Heterogyna saudita Gadallah and Soliman, 2017

Gadallah, Neveen S., 2017, Revision of the digger wasps of the Ampulicidae and Heterogynaidae (Hymenoptera) of Saudi Arabia, with the description of a new species of the enigmatic genus Heterogyna Nagy, Journal of Natural History 51 (33 - 34), pp. 2057-2085 : 2070-2082

Heterogyna saudita Gadallah and Soliman sp. nov.

( Figures 7 (a–e), 8(a–d), 9(a–d), 10(a–d), 11(a–f))

Type material

Holotype. ♀, SAUDI ARABIA, Riyadh, Wadi Hanifah ( WHS03 ) [24.8675°N, 46.45833°E, 690 m], PT03, 12 October 2015, leg. Abdel-Dayem et al. [ KSMA].

Paratypes. 1♀, SAUDI ARABIA, Riyadh, Rawdhat Al-Harmalyiah [24.3061°N, 45.1794°E, 769 m], PT04, 20 April 2015, leg . Al Dhafer et al . [ ZMB]; 1 ♂, SAUDI ARABIA, Riyadh, Rawdhat Al-Harmalyiah [24.3061°N, 45.1794°E, 796 m], LT01, 27 October 2015, leg . Al Dhafer et al . [ KSMA]; 1 ♂, Asir, Raydah [18.198°N, 42.4072°E, 2387 m], PT04, 8 June 2014, leg . Al Dhafer et al . [ ZMB].

Description

FEMALE (holotype) ( Figures 7 (a–e), 8(a–d), 9(a–d)). Body length 5.5 mm. Distinctly flattened dorsoventrally ( Figure 7 (a)). Colour ( Figures 7 (a–e), 8(d), 9(d)): head red-brown, with strong black tint on vertex in front of lateral ocelli, frons medially and clypeus; mandible (except chestnut apical teeth), scape, pedicel and F1–2 of flagellum yellow; F2 with brown tint apically and a distinct oval-shaped black spot sub-basally; remaining flagellomeres dark brown to black; maxillary and labial palpi brown; mesosoma and legs yellow or red-brown; metasoma black; wings hyaline, fore wing with extremely pale tubular veins. Female ovipositor sheath black.

Head ( Figures 7 (b–e), 8(a)). Globular, gently convergent behind eyes in dorsal view. Face about 0.6× its maximal width; vertex distinctly elevated above eyes, sparsely setiferous punctate, interspaces between punctures feebly alutaceous; ocelli small, ocellar triangle nearly equilateral, IOL as long as OOL; frons shagreened, with widely scattered setiferous punctures; inner eye margin nearly straight, distinctly converging above (LID 1.65 × UID); eye with extremely short, erect setae (seen at high magnification, 160×), eye height 0.8 × LID; clypeus broad, about 5.5× as wide as long, evenly convex on disc, with free margin of medial portion broadly convex; free labral margin narrowly visible in frontal view, slightly convex, with row of short but dense setae, laterally fringed by three long setae; postocular area and genae broad, about as wide as eye width. Antenna filiform, relatively long, 12-segmented; scape about 1.25× as long as pedicel; F1 6.5× as long as wide, scarcely longer than F2, F2 as long as F3; F4–10 gradually shortened towards apex; antennal sockets contiguous to fronto-clypeal suture; distance between antennal socket and inner eye margin about 1.5× socket diameter and about 1.25× distance between sockets. Mandible slightly curved, its tip extending well beyond clypeal midline, with three apical teeth, subapical teeth remarkably smaller than apical one; palpal formula 6:4 respectively; maxillary palpus distinctly long, reaches fore coxa when exserted; labial palpus much shorter, segments subequal in length. Occipital carina well developed dorsally, not closed ventrally (widely separated from hypostomal carina).

Mesosoma ( Figure 8 (b,c)). Pronotum shiny, disc-shaped, 2.0× as long as mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum combined, with longitudinal convexity, laterally with 7–8

distinct horizontal carinulae; pronotal lobe large, extending well beyond mesoscutumscutellar margin, evenly rounded apically. Mesoscutum 0.5× as wide as pronotum, with seven transverse well-defined carinae; notauli and parapsidal lines absent; scutellum shiny, shorter than mesoscutum (0.75×), posteriorly with three longitudinal carinae that continue to a narrow metanotum; metanotum shiny, with two longitudinal carinae more distinct than those on scutellum. Propodeum shiny, markedly long (about 0.8× as long as remaining mesosomal dorsum combined); dorsal face flattened, widened posterad, with three longitudinal carinae converging posteriorly and meet at point of attachment of muscles 2ph–3ph; hind margin of dorsal propodeal face with median tubercle; posterior declivity (face) at an angle of about 145° to dorsal face (in lateral view); lateral face with numerous oblique, well-spaced carinae extending onto dorsal face to connect with opposite carinae; posterior declivity with about 10 transverse carinae extending onto lateral face; propodeal posterior face terminating in a disc-shaped process that covers propodeal-metasomal articulation. Mesopleuron strongly convex, crossed by numerous, almost vertical carinae; metapleuron polished; lower portion of metapleural–propodeal carina raised to a narrow lamella dorsally of mid coxa; anteroventral and lower metapleural pits subcontiguous and immediately above midcoxal cavity.

Legs ( Figure 9 (a–c)). Markedly long with slender segments; hind femoral apex extending beyond T6, when hind legs fully expanded; arolium and simple (edentate) tarsal claws small; coxae large, slightly separated; fore trochanter long, about 2.0× its maximum width; fore femur with evenly convex lower face; fore tarsal rake absent; mid coxa bulbous, distinctly expanded on outer side; mid femur spindle-shaped; mid tibia flattened on inner side with distinct carina running on more than half of its length, with two spurs; hind coxa slightly elongate, somewhat widened on outer side; hind femur, in dorsal view, with flattened and slightly concave inner side and feebly convex outer side.

Wings ( Figure 8 (d)). Fore wing: clavate (gradually widened with broadly rounded apical margin), without jugal or anal lobes, with three closed cells delimited with tubular veins (costal, radial and first cubital); veins C and Sc+R extremely close together, so costal cell extremely narrowed; M-a and Cu-a completely absent (no pigmented remnants); A1 0.5× as long as M+Cu; stigma absent. Hind wing narrow and sharply tapering apically, without veins or closed cells, with 1–2 extremely fine setae on its apex.

Metasoma ( Figures 7 (a), 9(d)). Spindle-shaped, shiny, with short petiole which is cylindrical and transversely carinulate ventrally; terga minutely sparsely setiferous punctate; T1 1.4× as long as T2 and nearly as long as the remaining terga combined.

MALE (paratype) ( Figures 10 (a–d), 11(a–f)). Body length 3.5 mm. Colour ( Figures 10 (a,d), 11(b)): body black, except the following: pronotum brown with black tint laterally; tegula hyaline, pale yellow; clypeus dark brown; antenna black, scape and pedicel with strong brown tint; mandible brown with apical teeth chestnut; fore leg yellow, mid and hind ones black-brown with trochanters and tarsi yellow, base of mid and hind tibiae yellow; wings hyaline, with veins unpigmented (colourless) except C and Sc veins on fore wing extremely pale brown to yellow.

Head ( Figure 10 (a–c)). Gently convergent behind eyes in dorsal view; vertex alutaceous, with sparse setiferous punctures (setae pale and forwardly directed); occipital carina well-developed dorsally, not closed ventrally (well separated from hypostomal carina); ocelli moderate-sized; IOL 2.0× as long as OOL; frons compactly alutaceous, with widely scattered asetose punctures and hardly indicated longitudinal median stripe smooth and shiny; eyes large, slightly bulged out of head outline, its height 0.9× as wide as LID; inner eye margins straight or hardly concave (not convex), remarkably converging above (LID 1.17× as wide as UID); clypeus broad (about 4.8× as wide as long), minutely densely setiferous punctate (setae extremely short and recumbent), with median portion gently convex and free margin evenly sinuate; gena densely setiferous punctate (setae pale and directed anterad), interspaces between punctures feebly alutaceous. Antenna relatively long, 13-segmented, about 1.4× as long as mesosomal dorsum; scape 2.0× as long as wide, 1.6× as long as pedicel; F1 4.0× as long as wide, scarcely longer than F2; F2 as long as F3; antennal sockets almost contiguous with fronto-clypeal suture, distance between sockets 1.2× as wide as distance between socket and ocular margin; mandibles gently curved, bidentate apically, subapical tooth much smaller than apical one; palpal formula 6:4 respectively; maxillary palpus long (extending beyond fore coxa when fully stretched).

Mesosoma ( Figure 10 (a,d)). Pronotum situated markedly below upper level of mesoscutum (in lateral view), rather smooth except anterolaterally with few longitudinal short carinulae, dorsal face about 0.3× as long as mesoscutum, gently sloping anterad, somewhat tightly articulating posterad with mesoscutum (separated from mesoscutum by a narrow, shallow groove); pronotal collar short and evenly rounded anteriorly, lateral lobe broad, truncate, slightly overlaps anterolateral mesoscutal corner, and scarcely separated from tegula. Mesoscutum and scutellum alutaceous-punctate (punctures widely scattered and setose); mesoscutum subrounded (slightly wider than long, 1.15×), in lateral view strongly convex anterad and gently sloping posterad, with shallow longitudinal median impression on anterior four-fifths, posteriorly with 10–12 longitudinal carina in radial arrangement. Notauli absent; parapsidal line distinct (although faintly indicated posteriorly); tegula oval-shaped, polished. Scutellum, rather strongly convex, about 0.5× as wide as maximum mesoscutal width; scutellar anterior and posterior sulci distinct; axilla narrow and vertical. Metanotum anteriorly and posteriorly delimited with weak carina, crossed by few longitudinal carinulae. Propodeal dorsal face as long as wide (quadrangular), with median third shallowly impressed along anterior three-fourths of its length (impression transversely punctatorugose), lateral third coarsely foveate, dorsal face delimited posteriorly with transverse weak carina and at an angle of 90° or slightly more with posterior face; posterior face polished on greater median portion, laterally feebly irregularly rugose (with oblique carinulae); propodeal lateral face shiny with numerous oblique carinulae more developed on upper portion. Mesopleuron alutaceous, with post-spiracular carina markedly developed, scrobal sulcus wide, signum short, and mid-ventral line formed as deep cleft, between anterior discrimal pit and deeply impressed spinasternal pit. Metapleuron with triangular upper area longitudinally carinate and lower greater area shiny and smooth, polished.

Legs ( Figure 10 (a)). Comparatively long and slender; mid and hind coxae contiguous; mid and hind femora alutaceous; tibial spur formula 1:2:2; tarsal claws simple.

Wings ( Figure 11 (b)). Fore and hind wing veins mostly unpigmented and weakly developed. Fore wing with evenly scattered short pale brown setae, pterostigma rather slim and short, as wide as maximal length of marginal cell, and about 0.5× as long as maximal length of SMC1; marginal cell distinctly small and subrounded (1.2× as long as wide), not reaching anterior wing margin; appendiculate cell present but hardly indicated (Rs-a delimiting it posteriorly hardly indicated); veinlet delimiting base of marginal cell extremely weak (nearly absent); only one submarginal cell present, anteriorly much broader than posteriorly; discoidal cell slightly wider than height, closed but delimited distally with extremely faint vein (1m-cu); cross vein cu-a distinctly prefurcal; tubular parts of M and Cu continuing as straight strongly nebulous veins to wing apex. Hind wing with 4–5 hamuli, without costal cell or jugal lobe, with Rs very short and at obtuse angle with anterior wing margin; medial cell not produced beyond Rs.

Metasoma ( Figure 11 (a,c)). Integument alutaceous on terga, except anterior declivity of T1 smooth; terga with evenly scattered setiferous punctures (setae recumbent and pale), without lateral carinae; T2 as long as dorsal face of T1, about 0.55–0.6× as long as T3–7 combined; T7 broad, about 2× as wide as long, with truncate apical margin; sterna alutaceous-punctate, with setae similar to those of terga but denser on S6–8 than elsewhere; S7 with spindle-shaped median sclerotised swelling (this swelling hollow in centre); S8 with double-edged elevation, edges progressively convergent posteriorly, apex of S8 broadly emarginated.

Male genitalia ( Figure 11 (d–f)). Aedeagus widened subapically with pointed split apex (spear-shaped), distinctly shorter than parameres; cuspis and digitus widely separated basally; cuspis uniformly sclerotised along whole length, finger-shaped, gently curved inside, terminated with sclerotised irregular teeth; digitus with a ventral elongation and a dorsal sclerotised protuberance bearing fine teeth; inner margin of paramere expanded subapically, with fine setae on outer face.

Variations

The paratype female differs from the holotype by the absence of a sub-basal black spot on F2; black tint on head slighter. The paratype male collected from Asir differs from the described male (Riyadh) in having a darker pronotum and flattened propodeum along its whole length.

Remarks

The female of the newly described species, H. saudita , is similar to that of H. kugleri Argaman from Israel but differs in the following combination of characters: propodeum with three longitudinal carinae that are fused at the point of attachment of 2ph–3ph ( Figure 8 (b)), not reaching propodeal tubercle (in H. kugleri propodeum with several irregular longitudinal and oblique carinae converging posteriorly to a point close to propodeal tubercle); head and mesosoma red-brown, head with strong black tint on frons, metasoma black ( Figure 8 (a–c)) (in H. kugleri body uniformly dark brown to black). The male of the new species, H. saudita , is similar to that of H. protea Nagy from Greece in having the eye with short erect setae and marginal cell of fore wing rounded, 1.2× as long as wide ( Figures 11 (b), 14(a)). It differs from the male of H. protea by the following: body almost entirely black, with the legs partly yellow ( Figure 10 (a)) (in H. protea head and mesosoma dark brown to black, metasoma and legs pale brown ( Figure 14 (a)); T2 and S2 with unpigmented small spots baso-laterally ( Figure 14 (a,b)); antenna brown, with scape and pedicel distinctly paler ( Figure 14 (a)); wings hyaline, clear, veins weak and unpigmented except C and Sc of fore wing pale brown ( Figure 11 (b)) (in H. protea wings are slightly infuscate ( Figure 14 (a)), sparsely setose, veins are thick and dark brown); T7 almost truncate at posterior margin ( Figure 11 (a)) (in H. protea posterior margin of T7 broadly rounded); posterior margin of hypopygium (S8) broadly and deeply emarginate ( Figure 11 (c)) (in H. protea posterior margin of S8 with a narrow median incision ( Figure 14 (d)); male genitalia as in Figure 11 (d–f) (in H. protea genitalia as in Figure 14 (c,d)).

Distribution

Saudi Arabia (Asir and Riyadh provinces) .

Etymology

The specific name ‘ saudita ’ is a Latinised adjective in the feminine gender derived from the country of the type locality, Saudia Arabia .

Figures

Figure 7. (a–e) Heterogyna saudita sp. nov. (female, holotype). (a) Habitus, dorso-lateral view; (b) head, frontal view (mandibular teeth indicated); (c) head, lateral view; (d) antennae (oval-shaped black spot on F2 indicated); (e) F2–F4 (oval-shaped black spot on F2 indicated).

Figure 8. (a–d) Heterogyna saudita sp. nov. (female, holotype). (a) Head, frontal view; (b) mesosoma, dorso-lateral view (longitudinal lateral carinae on pronotum, transverse carinae on mesoscutum, median tubercle on hind margin of dorsal propodeal face and 2ph–3ph indicated); (c) mesoscutum (transverse carinae indicated); (d) fore- and hind wings (basal portion of fore wing enlarged).

Figure 9. (a–d) Heterogyna saudita sp. nov. (female, holotype). (a) Fore femur, inner side; (b) hind femur, dorsal side; (c) mid tibia, inner side (longitudinal carina indicated); (d) metasomal sterna.

Figure 10. (a–d) Heterogyna saudita sp. nov. (male, paratype). (a) Habitus, lateral view (posterodorsal edge of pronotum indicated); (b) head, dorso-frontal view; (c) head, dorsal view; (d) mesosoma, dorsal view (parapsidal line and posterior carinae on mesoscutum and longitudinal median depression on propodeum indicated).

Figure 11. (a–f) Heterogyna saudita sp. nov. (male, paratype). (a) Metasomal terga; (b) fore wing and hind wing (part; marginal cell enlarged); (c) S6–8 (spindle-shaped swelling on S7 and double-edged elevation on S8); (d,e,f) Genitalia: ventral, dorsal and lateral aspects, respectively.

Figure 14. (a–d) Heterogyna protea Nagy (male). (a) Habitus, dorsal view; (b) metasoma, ventral view; (c) T6 and genitalia (partly exposed); (d) S6–8 and genitalia (median projections on S7 and apical incision on S8 indicated).