Quartinia sovietica Fateryga, 2025

Fateryga, Alexander V., 2025, The pollen wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Masarinae) in Central Asia. Contribution I. Genera Masaris Fabricius, 1793 and Quartinia André, 1884, Zootaxa 5659 (2), pp. 151-178 : 167-169

Quartinia sovietica Fateryga , sp. nov.

( Figs 8 , 9 , 11H )

Quartinia kostylevi “Guss. (in litt.)” Popov, 1948: 324, nom. nud.

Diagnosis. The species is closely related to Quartinia shestakovi but differs from it by a remarkably smaller size (total body length about 3 mm versus 4–5 mm in Q. shestakovi ) and larger reticulately microsculptured interspaces between macropunctures on the frons, several times exceeding the puncture diameter ( Figs 8B , 9B ) (versus smaller interspaces equal to the puncture diameter or not much larger in Q. shestakovi , Fig. 13C, F ).

Description. Female. Body length (from head to apical margin of tergum II) 2.5 mm (total body length about 3 mm); forewing length 2 mm. Head in frontal view about 1.15× as wide as long (from top of median ocellus to apical margin of clypeus). Clypeus moderately and rather evenly convex, about 1.25× as wide as long; its apical emargination shallow, about 0.15× as deep as wide, taking about 0.5 of clypeal width, apical teeth rounded. Distance between lateral ocellus and occiput about 1.1× as both distance between lateral ocelli and between lateral ocellus and compound eye. Antenna with articles 8–12 forming club about 2.6× as long as wide in dorsal view. Width of gena in front of ocular sinus about 0.5× as width of compound eye at ocular sinus. Occipital carina complete, evenly curved, not forming angles. Pronotum with anterior side nearly vertical, roundly angled to dorsal surface. Antero-lateral sides of pronotum broadly rounded in dorsal view; in lateral view, pronotal carina distinctly separating antero-ventral area of pronotum from its dorsal area at antero-lateral sides. Scutellum separated from mesoscutum by transverse suture, slightly convex, broadly rounded posteriorly. Tegula with strongly produced posterior end and strongly emarginate inner margin, so that posterior end of tegula produced distinctly medially. Epipleural and episternal sulci distinct. Ventral mesepisternum evenly rounded ventrally. Epicnemial carina indistinct. Dorsal carina of propodeum complete, roundly produced dorso-laterally; lateral carina of propodeum complete, ventro-laterally produced as nearly right rounded angle. Terga I–V and sterna II–V with transculent apical lamella.

Clypeus dull, finely and densely punctate, interspaces about as puncture diameter, reticulately microsculptured. Punctures on frons coarser and sparser than those on clypeus, interspaces exceeding puncture diameter, more shining than those on clypeus but also with distinct reticulate microsculpture. Sculpture becoming denser on vertex behind ocelli and gena where interspaces generally not exceeding puncture diameter. Pronotum and scutum punctate coarser than frons, interspaces exceeding puncture diameter, rather shining but with distinct reticulate microsculpture. Scutellum punctate similarly to pronotum and scutum but punctures sparser. Tegula almost smooth, without punctures and with weak reticulate microsculpture. Dorsal and ventral mesepisterna and mesepimeron sculptured similarly to pronotum and scutum. Posterior surface of metanotum, metapleuron, as well as lateral and posterior surfaces of propodeum rather dull, with shagreened miscrosculpture. Dorso-lateral surface of propodeum with few punctures in addition to miscrosculpture. Metasomal terga moderately shining, with reticulate microsculpture and shallow punctures on posterior halves; punctures much finer than those on pronotum and scutum. Metasomal sterna punctuate similarly to posterior halves of terga.

Mandible and labrum covered with erect pale setae about as long as diameter of median ocellus. Clypeus, frons, vertex, and pronotum with short pale setae about three times shorter than diameter of median ocellus. Compound eye bare. Scutum, scutellum, and mesopleuron without visible setae. Propodeum, metasoma, and legs from coxae to femora mostly with short appressed setae. Tibia and tarsus of foreleg with short erect stiff setae approximately as long as diameter of median ocellus, those setae on mid and hind legs much shorter.

Basal color reddish-brown. Antenna brownish-yellow to yellow. Anterior band on pronotum, tegula, C-shaped spot on posterior half of scutellum, thin apical band on scutellum, lateral spots on propodeum (often reduced), apical band on tergum I and sometimes also on tergum II yellow. Legs from tops of femora also more or less yellow. Wings transparent; veins and pterostigma brown. One female specimen has aberrant coloration, typical of male (see below and Fig. 8F ).

Male. Structure and size resemble those in female except the following: head in frontal view about 1.2× as wide as long, clypeus about 1.2× as wide as long, apical teeth of clypeus rather blunt than rounded. Distance between lateral ocellus and occiput about as distance between lateral ocelli and about 1.1× as distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye. Tergum VII apically with two rounded lobes and narrow, moderately deep emargination between them. Sternum VII+VIII rather flat, apically trilobed, central lobe broader than lateral ones and apically rounded to truncate. Genitalia as in Fig. 11H . Foretibia not modified.

Sculpture and setation resemble those in female. Coloration remarkably different from that in female. Basal color pale brown except that upper part of frons, vertex, and scutum rather reddish-brown to black. Following parts pale yellow: mandible, labrum, clypeus, antenna except brownish-yellow distal half of club, spot on upper part of gena, pronotum, tegula, large crescent spot on scutellum, thin apical band on scutellum, dorsal mesepisternum, lateral spots on propodeum, apical bands on terga I–VII. Legs from tops of femora also more or less pale yellow. Wings transparent; veins and pterostigma pale brown.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀, labeled “СтараЯ Пристань / р. Вахш, Таджик. / ПОПОв [ Staraya Pristan , Vakhsh River, Tajikistan, Popov] 12.IX 948 / Halocharis hispida [on underside] // Holotypus ♀ / Quartinia sovietica / Fateryga [red label] // Zoological Institute / St. Petersburg / INS_HYM_0000376 [pale yellow label]” [ ZISP] . PARATYPES: TAJIKISTAN: Staraya Pristan, Vakhsh River , on Halocharis hispida , 12.IX.1948, 9 ♀, leg. V. Popov [ ZISP] ; ibid., on Halocharis hispida , 12.IX.1948, 16 ♀, leg. V. Rudolf [ ZISP]; Dzhilikul [Jilikul], Staraya Pristan , 14.VII.1941, 1 ♀, leg. V. Gussakovskij [ ZISP] ; ibid., 20.VII.1941, 1 ♀, leg. V. Gussakovskij [ ZISP] ; ibid., 21.VII.1941, 11 ♀, 5 ♂, leg. V. Gussakovskij [ ZISP] ; ibid., 22.VII.1941, 38 ♀, 25 ♂, leg. V. Gussakovskij [ ZISP] .

Etymology. The specific name is an adjective meaning “Soviet” as a reference to the USSR, in recognizing a great contribution of the Soviet hymenopterists, such as Georg (Yuriy A.) Kostylev (1889–1942), Vladimir B. Popov (1902–1960), Vsevolod V. Gussakovskij (1904–1948), etc., to the study of the Central Asian fauna (particularly the pollen wasps).

Distribution. Tajikistan.

Trophic relationships. According to Popov (1948), this species was recorded at flowers of “ Salsola sp. ” in Tajikistan, but he probably meant Halocharis hispida ( Chenopodiaceae ) mentioned on labels.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Quartinia sovietica Fateryga, sp. nov. A–E, ♀, holotype; F, ♀, paratype. A, habitus in dorsal view; B, head in frontal view; C, terga II–VI in dorsal view; D, F, habitus in lateral view; E, labels. Scale bars 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 9. Quartinia sovietica Fateryga, sp. nov., ♂, paratype. A, habitus in dorsal view; B, head in frontal view; C, terga II–VII in dorsal view; D, habitus in lateral view. Scale bars 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 11. Male genitalia in dorsal view. A, Quartinia chlorotica (Morawitz, 1888); B, Q. funebris Kostylev, 1935; C, Q. mikhaili Fateryga, sp. nov.; D, Q. mongolica (Morawitz, 1889); E, Q. pusilla Kostylev, 1935; F, Q. popovi Richards, 1962; G, Q. shestakovi Kostylev, 1935; H, Q. sovietica Fateryga, sp. nov.; I, Q. uzbeka Kostylev, 1935. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 13. Quartinia spp. A, Q. funebris Kostylev, 1935, ♀, Turkmenistan; B, Q. mongolica (Morawitz, 1889), ♀, paralectotype; C–E, Q. shestakovi Kostylev, 1935, ♀, Uzbekistan; F, Q. shestakovi, ♂, Uzbekistan; G, Q. shestakovi, ♀, Tajikistan. A, C, F, head in frontal view; B, D, E, G, habitus in lateral view. Scale bars 0.5 mm.