Discoelius nigriclypeus Zhou & Li, 2013

Zhou, Xin, Chen, Bin & Li, Ting-jing, 2013, Two new species of the genus Discoelius Latreille (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae) from China, with a key to the Chinese species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 32, pp. 45-54 : 47-48

Discoelius nigriclypeus Zhou & Li sp. n. Figs 1-4

Material examined.

Holotype,♀, China, Hunan Prov., Changde City, Shimen County, Fuping mountain, 29°42'51"N, 110°45'21"E, 1200-1600 m, 9.VI.2004, Yang Jiang (CQNU).

Description.

Female, body length 18.0 mm, forewing length 15.0 mm. Black, with the following parts yellow or orange yellow: a spot on mandibular base, a very small spot just above antennal socket ( Fig. 2 ), narrow apical bands on metasomal terga 1-2 ( Figs 1, 4 ); the base of mid femur with a very small deep yellow line.

Head: flat and subcircular, covered densely with punctures and sparsely with brownish setae; mandible stout, not long, outer surface with two longitudinal carinae developed, between them with a short one, inner margin with two wide teeth; width of clypeus as long as length, not distinctly convex, irregularly punctuate and with strong punctures, emarginate basally and apical margin truncate; frons sparsely with short brownish setae and a strong vertical carina just above the clypeus, the carina distinct on the upper about one-fourth of clypeus ( Fig. 2 ); antenna very short, scape and pedicel of antenna shining, densely with minute punctures, flagellum dull and with microscopic punctures, the length of flagellum 1 about 1.5 times flagellum 2, flagellums 2-8 wider than length, respectively, and the width about 1.2 times the length; in profile, gena very broad and sparsely with punctures and short erect setae; postgena densely with long setae.

Mesosoma: From above, length about 2-3 × width; mesoscutum and scutellum flat and in single plane; mesoscutum and scutellum densely with longitudinal carinae, the interspaces between the carinae with very minute punctures; mesoscutum with developed notaulices, between the notaulices shining apically, not punctate and without carina; scutellum and metanotum sparsely punctate, with strong punctures; propodeum reticulate, not shining, with lateral carina and dense long brownish erct setae; the setae on mid tibia denser than those on femur and the tibia widening from base, the apical width about 4 times basal width; the length of mid tarsal 1:2:3:4 ≈ 10:2:1:1, and ≈ 16:4:3:2 in hind tarsus.

Metasoma: In profile, anterior slope of metasomal tergum 1 steep, and tergum covered wholly with brownish erect setae and punctures, the setae on ventral-lateral part denser and longer than those on dorsum, the interspaces between punctures as large as punctures, the preapical furrow deep ( Fig. 3 ); segment 2 with more sparser, smaller and shallower punctures, the interspaces between the punctures 3-4 times punctures, basally with one smooth area and apical lamella very narrow ( Fig. 4 ); the punctures on metasomal terga and sterna 3-6 smaller and denser than those on tergum 2, setae shorter than those on tergum 2; the apical margin almost truncated in terminal metasoma.

Male. Unknown.

Remarks.

This species can be distinguished from the similar Discoelius zonal is (Panzer, 1801) and other members of the genus by the combination of the following characters: more strongly punctate body, length of mesosoma about 2-3 times width, mesoscutum and scutellum flat, clypeus entirely black and emarginate basally, not distinct convex, postgena densely with long setae, mesoscutum apically between developed notaulices shining and not punctate, metasomal tergum 2 basally with one smooth area and apically with narrow lamella.

Distribution.

China (Hunan).

Etymology.

The specific nam e nigriclype us is the Lati n ni gr- (= black) + clype us (= clypeus), which refers to the clypeus of the species black.

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Discoelius nigriclypeus Zhou and Li, sp. n. ♀. 1 general habitus (lateral view) 2 frons and clypeus 3 metasomal segment 1 (lateral view) 4 metasomal segments 2 - 6 (lateral view). Scale bar: 1 mm.