Nitela tumidiscuta sp. nov.

Fig. 5

Type material.

Holotype. ♀, China • Yunnan, Jinghong, Menghai Country, Bulang Mountain, 21.6267°N, 100.4064°E, 2018.VI.21–VII.20, Ling Zhao collector .

Paratypes. • 1 ♀, same data as holotype; 1 ♀, same location as holotype, 2019.V.28–VI.28, Ling Zhao collector; • 1 ♀, Yunnan, Jinghong, Menghai Country, Guanggang Village, 21.8192°N, 100.4967°E, 2021.II.14–III.14, Ling Zhao collector .

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to N. feltoni Gayubo & Schmid-Egger, 2014 in having anterior carina of pronotal collar inconspicuous; episcrobal area coriaceous and impunctate; lower mesopleuron sparsely punctate. It differs by the following characteristics (characters of N. feltoni in parentheses): ventral half of mesopleuron without ridges (ventral half of mesopleuron with inconspicuous ridges); frons coriaceous, impunctate between lower part and midocellus (frons moderately shiny, sparsely, finely punctate and very finely ridged between lower part and midocellus); mesoscutum impunctate, mesosternum densely punctate (mesoscutum densely, finely punctate, mesosternum sparsely punctate and polished); clypeal anterior margin evenly arched (medial part of clypeal margin advanced, laterally with corners).

Description of female.

Body length 3.6–3.9 mm. Body black. Mandible basally blackish-brown, apex dark brown; maxillary palpus and labial palpus mostly yellowish-brown; stigma and tegula blackish-brown; wing veins yellowish-brown. Tarsi dark brown. Body covered with silvery pubescence.

Head. Inner margin of mandible subapically with one tooth. Clypeus conspicuously convex medially, with midclypeal carina extending to frontal prominence; anterior margin of clypeus with triangular smooth area, slightly concave medially (Fig. 5 B). Frons coriaceous, swollen medially, depressed laterally; upper part of convex portion with irregular sinuous rugae; frontal concavity shallow (Fig. 5 B). Ocellar triangle densely coriaceous (Fig. 5 C). Gena surface coriaceous. Vertex finely coriaceous (Fig. 5 C). Eyes converging above; OOD: POD: ODD = 2: 5: 5 (Fig. 5 C). Flagellomere 1 approximately as long as to pedicel.

Mesosoma. Pronotal collar stepped, with narrow transverse, but groove without internal ridges; anterolateral angle acute; anterior carina inconspicuous (Fig. 5 D). Mesoscutum conspicuously convex, with dense, fine, irregular transverse striae; basal median area without short, longitudinal ridges, posterior third with coarse, irregular wrinkles connected to median ridges, between wrinkles dull; scutal lateral sulcus crenulate, inner margin sharply defined, internal transverse ridges not extending beyond border (Fig. 5 D). Mesoscutellum coriaceous; anterior margin crenulate (Fig. 5 D). Mesopleuron sparsely punctate except episcrobal area (Fig. 5 F) coriaceous and impunctate; central circular depression coriaceous (Fig. 5 F); episternal sulcus crenulate, broadened, internal longitudinal ridges conspicuously exceeding lateral margin; hypersternaulus inconspicuous crenulations faint (Fig. 5 F). Mesosternum densely finely punctate. Metanotum finely coriaceous (Fig. 5 D). Metapleuron conspicuously separated from propodeal lateral surface; dorsally smooth, without ridges (Fig. 5 F). Propodeal dorsum with conspicuous longitudinal ridges from base to apex, between ridges with inconspicuous short transverse carinae forming reticulate pattern (Fig. 5 E); posterior surface with median sulcus narrowing from base to apex, internally extremely narrow; posterolaterally with densely transverse ridges (Fig. 5 E); lateral surface of propodeum with irregular oblique carinae, internal oblique carinae with few inconspicuous short ridges (Fig. 5 F).

Wings. Recurrent vein with stub of vein just before its junction with submarginal cell (Fig. 5 G).

Metasoma. Metasoma spindly; terga polished, terga I and II sparsely, finely punctate; remaining terga finely coriaceous. 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 (Yunnan).

Etymology.

The specific epithet tumidiscuta combines the Latin “ tumid - ” and “ scuta ”, referring to the conspicuously convex mesonotum of this species.