REVISION OF LEUCOSPIDAE 119 



Leucospis carinifera Kriechbaumer 

 (Text-figs 134, 135) 



Leucospis(l) carinifera Kriechbaumer, 1894 : 3 I 4 _ 3 I 5. 6*- LECTOTYPE $ (here designated), 

 Mozambique: Delagoa Bay (TM, Pretoria) [examined]. 



My search for the types of species described by Kreichbaumer in 1894 proved 

 that they all are deposited in TM, Pretoria, from where I received them thanks to 

 Dr van Reenen. The only specimen labelled as the type of L. carinifera and fitting 

 the description is, however, not bearing 'Port Natal 24.4.93', as stated, possibly 

 by some mistake, by Kriechbaumer (1894 : 315), but labelled 'Delagoa Bay, 

 Ostafrica, 20.4.93'. I designate this specimen as lectotype and correct the type- 

 locality accordingly. 



L. carinifera is similar to several closely related species but relatively easy to 

 recognize by the combination of the characters of the pronotum, dorsellum and the 

 hind femur. Typical for the species is also the first tergite in female (Text-fig. 

 134) without any furrow but instead often medially raised and with a narrow 

 smooth line; fifth tergite has a very dense pubescence consisting of longer and more 

 erect hairs and shorter semi-decumbent hairs. As to the length of ovipositor 

 L. africana Cameron is similar to carinifera, but has weaker pronotal carinae and a 

 subbidentate, mostly bare dorsellum and, at least in some specimens, a different 

 form of hind femur. 



The range of variation is rather wide, especially in colour, size and shape of body. 

 The body is often extensively reddish, less frequently predominantly black, whilst 

 the red spots or bands appear in places which in richer-marked specimens are 

 yellow. In paler specimens usually most black parts are replaced by red, sometimes 

 with the mesoscutum mostly black and gaster ochreous-red (Mozambique, South 

 Africa). In darker specimens of both sexes the face, pronotum, middle of 

 mesoscutum, pleura of thorax, propodeum and legs may be mainly black and, at the 

 same time, the hind femur very sparsely punctured. Such specimens (e.g. from 

 Aus, Leipoldtville) have generally much coarser puncturation on the mesoscutum 

 than the similar L. varicollis Cameron. The male, as usual, is less distinctive, 

 but seems to be safely recognized by the form of the hind femur. I examined also 

 a rather aberrant male from Teita Province in Kenya, with unusually long 

 pubescence. 



Biology. No host record known so far. 



Distribution. Sudan, Ethiopia, French Territory of the Afars and Issas, 

 Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rhodesia, South West Africa, South Africa. 



Material examined. 



Sudan: Khor Arbaat Delta, iv.-v. 1926, 1 <J (H. B. Johnston) (BMNH). 

 Ethiopia: Urso, iii. 1917, 1 $ (Kovdcs) (TM, Budapest). French Territory 

 of the Afars and Issas: Djibouti, vii. 1897, 1 $ (Jousseaume) (MNHN, Paris). 

 Kenya: Teita Province, 11 mis S. of Maktau, 1000 m, 2.XL1957, 1 $ (Ross & 

 Leech) (CAS, San Francisco). Malawi: Chiromo, 1 $, 2 <$ (R. C. Wood) (BMNH). 



