Spilomena sahyadriensis Tessy, Sureshan et Girish Kumar, 2021

Rajan, Tessy, Kumar, P. Girish, Sureshan, P. M. & Binoy, C., 2021, A review of the genus Spilomena Shuckard (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) with the description of six new species from India, Zootaxa 5068 (2), pp. 263-276 : 269-271

Spilomena sahyadriensis Tessy, Sureshan et Girish Kumar , sp. nov.

( Figs 29–36 )

Type material: Holotype, ♀, India: Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram dt., Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary (8°31’50’’N & 77°09’08’’E, Alt. 93 m), 17.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV/17149.

Diagnosis. Spilomena sahyadriensis sp. nov. differs from its congeners by the following combination of characters: lower frons imbricate; upper frons and vertex reticulate with scattered setigerous micropunctures; relative length to breadth of scape = 38:6; relative length to breadth of stigma = 34:15; mesoscutum reticulate with dense micropunctures; propodeal dorsum and posterior surface of propodeum rugose and rugulose, lateral surface with transverse ridges.

Description. Holotype ♀. Body length 4.6 mm; fore wing length 2.6 mm.

Colour. Body black with following parts yellow: mandible (except apical tip brown), labrum, palpi, antenna and legs; pronotal lobe and tegula white; fore wing veins and stigma light brown.

Vestiture. Setigerous micropunctures present on frons, vertex, mesoscutum and scutellum; dense brush of short setae at apex of T6; remainder of body with sparse vestiture.

Head. Clypeus shiny, without appressed setae, markedly convex ( Fig. 30 ); interantennal tubercle inconspicuous, not distinctly pointed, extending into short median carina at most reaching lower frons; mandible bidentate apically, inner mandibular tooth short and blunt; relative length to breadth of scape = 38:6; lower frons imbricate; upper frons and vertex reticulate with scattered setigerous micropunctures; inner eye margin straight; gena imbricate, impunctate.

Mesosoma. Pronotum laterally with longitudinal ridges; anterior carina of pronotal collar conspicuous and straight; mesoscutum reticulate, with dense micropunctures; admedian line and parapsidal line lacking; scutellum reticulate, with dense micropunctures, anterior groove of scutellum without crenulations; metanotum reticulate, without micropunctures, longitudinal rugose laterally; mesopleuron reticulate, with scattered setigerous micropunctures posteriorly ( Fig. 32 ); metapleuron with irregular rugae; stigma elongate, relative length to breadth = 34:15; recurrent vein of fore wing received well within first submarginal cell; propodeal dorsum and posterior surface of propodeum rugose and rugulose ( Fig. 33 ), lateral surface with transverse ridges.

Metasoma. T1 and T2 shiny and impunctate; T3–T6 with scattered setigerous punctures on entire surface; T6 apically with dense brush of short setae.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The species name is derived from “Sahyadri”, the vernacular name for the Western Ghat mountain ranges.

Distribution. India: Kerala.

Figures

FIGURES 29–36. Spilomena sahyadriensis Tessy, Sureshan & Girish Kumar, sp. nov., Holotype ♀. 29. Habitus, lateral view; 30. Head, frontal view; 31. Head and mesosoma (in part), dorsal view; 32. Mesosoma, lateral view; 33. Propodeum, dorsal view; 34. Metasoma, dorsal view; 35. Fore wing; 36. Hind wing.