Astromesitius Barbosa & Azevedo 2019, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Barbosa, Diego N.
name: Azevedo, Celso O.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Bethylidae
Astromesitius

description: Astromesitius gen. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: AC77A4BF-FC3A-481F-BD18-8175DC3CEE5B
Figs 1–7
Type species
Sulcomesitius quatei Móczár, 1977.
Etymology
The name Astromesitius is composed from the Greek (and Latin) ‘ aster ’, which means ‘star’, and Mesitius, the type genus of Mesitiinae. The name refers to the star-shaped hypopygium of the new genus.
Description
Male
Body sparsely foveolate (Fig. 1E). Head longer than wide, malar space convergent anteriorly and as long as VOL. Clypeus with median lobe quadrate. Antenna with distinct sparse setae, pedicel caliciform, flagellomeres longer than wide and caliciform. Eye setose, circular and small, HE usually about one third of LH. Ocelli small. Dorsal pronotal area with longitudinal sulcus hardly distinct or absent. Anteromesoscutum without longitudinal sulcus. Metapectal-propodeal complex with posterior projection hardly distinct or absent. Macropterous. Hypopygium with posterior margin with short and acute branches, with lateral corner projecting and well defined, general shape resembling a star. Genitalia with ventral arm of paramere longer and wider than dorsal arm, aedeagus slender, fusiform.
Female
Not available for description.
Remarks
The main characteristic to recognize Astromesitius gen. nov. is the hypopygium shape. The star-shaped hypopygium is a unique shape within Mesitiinae. Additionally, the sparsely foveolate integument surface, the sparse pubescence of the antenna, which is of medium length to long, and the hardly distinct or absent longitudinal pronotal sulcus are also important in recognizing the genus. These characteristics are further discussed in the Discussion.
Distribution
Afrotropical: United Arab Emirates and South Africa. Oriental: Thailand and Vietnam. Palaearctic: Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia and Slovakia.
Included species
Astromesitius carbonarius (Móczár, 1970) gen. et comb. nov. from Metrionotus
Astromesitius indistintus (Barbosa & Azevedo, 2011) gen. et comb. nov. from Metrionotus Astromesitius minutissimus (Móczár, 1971) gen. et comb. nov. from Metrionotus
Astromesitius mutilloides (Costa, 1864) gen. et comb. nov. from Clytrovorus
Astromesitius olavoi gen. et sp. nov.
Astromesitius quatei (Móczár, 1977) gen. et comb. nov. from Sulcomesitius
Astromesitius thionyi gen. et sp. nov.
Key to the males of Astromesitius gen. nov.
1. Metapectal-propodeal complex projection absent (Fig. 1 B–C, E); posterior hypopygeal branches slender (Fig. 2B, D) .......................................................................................................................... 2
– Metapectal-propodeal complex projection present (Fig. 1A, D, F); posterior hypopygeal branches wide (Fig. 2A, C, E) .......................................................................................................................... 4
2. Longitudinal ridge between metapostnotal median carina and metapostnotal-propodeal carina present (Fig. 1C) ................................................. A. carbonarius (Móczár, 1970) gen. et comb. nov.
– Longitudinal ridge between metapostnotal median carina and metapostnotal-propodeal carina absent (Fig. 1B, E) ....................................................................................................................................... 3
3. Metapostnotal surface polished; metapostnotal median carina incomplete; propodeal declivity coriaceous and without lateral carina (Fig. 1B) ......................................... A. thionyi gen. et sp. nov.
– Metapostnotal surface areolate; metapostnotal median carina complete; propodeal declivity areolate and with lateral carina (Fig. 1E) ....................... A. minutissimus (Móczár, 1971) gen. et comb. nov.
4. Body surface distinctly foveolate; dorsal pronotal area with longitudinal sulcus (Fig. 1F) ............. 5
– Body surface distinctly foveolate; dorsal pronotal area without longitudinal sulcus (Fig. 1A, D) .... ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
5. Hypopygium longer than wide (Fig. 2E); cuspis ventral arm wide; aedeagus without outer distal projection (Fig. 3F) ....................................................... A. quatei (Móczár, 1977) gen. et comb. nov.
– Hypopygium as long as wide; cuspis arms slender; aedeagus with outer distal projection ................................................................. A. mutilloides (Costa, 1864) gen. et comb. nov.
6. Head and mesosoma dark castaneous nearly black (Fig. 4A); lateral hypopygeal projection long (Fig. 2A); aedeagus with outer projection at apex (Fig. 3A) ....................... A. olavoi gen. et sp. nov.
– Head and mesosoma orange (Fig. 4D); lateral hypopygeal projection short (Fig. 2C); aedeagus without outer projection at apex (Fig. 3D) ..... A. indistintus (Barbosa & Azevedo, 2011) gen. et comb. nov.
description: Published as part of Barbosa, Diego N. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2019, Astromesitius, a new genus of Mesitiinae (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from the Old World, pp. 1-20 in European Journal of Taxonomy 587 on pages 2-4, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.587, http://zenodo.org/record/3659973