Malayepipona furva Nguyen & Carpenter, 2013

Nguyen, Lien Thi Phuong & Carpenter, James M., 2013, Taxonomic Notes On The Species Of The Genus Malayepipona Giordani Soika (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) From Northern Vietnam, With Description Of Three New Species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 61 (2), pp. 727-734 : 732-733

Malayepipona furva Nguyen & Carpenter , new species

(Figs. 20–23)

Material examined. — Holotype: female, VIETNAM, Tam Dao , Vinh Phuc, 800 m, 12 May 2003, Nguyen T. P. Lien.

Diagnosis. — This species can be distinguished from all other known species of the genus Malayepipona by having the clypeus with apical margin deeply emarginate medially, forming a sharp triangular tooth on each lateral side, width of the emargination wide, more than 1/3 width of clypeus between inner eye margins; mandible with prominent teeth, second and third teeth trapezoid; tergum I less than twice as wide as long in dorsal view, with anterior vertical surface more convex, as in M. malickyi .

Description. — Female. Body length about 11 mm; forewing length about 10.5 mm.

Structure as in Malayepipona clypeata , but differing as follows: head in frontal view about 1.1 times as wide as high. Distance from posterior ocelli to apical margin of vertex about 1.8 times the distance from posterior ocelli to inner eye margin. Gena narrower than eye, in lateral view about 0.7 times as wide as eye. Inner eye margins in frontal view about 1.3 times further apart from each other at vertex than at clypeus. Clypeus in lateral view weakly convex; in frontal view about 1.1 times as wide as high (Fig. 20); apical margin deeply emarginate medially, forming a sharp tooth on each lateral side (Fig. 20); width of the emargination slightly more than 1/3 the width of clypeus between inner eye margins. Mandible with prominent teeth, second and third teeth trapezoid, the outer one pointed apically (Fig. 21). First antennal flagellomere 1.3 times as long as wide, second and third flagellomere about as long as wide, fourth to ninth flagellomeres wider than long, terminal flagellomere bulletshaped, shorter than its basal width (Fig. 22). Propodeum with basal fovea about 1/4 of the length of the median carina which runs from the fovea to the apical margin; in lateral view outline of the posterior surface slightly curved; upper part of propodeum normal, without a pair of blunt teeth behind metanotum; dorsal and posterior surfaces forming a smooth curve; border between posterior and lateral surfaces rounded. Tergum I in dorsal view much less than twice as wide as long (Fig. 23), anterior vertical surface more convex than in M. clypeata , as in M. malickyi .

Body covered with less coarse punctures than in M. clypeata , like in M. seomyty . Clypeus covered with coarse and dense punctures, each bearing a golden bristle, punctures near apical margin coarser. Dorsal metapleuron with weak striae and some shallow punctures between striae; ventral metapleuron with scattered shallow punctures. Propodeum with deep coarse punctures dorsally; punctures laterally shallow with border between punctures undefined; posterior surface with scattered shallow punctures.

Colour. Black; following parts orange-yellow: a narrow band along inner eye margin extending from lower frons to the half of ocular sinus, narrow and short band at posterodorsal margin of pronotum, pretegular carinae, apical bands on terga I and II, spots on lateral apical margin of sternum II. Valvulae dark brown. Legs black except dark brown spots on apical margin of all femora.

Etymology. — The specific name, furva , is a Latin adjective and refers to the black colour of the species.

Remarks. — This species is similar to M. malickyi except for the following combination of features: clypeus with apical margin deeply emarginate medially, forming a sharp tooth on each lateral side (apical margin shallowly emarginate and forming blunt teeth in M. malickyi ); mandible with prominent teeth, inner side long with round edge (teeth with inner side quite short with nearly curve edge in M. malickyi ).