210 z. bouCek 



NELEUCOSPIS gen. n. 



Type-species: Neleucospis masculina sp. n. 



Head stout, width of vertex inferior to length of head ; occipital carina arched, high ; temples 

 well developed, rounded, longer than malar space; scrobes carinately margined, above one 

 diameter from median ocellus. Antennal toruli slightly below level of centres of eyes, much 

 nearer to eye than to each other. Clypeus transverse, with deep tentorial pits, lower margin 

 of clypeus slightly produced, laterally reflexed, medially slightly depressed and subemarginate. 

 Eyes clothed densely with fairly long pubescence; inner orbit moderately emarginate, lower 

 end of eye broadly rounded; malar space hardly as long as diameter of ocellus. Mandibles 

 short, curved. Labio-maxillary complex as in Leucospis, palpi not rudimentary. Antennae 

 short; scapus less than twice as long as broad, hardly twice as long as pedicellus which is 

 dorsally slightly longer than any flagellar segment; flagellum subclavate, its first segment 

 (anellus) narrowest and without sensilla but as all following segments covered with dark semi- 

 erect hairs which are about half as long as segments; funicle and clava among the hairs with 

 subdecumbent whitish trichoid sensilla, generally in about three rows on each segment; clava 

 short, 3-segmented, rounded-subacuminate. 



Thorax coarsely densely punctured, very much as in Leucospis. Pronotum medially not 

 convex but arched, with faint indication of premarginal carina, in front of it shallowly depressed ; 

 in dorsal view sides sub-concave, hardly converging forwards; hind margin of the depressed 

 lateral panel nearly straight. Mesoscutum posteriorly broadly depressed on each side of the 

 middle, anteriorly with broad depressions indicating notaular furrows. Scutellum transverse, 

 at base with short transverse elevation. Dorsellum expanded in a horizontal plate, with 

 straight converging laminate translucent margins, apex bidentate. Propodeum with median 

 carina and plicae, fairly long, punctured, not densely hairy. Upper mesopleurum and meta- 

 pleurum coarsely punctured. Hind coxa around base, except dorsally, bordered by distinct 

 carina; no dorsal tooth. Hind femur with moderately small unequal teeth, the basal the 

 broadest, as long as middle teeth. Hind tibia apically below produced into stout stylus bearing 

 curved outer spur, latter shorter than inner spur. Tarsi slender. Fore wing similar to Leucopsis ; 

 marginal vein very short; stigmal vein slender, uncus not long; postmarginal vein about o*8 

 the length of costal cell. 



Gaster in dorsal view with narrower anterior third and swollen remaining part entirely 

 covered by the enlarged ovoid carapace of fifth tergite; the narrow part formed by slightly 

 swollen and subelongate first tergite and transverse fourth tergite ; at sides third tergite may be 

 partly exposed, second tergite is concealed ; sixth tergite reduced to narrow band latero-ventrally 

 on each side, ventrally bordering with long horizontal paratergum of epipygium which forms 

 apically on each side a blunt tubercle just below broad cercus. Ovipositor sheaths short 

 (exposed part), in profile slightly curved upwards, slightly protruding beyond teeth of epi- 

 pygium, but are barely visible from above. Hypopygium ending just before middle of gaster. 



This genus, with one species from West Africa, is close to Leucospis Fabricius, 

 in which for example the South African L. namibica sp. n. suggests some similarity. 

 Neleucospis has, however, several peculiar characters which separate it easily from 

 all known species of Leucospis. These include the relatively stout head with short 

 antennae, large and richly pilose eyes which make the vertex and face appear 

 unusually narrow, the short transverse elevation on the scutellum, the extremely 

 short marginal vein in the fore wing and, in particular, the peculiar gaster in the 

 female, with its broad part virtually covered by one single tergite and the ovipositor 

 confined to the ventral side. The last character is reminiscent of some Polistomorpha, 

 but that is certainly only some convergence in evolution, as all the other characters 

 are very different in the two genera. 



