Crossocerus (Thao), Tsuneki, 1982

Saini, Varun & Dey, Debjani, 2022, First record of subgenus Thao Tsuneki, 1982 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae Crabronini) from India: a new subspecies and a key to all subspecies of Crossocerus (Thao) nitidicorpus Tsuneki, Zootaxa 5159 (1), pp. 117-124 : 118

Key to the subspecies of Thao Tsuneki, 1982 (modified from Leclercq, 1986)

1. Light body parts white, not yellow; largely of this color: mandible, pronotal collar, pronotal lobe, scutellum, tegula; completely (without slightest darkened spot): scape, tibiae I-II; more than basal half of tibia III, large spots at apex of femora I-III, tarsi I-III (except apical tarsomeres brown). Trochanters completely amber yellow. Sterna light brown. Scutum punctures very sparse and fine but well defined, irregular. Pronotum collar perfectly rounded laterally. Distribution: Brunei.................................................................................... Crossocerus nitidicorpus uluanus Leclercq 1986

- Light body parts more or less pale yellow, not white. Tibiae I-II darkened on inner side............................. 2

2. Median lobe of clypeus quadridentate, medial tooth emarginate (Fig. 23 of Tsuneki 1984). Scutellum all black. Pronotal collar distinctly angulate laterally. Scutum punctation sparse and fine. Distribution: Philippines.............................................................................................. C. nitidicorpus philippinicus Tsuneki 1984

- Median lobe of clypeus tridentate, medial tooth round or subtruncate apically. Scutellum broadly yellow or all black ( Fig. 11 ) ................................................................................................... 3

3. Pronotal collar broadly yellow upto to its side, which is slightly but visibly raised. Scutal punctures very sparse even at middle. Scape completely yellow; femora I-II with large yellow spot above apex; about basal half of tibia III yellow; metatarsus III all pale yellow; trochanters I-II amber yellow. Distribution: Malaysia: Johor ......... C. nitidicorpus johorensis Leclercq 1986

- Pronotal collar perfectly rounded and not yellow laterally. Scutum relatively densely ( Fig. 9 ) punctate, especially at center and anteriorly (interspaces between punctures much larger than these). Scape more or less darkened dorsally toward apex; metatarsus III more or less largely darkened...................................................................... 4

4. Femora I-II largely yellow, with black spot beneath; trochanters I-III yellow apically; tibia III largely yellow. Clypeus: with well-rounded medial tooth, less prominent than lateral teeth ( Fig. 15 of Tsuneki 1968 and Fig. 24 of Tsuneki 1984, p. 13). Distribution: Taiwan.................................................... C. nitidicorpus nitidicorpus Tsuneki, 1968

- Femora I-II black, with small yellow spot at apex; other characters varying....................................... 5

5. Yellow: all trochanters, basal 1/3 rd of tibia III, scape except dorsal spot near apex; coxae of all legs, tergum I and sterna I-II all black; mandible yellow except apically. Clypeus: median carina absent, median tooth thick, almost truncate apically, lateral teeth slightly elongated. Distribution: Sri Lanka, Malaysia.................. C. nitidicorpus weddagalae Leclercq, 1986

- Yellow: trochanter I with basal and apical spots, trochanter II except ventral spot, trochanter III completely, short dorsal stripe on tibia III basally, apical spot on coxae I-II, coxa III ventrally, scape except large dorsal stripe, tergum I basally, sternum I largely, patch on sternum II near base ( Figs 1–3 & 14 ); mandible ferruginous ( Fig. 8 ). Clypeus: medial carina present, median tooth of clypeus short and blunt, lateral teeth short ( Fig. 7 ). Distribution: India................................................................................................. C. nitidicorpus indicus Saini & Dey , subsp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 9–11. Crossocerus (Thao) nitidicorpus indicus Saini & Dey, subsp. nov. Holotype ♀. 9. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 10. Mesosoma, lateral view; 11. Propodeum.

FIGURES 12–15. Crossocerus (Thao) nitidicorpus indicus Saini & Dey, subsp. nov. Holotype ♀. 12. Metasoma, lateral view; 13. Metasoma, dorsal view; 14. Metasoma, ventral view; 15. Pygidial plate.

FIGURES 1–3. Crossocerus (Thao) nitidicorpus indicus Saini & Dey, subsp. nov. Holotype ♀. 1. Habitus, lateral view; 2. Habitus, dorsal view; 3. Habitus, ventral view.

FIGURES 4–8. Crossocerus (Thao) nitidicorpus indicus Saini & Dey, subsp. nov. Holotype ♀. 4. Head, dorsal view; 5. Head, lateral view; 6. Head, frontal view; 7. Antenna; 8. Clypeus.