Nitela carinifrons sp. nov.

Fig. 1

Type material.

Holotype. ♀, China • Guangdong, Shenzhen, Shenzhen Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, 22.5775°N, 114.1825°E, 2020.III.31–IV.30, Jianwei Li collector .

Paratypes. • 3 ♀, same data as holotype; 4 ♀, same location as holotype, 2020.VI.3–29 (1 ♀), 2019.XII.7–I.6 (1 ♀), 2020.IV.30–VI.5 (1 ♀), 2020.X.31–XII.3 (1 ♀), Jianwei Li collector; 2 ♀, Dongguan, Dongguan Botanical Garden, 22.9494°N, 113.7714°E, 2020.IV.30–VI.3, Fei Ye collector ; • 2 ♀, Dongguan, Dongguan Yinping Mountain, 22.9139°N, 114.2156°E, 2020.VIII..30–X.5 (1 ♀), 2020.X.5–30 (1 ♀), Fei Ye collector ; 5 ♀, Zhaoqing, Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve, 22.5775°N, 114.1825°E, 2021.IV.1–V.1 (2 ♀), 2021.V.10–25 (2 ♀), 2021.IX.19–X.9 (1 ♀), Longlong Chen collector .

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to N. bifida Menke, 1969 in having convex portion of frons with median carina reaching anterior ocellus; inner orbit straight and converging above, and lateral ocellus almost touching inner orbit, but differs by the following characteristics (characters of N. bifida in parentheses): clypeal anterior margin evenly arched (clypeal anterior margin projecting); propodeal posterior surface without lamellate projections on lateral margin (propodeal posterior surface with lamellate projections); mesoscutum slightly shiny, densely, coarsely rugose (mesoscutum dull, densely finely punctate); pronotal lobe black (pronotal lobe yellow).

Description of female.

Body length 3.2–3.6 mm. Body black. Mandible basally dark brown, apex yellowish-brown; maxillary palpus and labial palpus mostly silvery. Scape and pedicel dark brown; stigma and tegula yellowish-brown; wing veins pale brown. Apical margin of gastral terga yellowish-brown. Trochanters and tibiae yellowish-brown, tarsi pale yellow; mid and hind coxae apically yellowish-brown. Body covered with silvery pubescence.

Head. Inner margin of mandible subapically with one tooth. Clypeus conspicuously convex medially; with complete midclypeal carina slightly surpassing frontoclypeal sulcus; anterior margin of clypeus with triangular smooth area, truncate anteriorly (Fig. 1 B). Frons coriaceous, densely punctate, swollen medially, depressed laterally; upper part of convex portion with median carina reaching anterior ocellus, laterally coriaceous up to carina; frontal concavity shallow (Fig. 1 B). Ocellar triangle coriaceous (Fig. 1 C). Gena and vertex finely coriaceous (Fig. 1 C). Eyes converging above; OOD: POD: ODD = 1: 4: 4 (Fig. 1 C). Flagellomere I approximately as long as pedicel.

Mesosoma. Pronotal collar stepped, with narrow transverse groove containing inconspicuous short longitudinal ridges, antero-lateral angle rounded; anterior carina conspicuous (Fig. 1 D). Mesoscutum convex; basal median area with dense, small punctures; laterally with irregular, coarse coriaceous reticulation; posterior margin with row of short longitudinal ridges, between ridges dull; scutal lateral sulcus crenulate, with conspicuously defined inner margin, its internal transverse carinae connected to transverse carinae of scutellum (Fig. 1 D). Mesoscutellum with median carina flanked by several fine curved rugae; anterior margin crenulate (Fig. 1 D). Mesopleuron sparsely punctate except episcrobal area (Fig. 1 F); episcrobal area and central circular depression smooth, polished; episternal sulcus crenulate, internal longitudinal ridges not exceeding border; hypersternaulus well-developed, broadened, shallowly crenulate (Fig. 1 F). Mesosternum densely, finely punctate. Metanotum coriaceous. Metapleuron conspicuously separated from propodeal lateral surface; metapleuron smooth, without carina (Fig. 1 F). Propodeal dorsum with conspicuous longitudinal ridges from base to apex, between ridges with inconspicuous, irregular, short transverse carinae forming reticulate pattern (Fig. 1 E); posterior surface with median sulcus narrowing from base to apex, forming subtriangular zone; laterally to median sulcus with parallel regular, transverse ridges (Fig. 1 E); lateral surface of propodeum with irregular, oblique carinae (Fig. 1 F).

Wings. Recurrent vein with extremely short stub of vein just before its junction with submarginal cell (Fig. 1 G).

Metasoma. Metasoma spindly; terga polished, with very sparse punctures. Sternum I with keeled projection, laterally to keel without conspicuous ridges. Basal third of sternum II with deep transverse groove, groove surface coriaceous.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Guangdong).

Etymology.

The specific epithet carinifrons is derived from the Latin “ carina - ” and “ frons ”, referring to the presence of a conspicuous median longitudinal carina on frons of this species.