Liphanthus abotorabi Mir Sharifi and Packer, 2019

Sharifi, Negar Mir, Graham, Liam & Packer, Laurence, 2019, Fifteen new species of Liphanthus Reed (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) with two submarginal cells, Zootaxa 4645 (1), pp. 1-80 : 31-34

Liphanthus abotorabi Mir Sharifi and Packer , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7999B3A8-3F99-4F30-9A6E-77989E91DC71

Figs. 62–67 , 157 .

Diagnosis: Males of this species can be differentiated from others of the genus except L. amblayensis by the combination of two submarginal cells, pronotal lobe black ( Fig. 62 ), metatibial spurs straight, S7 hairless ( Fig 65 ). Males can be differentiated from those of L. amblayensis by the extensively brown marked clypeus ( Figs. 63–64 ) and somewhat distinct gonostylus the junction of which with the gonocoxa is distinctly narrowed ( Fig. 67 ). In L. amblayensis the clypeus is narrowly brown basally ( Fig 91 ) and the gonostylus poorly differentiated from the gonocoxa ( Fig. 94 ).

Description: Holotype Male: Dimensions : approximate body length: 4.63mm; head width: 1.50mm, wing length: 3.2mm, intertegular width: 0.79mm.

Coloration: Black to dark brown with following parts yellow: mandible (except apex red), apical ~1/2 of clypeus (rest of clypeus brown). Ventral surface of flagellum dark red-brown. Tegula and apical impressed areas of metasomal terga translucent dark orange-brown. All tibiae brown with small yellow-brown apicodorsal mark. All basitarsi brown with apical orange-brown mark. Remaining tarsomeres dark orange-brown.

Sculpture: Face below antennae moderately imbricate, somewhat shiny except clypeus apically lacking imbrication, shiny; rest of face weakly imbricate but somewhat dull due to dense, almost crowded punctation. clypeus impunctate except yellow portion irregularly punctate, i=0.5–4d; lower paraocular area punctures irregular in size and spacing, i=0.5–3d; subantennal sclerite with few punctures in lower half, i~d; supraclypeal area with minute punctures in lower half, i=1–4d; upper paraocular and frontal areas densely and deeply punctate, i<0.3d; vertexal area more shallowly punctate, punctures becoming sparse towards occipital area; genal and hypostomal areas weakly imbricate, shiny; minutely punctate, i>d close to compound eye, sparse elsewhere i>3d. Mesoscutum weakly imbricate but dull due to dense, almost crowded, punctures; scutellum weakly imbricate, somewhat shiny, punctures larger and sparser, i≤d; metanotum more coarsely imbricate, somewhat dull, punctures shallow, dense, i<d; metapostnotum dorsal surface coarsely imbricate with short longitudinal striae, only median stria attaining posterior margin; sides of mesosoma imbricate, somewhat shiny, hypoepimeral area and mesopleuron punctures shallow, sparse, i>2d; metapleuron impunctate; propodeum impunctate except dorsolateral area densely but shallowly punctate, i<d. Metasomal terga weakly imbricate, shiny; T1 horizontal portion punctures small, i=1-3d; successive terga with increasingly minute obscure punctures T5 submarginal area punctures larger, T6 punctures small medially, large laterally; apical impressed areas minutely and densely punctate on T1, punctures increasingly shallow on successive terga, merely imbricate on T4–T6. Metasomal sterna moderately imbricate, somewhat shiny; S2–S4 irregularly and shallowly punctate, i>1.5d.

Pubescence: Generally white, sparse and with short branches; longest on apical margin of clypeus apicomedially and scutellum posteriorly~2.5 MOD, ~2 MOD on clypeus apicolaterally; ≤2 MOD on scape, vertexal area and pronotum, ~1.5 MOD on lower paraocular area and dorsolateral area of propodeum. Dense, and more branched ~ 1 MOD on pronotum and dorso- and posterolaterally on propodeum; somewhat plumose, short ≤ 0.3 MOD along admedian line and laterally on dorsal surface of metapostnotum. Metasoma with minute sparse hairs except long on anterior declivitous surface and towards sides of T1, and at junction of disc and apical impressed area of T4–T6, longest on T6 ~ 1.5 MOD. Sterna with minute hairs except S5 with subapical fringe of posteromedially oriented pale brown hairs <1.5 MOD.

Structure: Head: ~1.2 X as wide as long (94:80). Mandible <3 X longer than basal depth (69:24). Labrum rectangular, 2.2 X as broad as long (37:17); margin of raised area broadly U-shaped. Clypeus 2.5 X as wide as long (80:32); recurved towards apex, angle between basal and apical portions in profile <90˚; apicolateral margin weakly convex in frontal view, apicomedial margin straight. Inner and outer subantennal sutures weakly outwardly concave, subparallel, subantennal sclerite thus parallel-sided; anterior tentorial pit at junction of outer subantennal and epistomal sutures; epistomal suture transverse between inner subantennal sutures. Frontal line weak, raised below, flat above. IAD ~ AOD (15:14). Inner margins of compound eyes strongly convergent below, UOD:LOD 73:52. Facial fovea linear, closer to compound eye ventrally, length to width: 15:3. IOC < OOC 21: 30. Scape> 2 X as long as greatest width (30:13), longer than pedicel and F1 combined (25); pedicel length and width equal (11:11), F1 longer than wide (14:11); F2 shorter than wide (9:11), remaining flagellomeres wider than long except F11 ~1.6 X as long as width (19:12).

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum ~ 1.2 X as wide as long (73:60); length of scutellum: metanotum: metapostnotum: 25:17:13. Marginal cell ~ 0.8X as long as distance between its apex to wing tip (67:81). Metatibial spurs straight, posterior spur slightly longer than anterior. Pro- and mesotarsal claws narrowly cleft, anterior metatarsal claw lacking tooth, posterior claw tooth broadly triangular, thin.

Metasoma: Broadest at midlength of T2; metasomal terga not strongly reflexed at sides; pygidial plate absent; S1–S5 unmodified, S6 with small acutely angulate apicomedial concavity, area anterior to concavity translucent, cavity and translucent area delimiting punctate lateral areas, i=1–2d, bearing apicomedially oriented hairs. S7. Barely any more than two long, broad apodemes briefly joined near posterior margin; apical lobes seemingly restricted to narrow posterior margin to apodemes, lacking hairs. S8 Anterior margin transverse, lateral margins diverging anteriorly; lateral lobe broadly rounded, continuous with sides of apical lobe; apical lobe gradually narrowing to subtruncate apex, lateral margins almost straight converging posteriorly, short hairs posteriorly and on dorsal surface. Gonocoxa anterodorsal margin moderately convex, lateral margin straight for most of length, concave towards apex, medial margin almost straight; gonostylus fused to gonocoxa, length and width subequal, apex obliquely truncate, patch of long posteriorly oriented hairs at apex, longest medially; penis valve narrow, narrowing towards apex, with posterolaterally oriented hairs. Endophallus not elaborated.

Material studied. Two males: Holotype: BOLIVIA, Cochabamba: Ioari, 3400 m, 7.ii.1946. L. E. Pena. Paratype male: BOLIVIA, Chuquisaca, Salancachi, S. of Sucre, 2600 m, 22–23.ii.1976, L. E. Pena. Both specimens are at the AMNH.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of the senior author’s grandfather, Abotorab Mir Sharifi, in recognition of his kindness and humility.

Variation. The paratype has more extensive brown on the clypeus than does the holotype with the darker colour attaining the apex of the flat portion of the clypeus medially where only the recurved apex is yellow, the brown coloration is less extensive laterally and the margin between yellow and brown forms a U-shape. In the holotype, approximately the basal half of the clypeus is brown and the margin between brown and yellow portions is irregular.

Comments. Using Ruz and Toro’s (1983) key, this species fails at couplet 10 which contrasts different forms of process on S2: L. abotorabi lacks such a process.

This is one of a group of species in which the males in particular have a densely punctate upper face and very long robust hairs towards the apex of the dorsal surface of the metatibia. Both sexes have dark legs and pronotal lobe. The group also includes the following three species all of which are from East of the Andean peaks.

Neither of the type localities could be located in various online searches. However, the two departments (Cochabamba and Chuquisaca) are adjacent.

Figures

FIGURES 62–67: Liphanthus abotorabi sp. nov., paratype male, unless stated otherwise: 62: lateral habitus, 63: face, frontal view, 64: holotype male, face, frontal view, 65: S7, 66: S8, 67, genital capsule. Scale bars Figs. 62–64 1mm, Figs. 65–67 0.25mm.

FIGURES 157–158. Liphanthus sp. head, ftontal view, 157: L. abotorabi to show extensive brown marking on clypeus, 158: L. amblayensis to show less extensive brown marking on clypeus. Scale bars 0.5mm.

FIGURES 90–94. Liphanthus amblayensis sp. nov., holotype male: 90: lateral habitus, 91: face, frontal view, 92: S7, 93: S8, 94: genital capsule. Scale bars Figs. 99–100 1mm, Figs. 92–94 0.25mm.