriorly, sawsheath black ventro-lateral, apex yellow.

Head enlarged behind eyes. Antenna 1.2 times as long as maximum head width; 3 rd segment conspicuously enlarged toward apex and slightly quadrangular in cross section, interior surface with distinctly compressed longitudinal carina, dorsal and ventral surface with weaker compressed longitudinal carina, lateral surface with indistinct longitudinal carina, more rounded. POL:OOL = 1.0:0.7; MS:IA = 1.0:4.9.

Eyes scarcely converging below, lower interocular distance 1.5× eye length; clypeus shallowly, circularly emarginated medially, supraclypeal area roundly protruding to point of interantennal carinae ( Fig. 13 ), interantennal carinae obtusely ridged between DQWHQQDH, EHFRPLQJ JUDGXDOO\ ÀDWWHQHG, FRQYHUJLQJ GRZQZDUG, YHU\ VKRUW, HQGLQJ about at the ventral margin of toruli. Vertex and gena sparsely micropunctate, shining; frons, supraclypeal area and clypeus somewhat coarsely and densely punctate, shining, malar space rugosely sculptured, dull; pubescence whitish, shorter than diameter of lateral ocellus. Micropunctures and pubescence of mesoscutum similar to that on vertex. Abdomen smooth and shining; tergum 1 transversally microridged medially. Sawsheath in lateral view rounded at apex ( Fig. 14 ), in dorsal view broadly and obtusely SLQFHU‒VKDSHG DSLFDOO\ ()LJ. lƽ). /DQFHW DV LQ)LJ. lϭ ZLWK ¿OLIRUP WULFKRLG VHQVLOODH and about 25 serrulae; serrulae at centre saddle-shaped, broadly rounded at apex, with DERXW RU 4 ÀDW, LUUHJXODU SRVWHULRU VXE‒EDVDO WHHWK DQG RQH VPDOO DQWHULRU VXE‒EDVDO tooth ( Fig. 17 ).

Length: 8.5 mm.

Male. Unknown.

+RORW\SH: Ƃ ³7\SH´>UHG FLUFOH@; ³6. $IULFD, -RKDQQHVEXUJ, %HGIRUG YLHZ, ƻƻ.;,.l9ƽƻ, 3UHV. E\ $. /. Capener”; “B. M. Type, Hym., 1-755”; “Brit. Mus., 1956-593.”; “ Bedford view, Jo.burg, Dr. Hattingh, 22.XI.1952 ”; “ Holotype ”; “ Arge mirabilipes n. sp., J. Pasteels det., 1955”; “ Holotypus, Arge mirabilipes 3DVWHHOV Ƃ, WHVWH:)..RFK, ƻoo9´>UHG@; ³ Arge mirabilipes 3DVWHHOV Ƃ, GHW.:)..RFK, ƻoo9´(%01+).

Distribution: South Africa ( Fig. 28 ).

Host plant: Unknown.

Remarks: The whitish coloured hind tibia of A. mirabilipes differs conspicuously from the dark brown hind tibiae of A. taitaensis and A. kungveldensis . Furthermore, the ratios MS:IA and especially POL:OOL are considerably different among these three species. In addition the 25 serrulae of the lancet of A. mirabilipes differ from the 20 of A. taitaensis and the 22 of A. kungveldensis . Further differences are visible in the shape of the sawsheaths ( Figs 2, 3 , 9, 10 , 14, 15 ).

Species removed from the Arge mirabilipes group

Figures

Figs 13–17. Arge mirabilipes Pasteels: (13) head, lateral aspect; (14) sawsheath, lateral aspect; (15) sawsheath, dorsal aspect; (16) lancet, lateral aspect; (17) serrulae 11–13.

Figs 24–27. (24) Arge kungveldensis sp. n., female; (25) A. taitaensis sp. n., female; (26) A. mirabilipes, female; (27) A. bisignata, female.

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

Figs 1–5. Arge kungveldensis sp. n.: (1) head, lateral aspect; (2) sawsheath, lateral aspect; (3) sawsheath, dorsal aspect; (4) lancet, lateral aspect; (5) serrulae 10–11.

Figs 6–12. Arge taitaensis sp. n.: (6) antenna; (7) hind tibia with basitarsomere; (8) head, lateral aspect; (9) sawsheath, lateral aspect; (10) sawsheath, dorsal aspect; (11) lancet, lateral aspect; (12) serrulae 10–12.