Afrepipona ennesima, Selis, 2025

Afrepipona ennesima sp. nov.

( Figs 4 View FIGURE 4 , 62B View FIGURE 62 )

Diagnosis. Belonging to the group of Malagasy Afrepipona with simple apical margin of T2 ( Fig. 4G View FIGURE 4 ) and large opening of axillary fossa ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ), in which it is readily recognized by parallel-sided mesosoma and abruptly angled T1 with very coarse punctures ( Fig. 4F View FIGURE 4 ).

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀ labelled“ CASENT /2046289 // MADAGASCAR:Prov./ Fianarantsoa, PN Ranomafana / radio tower at forest edge / 1130m, 21°15.05'S 47°24.43'E / 14–24 Jun 2002, R. Harin’Hala // CASLOT 0111145 / malaise, mixed tropical / forest MA-02-09B-32 // Afrepipona ennesima / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2024 [red label]” ( CAS, code CASTYPE21737) GoogleMaps . PARATYPES: same locality as holotype, 20.III– 3.IV.2003, leg. M. Irwin & R GoogleMaps . Harin’Hala, 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2177742 ); Fianarantsoa, PN Ranomafana, Belle Vue at Talatakely , 21.266499S 47.420155E, 1020 m, 16.X–8.XI.2001, leg. M. Irwin & R GoogleMaps . Harin’Hala, 2♀ ( CAS, codes CASENT2218461 , CASENT2218462 ); Fianarantsoa, PN Ranomafana, Belle Vue at Talatakely , 21.266499S 47.420155E, 1020 m, 22–28.XI.2001, leg. R GoogleMaps . Harin’Hala, 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2046470 ); Fianarantsoa, PN Ranomafana, Belle Vue at Talatakely , 21.266499S 47.420155E, 1020 m, 18–28. V GoogleMaps .2003, leg. R. Harin’Hala, 1♀ ( MSVI, code CASENT2153831 ); Fianarantsoa, PN Ranomafana, Vohiparara , at broken bridge, 21.226166S 47.369822E, 1110 m, 15–22.XI.2001, leg. R GoogleMaps . Harin’Hala, 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2081176 ) .

Description. Female holotype ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Body length 7.5 mm; fore wing length 7.0 mm.

Head 1.2× as wide as high. Clypeus in frontal view 1.15× as wide as long, apical margin shallowly emarginate and 0.3× as wide as clypeus, apical teeth subtriangular with rounded apex; clypeus in lateral view barely convex, almost smoothly passing into frons. Vertex 1.95× as long as ocellocular distance, shallowly convex in lateral view; cephalic foveae very fine and close to each other, housed in a circular and flattened area about as large as one ocellus, placed closer to ocellar triangle than to occipital margin. Gena as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina incomplete, absent on median third and fine on lateral thirds of vertex, thick and shortly lamellate on gena, distinctly bent in lower half. Flagellum short and thickened towards apex, F1 1.3× as long as wide and 1.15× as long as F2, F2 subquadrate, F3–F9 transverse, becoming progressively wider. Mesosoma 1.4× as long as wide, in lateral view almost forming an even curvature from pronotum to propodeum. Pronotum with weakly convex and nearly parallel sides; pronotal carina complete and shortly lamellate on dorsal portion, lamella slightly higher laterally than medially, evenly rounded on humeri; pretegular carina just indicated above pronotal lobe. Mesoscutum with fine indication of notauli on posterior margin. Scutellum wider than long, widely flattened on disc, anterior margin crenulate with larger median pit; axillary fossa small and rounded, acting as acarinarium, its opening delimited by a deep incision in the inner lamella of the scutellar crest. Metanotum obliquely sloping, evenly and weakly convex from anterior to posterior margin, anterior margin slightly bulging. Tegula longer than wide, outer margin evenly convex, posterior lobe very short, right-angled with pointed apex and not equaling parategula; parategula digitiform and evenly curved, slightly flattened laterolaterally. Mesepisternum smoothly passing into pronotum above; epicnemial carina absent. Propodeum short, in lateral view falling vertically from posterior margin of metanotum; dorsal faces of propodeum not meeting behind metanotum and distinctly separated from posterior face even if not sharply; lateral faces of propodeum depressed, dorsally margined by blunt lateral carina; posterior face of propodeum flattened, forming two shallow pits above propodeal orifice, mid-line with longitudinal fovea covering about the dorsal half; submarginal carina of propodeum completely fused with propodeal valvula and evenly rounded. T 1 in dorsal view trapezoidal, much wider than long, sides slightly converging and meeting anterior margin forming an obtuse angle; T 1 in lateral view distinctly angled and divided into two faces; apical margin of T1 with narrow hyaline border, almost disappearing on sides. T 2 in dorsal view subquadrate and with convex sides, slightly wider than T1; preapical area of T2 imperceptibly depressed, apical margin with a barely developed translucent border much shorter than one puncture diameter, therefore appearing simple. S2 evenly convex in lateral view, basally with a shallow indication of longitudinal furrow, apical translucent margin more developed than on T2.

Head and mesosoma with deep punctures separated by less than their diameters, most interspaces reduced to narrow sharp ridges; interspaces wider on gena, metanotum and mesepisternum, reaching up to several puncture diameters in length; clypeus densely micropunctate with scattered deep punctures, denser basally and very scattered apically; tegula with granular shagreen and sparse micropunctures; lateral faces of propodeum with scattered deep punctures arranged in sparse horizontal series; posterior face of propodeum with very sparse deep punctures, becoming much finer in ventral half. T1 with anterior vertical face shagreened and impunctate, except for few very shallow punctures along upper margin, posterior horizontal face with very coarse and dense oblique punctures, almost as large as one ocellar diameter and touching each other, interspaces reduced to narrow and irregular reticulation; T2 with oblique deep punctures, larger and denser basally and on sides and becoming finer and sparser on disc, preapical area with a band of slightly denser and coarser punctures; T3–T5 with deep punctures, larger apically than basally and becoming progressively finer; S1 with large pits separated by irregular longitudinal ridges; S2 with sparse deep punctures, somewhat finer than on T2; S3–S5 with very scattered fine punctures. Covered in short brownish pubescence, little visible on head and mesosoma, dust-like and denser on metasoma; short setae on frons, clypeus, gena, mesepisternum, S2 and apex of other sternites, longer and finer pale setae on posterolateral angles of propodeum and S1.

Black with diffused and irregular wine-red areas, brighter and well visible on the following parts: mandible, clypeus, lower half of frons and gena, sides of pronotum, tegula, metanotum, mesepisternum, apical tergites and sternites, tibiae. Following parts ivory: suffused basal dot on mandible, longitudinal line running from interantennal space to middle of frons, narrow complete line bordering pronotal carina, anterior third of metanotum, narrow apical bands on T1–T2 and S2. Wings fusco-hyaline.

Male. Unknown.

Variability. Remarkably constant species, the paratypes show the following variations in various combinations: small ivory spots in antennocular space, longer longitudinal line on frons, reduction of the pronotal band, slightly to markedly wider apical band on T2 and S2.

Distribution. Madagascar: Fianarantsoa ( Fig. 62B View FIGURE 62 ).

Etymology. The species epithet is the feminine form of the Italian adjective “ennesimo”, meaning “yet another”, as this is yet another new species of Afrepipona . It is to be treated as a latinized adjective.