Zethus (Zethus) aliceae Lopes

Lopes, Rogério B. & Noll, Fernando B., 2014, Notes on the Neotropical Zethus Fabricius, 1804 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae) with the description of two new species from Brazil, Zootaxa 3784 (2), pp. 179-186 : 180-182

Zethus (Zethus) aliceae Lopes , sp. nov.

( Fig. 2 )

This species belongs to the Zethus heydeni group due to the following combination of characters: stem of T-II shorter than that of T-I; broad subhumeral area; apical propodeal lamella developed as a lobe; mesoscutum not completely striate; S-I flat, not constricted to a carina; mesoscutum depressed in front of scutelllum; and T-I with dense micropunctuation between macropunctures.

Diagnosis. Zethus aliceae belongs to the few species in the Z. heydeni group that have a ventro-lateral ridge. It differs from them by having nearly complete notauli and by having black mesoscutum with longitudinal welts.

Description. Female. Clypeus approximately as long as broad, convex and blunt apically, with no apparent teeth; pronotum with rounded humeri and critical breadth larger than two midocellus diameters; parategula digitiform; propodeum with a slit-like dorsal aperture, a deep and narrow concavity and apical lamella developed as a quadrate lobe; T-I in dorsal view about twice as long as wide; T-II without stem. Wing length 9,0 mm.

Clypeus and head striatopunctate; pronotum with dense macropunctuation; mesoscutum striatopunctate with well-defined notauli, smooth welts and discoid puncture isolated by smooth area adjacent to the tegula; scutellum striatopuctate; metanotum moderately punctate in its dorsal-half; propodeum with close reticulation on posterior face and angles, striate concavity, lateral carina absent and submedian carina present but obscured by reticulation; T-I with moderate macropunctuation and dense micropunctuation and with a ventro-lateral carina at its apical half; T-II to VI and S-II to VI densely micropunctate.

Black with following markings yellow: mandibles; apical flagellomeres ventrally; dorsolateral spots on clypeus; spot on eye emargination; gena with dorsal spot; pronotal lobe; proepisternum; parategula; forecoxae; ventral surface of forefemora apically; foretibiae dorsally; foretarsi, midlegs, hindtibiae and whole tarsi completely marked; a pair of elongated spots dorso-laterally on T-II; a continuous line circumventing the lateral and hind margins of T-II; S-II with two large spots and a subapical band. Ivory: spot on inner margin of lower lobe of eye; lateral portions on subapical band of T-II and III; subapical bands of S-II (apical portion) and S-III to V. Reddish: mesepisternum with dorsal, ventral and postero-ventral spots; mid and hindcoxae laterally and with a ventral spot; sides of propodeum and two longitudinal lines on its posterior face; line circumventing lateral and apical margins of T-I; S-I completely marked; S-VI apically. Forewing hyaline with amber costa. Lamella of T-II dark amber. Golden, thin and long setae; sparse on clypeus; thicker on head and S-II to V; erect and longer on propodeum; dense tomentum on T-II to VI.

Male unknown.

Etymology. The specific name dedicated to Alice Fumi Kumagai [UFMG] who collected the holotype.

Material. Holotype, ♀ [ UFMG]: BRAZIL: Belo Horizonte – MG/ 19.V.2000 /Est. Ecol. UFMG / A. F. Kumagai col.

Distribution. Brazil: Minas Gerais.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Zethus (Zethus) aliceae Lopes, sp. nov., holotype. a) habitus; b) head, frontal view; c) petiole and T-II, dorsal view; d) mesoscutum, dorsal view.