Afrepipona dilaticlypeus, Selis, 2025

Afrepipona dilaticlypeus sp. nov.

( Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 , 62A View FIGURE 62 )

Diagnosis. Belonging to the group of Malagasy Afrepipona with slender appearance (mesosoma 1.55× as long as wide) and sharply separated and reflexed lamellar margin of T2 ( Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 ), in which it is readily distinguished by the apically widened clypeus ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ).

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀ labelled “ CASENT / 2046455 // MADAGASCAR: Tulear / Prov., Mikea Forest NW / of Manombo, 30 m, 6–16 / Jan 2002, 22°54.22'S / 43°28.53'E, R. Harin’Hala // CASLOT 011163 / malaise—deciduous dry / forest MA-02-18A-09 // Afrepipona dilaticlypeus / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2024 [red label]” ( CAS, code CASTYPE21736) GoogleMaps . PARATYPES: Tulear , Cap Ste Marie Special Reserve, 74 km S of Tsihombe, 25.587667S 45.163000E, 37 m, 7–14.I.2003, leg. M. Irwin, F. Parker & R GoogleMaps . Harin’Hala , 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2081321 ); Tulear , Ifaty, near Hotel Paradisia in coastal dunes, 23.179667S 43.616833E, 9 m, 13.X–12.XI.2001, leg. R GoogleMaps . Harin’Hala, 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2146199 ) .

Description. Female holotype ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Body length 6.0 mm; fore wing length 5.3 mm.

Head 1.2× as wide as high. Clypeus in frontal view 1.2× as wide as long, apical margin barely emarginate and 0.4× as wide as clypeus, apical teeth rounded and strongly pointing laterally, making the apical margin appear widened; clypeus in lateral view barely convex, almost smoothly passing into frons. Vertex 2.05× as long as ocellocular distance, almost flattened and sloping only on posterior margin; cephalic foveae very fine and close to each other, housed in a small and barely differentiated area, placed somewhat closer to ocellar triangle than occipital carina. Gena 0.7× as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina complete, fine and weak on vertex, thick and shortly lamellate on gena, distinctly bent in lower half. Flagellum short and thickened towards apex, F1 1.1× as long as wide and 1.4× as long as F2, F2–F9 transverse, becoming progressively wider. Mesosoma 1.45× as long as wide, in lateral view forming an even curvature from pronotum to propodeum. Pronotum weakly convex and barely converging sides; pronotal carina complete and shortly lamellate on dorsal portion, evenly rounded on humeri; pretegular carina absent. Mesoscutum with fine indication of notauli on posterior margin. Scutellum wider than long, almost evenly convex from side to side, somewhat flattened on disc, anterior margin furrowed in the middle and shallowly crenulate on sides; axillary fossa small and elliptical, about half as large as ocellus. Metanotum obliquely sloping, with somewhat convex anterior half. Tegula longer than wide, outer margin evenly convex with shallow sinuation on anterior third, posterior lobe slightly acute with pointed apex and not equaling parategula; parategula digitiform and evenly curved. Mesepisternum smoothly passing into pronotum above; epicnemial carina absent; epimeron very weakly projecting below. Propodeum short, in lateral view falling vertically from posterior margin of metanotum, dorsal faces almost smoothly passing into metanotum; dorsal faces of propodeum strongly sloping posterolaterally, not meeting behind metanotum; lateral faces of propodeum shallowly depressed, dorsally margined by blunt lateral carina; posterior face of propodeum very shallowly depressed, forming two pits above propodeal orifice, mid-line with longitudinal fovea covering about the dorsal third and sharp carina below; submarginal carina of propodeum completely fused with propodeal valvula but forming a blunt angle posteriorly. T 1 in dorsal view semicircular, wider than long, anterior margin evenly rounded; T 1 in lateral view strongly convex but not divided in two distinct faces; apical margin of T1 with short hyaline border, becoming longer on sides. T 2 in dorsal view slightly longer than wide and with weakly convex sides, not much wider than T1; preapical area of T2 depressed and coarsely punctate, followed by shallowly reflexed translucent lamella, lamella shorter than ocellar diameter. T3 and S2–S4 with somewhat translucent apical margin. S2 evenly convex in lateral view, with indistinct basal longitudinal furrow.

Head and mesosoma with deep punctures separated by about their diameters, interspaces slightly wider on gena, metanotum, propodeum and mesepisternum; clypeus micropunctate and shiny, with scattered fine punctures and few larger punctures above apical margin; tegula sparsely micropunctate and shiny, smooth on disc; lateral faces of propodeum mostly impunctate and matte as metaepisternum, except for central group of dense punctures. T1 with oblique large punctures, interspaces variable but generally wider on disc; T2 with shallow oblique punctures, larger basally and becoming progressively more indistinct apically, preapical depressed area filled with large coarse punctures; T3–T5 with fine deep punctures basally and dense coarse punctures apically; S1 with coarse and irregular longitudinal ridges on posterior half; S2 with large deep punctures separated by more than their diameter; S3–S5 similar to respective tergites but punctures less evident. Covered in short pale metallic pubescence, silvery-golden on head and mesosoma, dust-like and brassy on metasoma; short apically bent setae on frons and most of mesosoma.

Dark reddish-brown, with darker irregular areas on mesoscutum and metasoma; following parts from ivory to pale yellow: basal half of outer face of mandible, margins of clypeus becoming thicker ventrally, inner eye margin, longitudinal line from clypeus to middle of frons and filling interantennal space, margins of gena and hypostoma, line on anterior margin of pronotum becoming much wider laterally and covering whole lateral faces, anterior and posterior spots on tegula, most of parategula, lateral lamellae of scutellum, border of submarginal carina of propodeum, narrow regular apical band on T1, sinuate and laterally widened band covering depressed preapical area of T2, posterior border of S1, apical bands on S2–S5, most of S6, frontal face of all coxae, line along anteroventral margin of femora, line on anterior margin of fore tibia; T3–T6 mostly orange with suffused whitish bands. Wings hyaline with weak orange tinge along costal margin.

Male. Unknown.

Variability. The three specimens examined show very slight variability in the extension of the pale markings on clypeus and T2 only.

Distribution. Madagascar: Toliara ( Fig. 62A View FIGURE 62 ).

Etymology. The species epithet is a combination of the Latin adjective “ dilatatus, - a, - um ” (= widened) and the word “clypeus”, in reference to the apically widened clypeus. It is a noun in apposition.