Antepipona tricolorata Selis, 2018

Selis, Marco, 2018, Additions to the knowledge of solitary wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), with description of eight new species, Zootaxa 4403 (3), pp. 441-468 : 447-448

Antepipona tricolorata Selis , sp. nov.

( Figs. 6–9 )

Diagnosis. Following the key provided by Girish Kumar et al. (2016), this species comes close to A. ovalis (de Saussure, 1853) by having the clypeus wider than long ( Fig. 7 ), but clearly differs by having larger metanotal teeth, the apical margin of the clypeus more deeply incised ( Fig. 7 ), the posterior face of the propodeum more deeply hollowed ( Fig. 8 ), having denser and deeper punctation, and its coloration.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, ♀, pinned, “Sikhim / Coll. Binkham ” [printed on brownish label], “AGS” [printed on reddish label] ( MSNVE).

Description. Female. Body length 6 mm; fore wing length 5 mm.

Head 1.2× as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus weakly convex basally, then entirely flattened to apex in lateral view, apical margin broadly and shallowly incised, incision 3.7× as broad as deep, apical teeth rounded and weakly carinate, carinae running up to basal third of clypeus, clypeus 1.2× as wide as long ( Fig. 7 ). Distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin 0.55× as the distance from posterior ocellus to occipital margin; ocelli disposed as a obtuse triangle, distance between posterior ocelli 2.3× as long as distance between anterior ocellus and posterior ocellus. Temples 0.76× as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, narrowing in ventral half; occipital carina indistinct medially, well developed from mandibles insertion to upper fourth of eye. Scape 4× as long as apically wide; F1 1.3× as long as apically wide; following flagellomeres shorter than wide. Foveae small and close to each other, separated by a thin septum, both located in a small circular depression. Frons and vertex in lateral view convex. Mesosoma in dorsal view 1.2× as long as wide. Pronotal carina distinct on lateral face and on lateral fifths of dorsal face, anterior face smoothly passing into dorsal face in the middle. Mesoscutum as long as wide between tegulae, weakly convex in lateral view. Scutellum in lateral view weakly convex and strongly oblique, lateral carinae weak and barely visible only on posterior half. Metanotum entirely vertical in lateral view, without a distinct horizontal face, bearing a small triangular tooth near each lateral margin. Tegulae broad, posterior lobe short and pointed, equaling parategula. Parategulae short and weakly curved basally. Mesepisternum convex, epicnemial carina distinct but not reaching upper half of mesepisternum. Propodeum vertical in lateral view, posterior face broadly and shallowly depressed, lateral face flat, transitions between faces of propodeum rounded; submarginal carina forming a flattened tooth pointing outward ( Fig. 8 ). T1 hemispherical, 2× as wide as long in dorsal view. T2 weakly convex in lateral view, apical margin very weakly depressed. S2 regularly and weakly convex from base to apex ( Fig. 9 ).

Short dense pubescence present on lateral thirds of clypeus, ocular sinus, genae, mesepisternum, metaepisternum, dorsal and lateral faces of propodeum. Rest of head and mesosoma with short erected silvery hairs and sparse yellowish pubescence. Metasoma with extremely short, sericeous like, yellowish pubescence.

Clypeus between carinae with small deep punctures, interspaces equal to puncture diameters and covered by micropunctures; surface external to carinae with sparser punctures. Head and mesosoma, except genae and anterior face of pronotum, with very dense and deep punctures, forming and honey-comb like structure, interspaces shorter than puncture diameters, some punctures confluent. Gena with sparse deep punctures. Anterior face of pronotum smooth and shiny, with some scattered deep punctures. Tegulae extremely densely and finely punctured. T1 with small circular dense punctures, punctures not reaching apical margin and forming an apical smooth border. T2 with very dense oblique punctures, some larger preapical punctures before smooth apical margin. T3 with dense deep punctures, interspaces shorter than puncture diameters. T4–T6 very finely punctured. S2 with deep punctures, interspaces shiny and shorter to longer than puncture diameters. S3–S6 micropunctate with some scattered shallow punctures.

Color. Black; following parts yellowish-white: basal band on clypeus, trapezoidal spot above interantennal space, marking covering whole ocular sinus and shortly extending upward, dorsal half of gena, inferior face of scape, dorsal triangular markings on each side of median line of pronotum, medially incised band on posterior half of scutellum, small lateral spots on metanotum, tegula except median dark spot, parategula, dorsal rounded marking on mesepisternum, projecting lobe of submarginal carina, apical band on T1, medially and laterally enlarged apical band and basolateral spots on T2, lateral spots on T3, apical band on T4, apical band on S2 similar to that on T2, lateral spots on S3–S4, apical half of outer face of fore femora, fore tibia, apical spot on mid femur, outer face of mid and hind tibia; following parts red: ventral plate of metaepisternum, propodeum, T1 where not yellow and S1; apical margin of clypeus and ventral face of scape ferrugineous.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. India: Sikkim.

Etymology. The specific name is in reference to the coloration of this species, which is black, red and whitish.

Figures

FIGURES 6–9. Antepipona tricolorata sp. nov., ♀, holotype. 6, Habitus. 7, Head in frontal view. 8, Mesosoma in posterodorsal view. 9, Metasoma in lateral view.