Lestica robustispinosa Yue & Ma, 2022

Yue, Dan, Li, Qiang & Ma, Li, 2022, Descriptions of two new species of Lestica Billberg (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Crabronidae) from China, with a key to the Chinese Lestica species, Zootaxa 5099 (3), pp. 391-400 : 392-394

Lestica robustispinosa Yue & Ma , sp. nov.

Figure 1a–j

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:10C3F7D5-0E77-4CFB-AC0B-A7CA980D471A

Material examined. Holotype. ♀, China: Xinjiang: Yili , 43°55′19″N, 81°19′4″E, 2005.VII.20, coll. Xiaoshuan Bai ( YNAU).

Diagnosis. The characters shared by L. clypeata (Schreber) and L. robustispinosa are as follows: mandible tridentate at apex, inner side of mandible with one tooth; middle lobe of clypeus narrow, conspicuously elevated, free margin of clypeus truncate; pronotum conspicuously acute laterally; ratio scape length: IODm = 3:2; outer surface of fore femur with U-shaped carina; gastral terga not constricted; pygidial plate conspicuously narrowed and gutterlike.

The new species clearly differs from L. clypeata by the following characters: mesosternum with very sparse, deep punctures submedially, interspaces much larger than puncture diameter, mesosternum side with irregular, deep, huge punctures, some punctures contiguous, and some with interspaces ( Fig. 1e ); processes on outer surface of hind tibia conspicuous, continually connected, with sturdy spine ( Fig. 1f ); antero-lateral angle of pronotal collar small, acutely pointed on each side ( Fig. 1d ); gastral terga I-V with small lateral spot on each side ( Fig. 1j ); pronotal lobe posteriorly yellow; outer ventral surface of hind tibia (except black spot) yellow, inner side yellowish brown ( Fig. 1f ); fore and mid femora black ( Fig. 1g ). In L. clypeata , mesosternum with dense, coarse punctures, interspaces between punctures hardly visible; outer surface of hind tibia with spines, spines borne on relatively small processes, processes separated; antero-lateral angle of pronotal collar with acutely sharper and long projection on each side; gastral terga I-III with large lateral spots, terga IV-V with stripe spots; pronotal lobe entirely yellow; hind tibia yellow; fore and mid femora yellow beneath and apically.

Description. Female ( Fig. 1a ). Body length 11.0 mm. Black; yellow are: outer surface of scape ( Fig. 1b ), pronotal lobe posteriorly, fore femur apically, outer surface of fore tibia, ventral surface of fore tarsomere I, mid tarsomere I basally, outer surface of hind tibia (except black spot submedially), small lateral spots on gastral terga I-V ( Fig. 1j ); yellowish brown are: inner surface of fore tibia, fore tarsomere I (except outer ventral surface), mid tarsomere I largely, fore and mid tarsomeres II-V, inner surface of hind tibia, and hind tarsomere I basally; reddish brown are: tegula, mid and hind femora apically, and hind tarsus. Clypeus and lower inner eye margin with dense, appressed, silvery setae; lower gena and mesopleuron with sparse, silvery setae; posterior margin of gastral sterna II-V with long, sparse, brown setae; pygidial plate laterally with dense, long, brown setae ( Fig. 1i ).

Head. Mandible tridentate at apex, inner side of mandible with one tooth; middle lobe of clypeus narrow, conspicuously elevated, free margin of clypeus truncate, slightly emarginated medially, laterally with one tooth on each side ( Fig. 1b ); orbital fovea long and narrow, 6 × as long as widest part ( Fig. 1c ); relative length of antennal flagellomere I: flagellomere II: flagellomere III = 13:13:12, last flagellomere 2 × as long as wide; ratio of scape length: IODm = 3:2; OOD: POD: OCD = 10:9:24; upper frons with dense, deep, midsize to huge punctures ca. 0.0–2 × diameters apart; vertex with dense, midsize to large punctures ca. 0.0–1.5 × diameters apart; gena shiny, with dense, small to midsize punctures ca. 1–2 × diameters apart dorsally, and with sparse, small to midsize punctures ca. 0.2–5 × diameters apart ventrally; occipital carina not reaching hypostomal carina.

Thorax. Pronotal collar with dense, large punctures ca. 0.0–2 × diameters apart, with longitudinal mid furrow, anterior margin with transverse carina, antero-lateral angle small, acutely pointed on each side ( Fig. 1d ); pronotal lobe with several large punctures; scutum with dense, deep, large to huge punctures anteriorly and medially, interspaces much smaller than puncture diameter, posteriorly with denser, large punctures (at middle with sparse large punctures), between punctures with longitudinal rugae ( Fig. 1d ); scutellum with longitudinal rugae mixed with very sparse, deep, midsize to large punctures laterally, and sparse, shallow, fine punctures medially ( Fig. 1d ); prepectus and mesopleuron with dense, huge punctures ca. 0.0–2.8 × diameters apart; upper mesopleuron with longitudinal rugae; mesosternum with very sparse, deep, huge punctures submedially, interspaces much larger than puncture diameter, mesosternum side with irregular, deep, huge punctures, some punctures contiguous, and some with interspaces ( Fig. 1e ); metanotum rough, with dense, midsize to large punctures and fine, longitudinal rugae; metapleuron with dense, sturdy, oblique longitudinal ridges; propodeal enclosure with broadened mid furrow, furrow covered with reticulate rugae, remainder with oblique longitudinal ridges; posterior surface of propodeum with narrow and deep mid furrow and inconspicuous rugae; lateral surface of propodeum with dense, oblique striations. Legs normal, outer surface of fore femur with U-shaped carina ( Fig. 1g ), outer surface of hind tibia with three rows of irregularly arranged sturdy spines, spines borne on prominent tubercular processes, processes connected ( Fig. 1f ). Forewing recurrent vein joining submarginal cell beyond its middle, marginal cell with truncate apex ( Fig. 1h ); hindwing jugal lobe small, shorter than submedian cell, media diverging beyond cu-a.

Gaster. Gastral tergum I with dense, midsize to large punctures; tergum II with dense, midsize punctures; tergum III with dense, small to midsize punctures; terga IV-V with dense, small punctures; gastral sternum II medially with sparse, small to large punctures, laterally with large mat area and dense, fine punctures, remainder with dense, fine to midsize punctures; sterna III-IV laterally with somewhat dense, fine to midsize punctures, medially with sparse, small to midsize punctures; sterna III-V posteriorly with somewhat dense, midsize to large punctures; sternum VI with sparse, midsize to large punctures; pygidial plate conspicuously narrowed and gutterlike, with several large punctures basally.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Xinjiang) ( Fig. 4 ).

Etymology. The species’ name, robustispinosa , is derived from the Latin stem robust - (=stout, strong, sturdy) and the Latin word spinosus, referring to the outer surface of hind tibia with sturdy spines, which is one of the main diagnostic characters of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lestica robustispinosa Yue & Ma, sp. nov., Holotype ♀. a. Habitus, dorsal view. b. Head, frontal view. c. Head, dorsal view. d. Mesosoma, dorsal view. e. Mesosternum. f. Hind leg. g. Fore leg. h. Fore wing. i. Pygidial plate, dorsal view. j. Metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Distribution records of Lestica Billberg from China.