Liphanthus sparsipunctus 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 : 54-56

Liphanthus sparsipunctus Packer , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:41B5DC94-1AE4-4AE4-9ACD-6EE37010B91F

Figs. 117–119 , 195–196 .

Diagnosis: The combination of two submarginal cells, pronotal lobe dark ( Fig. 117 ), protibia entirely dark ( Fig. 117 ) and mesoscutum obscurely and sparsely punctate, i=1–4d ( Fig. 119 ) is sufficient to diagnose this species. Liphanthus yrigoyeni has the first three characteristics but has the mesoscutum distinctly and densely punctate.

Description: Holotype Female: Dimensions: Approximate body length: 5.4mm; head width: 1.33mm, wing length: 3.55mm, intertegular width: 0.95mm.

Coloration: Brown except for small yellow spot on extreme base of pro- and mesotibiae. Ventral surface of F4–F11 and spot on F3 yellow-brown. Apical impressed areas of metasomal terga amber.

Sculpture: Clypeus, supraclypeal area and upper paraocular area adjacent to compound eye weakly imbricate, shiny; lower paraocular area lacking microsculpture; subantennal, frontal and vertexal areas imbricate, somewhat dull; genal and hypostomal areas imbricate, somewhat shiny. Clypeus punctures large, shallow, i~d, supraclypeal area punctures small, shallow laterally, impunctate medially; lower paraocular area punctures large, distinct, i=0.5– 1.5d; frontal and vertexal areas with very shallow punctures, i≥d. Mesosomal dorsum imbricate, somewhat dull; lateral surface more weakly imbricate, somewhat shiny; mesoscutum punctures small, shallow, sparse i=1–4d; scutellum impunctate anteriorly, small, shallow, scattered punctures posteriorly; metanotum punctures hard to detect amongst coarse imbrication; metapostnotum impunctate, with weak short striae except median stria strong almost attaining posterior margin; mesopleuron with few shallow scattered punctures; metapleuron and lateral surface of propodeum impunctate. T1 imbricate, dull, successive terga increasingly weakly imbricate and shiny. T1–T4 with minute scattered punctures; T5 distinctly but minutely punctate, i=2–5d; apical impressed areas increasingly weakly imbricate and shiny from T1–T4; metasomal sterna imbricate, somewhat dull; punctures distinct towards apex of sterna, irregularly spaced i=1–4d.

Pubescence: White to pale brown, sparse, with short branches, <1.5 MOD, longer on sides of pronotum, 2 MOD; shorter on mesoscutum and metasoma dorsally < MOD; prepygidial fimbria pale brown, branched, long hairs <2 MOD. Dense, plumose; <1.5 MOD on lateral areas of metapostnotum; short, plumose, dense on anterior and posterior margin of mesoscutum, anterior margin of scutellum and sides of metaspostnoum. Tibial scopal hairs thick, simple, long, <2.5 MOD.

Structure: Head: shorter than wide (84:93). [Mandibular apex obscured by mouthparts in sole specimen]. Labrum rectangular>1.5 X as broad as long (34:20). Clypeus <1.2X as wide as long (91:42); apicolateral margin strongly concave in frontal view, weakly convex apicomedially. Outer subantennal suture almost straight; epistomal lobe swollen; epistomal suture curved below anterior tentorial pit, strongly concave below between inner subantennal sutures. Anterior tentorial pit immediately below junction of outer subantennal and epistomal sutures. Frontal line indistinct, weakly raised. IAD<AOD (15:17.5). Inner margin of compound eyes subparallel, UOD:LOD 70:67. Facial fovea distinctly impressed, widest above midlength, narrow, 21:4, subparallel to inner margin of compound eye. IOC = OOC 18:18; vertex weakly convex, flat behind ocellar triangle; upper ocular tangent ~tangential to lower margin of lateral ocellus. Scape 3 X as long as greatest width (22:7), longer than pedicel and F1 combined (16); pedicel length and width subequal (9:8), F1 longer than wide (12:7), F2 shorter than wide, (5:8), F3 shorter than wide (6:9) remaining flagellomeres with length and width subequal except F11 ~ 1.7 X as long as width (17:10).

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum ~1.2 X as wide as long (72:60), length of scutellum: metanotum: metapostnotum: 22:14:17. Marginal cell almost as long as distance between its apex to wing tip (62:65). Hind tibial spurs curved of approximately equal length. Tarsal claw teeth moderately long, pointed.

Metasoma: Broadest before midlength of T3. Apical impressed areas long, on T2 1.5X as long as MOD, 20:13. Pygidial plate not visible in sole specimen.

Material Studied. Holotype female: ARGENTINA, Jujuy, 20km S. of Abra Pampa , -22.89119 -65.61996, 3682m, 23.iv.2018, L. Packer, MACN.

Etymology. The species name refers to the sparse mesoscutal punctures, which among Argentinean Liphanthus with two submarginal cells is a diagnostic feature.

Comments. When treated as having three submarginal cells, this species fails at couplet 33 using Ruz and Toro (1983) as it has the black pronotal lobe required of the first half but the dull frontal area of the second. This species is not the female of any of the species described above from only the male as is evident from numerous characteristics, particularly the sparse and shallow punctures on the frontal area and mesoscutum: the species described only from males above have these punctures deep and crowded. Those known from both sexes; L. cochabambensis and L. amblayensis , have the females with similar punctation on the frontal area and mesoscutum as the males.

Figures

FIGURES 117–119. Liphanthus sparsipunctus sp. nov., holotype female. 117: lateral habitus, 118: face, frontal view, 119: mesosomal dorsum to show surface sculpture. Scale bars Figs. 117–118 1mm, Fig. 119 0.5mm.

FIGURES 193–196. 193: L. yrigoyeni mesoscutum to show dense punctation, 194: L. yrigoyeni T1 to show dense punctation, 195: L. sparsipunctus mesoscutum to show sparse punctation, 196: L. sparsipunctus T1 to show sparse punctation. Scale bars 0.5mm.