Trissepyris akan, Colombo & Azevedo, 2023

Colombo, Wesley D. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2023, Synopsis of Trissepyris Kieffer, 1905 (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), an endemic Afrotropical genus, with description of a new species, Zoosystema 45 (4), pp. 129-135 : 132

Trissepyris akan n. sp.

( Fig. 2 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:86CF4F45-E68D-418F-83D8-F01F6407D6EC

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Holotype. Ivory Coast • ♀; Divi; E. d’Aboisso ; VIII.1961; J. Decelle leg.; MRAC; BE_RMCA_INS. Hym.047924 .

ETYMOLOGY. — The epithet akan refers to the Akan, the major cultural group of the Ivory Coast.

DISTRIBUTION. — Ivory Coast.

DESCRIPTION OF FEMALE

Body length

13.2 mm.

Head

Head subtrapezoidal in lateral view, subquadrate in dorsal view. Malar space shorter than proximal mandibular width.Mandible robust, with five distal teeth.Clypeus trilobate, with subtrapezoidal median lobe, as long as lateral ones, lobe delimitation distinct, anterior margin angled in anterior view; median carina high, straight in profile; apical margin thick. Antenna with 11 flagellomeres, subfiliform-filiform; pedicel chalice-shaped, as long as flagellomere I. Eye glabrous, oval, not touching mandibular base. Frons coriaceous, with very sparse punctures. Frontal line shorter than scape, conspicuous. Ocellar triangle compact, as wide as individual ocellus diameter; anterior ocellus posterior to supraocular line; posterior ocelli very distant from vertex. Palpal formula apparently 6:3. Hypostomal carina emarginate, rounded medially. Occipital carina present.

Mesosoma

Pronotal flange conspicuous; dorsal pronotal area ecarinate, slightly depressed forward, weakly coriaceous, weakly punctate. Prosternum small. Notaulus complete, well impressed, slightly wider posterad. Parapsidal signum complete. Mesoscuto-scutellar foveae not connected by conspicuous sulcus, oval, inclined anteriorly, deep. Metapectal-propodeal disc with transverse anterior, metapostnotal median, transverse posterior, paraspiracular and lateral carinae; lateral margins straight, subparallel. Metapectal-propodeal declivity with median carina complete. Propodeal spiracle dorsal, elliptical, wide. Mesopleuron with mesopleural pit small, displaced posterior-dorsally.Wings hyaline, veins dark castaneous. Forewing with anterior margin straight, R cell longer than 1Cu cell. Pterostigma wide, oval; 2r-rs&Rs vein tubular, angled, straight posteriorly. Hind wing with six hamuli equally spaced.

Metasoma

Metasomal tergum I polished; other terga weakly coriaceous. Metasomal apical segments oriented downward.

REMARKS

This species is morphologically similar to Trissepyris ruficeps by having the colour of head rufous castaneous, the ocellar triangle very compact, the occipital carina ventrally incomplete, the mesoscuto-scutellar suture with elliptical foveae, the propodeal spiracle long, elliptical, and dorsally placed, and the hind wings with more than five distal hamuli. However, T. akan n. sp. has the mandible with five teeth, the distance between the ocelli is as wide as individual ocellus diameter, the notauli are weakly widened posteriorly, the mesopleuron has the mesopleural pit small, but distinct from the punctures and, the hind wings have six distal hamuli; whereas T. ruficeps has the mandible with three teeth, the distance between the ocelli less than the individual ocellus diameter, the notauli strongly widened posteriorly, the mesopleuron with the mesopleural pit very small, undistinguished from the punctures, and the hind wings with nine distal hamuli.

Figures

FIG. 2. — Trissepyris akan n. sp., holotype:A, habitus,dorsal view; B, habitus,lateral view;C, head,dorsal view;D, head and mandible,frontal view; E, mesosoma, dorsal view; F, mesopleura, lateral view; G, hamuli, dorsal view. Scales-bars: A, B, 2.0 mm; C-F, 0.5 mm; G, 0.25 mm.