Afrepipona misinjo, Selis, 2025

Afrepipona misinjo sp. nov.

( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 , 62D 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. 7E View FIGURE 7 ), in which it is distinguished by the evenly converging sides of clypeus, a long lamellar margin of T2 ( Fig. 7E View FIGURE 7 ) and a sparse pubescence of mesosoma ( Fig. 7C View FIGURE 7 ).

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀ labelled “ CASENT / 8105833 // MADAGASCAR: Majunga / Analamanitra Forest / 14 km NE of Misinjo / 15–22 January 2008 / 16°8'S 45°42'E // Calif. Acad. Of Sciences / coll: M.Irwin, R.Harin’Hala / malaise, dense dry forest / elev 65 ft MG-38-14 // Afrepipona misinjo / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2024 [red label]” ( CAS, code CASTYPE21739) GoogleMaps . PARATYPES: same locality as holotype, 2–9.X.2007, 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2047009 ) GoogleMaps .

Description. Female holotype ( Fig. 7B View FIGURE 7 ). Body length 5.5 mm; fore wing length 5.0 mm.

Head 1.2× as wide as high. Clypeus in frontal view 1.1× as wide as long, apical margin shallowly emarginate and 0.3× as wide as clypeus, apical teeth subtriangular with rounded apex and barely pointing laterally; clypeus in lateral view barely convex, almost smoothly passing into frons. Vertex 2.1× as long as ocellocular distance, almost flattened and sloping only on posterior third; cephalic foveae very fine and close to each other, housed in a small and barely differentiated transverse area, placed somewhat closer to ocellar triangle than occipital carina. Gena 0.65× 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 1.2× as long as wide and 1.2× as long as F2, F2 subquadrate, F3–F9 transverse, becoming progressively wider. Mesosoma 1.4× as long as wide, in lateral view forming an even curvature from pronotum to propodeum. Pronotum with 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, widely flattened on disc, anterior margin crenulate with larger median pit; axillary fossa small and elliptical, about half as large as ocellus. Metanotum obliquely sloping, evenly and weakly convex from anterior to posterior margin. Tegula longer than wide, outer margin evenly convex, 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. Propodeum short, in lateral view falling vertically from posterior margin of metanotum, dorsal faces smoothly passing into metanotum; dorsal faces of propodeum nearly vertical and forming an even surface with posterior face, not meeting behind metanotum; lateral faces of propodeum very shallowly depressed, dorsally margined by blunt lateral carina; posterior face of propodeum flattened, forming two pits above propodeal orifice, mid-line with longitudinal fovea covering about the dorsal half; 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 hyaline border, becoming shorter on sides. T 2 in dorsal view slightly wider than long and with convex sides, slightly wider than T1; preapical area of T2 depressed and coarsely punctate, followed by shallowly reflexed translucent lamella, lamella longer than ocellar diameter. S2 evenly convex in lateral view, with shallow basal longitudinal furrow and translucent apical margin.

Head and mesosoma with deep punctures separated by about their diameters, interspaces wider on gena, metanotum, propodeum and mesepisternum; clypeus micropunctate and shiny, with scattered fine punctures; tegula very finely shagreened and sparsely micropunctate, shiny; lateral faces of propodeum with scattered deep punctures. T1 with oblique punctures arranged in transverse series, series separated by wide interspaces; T2 with oblique punctures, shallow on disc and deep on sides, 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 fine deep punctures separated by more than their diameter; S3–S5 similar to respective tergites but punctures less evident. Covered in short pale pubescence, whitish on head and mesosoma, dust-like and pale brown on metasoma, pubescence generally indistinct and not covering underlying surface; short setae on face, mesepisternum and sternites, longer and finer pale setae on propodeum.

Bright red with darker indistinct markings on sides of frons, mesoscutum, ventral face of mesosoma, base of T2 and S2; following parts pale yellow: basal triangle of mandible, line along ventral margin of clypeus becoming wider medially, line along inner eye margin disappearing above, interantennal space and longitudinal line on frons almost reaching anterior ocellus, ventral half of outer eye margin, narrow anterior band on pronotum running along carina and humeral region, anterior spot on tegula, apex of parategula, anterior half of metanotum, spots above propodeal valvula, regular apical band on T1 with short expansions on sides, weakly sinuate apical band on T2, suffused apical bands on T3–T5, most of T6, apical and lateral margins of S1, narrow apical band on S2, indistinct spots at apex of fore femur and base of fore tibia. Wings fusco-hyaline, with very weak brownish tinge.

Male. Unknown.

Variability. The paratype has slightly wider yellow markings: all margins of clypeus, anterior band on pronotum covering the whole lateral faces, line along margin of posterior lobe of tegula, larger markings on propodeum above valvula, longer lateral expansion of band on T1 .

Distribution. Madagascar: Mahajanga ( Fig. 62D View FIGURE 62 ).

Etymology. The species epithet refers to the locality of Misinjo, close to where the species was collected. It is a noun in apposition.