Pseudepipona (Pseudepipona) rubricans Kurzenko, 1976

Fateryga, Alexander V. & Selis, Marco, 2024, Unexpected diversity in the Pseudepipona lativentris species-group (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), Zootaxa 5529 (2), pp. 318-340 : 332-334

Pseudepipona (Pseudepipona) rubricans Kurzenko, 1976 , stat. nov.

( Figs 8A–I , 10T–W )

Pseudepipona lativentris rubricans Kurzenko, 1976: 436 , ♀ ♂ (type locality: “КИргИЗИЯ, ОЗ. Иссык-Куль, Окр. РыбачьегО” [ Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul Lake, vicinity of Rybachye]); holotype, ♀, FSCV.

Diagnosis. Body with orange pattern, legs predominantly orange ( Fig. 8A, F ); apical margin of female clypeus from approximately as wide as distance between antennal sockets to slightly wider, hardly emarginate ( Fig. 8B ); male F11 moderately robust, apically rounded, with a subapical tyloid on ventral side ( Fig. 8G ); antero-lateral angles of pronotum in dorsal view usually rather blunt ( Fig. 8C ); scutellum and metanotum with orange bands ( Fig. 8A, F ); punctation on T2 moderately coarse and dense, interspaces not exceeding diameter of a puncture ( Fig. 8D ); paramere very slender ( Fig. 10T, U ); ventral lobe of aedeagus rather acutely triangular ( Fig. 10W ). The species shows variability in the width of the apical margin of the clypeus not only in the female but in the male as well ( Fig. 8H, I ). The length of the digitus is also remarkably variable ( Fig. 10T, U ).

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀, labeled “КИргИЗскаЯ ССР / Окр. г. Рыбачье / ЩебнИст. пуст. / Лелей [ Kyrgyzstan, vicinity of Rybachye , gravelly desert, leg.A. Lelej] 13 VII 969 // Holotypus Pseudepipo- / na lativentris rubri- / cans ssp. nov. ♀ / det. Kurzenko 1975. [red label]” [ FSCV] ( Fig. 8E ) . PARATYPES: KYRGYZSTAN: Vicinity of Rybachye , 5.VII.1969, 1 ♀, leg. A. Lelej [ FSCV] ; KAZAKHSTAN. Akmola Provinc e: Ak-Mola , 13.VII.1969, 1 ♂, leg. N. Gritsenko [ FSCV]. Almaty and Jetisu provinces: Ketmen Range, Bolshoy Kirgizsay Place , 19.VII.1967, 1 ♀, leg. students of KazSU [ FSCV] ; Northern slope of Katu-Tau Mount , 24.V.1972, 1 ♀, leg. N. Kurzenko [ FSCV]. Karaganda and Ulytau provinces : 130 km N Balkhash, 23.VII.1973, 1 ♀, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV]. Mangystau Province: Mangyshlak , Karatau Range , 18.VI.1961, 1 ♂, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV] . ADDITIONAL MATERIAL: KYRGYZSTAN: Ali-Kul Lake, 2.VI.1908, 2 ♀ [ ZISP]; Dzhetim Range , Onarcha River, 9.VIII.1971, 1 ♂, leg. Yu. Tarbinskiy [ FSCV]; ibid., 10.VIII.1971, 1 ♂, leg. Yu. Tarbinskiy [ FSCV]; Semirechye , Pishpek Uezd , Susamyr Mountains , 9–10.VII.1914, 1 ♂, leg. Mikhalevskiy [ ZISP]; Southern slopes of Moldo-Tau near Shavyr Place , 18.VIII.1971, 1 ♀, 1 ♂, leg. Yu. Tarbinskiy [ FSCV] . KAZAKHSTAN. Akmola Province: Bayzhanzhal , 11.VII.1957, 1 ♀, leg. Rudolf [ ZISP]; Kokshetau , near Tersakan River , 7.VI.1957, 1 ♂, leg. Rudolf [ ZISP]; ibid., 13.VII.1957, 1 ♂, leg. Rudolf [ ZISP]; ibid., 16.VII.1957, 1 ♀, leg. Rudolf [ ZISP]; ibid., 6.VII.1958, 1 ♀, leg. Rudolf [ ZISP]; ibid., 28.VII.1958, 1 ♀, leg. Rudolf [ ZISP]; Zheltau , vicinity of Baygara , 13.IX.1975, 2 ♀, leg. Vladimirov [ FSCV] . Aktobe Province: Ber Tschogur, Mugodjargebirge , 1 ♀, leg. N. Androssow [ ZISP]; ibid., 1 ♂, leg. L. Bubyr [ ZISP]; ibid., 15.VI.1910, 1 ♂, leg. N. Androssow [ MSNVE] . Almaty and Jetisu provinces: Vicinity of Amangeldy , 28.VI.1977, 1 ♀, 1 ♂, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV] . East Kazakhstan Province: 20 km E Makanchi, 10.VI.1980, 1 ♀, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV]; Buran near Zaysan Lake , 11.VII.1977, 1 ♀, leg. V. Yakushkin [ FSCV]; Zaysan Lake, Priozernyy , 10.VII.1977, 1 ♂, leg. V. Yakushkin [ FSCV]. Karaganda and Ulytau provinces : 100– 130 km E Balkhash, 12.VI.1978, 1 ♂, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV]; Betpak-Dala , Dzhityk , 1–3.X.1954, 1 ♀, leg. Baytenov [ ISEN]; Vicinity of Balkhash , 14.V.1975, 1 ♂, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV]; ibid., 19.V.1974, 1 ♂, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV]; ibid., 20.V.1974, 1 ♂, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV]; ibid., 27.V.1974, 1 ♂, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV] . Kostanay Province: Kaindy River, S from Arkalyk , 27.VI.1977, 1 ♀, leg. V. Kazenas [ FSCV] . Kyzylorda Province: Karataugebiet, bei Djulek, Balamurun , 1 ♂, leg. Koshantschikow [ ZISP] . CHINA: Inner Mongolia: Alashan Range, Uurgin-Khuduk, 16.V.1908, 2 ♀, 4 ♂, leg. P. Napalkov [ ZISP]; W slope of Alashan Range , Tszosto , 26.V.1908, 1 ♀, leg. P. Kozlov [ ZISP]; ibid., 29.V.1908, 1 ♀, leg. P. Kozlov [ ZISP] . Xinjiang: Lower Kunges, Tsakma River , 2900′, 21–22.VI.1877, 1 ♀, leg. N. Przhewalski [ ZISP] .

Distribution. Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China (Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia) (Fig. 11).

Remarks. Pseudepipona rubricans is considered here a separate species, not a subspecies of P. lativentris , due to a distinct morphology of male F11 (presence of a tyloid) and genitalia (a very slender paramere and rather acutely triangular ventral lobe of the aedeagus). The differences of this species from P. cypria are mainly in the coloration only (orange vs. yellow pattern of the body and the legs). These two species are, however, distributed very distantly from each other suggesting their taxonomic independence.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Pseudepipona rubricans Kurzenko. A–E, ♀, holotype; F, I, ♂, China; H, G, ♂, Kazakhstan. A, F, habitus in dorsal view; B, H, I, head in front view; C, pronotum and anterior part of scutum in dorsal view; D, posterior part of T1 and T2 in dorsal view; E, labels; G, apex of flagellum (t, tyloid). Scale bars 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 10. Male genitalia of Pseudepipona spp. A–C, Pseudepipona beckeri (Morawitz), Crimea; D–F, P.cretensis Blüthgen, Crete; G–I, P. cypria Blüthgen, Cyprus; J, L, M, P. falsa (Kostylev), Uzbekistan; K, P. falsa, lectotype; N–P, P. gineri (von Schulthess), Ibiza; Q–S, P. lativentris (de Saussure), Spain; T, P. rubricans Kurzenko, Kazakhstan; U–W, P. rubricans, China; X–Z, P. vicina Gusenleitner, Kyrgyzstan. A, D, G, J, N, Q, T, U, X, left paramere and volsella in medial view (d, digitus); B, E, H, K, L, O, R, V, Y, aedeagus in dorsal view (me, median expansion); C, F, I, M, P, S, W, Z, aedeagus in lateral view (vl, ventral lobe). Scale bar 0.5 mm (not exactly applied to D–F and N–P).