Two new species of Abernessia Arlé (Pompilidae, Ctenocerinae)

Abstract Two new species are added to the rare pompilid genus Abernessia Arlé. Abernessia capixaba sp. n. and A. giga sp. n. are described and illustrated. This is the first record of the genus from the states of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, Brazil. The genus now contains four species. A brief discussion of generic characters, illustrations, and a key to the known species of Abernessia are provided.


Introduction
The spider wasps (Pompilidae) form a cosmopolitan family comprised of approximately 5,000 species and more than 120 genera (Pitts et al. 2006), with the greatest species richness in the tropical areas (Wasbauer 1995). Four subfamilies are currently recognized in Pompilidae: Ceropalinae, Ctenocerinae, Pepsinae, and Pompilinae (Pitts et al. 2006).
Ctenocerinae has 18 described genera and is found in South America, Africa, and Australia (Arnold 1932;Evans 1972;Fernández 2000;Waichert and Pitts 2011). Rodriguez (personal communication) has found the first fossil of Ctenocerinae from the Florissant Fossil Beds, Colorado, USA. This fossil indicates a wider distribution of extinct lineages of Ctenocerinae in the New World. Currently, the subfamily is diverse in the Afrotropical region, and rare in the Neotropical region (excluding Epipompilus Kohl). Neotropical Ctenocerinae are identified by 1) lacking subapical spine-like setae in grooves or pits on the meso and metafemur; 2) the fore wing with the Cu1 vein simple at the base; 3) the pronotum with dorsal and lateral faces; 4) the clypeus and face flattened and polished with a bilobed clypeus; 5) the face with a deep and broad antennal scrobe; 6) the scale-like setae clothing the integument; 7) and the head with a prolonged vertex (Waichert and Pitts 2011).
The Neotropical genus Abernessia was described by Arlé (1947) to include a single female from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The genus remained monotypic until Waichert and Pitts (2011) described the first male of Ctenocerinae from the Neotropics. This male was placed in Abernessia due to similarities in morphology, especially the flat clypeus that is undifferentiated from the face and the large antennal scrobes. Herein, we describe two species of Abernessia -one species based on the female sex and another based on the male sex, which is the second Neotropical record for males in the subfamily. Finally, a key for the genus and illustrations are provided.

Material and methods
Abbreviations used in the descriptions are the same as those used by Wasbauer and Kimsey (1985). They are defined as follows: FD, the facial distance; LA3, the length of third antennal segment; MID, the middle interocular distance; OOL, the ocellocular length; POL, the postocellar length; TFD, the transfacial distance; UID, the upper interocular distance; and WA3, the width of third antennal segment. Measurements of clypeus are as follow: WC, width of clypeus, measured from the widest points; and LC, highest length of clypeus. Additional to the standard measurements, we determined the height of eye, measured in frontal view (HE).
The Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following unique combination of characters: the integument is black with scale-like setae reflecting greenish metallic (Fig. 1); the face has small whitish spots on inner margin of the eyes (Fig. 2); and the wing is darkened without pale maculations (Fig. 1).
Coloration. Integument black with pale yellow maculation on inner margin of eyes; body covered with pubescence with bluish-green metallic reflections (Fig. 1); clypeus, antennae, labial and maxillary palpi black; wings black with weak purple reflections; veins dark castaneous; legs with greenish-purple-blue reflections.
Variation. No significant morphological variation was observed.
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality. Capixaba refers to a person born in Espírito Santo State, Brazil.
Remarks. Males of A. capixaba are distinguished from those of A. prima Waichert & Pitts (2011) by the lack of pale maculation on the metasoma and the fully fuscous fore wing (Fig. 1). In A. prima the fore wing is partially yellow and maculations are present on the face, metasoma, and fore wing. Finally, the setae on the subapical metasomal sternite are longer on the outer margin in A. capixaba. Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following unique combination of characters: the integument is black, with scale-like setae reflecting metallic bluish-green (Fig. 7); the antennal scape is red apically (Fig. 8); the clypeus is slightly folded ventrally on the apical-lateral margin, and the wing is dark with a large pale brown band (Fig. 9).
Etymology. The specific epithet was taken from Greek, giga, meaning "giant" in English. It refers to the large size of the specimen.
Remarks. This species can be distinguished from A. irmgardae Arlé by having the wing brown, with venation both pale and dark brown. In A. irmgardae the wing is yellow and the venation is only dark brown. Additionally, the eyes are convergent on vertex in A. giga and the vertex expanded unlike in A. irmgardae.

Discussion
Abernessia is a species-poor genus totaling four described species. All four species of Abernessia appear to be restricted to Brazil. Two species have precise collecting data (A. prima and A. capixaba) indicating that they were collected in ecotones of the Brazilian cerrado and Atlantic forest. Additionally, this is the first record of Abernessia in the states of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais and the first time that more than one specimen was collected in the same locality providing the opportunity to account for morphological variation for the group. Although males and females differ in several features, all four species of Abernessia are diagnosed by the following characteristics: the clypeus is flat and undifferentiated from the face; the antennal scrobe is large (Figs 2,  8); the labrum is partially exposed with setae present apically; the metasoma is longer than the mesosoma; and the pronotal disc is flat dorsally with a median sulcus on the anterior margin. Additionally, males have yellowish pale spots on the inner side of the eyes (Fig. 2); the subapical sternite and paremere have long setae that are swollen on the apex (Fig. 3); and the genitalia has a short base, which gives a false impression of long parameres (Figs 4, 5). We were unable to associate the sexes of the newly described species. Unfortunately, the type of A. irmgardae could not be located for morphological studies. Based on the wing and body coloration, A. capixaba could be the male of A. irmgardae, and A. prima of A. giga. However, A. capixaba differs from A. irmgardae by lacking reddish color on the median flagellomeres and on the apex of tarsi, and by having the wings black, whereas in A. irmgardae the wings are yellow but dark brown basally. Additionally, the second submarginal cell is slightly different from the type by having the vein inclined downwards, while in the female type it is bent upwards. Abernessia giga resembles A. prima by having pale spots on the wing; A. prima, however, has a different pattern of wing coloration and presents whitish spots on metasoma. In other genera of Pompilidae (e.g. Priocnemella Banks, Phanochilus Banks), wing venation and coloration usually matches between sexes of a single species, even when sexual dimorphism is present. Although, wing venation in Abernessia seems only slightly variable, differences between specimens are obvious. Because the dimorphism sexual is not understood in the genus yet, we believe it unwise to associate these sexes prematurely.