Afrepipona cuprea, Selis & Carpenter, 2024

Selis, Marco & Carpenter, James M., 2024, Revision of the Afrotropical genus Afrepipona Giordani Soika, 1965 and description of Afrepsilon gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), European Journal of Taxonomy 944, pp. 1-80 : 14-16

Afrepipona cuprea sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8EC11FFC-F7BE-45AD-AEB2-1FCA3B080A3F

Figs 6 , 27D

Diagnosis

Similar to A. macrocephala and A. meridionalis , but differing as follows: male clypeus 1.35 × as wide as long ( Fig. 6B ); vertex of male 2.1 × as long as distance between posterior ocellus and inner eye margin; mesosoma of male 1.25–1.3 × as long as wide; head and mesosoma with bright coppery reflections, punctures sparse and interspaces mostly as long as puncture diameter; dorsal face of propodeum mostly impunctate laterally; apical translucent margin of T2 slightly longer than that on T1, preceded by deep punctures forming a step ( Fig. 6D ). Genitalia in Fig. 27D .

Etymology

The specific epithet derives from the Latin adjective ‘cupreus’ (= ‘coppery’), in reference to the coppery coloration of the head and mesosoma.

Type material

Holotype

KENYA • ♂; Malindi, Watamu ; 2 Dec. 1972; A. Mochi leg.; MSNVE.

Paratypes

KENYA • 1 ♂; Malindi, Watamu ; 6 Dec. 1972; A. Mochi leg.; MSVI • 1 ♂; Kambe NW Mombasa; 12 Mar. 2022; J. Schwarz leg.; MJSK .

Description

Male

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 5.8–7.5 mm (holotype 6.8 mm); fore wing length 5.0–6.0 mm (holotype 5.5 mm).

MORPHOLOGY. Head 1.25 × as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus 1.35 × as wide as long, apical margin truncate with slightly projecting pointed teeth, 0.3 × as wide as maximum width of clypeus; weakly and evenly convex in lateral view. Vertex 2.1 × as long as distance between posterior ocellus and inner eye margin; gena mostly flattened, 0.65 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina complete, very fine and barely visible on vertex, high and sharp on gena and becoming lamellar on ventral third, strongly bent in lower half of gena. F1 1.3 × as long as wide and 1.35 × as long as F2, F2–8 transverse, F9 longer than wide, F11 large and finger-shaped, reaching middle of F8 and barely curved in lateral view, parallel-sided with rounded apex in dorsal view, apex slightly flattened dorsoventrally and housed by incision on apical margin of F8. Mesosoma 1.25 × as long as wide (1.3 in the paratype). Sides of pronotum straight and almost parallel-sided, anterior margin straight; pronotal carina complete and lamellate, as long as half ocellar diameter on humeri, barely lower medially; pretegular carina sharp but disappearing above. Mesoscutum 0.9 × as long as wide, evenly convex in lateral view. Scutellum flattened and smoothly passing into mesoscutum and metanotum; anterior margin with deep regular furrow (crenate in the paratype). Metanotum flattened. Tegula short and not equaling parategula, outer margin evenly curved and slightly reflexed posteriorly, posterior lobe subtriangular and pointed; parategula strongly curved, forming a quarter of circumference. Epicnemial carina shallow and short, restricted to lower half and not reaching epipleural suture. Propodeum in lateral view steeply falling just behind metanotum, convex at dorsal margin; posterior face shallowly concave and not separated from dorsal faces; lateral faces flattened; carinae absent, propodeum entirely rounded. T1 semicircular, 0.5 × as long as wide, sides converging anteriorly and smoothly passing into curved anterior margin; apical margin weakly reflexed and translucent, when seen in posterior view it is thickened and duplicated in two lamellae. T2 0.8 × as long as wide in dorsal view, apical translucent margin slightly longer than that on T1, weakly reflexed and preceded by series of coarse punctures forming shallow step between lamella and rest of tergite. Apical margin of T3 similar to T2, translucent part longer. S2 evenly convex from base to apex; basal longitudinal furrow shallow but sharp, about ⅓ × as long as S2. Apical margin of S2–3 similar to respective tergites, but translucent part shorter.

SCULPTURE AND VESTITURE. Clypeus finely and sparsely punctate, all interspaces exceeding 1.5 puncture diameter. Frons and vertex with deep punctures, interspaces shorter than one puncture diameter on disc of frons and becoming wider laterally, mid-line of frons impunctate, exceeding one puncture diameter on vertex; gena punctured similar to vertex but punctures becoming finer ventrally. Scape matte and densely micropunctate, with sparse fine punctures. Punctures of mesosoma similar to vertex but larger, interspaces ranging from half to one puncture diameter, reaching up to 2.5puncture diameters on scutellum and mesepisternum; epicnemium and mesosternum shiny and shallowly shagreened and micropunctate, with shallow punctures in posterior half; metaepisternum mostly smooth with scattered fine punctures in lower plate; dorsal faces of propodeum with large flat-bottomed punctures in medial third, median third impunctate and smaller punctures in lateral third, posterior face mostly smooth with some small punctures in upper half and irregular wrinkles ventrally, lateral faces with dense small punctures and very fine transverse striae in lower half. T1–2 with fine and shallow punctures, circular and well-marked on T1 and disc of T2, becoming progressively more oblique toward apex of T2, interspaces as long as several puncture diameters, preapical area of T2 with a series of coarse large and deep punctures preceding apical lamella; T3 similar to apical area of T2; T4 with deep small punctures, becoming slightly larger preapically; T5–7 shagreened with few scattered fine punctures. S1 shiny, irregularly sculpted on basal petiole, irregularly ridged and deeply punctate on posterior part; S2 with deep rounded punctures, becoming larger and denser laterally, apical lamella preceded by a series of coarse deep punctures; S3–7 similar to respective tergites, but punctures finer. Head and mesosoma with very short pale setae, longer on lower part of propodeum; clypeus, gena and sides of mesosoma with dust-like white pubescence; metasoma with brownish dust-like pubescence and scattered short appressed setae.

COLORATION. Reddish-orange, black punctures and coppery reflections on head and mesosoma; following parts black: upper half of hypostoma, mesosternum and some sutures on mesosoma; following parts pale yellow: clypeus, mandible except teeth, inner eye margin, line connecting interantennal space with anterior ocellus, line along pronotal carina and humeri, short line on posterior corner of pronotum, anterior and posterior spot on tegula, parategula, anterior margin of metanotum, apical spot on fore coxa, ventral face of mid and hind coxae, line on outer face of fore tibia, apical spot on mid tibia, apical margin of T1–4, most of S1, apical margin of S2–3. Wings hyaline with barely indicated brownish spot on marginal cell.

Female

Unknown.

Distribution

Kenya.

Figures

Fig. 6. Afrepipona cuprea sp. nov., ♂, paratype from Malindi (MSVI). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Head, frontal view. C. Flagellum, lateral view. D. T2–3, dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 27. Male genitalia: aedeagus in ventral view, aedeagus in lateral view, digitus. A. Afrepipona angusta (de Saussure, 1863) from Adi Keyh (MSVI). B. Afrepipona cellularis sp. nov., holotype from Nyamandhlovu (MSNVE). C. Afrepipona clonata sp. nov., holotype from Nairobi (MSNVE). D. Afrepipona cuprea sp. nov., paratype from Malindi (MSVI). E. Afrepipona lamptoensis Giordani Soika, 1965 from Lamto (AMNH).F. Afrepipona lobulata sp. nov.,holotype from Lubumbashi (AMNH). G. Afrepipona macrocephala (Gribodo, 1894) from Delagoa (MSNVE). H. Afrepipona meridionalis sp. nov., holotype from Durban (MSNVE). I. Afrepipona occidentalis sp. nov., paratype from Lamto (MSNVE).J. Afrepipona punctatissima sp. nov.,holotype from Maralal (MSNVE).K. Afrepipona scabra sp. nov., paratype from Kabongo (MSNVE). L. Afrepipona segregata sp. nov., holotype from Tulear (NHMW). M. Afrepipona tertia Gusenleitner, 2011, holotype from Bangui (OLML). N. Afrepipona ulterior sp. nov., paratype from Pretoria (MSVI). O. Afrepipona vulcanica sp. nov., paratype from Mount Kilimanjaro (MSVI). P. Afrepsilon ferrugineoaureum gen. et sp. nov., paratype from Berea (MSVI). Q. Afrepsilon minor gen. et gen. et sp. nov., holotype from Mount Kilimanjaro (OLML).