Tracheliodes leclercqi, Melo, Gabriel A. R. & Rosa, Brunno B., 2015

Melo, Gabriel A. R. & Rosa, Brunno B., 2015, A new species of the ant-hunter genus Tracheliodes Morawitz (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Crabronini) from Brazil, Zootaxa 3941 (3), pp. 421-428 : 422-427

Tracheliodes leclercqi sp. n.

( Figs. 1–6 , 13–15 , 19–23 )

Diagnosis and remarks. Tracheliodes leclercqi sp. n. is very similar to T. cutucu ( Figs. 7–12 , 16–18 ), their females differing in the following features (condition in T. cutucu indicated in parentheses): ivory-pale yellow marks abundant (marks reduced or lacking); setae on lower edge of ventral expansion of fore leg femur relatively short and tightly appressed against each other (setae longer and not closely packed against each other); lower lateral portion of mesepisternum finely reticulated (with a velutinuous sheen), episternal sulcus finely foveolate on its upper portion (not foveolate); facial fovea distinctly differentiated from surrounding surface, its posterior portion about twice as wide as anterior portion (fovea barely differentiated and with uniform width); lower margin of depression on posterior surface of mid femur straight (lower margin angled); emargination on lower margin of hind femoral concavity only slightly wider than high (much wider than high), apical border of concavity simple and continuous with upper border (apical border with a shallow notch and continuous with inner carina), inner carina of concavity straight and ending under the upper border (inner carina distinctly curved and joining apical border on its upper portion).

The male of T. leclercqi sp. n. differs from that of T. cutucu in possessing more yellow marks, in particular the upper genal stripe and the lighter colored legs, in the details of the clypeal projection ( Fig. 19 ), in the broader mandibles, in the deeper depression on the area around the tentorial pits and lower parocular area strongly depressed, whose border with the frons is abruptly angled, in the distinctly bilobed apex of T7 ( Fig. 15 ) and in the deeply notched apex of S7.

The record of T. cutucu in Paraguay by Leclercq & Cambra (2003:27) likely refers to the species here described as T. leclercqi sp. n. According to these authors, the single male specimen examined exhibited more yellow marks compared to typical T. cutucu , including the characteristic genal stripe and the yellow metasomal petiole present in the new species.

The type series of T. leclercqi sp. n. was collected in the campus of the Universidade de São Paulo, in Ribeirão Preto, in 1998 and 1999. The wasps were nesting in abandoned beetle holes in a dead tree trunk and were collected while flying in front of it.

Description. Female holotype. Measurements (in mm). Approximate body length, 5.6; maximum head width, 1.52; forewing length, 4.47; maximum width of T3, 1.14.

Coloration. Head and mesosoma mostly black with ivory marks as follows: most of clypeus, except for a dark brown triangle above spiniform tubercle; streak along inner orbit; rectangular macula on lower gena adjacent to outer orbit; stripe along entire lower surface of scape and a narrower stripe along apical half of upper surface; basal half of mandible entirely; narrow stripe along anterior margin of pronotum; a spot on the lateral margins of the pronotal collar and a transverse band occupying most of its surface; macula occupying most of pronotal lobes; a square macula on upper mesepisternum, from behind pronotal lobe to mesepisternal sulcus; large macula along anterior margin of scutellum. Apical half of mandible light testaceous with dark brown teeth; upper surface of scape testaceous, pedicel dark to light brown, flagellum dark brown. Fore leg predominantly light testaceous with irregularly shaped ivory marks, except for coxa mostly dark brown; mid leg predominantly brown to testaceous, with large ivory maculae on apex of femur and most of outer surface of tibia, mid portion of femur and inner surface of tibia brown; hind leg predominantly dark brown with ivory to testaceous maculae in apical half of coxa, outer surface of trochanter, along upper and lower margins of femoral concavity, stripes on inner surface of femur and outer surface of base of tibia, apical quarter of basitarsus and 2nd and 3rd tarsomeres. Tegula testaceous; wing membrane hyaline with conspicuous iridescence, pterostigma and veins dark brown. Metasomal terga mostly dark brown, petiole ivory, margins of terga light brown; pygidial plate reddish brown; sterna mostly light brown.

Pilosity. Head and mesosoma mostly glabrous with sparse, fine and very short appressed hairs. Lateral subapical lobes of clypeus with a pair of long, brownish-yellow thick setae which curve downwards and inwards; central portion of clypeal apex with approximately 10 thick brownish-yellow setae extending downwards. Fore leg: lower edge of ventral expansion of fore leg femur with a row of short, thick curved setae, individual setae tightly appressed against each other. Mid leg: trochanter with a dense patch of pale gold, flattened scimitar-shaped setae; tibia with dense patch of pale, stout setae on apical half of inner surface, among them a single longer and flattened setae, posterior surface with 8–9 short spines posteriorly; posterior edge of basitarsus with a row of stout setae. Hind leg: femur with a row of short and fine setae along upper and lower edges of concavity, posterior side with sparse hairs; tibia with sparse short appressed hairs on anterior surface, outer surface mostly glabrous, a few short spines on contour of outer and posterior surfaces, keirotrichia on inner surface forming a narrow stripe along posterior and lower edges, posterior edge with 5–6 erect and thick setae. Metasoma mostly glabrous; terga with short, fine and very sparse whitish hairs; T3, T4 and T5 with a premarginal row of fine erect setae along their lateral portions, setae becoming longer laterally; S2–S5 with a premarginal row of fine erect setae; disc of S2 with an oval patch of fine hairs; S6 with a pair of small patches of erect hairs.

Integumental surface. Head: clypeus, frons and lower gena reticulated; vertex and upper gena mostly smooth and with a velutinous sheen. Mesosoma: pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with a velutinous sheen, and almost completely impunctate; central portion of metanotum with very fine longitudinal striation, giving it a velutinous sheen, lateral fovea with regularly spaced longitudinal carinae; lateral portion of mesepisternum mostly smooth and with a velutinous sheen, posteriorly becoming finely striate, lower lateral and ventral portions finely reticulated, episternal sulcus finely foveolate, including its upper portion; metespisternum finely striate; metaposnotum with a row of foveae along anterior margin, its surface finely longitudinally striate, bordered laterally by weakly impressed lines which converge on posterior surface of propodeum in an elongate fovea; propodeum laterally finely costulate, its posterior surface finely striate, with a velutinous sheen, and with a few sparse punctures. Legs mostly smooth to finely reticulated; depression on posterior surface of mid femur with a few weak irregularly spaced costulae. Metasoma: terga mostly finely reticulated, reticulation stronger on dorsal surface of T1–T3; sterna shiny, reticulation only weakly indicated.

Structure. Head: clypeus transverse, produced laterally into rounded lobes, disc convex, centrally produced into a downward-pointing spiniform tubercle, margin with five blunt teeth, three central ones stronger, and continuing laterally as flat rim; area around tentorial pit strongly impressed as a deep fovea; facial fovea elongate and distinctly differentiated from surrounding surface, its posterior portion about twice as wide as anterior portion; occipital carina not continued ventrally. Mesosoma: pronotal collar short, transverse and broadly notched in the middle, a fine carina on side of collar where it joins anterior surface. Structure of legs very similar to that of T. cutucu ; lower margin of depression on posterior surface of mid femur straight; emargination on lower margin of hind femoral concavity only slightly wider than high, apical border of concavity simple and continuous with upper border, inner carina of concavity straight and ending under the upper border.

Male paratype. Measurements (in mm). Approximate body length, 6.15; maximum head width, 1.72; forewing length, 4.62; maximum width of T3, 1.19.

Similar to female in coloration and integumental surface, differing in the presence of a long ivory stripe along upper gena, continuous stripe along pronotal collar, ivory macula on central portion of metanotum, and hind femur mostly brown. Structure. Head: clypeus produced in the middle as a broad lobe, its apex with a shallow emargination, lateral margin of clypeus expanded as a flap over base of mandible, spiniform tubercle of clypeal disc weakly developed; mandibles broad, in frontal view about as wide as central lobe of clypeus; area around tentorial pit and lower parocular area strongly depressed, forming a very broad pit, border with frons abruptly angled; facial fovea small and relatively narrow. Metasoma: apex of T7 distinctly bilobed; apex of S7 deeply notched.

Variation. There is considerable variation in body size among both females and males. The paratype female is quite smaller (forewing length of 3.76 mm) than the holotype, while the smallest male paratype has a forewing length of only 3.86 mm. The yellow marks, especially those on the gena and pronotal collar, vary in extension; some of them can be lacking. The proportions of the male head seem to vary allometrically, with larger males having slightly longer clypeal projection and longer gena and vertex when compared to smaller males.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of the crabronine systematist Jean Leclercq, who described most of the known diversity for this group of wasps.

Type material. Holotype: Brazil, São Paulo: female ( DZUP), ' Brasil, São Paulo, \ Ribeirão Preto, \ Campus da USP, \ 22.VIII.1998, Melo' \\ 'voando em frente \ a tronco de árvore \ morta'. Paratypes: one female and eight males, same data as holotype, except for collecting dates varying from 14 August 1998 to 12 October 1999.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Holotype female of Tracheliodes leclercqi sp. n. Fig. 1. Head, frontal view; Fig. 2. Pygidial plate, dorsal view; Fig. 3. Head and anterior portion of mesosoma, dorsal view; Fig. 4. Habitus, lateral view; Fig. 5. Hind femur, lateral view; Fig. 6. Habitus, dorsal view.

FIGURES 13 – 18. Tracheliodes leclercqi sp. n. and Tracheliodes cutucu Cooper, 1988. Figs. 13 – 15. Paratype male of Tracheliodes leclercqi sp. n. Fig. 13. Head, frontal view; Fig. 14. Habitus, lateral view; Fig. 15. Apex of metasoma, dorsal view; Figs. 16 – 18. Paratype male of Tracheliodes cutucu Cooper, 1988. Fig. 16. Head, frontal view; Fig. 17. Habitus, lateral view; Fig. 18. Apex of metasoma, dorsal view.

FIGURES 19 – 23. Tracheliodes leclercqi sp. n. Figs. 19 – 20. Paratype male of Tracheliodes leclercqi sp. n. Fig. 19. Head, frontal view; Fig. 20. Antenna, lateral view; Fig. 21 – 23. Paratype female of Tracheliodes leclercqi sp. n. Fig. 21. Mid leg, lateral view; Fig. 22. Hind leg, lateral view; Fig. 23. Detail of spur of mid tibia, lateral view.

FIGURES 7 – 12. Paratype female of Tracheliodes cutucu Cooper, 1988. Fig. 7. Head, frontal view; Fig. 8. Pygidial plate, dorsal view; Fig. 9. Head and anterior portion of mesosoma, dorsal view; Fig. 10. Habitus, lateral view; Fig. 11. Hind femur, lateral view; Fig. 12. Habitus, dorsal view.