Pareumenes (Pareumenes) laetefasciatus Giordani Soika. A 1944, stat. nov.
Creators: name: Selis, Marco
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Vespidae
Pareumenes
Pareumenes laetefasciatus

description: Pareumenes (Pareumenes) laetefasciatus Giordani Soika, 1944, stat. nov.
(Fig. 9)
Pareumenes sansibaricus laetefasciatus Giordani Soika, 1944: 157 (key), ♀
— “ Africa orientale: Iscia Baidoa ” (MSNVE).
Diagnosis. Placed in the subgenus Pareumenes due to the lateral carina of propodeum forming a sharp triangular lobe, the propodeal valvula forming a long lobe strongly exceeding the apex of the propodeum, and the elongate and petiolate T1 with a basal angle, it is recognized from the other species of the subgenus by the mostly impunctate and velvety body, the narrow and deep apical emargination of clypeus, the largely smooth posterior depression of propodeum, the long, robust and flattened lobes of the lateral carina of propodeum, the more elongate T1 (2.3–2.6× as long as apically wide) with a deep pit near the posterior end, the decolorate and lamellar apical margin of T1, the strongly reflexed apical margin of T2 forming a translucent lamella, and the strongly silvery pubescence.
Material examined. LECTOTYPE OF PAREUMENES SANSIBARICUS LAETEFASCIATUS: ♀ labeled “Coll. A. Mochi / V. 35 / Iscia Baidoa / Somalia // HOLOTYPUS / Pareumenes / sansibaricus var / laetefasciatus n.v. / A Giordani Soika [red label]” (MSNVE). ETHIOPIA: Africa Orientale Italiana, Sagan-Omo, Caschei, 8.VII.1939, leg. E. Zavattari, 1♀ (MSNVE, paralectotype); 20 km SE of Konso, 860 m, 11–13.V.2015, leg. A. Kudrna jr., 1♀ (MSVI). KENYA: Malindi, Watamu, 6.XII.1972, leg. A. Mochi, 1♀ (MSVI); Rift Valley, Samburu, Buffalo Springs, 15–18.VII.1987, leg. H.R. Feijen, 1♂ (MSNVE).
Distribution. Ethiopia, Kenya *, Somalia (Giordani Soika 1944, 1952b, 1973) (Fig. 13H).
Notes. Giordani Soika labelled the two type specimens as holotype and paratype, however he (Giordani Soika 1944) described this taxon without selecting a holotype and later (Giordani Soika 1973: 36) designated the female from Iscia Baidoa as “Lecto-olotipo” (= lecto-holotype). They are therefore to be regarded as lectotype and paralectotype.
Giordani Soika (1944, 1979, 1981) used a broad concept of Pareumenes sansibaricus and divided this species into six subspecies differentiated only by pattern. Examination of several specimens of P. sansibaricus laetefasciatus, including the lectotype, however revealed further differences from the nominotypical subspecies: apical emargination of clypeus narrower and deeper with acute lateral teeth and apical margin of T2 reflexed and forming a yellowish translucent lamella. Given these morphological differences, the richly marked pattern and the vicariant distribution (P. sansibaricus laetefasciatus in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, P. sansibaricus s. str. from Tanzania to the south), this taxon is elevated to the species-rank. For the two characters mentioned above, P. laetefasciatus is more similar to P. arabicus, from which it is however easily distinguished by the strongly metallic pubescence on head and mesosoma, and the wider and blunter lateral projections of propodeum.
description: Published as part of Selis, Marco, 2025, Revision of the Afrotropical species of Pareumenes de Saussure (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae), pp. 205-227 in Zootaxa 5584 (2) on pages 217-218, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5584.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/14830818