Mermiglossa voicola Ascher & Engel, 2017

Ascher, John S. & Engel, Michael S., 2017, A new species of Mermiglossa from Kenya, with comments on the arrangement of Old World Panurginae (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Journal of Melittology 2017 (75), pp. 1-11 : 4-6

Mermiglossa voicola Ascher & Engel , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FFA3BCA5-C503-444E-A91F-364C1961E15E

( Figs. 1–6 )

DIAGNOSIS: The new species can be distinguished from its congener by the overall black to dark brown coloration of the metasoma (versus largely orange to reddish orange in M. rufa ) and the compound eyes slightly convergent below (parallel-sided in M. rufa ).

DESCRIPTION: ♀: Total body length 7.75 mm (7.58 mm); forewing length 5.08 mm (5.00 mm). Head wider than long, length 2.17 mm (2.04 mm), width 2.71 mm (2.71 mm), about as wide as, or slightly wider than, mesosoma; upper interorbital distance 1.83 mm (1.79 mm); lower interorbital distance 1.46 mm (1.42 mm). Clypeus strongly concave medioventrally; clypeal medial length 0.50 mm (0.50 mm); labral medial length 0.56 mm (0.52 mm). Mandible long, gently curved, without apical teeth, with small, obtuse, indistinct tooth near base of inner surface. Galea and glossa elongate, extending to metacoxae. Occipital carina present. Medial and parapsidal lines distinct, strongly impressed; intertegular distance 1.88 mm (1.88 mm). Forewing with marginal cell broadly truncate and appendiculate; with two submarginal cells of approximately equal lengths; nine distal hamuli on hind wing. Anterior-facing and dorsal surfaces of first metasomal tergum nearly orthogonal in profile; lateral portions of graduli particularly pronounced, particularly on second through fourth terga.

Clypeus with coarse, shallow punctures, punctures separated by less than a puncture width, although more widely spaced medioapically, integument between smooth; labrum largely impunctate, a few scattered setigerous punctures in lateral quarters, wrinkled basally, medially and apically smooth, medioapically with distinct, semi-circular carina, carina with lateral portions curving back onto labral surface but ending shortly thereafter. Face with contiguous punctures; medial line terminating in impunctate spot at about lower tangent of antennal toruli; vertex with punctures becoming more indistinct and irregular, blending to shallow, larger, faint indications of coarse punctures by occipital region and gena; postgena impunctate and imbricate. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with distinct punctures separated by less than a puncture width, integument between smooth; metanotum with coarse, irregular, contiguous punctures; pleura with large, coarse, irregular, contiguous punctures, giving integument a roughened appearance, except metepisternum imbricate with close smaller punctures; propodeum basally as on metanotum, lateral surface as on metepisternum, posterior surface as on lateral surface except medially around pit becoming smooth. Metasoma imbricate; anterior-facing surface of first tergum impunctate, dorsal surface with punctures separated by a puncture width or less; punctures of remaining terga contiguous or nearly so; broad brown marginal zones impunctate.

Integument of head, mesosoma, and metasoma largely black to dark brown; antenna, mandible, and labiomaxillary complex dark brown; tegula and legs dark brown; wing venation brown except Sc+R and pterostigmal margins dark brown, membrane hyaline; metasomal terga with broad dark brown margins. Pygidial plate black, with acutely rounded apex.

Pubescence typical for genus; generally white to silvery except somewhat tawny on labral apex, apical half of ventral margin of mandible, margins of basitarsi, apexes of tibiae and metafemur (overhanging base of basimetatibial plate); pygidial fimbria and apical fimbria of fifth tergum rufous and composed of dense, plumose setae.

♂: Latet.

HOLOTYPE: ♀, Kenya: [Taita-Taveta County], Coast Province [former], 2 km S. Voi, 3°24.7’S, 38°32.3’E, 16 December 2002, M. [Michael] A. Prentice; deposited in the Department of Entomology , California Academy of Sciences , San Francisco, California, USA ( CAS).

PARATYPES: 1♀, same data as holotype; deposited in the Division of Entomology , University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas, USA ( SEMC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet pertains to Voi, the largest town in Taiti-Taveta County of the former Coast Province, located at the western edge of the Nviri (or Taru) Desert southwest of Tsavo East National Park in the rain shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Figures

Figures 1–3. Female holotype of Mermiglossa voicola, new species. 1. Lateral habitus. 2. Dorsal habitus. 3. Facial aspect.

Figures 4–6. Female holotype of Mermiglossa voicola, new species. 4. Dorsal view of vertex, mesoscutum, and mesoscutellum. 5. Dorsal view of metanotum and propodeum. 6. Dorsal view of metasoma.