Afrepipona occidentalis Selis & Carpenter, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Selis, Marco
name: Carpenter, James M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eumenidae
Afrepipona
Afrepipona occidentalis

description: Afrepipona occidentalis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DBDD4B09-3911-474E-8415-87F0E7BB58ED
Figs 13, 27I
Diagnosis
Similar to Afrepipona lamptoensis, but differing as follows: clypeus narrower, 1.3 × as wide as long, apical margin truncate with projecting teeth (Fig. 13B–C); vertex longer, 2.2–2.25 × as long as distance between posterior ocellus and inner eye margin, cephalic foveae placed in large elliptical depression, wider than one ocellar diameter (Fig.13E); slenderer appearance, mesosoma 1.35–1.45× as long as wide, T1 0.5–0.55 × as long as wide; T2 0.9–1.0 × as long as wide (Fig. 13F); T3 widely lamellate at apex; interspaces on frons and mesoscutum shorter than half puncture diameter, punctures on mesepisternum in part touching and forming longitudinal series. Genitalia in Fig. 27I.
Etymology
The specific epithet derives from the Latin adjective ‘occidentalis’ (= ‘western’), this species being diffused in western Africa.
Type material
Holotype
IVORY COAST • ♀; Lamto; 6 Oct. 1969; Darchen leg.; MSNVE.
Paratypes
IVORY COAST • 1 ♂; Lamto; 8 Oct. 1969; Darchen leg.; MSNVE.
SENEGAL • 1 ♀; “Seneg”; MSVI.
Description
Female
MEASUREMENTS. Body length 8.0– 8.3 mm (holotype 8.0 mm); fore wing length 6.0–7.0 mm (holotype 6.0 mm).
MORPHOLOGY. Head 1.2 × as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus 1.3 × as wide as long, apical margin truncate with projecting lateral teeth, 0.25 × as wide as maximum width of clypeus; apical teeth subtriangular and apically rounded, bluntly carinate; clypeus in lateral view barely convex in dorsal half. Vertex 2.2 × as long as distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin; cephalic foveae small and close to each other, placed in a smooth and shiny depression of elliptical shape, about as wide as two ocellar diameters, posterior margin carinate and sharp; gena 0.85 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina complete, very weak and irregular on vertex, strong on gena but dull dorsally and sharp ventrally, distinctly bent in lower half. F1 1.3 × as long as wide and 1.35 × as long as F2, F2–9 transverse and becoming proportionally shorter apically. Fifth tooth of mandible projecting and pointed. Mesosoma 1.35–1.45 × as long as wide. Sides of pronotum almost straight in dorsal view; pronotal carina complete and shortly lamellate, projecting but rounded on humeri; pretegular carina dull and barely visible dorsally; lateral faces of pronotum depressed and clearly separated from dorsal face, but without a humeral carina. Mesoscutum as long as wide, evenly convex in lateral view. Scutellum weakly convex; anterior margin coarsely crenate with slightly larger median pit. Metanotum weakly and evenly convex in lateral view. Tegula not equaling parategula, outer margin slightly more convex in anterior half; parategula small and rounded. Epicnemial carina very weak and barely visible, reaching epipleural suture and mesosternum. Propodeum falling almost vertically behind metanotum in lateral view; posterior face shallowly concave, distinctly separated from dorsal faces but separation not carinate; lateral faces very shallowly depressed, distinctly separated from dorsal faces. T1 more or less semicircular, 0.5–0.55 × as long as wide in dorsal view; posterior margin thickened with a short translucent margin of regular length. T2 0.9–1.0 × as long as wide in dorsal view, apical margin weakly thickened, translucent and lamellate with a basal series of coarse punctures. T3 with translucent margin longer than that on T2. S2 almost flattened and then convex basally, with short shallow longitudinal furrow basally, apically with lamellar translucent margin. S3 slightly decolorate at apex, less than respective tergite.
SCULPTURE AND VESTITURE. Clypeus shiny with shallow punctures, large and dense on disc and apically, becoming finer basally, interspaces with very fine micropunctures. Head with deep punctures, interspaces slightly convex and shiny, distance between punctures shorter than puncture diameter on frons and most of vertex and gena, becoming suddenly larger on posterior third of vertex and gena. Scape weakly shiny with dense micropunctures and sparse fine punctures. Most of mesosoma sculpted like frons, punctures sparser on anterior third of scutellum; lateral faces of pronotum with dull striae; punctures on mesepisternum slightly larger than on mesoscutum, in part touching and forming irregular series, interspaces becoming wider posteroventrally; epicnemium and mesosternum finely shagreened and shiny, with small punctures on mesosternum; dorsal faces of propodeum with large flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces from smaller to equal to puncture diameter; posterior face weakly shiny and almost entirely striate, striae finer dorsally and becoming stronger ventrally, some very shallow punctures along margins; lateral faces irregularly shagreened and microstriate, matte with weak silky shine, with flat-bottomed shallow punctures becoming denser posteriorly. T1 finely shagreened and shiny, with sparse moderately deep oblique punctures, denser on disc and much sparser laterally; T2 similar to T1 but punctures finer and shallower, with a preapical series of large and coarse punctures; T3–4 similar to apical part of T2, but punctures smaller; T5–6 micropunctate with very sparse fine punctures; S1 shiny and longitudinally ridged, basal petiole partly shagreened; S2 with large deep punctures, most interspaces as wide as several puncture diameters; S3–6 similar to respective tergite, but punctures finer. Head and mesosoma with short brassy pubescence, sparse and mostly arising from punctures, more abundant and denser on frons and mesepisternum, almost absent on epicnemium and mesosternum; clypeus with silvery pubescence and curved erect setae; frons with short decumbent setae; mesepisternum with erect apically bent setae; propodeum almost entirely covered in short white pubescence, angles with fine long setae; metasoma with brownish dust-like pubescence, short sub-erect setae on T3–6 and S2–6.
COLORATION. Dark red; following parts black: frons, broad longitudinal lines on mesoscutum, sutures on sides of mesosoma, mesosternum; following parts pale yellow: short lines on basal corners of clypeus, basal spot on mandible, inner eye margin from clypeus to bottom of sinus, anterior margin of pronotum, anterior and posterior spots on tegula, parategula, posterior spot on metaepisternum, narrow apical margin on T1–3 and S1–4 (obscure on T3 and S3–4), small basal corners of S2, lower face of mid and hind coxae, small spot at apex of mid tibia, abbreviated lines on outer face of hind tibia and femur. Wings hyaline with infuscate apical spot.
Male
MEASUREMENTS. Body length 6.7 mm; fore wing length 5.5 mm.
Differing from female as follows: clypeus 1.25 × as wide as long, apical teeth less projecting, less shiny and punctures finer; vertex 1.9 × as long as distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin; F11 more or less claw-shaped and reaching middle of F8, parallel-sided with rounded apex in dorsal view, flattened with pointed apex in lateral view; punctures on mesosoma slightly sparser; punctures on metasoma deeper and larger, but sparser; lamellar margins on T2 and S2 longer; S7 shiny and finely punctate; clypeus ferruginous with yellow margins.
Distribution
Ivory Coast, Senegal.
description: Published as part of Selis, Marco & Carpenter, James M., 2024, Revision of the Afrotropical genus Afrepipona Giordani Soika, 1965 and description of Afrepsilon gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), pp. 1-80 in European Journal of Taxonomy 944 on pages 31-34, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.944.2607, http://zenodo.org/record/12808564