Pristaulacus mellosus Turrisi, Long & Pham, 2024

Pham, Nhi Thi, Long, Khuat Dang, Dzuong, Nguyen Van, Mai, Pham Quynh & Turrisi, Giuseppe Fabrizio, 2024, The genus Pristaulacus Kieffer, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Aulacidae) in Vietnam and Northeastern Laos with descriptions of ten new species, Zootaxa 5432 (2), pp. 213-249 : 228-231

Pristaulacus mellosus Turrisi, Long & Pham , sp. nov.

Figures 9–10, 23

Type material. VIETNAM: holotype, ♀, labelled “Aulac. 007 ” ( IEBR), NW Vietnam: Lao Cai, Bat Xat , forest, 22°36’8’’N 103°38’53’’E, 1440 m, sweep, 30.v.2022 , Pham TN. Paratypes (12♀, 2♂): 1♀ “ LAOS ( LAO), Prov. Houaphanh, Phou Pan ( Mt. ), Ban Saleui ( Village ), 20°13’30’’N / 103°59’26’’E, 1350–1900 m MSL, 03.- 05.06.2009, leg. C. Holzschuh, and many locals” ; 1♀, same data except: 20.- 31.05.2009 ; 1♀, same data except: 10.- 19.05.2009 ; 1♀, same except: 08.05.2011; 1♀, same data except: 17.05.2011 ; 1♀, same data except: 20.5.2011 ; 1♀, same data except: 21.05.2011 ; 1♀, same data except: 24.05.2011 ; 1♀, same data except: 26.05.2011 ; 1♀, same data except: 30.05.2011 ; 1♀, same data except: 30.04.2012 ; 1♂, same data except: 03.- 04.05.2010 ; 1♂, same data except: 14.04.2012 ; 1♀ “NE Laos, Houaphanh prov., Mt Phu Pane , about 1500 m, N20°12’ E 103°59’, S. Jaki, 10- 22. V.2011 ” ( OLML, TGFF) .

Etymology. Named after the honey-colored metasoma, “mel, mellis” is Latin for “honey”.

Diagnosis. Medium sized species, body length 12–15 mm; lower frons, clypeus, malar space and scape and pedicel entirely yellow, fore and mid legs and extensively hind leg yellowish, metasoma reddish orange with a narrow part of dorsal tergites blackish; head from above 1.5 × wider than long dorsally; occipital margin weakly concave in middle; occipital carina narrow, complete, 0.2 × diameter of ocellus; pronotum, in lateral view, with one projecting short robust tooth-like process; mesoscutum in dorsal view with median longitudinal impression dividing two transverse carinated lobes; fore wing with large brown substigmal spot, infuscate apically; vein 2-Rs+M long, discal cell elongate; vein 3-Ma distinctly shorter than vein 3-Mb ( Figs 9A, 10I); tarsal claws with five robust tooth-like processes ( Fig. 10H); petiole elongate, slightly widened apically, 5.5 × its apical width; ovipositor subequal to fore wing length.

Description. (holotype, ♀), body length: 15.3 mm; antenna length: 6.0 mm; fore wing length: 10.9 mm; ovipositor length: 10.7 mm ( Fig. 9A).

Colour. Head black; scape and pedicel yellow; flagellum black; malar space, clypeus and palpi yellow; mandible yellow, but dark brown apically; mesosoma black; fore and middle legs yellow, except middle coxa blackish brown basally; hind coxa mostly black, yellow ventro-apically; trochanter brown; trochantellus yellow; hind femur and tibia mostly yellow but inner side dark brown; hind tarsus yellow; wing veins brown; wing membrane yellow; fore wing with large brown substigmal spot, infuscate apically ( Fig. 10I); metasomal tergites 2–6 largely reddish-yellow, with dark brown spots dorsally ( Fig. 9D); ovipositor sheath dark brown; ovipositor yellow.

Head. From above 1.5 × wider than long dorsally; scape robust, 1.2 × length pedicel; first flagellomere 1.7 × as long as scape, and 0.6 × length of second flagellomere; frons, malar space and clypeus densely punctate, pubescence long and sparse; malar space 0.4 × eye length; clypeus 2.4 × as wide as high; frons with dense fine punctures ( Fig. 10B); temple 1.1 × eye length dorsally; occipital margin weakly concave in middle; occipital carina complete, narrow, 0.2 × diameter of an ocellus; POL: OOL = 12: 11 ( Fig. 10A); vertex and temple with dense fine punctures; distance between punctures 1.0–1.5 × puncture diameter.

Mesosoma . Pronotum, in lateral view, with one projecting short robust tooth-like process ( Fig. 10E); propleuron rugulose, largely carinate medially, pubescence long; mesoprescutum transverse-carinate; mesonotum in dorsal view with median longitudinal impression and two transverse carinate lobes; scutellum largely transverse striate ( Fig. 10D); metapostnotum wide, largely crenulate ( Fig. 10G); propodeum areolate-rugose; propodeum irregularly rugose, pubescence long and sparse; fore wing with vein 2-Ma curved basally; vein 2-Rs distinctly curved submedially ( Fig. 10I); r: 3-RS = 20: 30; discal cell slightly narrowed anteriorly; vein 2-Rs+M long, 2-Rs+M: 2-Ma: 3-Ma: 3-Mb = 9: 33: 9: 20 ( Fig. 10I); hind coxa slender, with dense striae dorsally, pubescence long and sparse, subapical groove (ovipositor guide) wide and deep, with sparse setae ( Fig. 9B); apical trochanteral groove wide; trochantellus distinct ( Fig. 9C); hind femur 0.6 × length of hind tibia; inner spur: outer spur = 13:9; hind basitarsus 1.2 × length of tarsomeres 2–5 combined; hind basitarsus 3.4 × length of second tarsomere; second tarsomere 1.5 × length of third; third tarsomere 2.0 × length of fourth; fourth tarsomere 0.5 × length of fifth; hind tarsal claw with five robust tooth-like processes ( Fig. 10H).

Metasoma. Pyriform (lateral view) ( Fig. 9D), moderately compressed laterally; petiole elongate, slightly widened apically, 5.5 × its apical width; petiole and tergite 2 polished and shiny; remaining tergites nearly coriaceous, with short and dense setae; ovipositor subequal to fore wing length.

Male. (paratype), body length: 13.1 mm; antenna length: 7.9 mm; fore wing length: 10.4 mm. Colour, structure, and setae like ♀, except: fore wing with substigmal spot and apical infuscation very weak; propleuron extensively reddish orange; metasoma with tergites laterally dark orange; antenna length 0.8 × fore wing length.

Intraspecific variation. Examined 13♀, 2♂. The colour pattern is not variable, the colour only varies in the reddish orange tones, light yellowish orange to reddish orange. Body length: 12.2–15.6 mm (♀); 12.4–13.1 (♂); fore wing length: 9.7–12.0 mm (♀); 9.2–10.4 mm (♂); ovipositor length: 9.6–11.7 mm, similar to fore wing length.

Taxonomic remarks. This new species is easily distinguished at first glance by the colour and especially the colour pattern, having the lower frons, clypeus, malar space, scape and pedicel entirely yellow, fore wing with a large dark brown substigmal spot and apex infuscate (less evident in the male however), fore and mid legs and extensively hind leg yellowish, metasoma reddish orange with a narrow part of dorsal tergites blackish. It is also distinguished by the shape of the head, subrectangular, temples parallel behind eyes and occipital margin weakly and widely concave. It superficially resembles P. rufobalteatus Cameron , from China and India, but can be distinguished by the following characters: 1) colour pattern (see above) especially face extensively yellow, wings yellowish with broad substigmal spot and apex infuscate, metasoma reddish orange with middle of tergites blackish, setae goldish (face blackish, wings hyaline with broad substigmal spot only, metasoma blackish with base reddish, setae whitish in P. rufobalteatus ); 2) Occipital carina narrow, 0.2 × diameter of an ocellus (broad, 0.4 × diameter of an ocellus in P. rufobalteatus ); 3) Hind tarsal claw with five tooth-like processes (four tooth-like processes in P. rufobalteatus ); 4) Ovipositor subequal to fore wing length (1.3–1.4 × in P. rufobalteatus ).

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Northwestern Vietnam (Lao Cai province); Northeastern Laos (Houaphanh province) ( Fig. 23).