Astata tropicana, Jacobs, 2023

Jacobs, Hans-Joachim, 2023, Astata Latreille, 1796 (Hymenoptera, Astatidae) from Africa, south of the Sahara, Contributions to Entomology 73 (2), pp. 251-267 : 251

Astata tropicana sp. nov.

Holotype.

Namibia • ♂; Gobabis, 40 km W Witvlei; 16.2.1990; Max. Schwarz leg.; OLML.

Paratypes.

Namibia • 1 ♂; Rundu; 29.1.1993; Gusenleitner leg. • 1 ♀; 17 km W Okahandja; 19.2.1999; Max. Schwarz leg. • 1 ♀; Khomas pr., 25 km NNE Vsakos; 17.3.2014; J. Halada leg.; OLML. Republic of South Africa • 4 ♀♀; Eastern Cape, 7 km S Cradock; 25.1.2000; J. Halada leg.; OLML.

Diagnosis male.

Astata tropicana male is characterised by body length (11-12 mm), glabrous propodeal dorsum, red metasoma, predominantly red legs and conspicuous darkened forewings, interior concave midcoxa, distinctive flat tyloids on antennomeres V-XI and a short and dense metasomal hairbrush. It differs from the closest similar species A. stevensoni by a shiny mesoscutum without transverse rugae, by a mesopleuron with scattered punctures and a very dense reticulated propodeal dorsum. From A. tropicalis and A. flavipennis , it differs by predominantly red legs.

Description male.

Habitus. Dorsal Figs 39 (holotype), 43 (paratype) and lateral Fig. 44 (paratype). Body length 11-12 mm. Head. Black. Mandible brown to reddish, inner surface with short tooth. Middle clypeal lobe short, rectangular; anterior margin straight. Clypeus densely punctate, moderately shiny. Face before front ocellus densely punctate, moderately shiny; laterally surface with dense white setae directed downwards. Antenna. Black. Antennomeres V-XI with flat swollen tyloids, straight in profile (Fig. 40 ). Tyloids basally swollen, more or less pale, distally ending in curved carina. Antennomere III about 4 × as long as apically wide. Thorax. Black. Pronotal collar densely punctate, lateral surface of pronotum striated. Mesoscutum shiny, anterior densely punctate with short setae, posteriorly with scattered punctures and an impunctate area in middle (Fig. 41 ). Mesoscutellum shiny, densely punctate posteriorly and laterally, with very scattered punctures medially. Metanotum densely punctate with shiny central area. Mesopleuron anteroventrally shiny with coarse punctures (interspaces wider than puncture diameter), posteriorly coarsely and densely punctate (interspaces distinctly narrower than puncture diameter), without wrinkles, with short pale setae ventrally (Fig. 45 ). Wings. Forewings completely brown suffused, hindwings hyaline. Legs. Coxae and trochanters black; femora red, more or less darkened basally; tibiae and tarsi red. Femora ventrally without long setae. Midcoxa concave on inner side, concavity limited by longitudinal keel. Hindcoxa and -trochanter normal. Propodeum. Black. Dorsal surface glabrous, dull, very finely and densely reticulate (Figs 42 , 46 ). Lateral surface more widely reticulated than dorsal surface, moderately shiny. Declivity roughly punctate, dull. Propodeum, except dorsum with long greyish setae. Stigmal area straight, with dense short pubescence. Metasoma. Red, tergum I with black spot basally, sterna I-II with big black spots, tergum IV sometimes darkened basally. Tergum I with dense and superficial punctures, terga II-III with scattered punctures laterally. Metasomal hairbrush short and dense, beginning on sternum IV, setae shorter than those on sternum II.

Diagnosis female.

The female of A. tropicana is characterised by the body length (9-13 mm), conspicuously darkened fore- and hindwings, glabrous dorsal surface of propodeum and red legs. It differs from the most closely similar A. tropicalis by its completely smooth and shiny scutum with scattered punctures on the anterior third, the nearly completely red fore- and midfemur and the pygidial plate without longitudinal keels.

Description female.

Habitus. Dorsal Fig. 47 , lateral Fig. 48 . Body length 9-13 mm. Head. Black. Mandible black, red medially. Clypeus with rectangular middle lobe, front margin straight. Frons including area beneath front ocellus densely punctate, moderately shiny. Vertex smooth, shiny, with scattered punctures. Gena smooth and shiny, with long greyish setae. Antenna. Black. Thorax. Black. Pronotal lobe and tegula black. Pronotal collar densely punctate, lateral part of pronotum striate. Mesoscutum smooth, shiny, with scattered punctures on whole surface (Fig. 49 ), ventrally with short backwards-directed setae. Mesoscutellum smooth and shiny with scattered punctures, densely punctate laterally. Anterior part of mesopleuron with coarse and scattered punctures, posterior surface densely punctate, without wrinkles. Wings. Basal sclerite black. Fore- and hindwings completely darkened. Wing veins and pterostigma dark brown. Submarginal cell about 2.5-2.8 × as long as wide. Legs. Coxae, trochanters and forefemur basally black; apex of forefemur, mid- and hindfemur, tibiae and tarsi red. Legs with black spines. Femora with black setae. Longest ventral setae of hindfemur about as long as two thirds of maximal femur diameter. Forebasitarsus with four rake spines, interior with spines extended evenly towards the apex and with fimbriae along the whole length. Propodeum. Black. Dorsal surface glabrous, dull, finely reticulate. Stigmal area of propodeal dorsum straight. Lateral and posterior surface distinctly stronger reticulate than dorsum, moderately shiny, with short and sparse white setae. Metasoma. Red, apex of pygidial plate darker, sternum I with black spot basally. Tergum I glabrous. Posterior margins of terga III-V with short black bristles. Pygidial plate dull, granulate, with almost straight lateral margins, without longitudinal carinae.

Figures

Figures 34 - 46. 34 - 36. A. rufoatra sp. nov. male holotype: 34. Head frontal; 35. Clypeus; 36. Antenna. 37. A. stevensoni female: Pygidial plate (after Arnold 1924). 38. A. tropicalis female: Pygidial plate (after Arnold 1924). 39 - 42. A. tropicana sp. nov. male holotype: 39. Habitus dorsal; 40. Antenna; 41. Mesoscutum; 42. Propodeum. 43 - 46. A. tropicana sp. nov. male paratype: 43. Habitus dorsal; 44. Habitus lateral; 45. Mesopleuron; 46. Propodeum.

Figures 47 - 63. 47 - 49. A. tropicana sp. nov. female paratype: 47. Habitus dorsal; 48. Habitus lateral; 49. Mesoscutum. 50 - 55. A. fuscistigma complex male: 50. Habitus dorsal (RSA); 51. Habitus lateral (RSA); 52. Habitus dorsal (Ethiopia); 53. Habitus lateral (Ethiopia); 54. Antenna (Ethiopia); 55. Antenna (RSA). 56 - 63. A. fuscistigma complex female: 56. Habitus species A dorsal; 57. Habitus species A lateral; 58. Forebasitarsus species A; 59. Midbasitarsus species A; 60. Forebasitarsus species B; 61. Midbasitarsus species B; 62. Forebasitarsus species C; 63. Midbasitarsus species C.