Pycnomesitius tanala Barbosa & Azevedo

Barbosa, Diego N. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2012, Revision of Mesitiinae (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Madagascar, with description of eleven new species, Zootaxa 3417, pp. 1-44 : 25-27

Pycnomesitius tanala Barbosa & Azevedo , sp. nov.

( Figs 34 , 38–40 )

Material examined. Holotype Ƥ. MADAGASCAR, Antsiranana, Forêt d'Antsahabe 11.4 km 275° W Daraina, [elevation] 550 m, 12. xii.2003, 13 °12’42’’S, 049°33’24’’E, CAS, B.L. Fisher, [collection code:] BLF10116, CASENT 2071331 ( CASC). Paratypes. MADAGASCAR, Mahajanga Prov [ince], 3 Ƥ, Parc National de Namoroka 17.8 km 329° WNW Vilanandro, 8–12.xi.2002, 16°22.36’S, 45°19.36’E, [elevation] 100 m, Fisher, Griswold et al. col[lecto]rs, trap tropical dry forest, CAS, [collection code:] BLF6506, CASENT 2172769, 2172770 and 2172771 ( CASC); 1 Ƥ, Parc Nat[iona]l Namoroka 9.8 km 300° WNW Vilanandro, 4–8.xi.2002, 16°28.00’S, 045°21.00’E, Fisher, Griswold et al. col[lecto]rs sifted litter tropical dry forest, [elevation] 140 m, CAS, [collection code:] BLF6446, CASENT 2172767 ( CASC).

Description. Holotype ( Fig. 34 ). FEMALE. Body 9.89 mm. LFW 3.82 mm.

Colour. Tegula and wing venation light castaneous; procoxa, mesocoxa, metacoxa, trochanters, profemur, mesofemur, metafemur, protibia, mesotibia, metatibia and tarsi castaneous; head, scape, mandible, mesosoma orange; metasoma dark castaneous with apex castaneous; pedicel, flagellum and palpi dark castaneous; wings twice-banded.

Head ( Fig. 38 ). Head longer than wide, globoid [in lateral view]. Malar space longer than VOL, convergent anteriorly. Mandible with three sharpened apical teeth, equally wide in your extension; lower margin straight; lower tooth longer than immediately upper teeth, equally wide. Clypeus with median lobe delimitated, quadrate; lateral lobe present, shorter than median lobe, rounded; median clypeal carina arched, complete, straight shape [in dorsal view], above torulus. Intertorular distance less than torulus diameter. Antenna with conspicuous pubescence, suberect, dense, short; scape slightly curved, thickening apicad; pedicel longer than wide, caliciform; first flagellomere longer than pedicel, longer than others; flagellomeres short, cylindrical shape; first five antennal segments in ratio of about 95:25:30:15:15. Frons strongly foveolate, with frontal sulcus. Eye small, round, hairy, its contour slightly protuberant. Ocellar triangle compact, with frontal angle acute; composed by ocelli very small; with ocellar fovea present, narrow. Temple profile parallel, vertex convex, its corner rounded. Palpi rectangular, cylindrical. Hypostomal carina forming obtuse angle. Dorsal half of occipital carina present, high, with side foveolate; ventral half of occipital carina present, complete, high, with side foveolate. LH 1.16 × WH. WF 1.17 × HE. WF 0.57 × WH. OOL 1.11 × WOT. VOL 0.57 × HE. Distance of posterior ocellus to vertex crest 2.16 × DAO.

Mesosoma ( Figs 39, 40 ). Pronotal disc 0.81 × as long as wide; densely foveolate; plate groove present, but incomplete; anterior slope straight; anterior margin convex, with anterior corner rounded; trapezoidal shaped, with side straight; longitudinal pronotal furrow present, complete, deep; posterior margin straight. Propleuron with epicoxal sulcus, shallow, foveolate. Pleurosternum with epicoxal sulcus, foveolate. Mesoscutum foveolate, short; longitudinal mesoscutal furrow well impressed; notaulus complete, convergent posteriorly, deep, narrow, polished; parapsidal furrow incomplete, weakly impressed, parallel. Scutellar groove wide, fused with axilla, straight, not dilated at ends; scutoscutellar sulcus conspicuous; scutellum short, foveolate, plane, not touching propodeal disc; axilla strigate, shallow. Metanotum overlapping lateral region of scutellum. Propodeal disc shorter than half width, with central fovea fused with propodeal triangle fovea; median carina complete; with longitudinal ridge between median and inner discal carinae; sublateral and inner discal carina fused anteriorly; spiracle elliptical; inner discal carina complete; sublateral carina present; lateral carina present; lateral margin sculpture followed by short striae; posterior carina failed medially; posterior spine of propodeum present, short, laminar, parallel. Declivity of propodeum strigate, with median carina, with lateral carina. Lateral surface of propodeum strigate, with superior carina, not penetrating at spine, with posterior carina. Mesopleuron foveolate, with subtegular fovea continuous with episternal furrow; mesopleural sulcus present, incomplete, foveolate; episternal furrow with inner margin striate.

Wings. Macropterous. Tegula separated of mesoscutum. Fore wing with dense pilosity; with costal cell very narrow and longitudinally folded; median cell as long as submedian cell; basal vein angulate; transverse median vein rounded; stigma subdeveloped, with distal margin truncate; radial vein slightly curved forward, giving raise at distal margin of stigma. Hind wing with costal vein short; with anal vein short; with one proximal hamuli; with three distal hamuli, first hamuli widely separated from others.

Legs. Metacoxa with dorsal expansion, with ventral expansion. Protibia short [1.5× first tarsomere length], with protibial spur long [longer than half length of first tarsomere]. Tarsi with tarsomeres 1–4 progressively shorter distad, cylindrical; tarsal claw with two sharpened teeth, curved posterad; arolium simple, apex rounded, and slender.

Metasoma. 1.67 × longer than wide; tergum 1 with ventral region polished, with lap of lateral margin, with sparse lateral pilosity; tergum 2 with dorsal region densely punctured, with sparse lateral pilosity, with ventral region densely punctured; terga 3–6 with dorsal region polished, with ventral region polished; with posterior margin of tergites straight, with sparse setae at posterior margin of terga 2–6 and punctured.

Variations. Body length 8.28–9.89 mm; fore wing length 2.68–3.82 mm. Mesosoma orange with propodeum dark castaneous near black. Mesonotum with mesoscutum with longitudinal mesoscutal furrow weakly impressed; scutellum with scutellar groove slightly dilated at ends.

MALE unknown.

Remarks. This species is similar to Pycnomesitius densepunctatus Móczár, 1971 by having the head longer than wide; the median clypeal lobe quadrate, and lateral lobe rounded; the ocelli very small; the pronotal disc with longitudinal pronotal furrow; the mesoscutum foveolate, the notaulus narrow and polished; the scutellum foveolate, the scutellar groove arched and not dilated; the propodeal disc with all carinae and ridge present and complete, and with posterior carina failed medially; the lateral surface of propodeum with all carinae. However P. tanala sp. nov. has the malar space longer than VOL; the temple parallel; the frons with frontal sulcus; the ocellar triangle acute and compact; the longitudinal mesoscutal furrow present; the posterior spine of propodeum laminar; the mesopleural sulcus incomplete; the fore wing with dense pilosity, whereas P. densepunctatus has the malar space as long as VOL; the temple convergent; the frons without frontal sulcus; the ocellar triangle obtuse and not compact; the longitudinal mesoscutal furrow absent; the posterior spine of propodeum thick; the mesopleural sulcus complete; the fore wing with sparse pilosity.

Figures

FIGURES 33 – 34. 33. Itapayos mikea sp. nov., 3, holotype, habitus; 34. Pycnomesitius tanala sp. nov., Ƥ, holotype, habitus. Scale bars = 300 µm.

FIGURES 35 – 40. 35 – 37. Itapayos mikea sp. nov., 3, holotype. 35. Head in dorsal view; 36. Mesosoma in dorsal view; 37. Mesosoma in lateral view; 38 – 40. Pycnomesitius tanala sp. nov., Ƥ, holotype. 38. Head in dorsal view; 39. Mesosoma in dorsal view; 40. Mesosoma in lateral view. Scale bars = 300 µm.