Ceropales (Ceropales) longisulcata Lu & Li, 2019

Lu, Hai-Xia, Bashir, Nawaz Haider, Li, Qiang & Ma, Li, 2019, Two new species of Ceropales (Ceropales) Latreille (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae), with a key to species from China, Zootaxa 4551 (2), pp. 211-220 : 212-213

1. Ceropales (Ceropales) longisulcata Lu & Li , sp. nov.

( Figure 1–a . Figure 2 )

Diagnosis. The new species clearly differs from the Australian species Ceropales (C.) australensis Moczar, 1989 in the C. helvetica -group and other congeners by combination of characters shown as follows:

Description. Female ( Fig 1a ). Body length 6 mm, fore wing length 4 mm. Black; white to yellow: labrum except darkened patch medially, clypeus except black spot medially, basal half of mandible except small spot medially, lower frons except two small triangular black spots below antennal sockets, inner margin of eyes to ocular sinus, spots on antennal joints 1–2 below, spot between antennal sockets, malar space, bands on outer margin of eyes, pronotal tubercle, anterolateral angle of pronotum and streak on posterior margin, spot on tegulae, small spot on scutellum (sometimes absent), metanotum, posterior margin of mesopleuron medially, lateral corner of propodeum, spots on outer face of fore coxa largely, outer face of mid and hind coxae, outer face of fore and mid femurs apically, streak on outer face of fore tibia, a pair of emarginated bands on gastral terga 1–4 subapically, and a large spot on tergum 6; apical half of mandible, fore femur, mid femur and tibia, hind femur (apical margin brown) ferruginous; fore tibia and tarsus, mid tarsus, spurs of fore and mid tibia yellowish-brown; hind tibia and tarsus dark-brown ( Figs 1. a ). Wings hyaline, brownish, veins dark brown. Body covered with silky pubescence.

Head. Labrum exposed. Mandible bidentate apically. Clypeus slightly convex in lateral view; anterior margin nearly straight, slightly emarginated medially ( Fig 2. a ). Frons and vertex with adjacent, small punctures mixed with sparse, larger punctures on upper frons, and some deeper and densely set punctures only along the inner margin of eye above ( Fig 2. b ), area between antennal sockets conspicuously elevated. Frontal line shallow, extending to 2/3 length from antennal sockets to anterior-ocellus. Ocelli in acute triangle ( Fig 2. c ), ocellar area elevated. Orbital groove shiny, undeveloped, as long as 1/3 length of outer eye margin ( Fig 2. d ). Frons slightly curved down before antennal sockets, upper frons bent in obtuse-angle on 2/3 away from antennal sockets in lateral view ( Fig 2. d ). HW: HL = 74: 46; POD: OOD = 12: 17; length ratios of scape, pedicel, flagellomere I–IV and IX–XI = 15: 10: 18: 18: 18: 18: 18: 20.

Mesosoma . Pronotum with sparse, shallow punctures dorsally, anterior area with tuberculate prominence laterally, both lateral sides vertically impressed medially and with short longitudinal rugae in impression, anterolateral angle acute, posterolateral angle rounded ( Fig 2. e ), posterior margin nearly straight. Mesonotum with scattered punctures, and their interspaces much larger than their diameters, parapsidal furrow extending from posterior margin to 2/3 length of mesonotum; mesopleuron with scattered punctures, and some denser and deep punctures set below tegula, punctures nearly 1.5 × diameters apart ( Fig 2. e ). Scutellum with prescutelar sulcus, median area conspicuously elevated and with fine punctures, with short, longitudinal rugae laterally. Metanotum conspicuously elevated medially and polished at apex, with short, longitudinal rugae laterally. Postnotum slightly broadened medially and very narrow laterally, with few transverse rugae, shiny. Metapleuron with fine, sparse punctures. Propodeum conspicuously flat in its entire length in lateral view, hardly convex basally ( Fig 2. e ), surface with microscopically fine, transverse rugulosity, medial sulcus reaching nearly half length of propodeum and transversely clathrate, posterior margin nearly straight, posterolateral angle of propodeum rounded ( Fig 2. f ),lateral side of propodeum without a conspicuous oblique suture medially, only rather shallowly impressed.

Legs. Tarsal claws (except hind tarsal claws) normal, slightly curved apically, with short, erect and acute subapical tooth.

Wings. Fore wing upper margin of submarginal cell III obviously shorter than submarginal cell II, lower margin of submarginal cell III obviously longer than submarginal cell II; submarginal cell II receiving crossvein 1m-cu medially; submarginal cell III receiving crossvein 2m-cu medially. Vein A and crossvein cu-a of hind wing forming obtuse angle, M + CuA diverging after cu-a ( Fig 2. g ).

Metasoma. Short and fusiform. Lower margin of last sternum flat in lateral view, pointed apically ( Fig 2. h ).

Male. Unknown.

Material examined: Type material. Holotype: ♀, CHINA: Inner Mongolia: Liangsuhai wetland, 40°36′N, 108°43′E, Yellow Pan; 1. IX. 2013, coll. Li Jiang, Jian Zhu, Xiaoqian Shi. Paratypes: 1 ♀, CHINA: Inner Mongolia: Liangsuhai wetland, 40°36′N, 108°43′E, Yellow Pan; 1. IX. 2013, coll. Li Jiang, Jian Zhu, Xiaoqian Shi ; 1 ♀, CHINA: Inner Mongolia: Wulanchabu League , 39°37″N, 109°16′′E, 20. VII. 2009, coll. Rui Zhang.

Distribution. China (Inner Mongolia).

Etymology. The specific name longisulcata is derived from the Latin long- (= long), and Latin sulcata (= sulcus), refers to the long longitudinal median sulcus of propodeum, that reaches nearly half the length of the propodeum, which is one of the diagnostic characteristics of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ceropales species, habitus photographs. a. Ceropales (C.) longisulcata Lu & Li, sp. nov., ♀. Habitus, lateral view. b–c. Ceropales (C.) longisulcata Lu & Li, sp. nov., b. ♀. Habitus, lateral view. c. ♂. Habitus, lateral view. Scale bar: a = 1 mm; b = 1.35 mm; c = 1.125 mm.

FIGURE 2. Ceropales (C.) longisulcata Lu & Li, sp. nov., ♀. a. Head, frontal view. b. Head, upper frons. c. Head, dorsal view. d. Head, lateral view. e. Mesosoma, lateral view. f. Scutum, metanotum, metapostnotum and propodeum, dorsal view. g. Wings. h. Metasoma, lateral view. Scale bar: a = 0.85 mm; b = 0.80 mm; c = 0.74 mm; d = 0.79 mm; e = 0.97 mm; f = 0.76 mm; g = 1.64 mm; h = 1 mm.