Minagenia Banks, 1934

Decker, Brenna L., Pitts, James P., Yuan, David & Rodriguez, Juanita, 2020, Re-examination of Australian and Oriental species of Minagenia Banks, 1934 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), with a new record for the genus in Australia and a new species description, Zootaxa 4768 (3), pp. 383-394 : 384-385

Minagenia Banks, 1934

Minagenia Banks, 1934 , (as a subgenus of Pseudagenia Kohl, 1884 ): Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts. Sci., v. 69, pg. 40, 64.

Type species: Pseudagenia (Minagenia) brevicornis Banks, 1934 , by original designation.

Nannochilus Banks, 1944 : Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., v. 94, pg. 171.

Type species: Pseudagenia externa Banks, 1910 , by original designation. Synonymized by Townes, 1957: 226.

Compsagenia Haupt, 1959 : Nova Acta Leopoldina . v. 141, pg. 66.

Type species: Compsagenia laevipes Haupt, 1959 (= Nannnochilus obscurus Banks, 1946 ), by monotypy. Synonymized by Evans 1973: 214.

Diagnosis. Minagenia , a member of the subfamily Pepsinae , can be differentiated from other genera of the tribe Pepsini by the following combination of characters: the eyes are large, with the width of the eye in lateral view greater than 2 × the width of the gena; and the fore wing 2rs-m and 3rs-m veins similar in curvature, with some exceptions, including the 3rs-m either having a median outward pocket or the 3rs-m being straight and angled posteriorly (as in Minagenia taiwana Tsuneki, 1989 ).

Other identifying characters for Minagenia include: the clypeus width being greater than 2 × its height, with the sides angling slightly inward before the truncate or gently concave apical margin; the pronotum with a distinct anterior face; the fore wing 3m-cu meeting the SMC3 at or beyond the middle, the M reaching the wing margin; the hind wing cu-a ending before the juncture of M with CuA; the hind wing anal lobe equal to or less than half the length of M+CuA; the hind wing basal set of hamuli ending at the separation of the costal vein from Sc, R and Rs veins (except in Minagenia taiwana ); and the hind tibia smooth, without row of integument serrations. Additional characters specific for the males include: the fore tarsal claws being asymmetrical, and at least the mid-leg tarsal claws are bifid. Additional characters specific for the females include: the fore tarsal claws being symmetrical, and all tarsal claws being bifid; S6 being laterally compressed, usually with a ventral ridge present; and the stinger being straight.

Remarks. The name was first used as a subgenus of Pseudagenia by Banks in 1934 to describe two Philippine species. The name was then raised to generic level by Townes (1957) and synonymized with the New World genus Nannochilus Banks, 1944 ; Minagenia was first used at the generic level by Dreisbach (1953).

Minagenia can be found throughout the New World, Africa, and the Australasian region. In the New World, a revision is desperately needed, as there are many undescribed species throughout the region (unpub. data). A single species is described from Madagascar, first placed into the genus Micragenia Arnold, 1934 by Banks (1940) as Micragenia minima Banks, 1940 ; later, Townes (1957) created a new combination for Minagenia minima ( Banks, 1940) . No other Minagenia species are recorded in the literature for Africa, but there are several undescribed species from mainland Africa and Madagascar.

Several other genera closely resemble Minagenia . Species of Minagenia can be distinguished from Epipompilus Kohl, 1884 by the following characteristics: the eyes are large and protuberant; the integumental puncture size is variable, but dense with the intervals dull; the hind wing cu-a is long and often curved, the angle at which it leaves the medial vein is broad and smooth, not sharp; the males have bifid claws on the middle leg, and the antennae is filamentous with appressed setae; females lack setae on eyes, have all claws bifid, and have the SGP laterally compressed. Males of Eopompilus Gussakovskij, 1932 look similar to Minagenia males, except that the antennae are highly serrated, the hind leg tibial groove along the brush is obvious and mostly devoid of setae, S6 has a deep median emargination fringed with long setae, and T1 is dorsally white. Upon further examination, one species that was previously labeled as Minagenia from Taiwan likely belongs in a new genus, perhaps, near Eopompilus , which will be discussed in a later paper. An additional two species from Taiwan are members of other genera, discussed here, further demonstrating that differences between these genera can be easily overlooked.

Males of Minagenia are generally distinguished by genitalic features, while females lack such diagnostic characters. Female head and antennal measurement ratios and placement of sensory receptors on the antennae tend to greatly aid in identification, but there are several exceptions. In general, females have less morphological variation than males, and in some instances, it is difficult to identify morphological characters to separate species.