Parasyscia nigrita, Chen & Liang & Du, 2022

Chen, Zhilin, Liang, Cuijun & Du, Congcong, 2022, Revision of Chinese species of the ant genus Parasyscia Emery, 1882 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dorylinae), Zootaxa 5196 (3), pp. 301-330 : 316-317

Parasyscia nigrita sp. nov.

( Fig. 26 )

Holotype worker: CHINA: Guangdong: zhaoqing City, Dinghushan , 193 m, 23.1636° N, 112.1626° E, 11.VII.2005, Yangsha Pan leg., No. GXNU058217 [ GXNU] ; Paratype: same data as holotype [1 worker, GXNU] .

Diagnosis. Concolorous species, whole body black. Petiole appears square in lateral view, with straight anterior and posterior margins, dorsum slightly convex. Frontal portion of head deeply foveolate-reticulate, posterior portion of head with deep puncta; dorsum of mesosoma with sparse shallow puncta, lateral portion of propodeum deeply foveolate-reticulate.

Holotype worker. HL 0.90, HW 0.83, CI 92, SL 0.45, SI 54, ED 0.22, MSL 1.30, PW 0.56, PL 0.45, PH 0.68, DPW 0.56, LPI 151, DPI 124, TL 4.70.

Paratype worker. HL 0.85, HW 0.81, CI 95, SL 0.44, SI 54, ED 0.21, MSL 1.25, PW 0.55, PL 0.44, PH 0.67, DPW 0.55, LPI 152, DPI 125, TL 4.60 (n=1) .

Head. Subrectangular in full-face view, longer than broad (CI 92), with convex of lateral margins and straight posterior margin, posterolateral corners rounded. lateral portion of clypeus forming rounded lobe. Frontal carina short, separate and nearly parallel; antennae with 12 segments, scapes when laid back from their insertions surpass to the posterior margin of eyes. Eyes large, ommatidia with a clear edge. Mesosoma. In lateral view, dorsal outline of mesosoma general convex, posterodorsal corner rounded, posterior edge of propodeum carinate, declivity of propodeum almost straight. In dorsal view, propodeum broader than pronotum and mesonotum. Metasoma. Petiole in lateral view, appears square, with straight anterior and posterior margins, dorsum slightly convex; subpetiolar process subrectangular, its ventral margin concave, with rounded anteroventral and psoteroventral corners. In dorsal view, petiole lateral margins convex, anterior and posterior margins straight and parllel, anterolateral corners and posterodorsal corners rounded. Abdominal segment III in lateral view subrectangular, higher than long; in dorsal view abdominal segment III subtrapezoidal, broader posteriorly, almost as long as wide; lateral margins convex.

Sculpture. Frontal portion of head deeply punctate-reticulate, posterior portion of head with deep puncta; dorsum of mesosoma with sparse shallow puncta; lateral portion of propodeum, petiole and lateral margins of first gastral segment deeply punctate-reticulate, dorsum of abdominal segment III with shallow puncta, the rest of abdominal segments smooth and shiny except piligerous puncta. Pilosity. Body entirely densely covered with suberect hairs.

Color. body black.

Notes. This new species is very similar to P. browni and P. dohertyi , but can be separated the laters by the combination of the following characters: posterolateral corner of head angular in full-face view; posterior portion of head with deep puncta; tergite of abdominal segment III with scattered wide and shallow puncta in dorsal view.

Distribution. China (Guangdong).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the black body.

Figures

FIGURE 26. Parasyscia nigrita sp. nov. Holotype worker. Head in full-face view (A), distribution map (B), body in dorsal view (C), body in lateral view (D).