Eumenidiopsis pyriformis, Selis, 2025

Eumenidiopsis pyriformis sp. nov.

( Figs 34 View FIGURE 34 , 64J View FIGURE 64 )

Diagnosis. This is the only species of Eumenidiopsis known from Madagascar and is readily distinguished from the continental species by the morphology of the first metasomal segment: T1 pyriform with the apical half being wider and more convex than the basal half ( Fig. 34C View FIGURE 34 ), the lateral margins of T1 meet ventrally reducing S1 to an apical crescent-shaped sclerite. The sharply separate and basally costulate apical lamella of T2 ( Fig. 34B View FIGURE 34 ) is observed in the Namibian endemic Eumenidiopsis venustus Gusenleitner , from which E. pyriformis is however differentiated by several characters: narrower and shallower apical emargination of clypeus ( Fig. 34A View FIGURE 34 ), longitudinal carinae of clypeus slightly converging and reaching apical teeth of clypeus, frons without arcuate carina bordering anterior ocellus ( Fig. 34A View FIGURE 34 ), pronotal carina weaker and more broadly interrupted ( Fig 34D View FIGURE 34 ), parategula oblique with subtruncate apex ( Fig. 34E View FIGURE 34 ), propodeal shelf more shallowly furrowed in the middle ( Fig. 34F View FIGURE 34 ), pyriform T1 ( Fig. 34C View FIGURE 34 ), coarser sculpture with more matte interspaces, and pattern ( Figs 34A, B View FIGURE 34 ).

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀ labelled “ CASENT / 2153766 // MADAGASCAR: Majunga / Ampijoroa NP, 160 km N / of Maevatanana on RN 04 / 43m, 24–31Aug 2003 / 16°19.16'S 46°48.80'E / R: Harin’Hala, col. // CASLOT 016553 / malaise in deciduous / forest MA-25-12 // Eumenidiopsis pyriformis / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2024 [red label]” ( CAS, code CASTYPE21751) GoogleMaps . PARATYPES: same locality as holotype,

7–14.IX.2003, 2♀ ( CAS, codes CASENT2153710 , CASENT2153720 ); same locality as holotype GoogleMaps , 14–22.IX.2003, 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2153730 ); same locality as holotype GoogleMaps , 22–28.IX.2003, 2♀ ( CAS, codes CASENT2153599 ; MSVI, code CASENT2153597 ); same locality as holotype GoogleMaps , 28.IX–5.X.2003, 1♀ ( MSVI, code CASENT2153660 ); Majunga , Ambovomamy Belambo, 20 km NW of Port Berger, 15.451167S 47.613333E, 33 m GoogleMaps , 3–10. V .2007 GoogleMaps , leg. R. Harin’Hala, M. Irwin & F. Parker, 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2047144 ); Majunga   GoogleMaps , Ambovomamy Belambo, 20 km NW of Port Berger, 15.451167S 47.613333E, 33 m, 5–17. VI .2007 GoogleMaps , leg. R. Harin’Hala, M. Irwin & F. Parker, 1♀ ( CAS, code CASENT2047148 ); Majunga   GoogleMaps , Ambovomamy Belambo, 20 km NW of Port Berger, 15.451167S 47.613333E, 33 m, 8–17.VII.2007, leg. R. Harin’Hala, M. Irwin & F. Parker, 3♀ ( CAS, codes CASENT2047087 , CASENT2047089 ; MSVI, code CASENT2047088 ) .

Description. Female holotype ( Fig. 34B View FIGURE 34 ). Body length 6.5 mm; fore wing length 4.5 mm.

Head as wide as high. Clypeus in frontal view 1.15× as wide as long, free apical part very short and 0.25× as long as interocular part, apical margin very shallowly triangularly incised and narrow, 0.15× as wide as clypeus, apical teeth subtriangular and slightly pointing out; clypeus in lateral view almost flattened, very shallowly and evenly convex; clypeus bearing a pair of strong longitudinal carinae originating from apical teeth and almost reaching base of clypeus, weakly diverging above. Vertex 1.8× as long as ocellocular distance, flattened and weakly sloping in lateral view. Head in lateral view short, somewhat flattened; gena 0.6× as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina complete and sharp, evenly and weakly curved on gena. F1 as long as wide and 1.1× as long as F2, F2–F9 wider than long and becoming progressively wider. Mesosoma 1.7× as long as wide, elongate and subcylindrical. Pronotum strongly elongate, distance between mesoscutum and pronotal carina almost equal to length of scutellum; sides of pronotum weakly converging and strongly sinuate behind humeri; pronotal carina very low and blunt on dorsal face, medially interrupted by a longitudinal furrow, triangularly and strongly produced laterally on humeri, sharp and strongly oblique on lateral faces; pretegular carina absent; anterior face of pronotum with a median pit. Mesoscutum much longer than wide and with sides almost entirely converging from parategulae to the anterior end; notauli present as a shallow depression covering the median third of the area between the parategulae. Scutellum subquadrate and barely convex from side to side; axillary fossa small and rounded, slightly smaller than one ocellus. Metanotum short and very weakly sloping, forming an even surface with scutellum and propodeum; anterior margin of metanotum weakly raised in a blunt transverse carina. Tegula about as long as wide and with strongly curved outer margin, posterior lobe short and slightly acute with pointed apex, not equaling parategula; parategula large and parallel-sides with convex surface, obliquely truncate at apex. Mesepisternum without epicnemial carina and sutures barely indicated by denser punctures, but not evident; epimeron barely differentiated. Propodeum elongate and with a propodeal shelf behind metanotum, in lateral view forming a flattened surface about as long as the metanotum and then abruptly curving down; dorsal faces of propodeum convex and meeting behind metanotum, forming a propodeal shelf and medially separated only by a fine longitudinal furrow; lateral faces of propodeum flattened and not separated from other faces; posterior face of propodeum forming a deep subtriangular depression below propodeal shelf, mid-line shallowly furrowed except for a short strong carina just above orifice; submarginal carina of propodeum forming a subrectangular and apically truncate lobe, laterolaterally flattened, not fused with valvula. T 1 in dorsal view pyriform and 1.9× as long as apically wide, with convex and converging sides in apical half and parallel-sided in basal half; T 1 in lateral view forming a small basal bump just behind suspensory ligament and then expanded and convex in posterior two-thirds, except for the deep transverse furrow delimiting the apical inflated margin. T2 slightly longer than wide and much wider than T1, sides convex and weakly converging apically; apical margin of T2 with a basally costulate lamella. Sides of T1 meeting on ventral faces of segment, so that S1 is reduced to a subtriangular apical sclerite. S2 with a shallow longitudinal impression on the basal sloping part; S 2 in lateral view strongly convex in basal half; apical margin of S2 similar to T2 but with blunt costulation.

Frons with small deep punctures separated by about their diameter and densely micropunctate interspaces, punctures becoming progressively larger and denser on vertex, where the interspaces are shiny and with few scattered micropunctures; gena largely impunctate and mirror-like on ventral half; clypeus with few barely visible punctures, surface mostly covered with very fine and irregular longitudinal microstriation. Mesosoma sculpted similar to frons but with larger punctures; pronotum with punctures becoming denser along posterior and anterior margins, anterior face of pronotum with patches of small deep punctures on lateral thirds; mesoscutum, scutellum and mesepisternum more sparsely punctured, most interspaces exceeding one puncture diameter; tegula shiny with sparse micropunctures, parategula smooth and shiny; dorsal faces of propodeum with sparse deep punctures, interspaces shiny and variable in size, but generally much wider than puncture diameter, punctures becoming smaller on posterior depression; lateral faces of propodeum finely striate and with sparse small punctures. T1 with deep oblique punctures, denser and smaller basally and becoming sparser and larger apically, forming a very dense patch on ventrolateral part of tergite but completely disappearing ventrally on mid-line; T2 with punctures similar to apical half of T1, becoming denser and somewhat smaller from base to apex, leaving a short impunctate area before the apical lamella; T3–T6 finely shagreened, with some barely visible indications of punctures; S1 with small punctures along margins and few larger ones on disc; S2 sculpted similar to T2 but punctures larger; S3–S6 similar to respective tergites, but S3 with some very fine but evident punctures. Head and mesosoma covered in very short and erect pubescence, denser and strongly silvery on sides of clypeus, frons, mesepisternum and propodeum; pubescence longer on posterolateral corners of propodeum; metasoma with dust-like appressed pubescence, visible only under incident light.

Black; following parts yellowish-white: basal transverse spot on clypeus, narrow line on ventral face of scape, transverse spots on pronotal humeri, parategula, regular and narrow apical band on T1–T2, sinuate and laterally interrupted apical band on S2, small apical spot on fore femur, basal markings on tibiae becoming progressively longer from fore to hind-tibia; following parts red: most of mandible, median third of dorsal face and narrow line on posterior margin of pronotum, tegula, large lateral spots on expanded part of T1, suffused line bordering apical white margin of T2; legs, T3–T6 and S3–S6 with irregular orangish markings. Wings hyaline with weak brownish tinge, more evident along costal margin.

Male. Unknown.

Variability. The following variations were observed in the paratypes: broader red pattern on pronotum (up to entirely red pronotum with suffused lateral black spots), tegula with small whitish spot at anterior end, propodeum with variably developed red markings on sides of posterior depression

Distribution. Madagascar: Mahajanga ( Fig. 64J View FIGURE 64 ).

Etymology. The species epithet refers to the pyriform T1, in contrast to the subcylindrical T1 observed in the continental species of the genus.

Genus Knemodynerus Blüthgen, 1940

Knemodynerus Blüthgen, 1940: 43 View in CoL , subgenus of “ Euodynerus Blüthgen View in CoL ” [= Euodynerus Dalla Torre View in CoL ]. Type species: Odynerus ( Lionotus) excellens Pérez, 1907 View in CoL , by original designation.

Trachyodynerus Giordani Soika, 1989a: 19 View in CoL , 60, genus. Type species: Trachyodynerus dancaliensis Giordani Soika, 1989 View in CoL , by original designation. Junior subjective synonym of Knemodynerus Blüthgen, 1940 View in CoL according to Gusenleitner (2012: 529).

Key to the Malagasy species of Knemodynerus View in CoL

1. Clypeus finely and sparsely punctate; apical margin of clypeus subtruncate, apical teeth blunt and more or less right-angled ( Fig. 35A View FIGURE 35 ). Tegula almost entirely impunctate, with few weakly impressed fine punctures. Dorsal faces of propodeum densely and coarsely punctate, almost honeycomb like. T2 and S2 with strongly contrasting apical whitish band ( Fig. 35A View FIGURE 35 ). Male: F11 large and strongly curved, flattened dorsoventrally and reaching base of F8 ( Fig. 35A View FIGURE 35 ); fore coxa and trochanter with long wavy setae on ventral face............................................................... K. aequabilis Gusenleitner View in CoL

- Clypeus densely and coarsely punctate; apical margin of clypeus emarginate, apical teeth pointed and acute ( Fig. 35B View FIGURE 35 ). Tegula with deep and deeply impressed coarse punctures on posterior half. Dorsal faces of propodeum less coarsely punctate, interspaces flattened and almost equaling puncture diameter. T2 and S2 with extremely subtle yellowish apical line bordering reflexed lamella ( Fig. 35B View FIGURE 35 ). Male: F11 small and conical, not reaching base of F9 ( Fig. 35B View FIGURE 35 ); fore coxa and trochanter without evident setae, only pubescent....................................................... K. pensus (Giordani Soika)