Philoctetes simulator Rosa, Notton & Xu

Rosa, Paolo, Wei, Na-Sen, Notton, David & Xu, Zai-Fu, 2015, The genus Philoctetes Abeille de Perrin, 1879 from China, with description of two new species (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae), Zootaxa 4040 (4), pp. 433-444 : 441-442

Philoctetes simulator Rosa, Notton & Xu , sp. nov.

( Figs 5 A–5H)

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, CHINA: Tientsin [= Tianjin], 15.VI.1906, F.M. Thomson, 1907-200, Ellampus deauratus Mocs. compared with type G.M-W., Omalus deauratus Mocs. , red label, id nr. 134853 HNHM Hym. coll. ( HNHM).

Diagnosis. Philoctetes simulator sp. nov. is easily recognisable from other Chinese species by apex of T3 without median notch and different colouration with head blue to black; pronotum, mesonotum, metanotum and propodeum antero-medially red to golden-red contrasting with rest of mesosoma blue; metasomal terga red to golden-red with T1 and T2 black medially.

Description. Female. Holotype. Body length 3.6 mm. OOL = 2.0 MOD; POL = 2.4 MOD; MS = 1 MOD; relative length of P:F1:F2:F3 not available, the holotype is missing of both antennae, excluding scapes.

Head. Frons, vertex, face between eye and scapal basin with small (0.5 MOD) and shallow punctures. Punctures on occipital area smaller. Scapal basin asetose, deep and smooth. Gena with punctures, without wrinkles. Genal carina relatively sharp, not bisecting MS. Ocellar triangle isosceles, with large POL (2.4 MOD). Postocellar line indistinct.

Mesosoma. Pronotum almost smooth with sparse punctures medially, with large and deep punctures laterally. Mesoscutum with large and shallow punctures clumped along notauli; punctures between notauli are larger. Notauli and parapsidal furrows complete; notauli pit short and deep. Mesoscutellum with rounded punctures, evenly distributed with subequal interspaces. Metanotum slightly convex, with large punctures, larger than punctures on mesoscutellum, and without intervals between punctures. Mesopleuron with omaulus and sharp scrobal carina; with evenly round punctures. Tarsal claw with four teeth.

Metasoma. T1 and T2 almost with fine and spare dots. T3 with deeper and denser dots. Apex of T3 with narrow brown rim, not distinctly notched.

Colouration. Head blue, black on frons, vertex and occiput; mesosoma with pronotum, mesonotum, scutellum, metanotum and propodeum antero-medially red to golden-red, the rest metallic blue; metasomal terga red to golden-red with large dark to black areas on T1 and T2. Legs metallic blue, with tarsi light brown.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. China ( Tianjin).

Etymology. The name simulator is derived from the Latin adjective simulator (=swindler); it refers to the general habitus, similar to that of P. micans ( Klug, 1835) and P. friesei ( Mocsáry, 1889.

Remarks. The type of Philoctetes simulator was collected on the 15th of June 1906 at Tianjin by F.M. Thomson, together with other two specimens described by Mocsáry as Ellampus deauratus . This specimen does not belong to the type series of E. deauratus because it is clearly different from the original description and was sent by G. Meade-Waldo to Mocsáry after the description of E. deauratus . In fact, it does not bear any identification label handwritten by Mocsáry or by Pável, the technician of HNHM, whereas it was identified as E. deauratus by G. Meade-Waldo.

P. simulator sp. nov. shares its particular colour with some other species known for West Palearctic: P. micans ( Klug, 1835) , P. friesei ( Mocsáry, 1889) , and partially with P. caudatus (Abeille de Perrin, 1878), P. obtusus (du Buysson, 1893), P. tiberiadis (du Buysson, 1887). It is separated from the first two species by different punctuation on pronotum, with dense and close punctures medially (pronotum polished with sparse punctures in P. simulator ) and from last three species by mesopleuron and metapleuron green to golden-red (blue in P. simulator ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Philoctetes simulator sp. nov., ♀, holotype, Tianjin. A. Habitus, dorso-lateral view; B. Head and mesosoma, lateral view.