Pristocera makungai Azevedo, Alencar & Colombo, 2018

Azevedo, Celso O., Alencar, Isabel D. C. C. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2018, Pairs in copulation of the highly dimorphic genus Pristocera Klug (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Madagascar solve taxonomic problems of male-female associations, Zootaxa 4433 (1), pp. 1-49 : 26-28

Pristocera makungai Azevedo, Alencar & Colombo , sp. nov.

( Figs 15–16 )

Description. Holotype ♂ ( Fig. 15 ). Body length 9.2 mm; length of forewing 6.2 mm.

Colors. Head and mesosoma black; antenna, clypeus, mandible, legs, veins and metasoma dark castaneous; wings subhyaline.

Head. Head almost 1.0 × as long as wide. Mandible with five distal teeth, uppermost directed inward, apex wider than base. Median clypeal lobe subrectangular, median carina conspicuous and short in profle. Antenna almost reaching mesoscutellar sulcus; flagellar pubescence appressed, and shorter than half flagellar diameter; first four antennomeres ~ 5:2:4:4, flagellomere IX as long as wide. Frons punctate and shining, punctures small; frontal groove absent, lateral groove absent, scrobal carina absent. Ocellar triangle compact, elevated, frontal angle acute; ocelli small, protruding, anterior margin of posterior ocellus not touching imaginary line between tops of eyes. Vertex broadly convex. Temple convergent posterad; occipital carina present ventrally and dorsally.

Mesosoma. Pro- and mesonotal dorsum shining, punctulate, setae long. Pronotal disc trapezoidal, side slightly concave, anterior margin carinate, anterior carina high and curved posterad, median transverse region elevated. Notaulus conspicuous, convergent posteriorly, with posterior part curved inward, gradually wider posteriorly, deep, polished inside. Parapsidal furrow complete, straight, narrow. Surface of posterolateral corner of mesoscutum elevated. Mesoscutellar groove convex posteriorly, not dilated laterally. Metanotum with large median elevation, median fovea rectangular with inner surface setose, metanotal groove foveolate laterally, inner fovea very large, dropped shaped, not punctulate inside, other foveae rectangular and narrower than inner fovea. Metapectalpropodeal complex strigulate laterally and posteriorly; transverse anterior carina wide, metapostnotum mostly rugulose, median carina present; first abdominal spiracle elongate and slightly arched, wholly placed on dorsum of metapectal-propodeal complex; metapleural carina present; transverse posterior carina present. Lateral of metapectal-propodeal complex strigulate. Propodeal declivity rugulose-strigulate near petiole. Mesopleuron with subtegular groove dilated anteriorly and uniformly narrow posteriorly, foveolate inside; episternal groove continuous with subtegular one, foveolate; mesopleural callus elevated and well delimited, polished and shining, oval, anterior area strongly punctate to puncticulate posteriorly. Pleurosternum with heart-shaped groove weakly defined, median carina present; epicnemial carina wide medially with two very large foveae. Tarsal claws tridentate. Forewing with r-rs&Rs vein long and almost parallel to anterior margin, R1 vein shorter than stigma and hind wing with nine hamuli.

Metasoma. Petiole with midlength 4.5 × midwidth. Hypopygium deeply divided with apical part gradually narrower than base, apex hook-like; inner margin not dentate, with subapical concavity absent, and median concavity absent; antero-lateral corner rounded; hypopygeal chamber with latero-basal margin strongly outcurved and recurved. Genitalia: Paramere bilaminarlonger than basiparamere; apical margin outcurved, digitiform process present, thick, long, inner concavity present. Basivolsellar surface folded, inner margin smooth. Aedeagus subconical, apical lobe giving rise on apical fourth of aedeagus, sinuous, apex directed ventrad, apical part convex in lateral view; ventral lamina with outer margin sinuous in ventral view.

Description. Allotype ♀ ( Fig. 16 ). Body length 7.5 mm.

Colors. Head, mesosoma, metasoma and petiole castaneouswith antenna, mandible, clypeus and legs light castaneous.

Body. Head 1.27 × as long as wide. Mandible short and wide, upper margin sinuous, with four distal teeth gradually wider ventrad, uppermost far from subupper one. Median clypeal lobe trapezoidal with small median tooth, lateral margin smooth, apical margin straight and elevated in frontal view, median carina high in profile. Frons coriaceous and punctured. Eye with about 20 facets. Temple margin convergent posteriorly, vertex straight, occipital carina complete and not visible in dorsal view. Pro- and mesonotal dorsum coriaceous. Metapectalpropodeal complex polished, maximum width 2.3 × minimal width. Mesotibia spinose. First abdominal spiracle oval. Metasomal petiole with midlength 1.0 × midwidth, anterior margin incurved medially in ventral view, anterolateral corner broadly rounded, lateral margin subnotchedsubanteriorly, parallel, ventral surface longitudinally subtrapezoidal.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, Allotype ♀, in copula: MADAGASCAR, Tananarive, in copula, I.30, A. Seyrig ( MNHN) ( Fig. 16E ).

Remarks. The males of this species are similar to the males of P. gloriae sp. nov., because both species have the mandibles with five distal teeth, the antennae with setae shorter than half the flagellar diameter, the clypeal median lobe subretangular, the forewings with R1 vein, the aedeagus subconical, with the apical lobes giving rise on the apical fourth of aedeagus. However, the males of this species have the antennae almost reaching the mesoscutellar sulcus, the petiole with midlength 4.5 × midwidth, and the hind wings with nine hamuli, whereas the males of P. gloriae sp. nov. have the antennae not reaching the mesoscutellar sulcus, the petiole with midlength 3.5 × midwidth, and hind wings with eight hamuli.

The females of this species are similar to the females of P. morti sp. nov., because both species have the mandibles with four distal teeth gradually wider ventrad, the median clypeal lobe trapezoidal, and the first abdominal spiracles oval. However, the females of this species have the petiole with midlength 1.0 × midwidth, with the anterolateral corner broadly rounded, whereas the females of P. morti sp. nov. have the petiole with midlength 1.5 × midwidth, with the anterolateral corner rounded.

Distribution. Madagascar.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Pristocera makungai, ♂. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mandible, frontal view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Mesosoma, ventral view. E. Metasomal petiole, ventral view. F. Pronotum, lateral view. G. Mesopleuron, lateral view. H. Forewing. I. Hamuli, hind wing. J. Hypopygium, inner view. K. Genitalia, dorsal view. L. Genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars: 100 µm.

FIGURE 16. Pristocera makungai, ♀. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mandible, latero-frontal view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Metasomal petiole, ventral view. E. Labels. Scale bars: 100 µm.