Acantholyda nemeri, Liston & Noblecourt, 2024

Liston, Andrew & Noblecourt, Thierry, 2024, A new species of Acantholyda (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae) from Lebanon, associated with Cedrus libani (Pinaceae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 64 (1), pp. 113-119 : 113-114

Acantholyda nemeri sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀ (DEI-GISHym81501), Lebanon: Tannourine Cedar Reserve (34.21°N 35.93°E), 31.05.2016, Steffan Kyrk leg. Deposited in SDEI . PARATYPES: Lebanon, Tannourine Cedar Reserve: 1 ♀ (DEI-GISHym81502), 03.06.2016, S. Kyrk leg.; 1 ♀ (DEI-GIS- Hym81503), 03.06.2016, Nabil Nemer leg.; 1 J (DEI-GISHym81504), 31.05.2016, N. Nemer leg. All deposited in SDEI.

Description. Female ( Figs 1–2 ). Colour. Head largely yellow, indistinctly brown-tinged on the median postocellar area, part of the vertex, and the outer orbits ( Figs 1E , 2B–C ). A black patch surrounds the ocelli ( Figs 1A, E ); a black fleck at top of eye ( Fig. 2C ); inner occiput extensively black ( Fig. 1B ). Tips of mandibles brownish ( Fig. 1E ). Antenna black; tip of scape, more or less inner side of pedicel and base of antennomere 3 pale ( Fig. 1D ). Thorax black, without metallic lustre ( Fig. 2D ). Pale are pronotum, upper parts of propleura, tegulae and more or less interior of median mesoscutal lobe ( Figs 2A, D ). Legs yellowish ( Figs 1A, B ; 2A ). Black are coxae, trochanters, more or less trochantelli ( Fig. 1B ), bases and larger part of upper surface of femora, extreme tip of metatibia [HT and DEI-GISHym81503], sometimes continued as narrow streak along inner face [DEI-GISHym81502], and more or less the tarsi. Wing membranes hyaline, apices darkened ( Fig. 1A ). Veins including fore wing stigma dark, except for pale Sc and R ( Fig. 1A ). Abdominal terga largely black, lateral margins pale ( Figs 1A, C ). Terga 4 and 5 mainly black ( Fig. 1C ; DEI-GISHym81502) to extensively pale ( Fig. 1A ) [HT and DEI-GISHym81503]. Sterna from extensively dark to mostly pale ( Fig. 1B ).

Structure and vestiture. Head. Without occipital carina ( Fig. 2C ). Punctation irregular and shallow, including clypeus; interspaces smooth and shiny ( Figs 1E ; 2B, C ). Punctation densest around the ocelli and on the upper paraantennal fields; lowest part of paraantennal fields almost impunctate ( Fig. 1E ). Pubescence on upper head (above level of antennal sockets) sparse, mostly slightly shorter than width of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 2B, C ). Antenna ( Fig. 1D ): 29–32 antennomeres (HT 32); ratios of lengths of antennomeres 1–5 as 10.0: 3.2: 10.2: 3.7: 3.5.

Thorax. Setae on mesoscutum no longer than width of anterior ocellus, on mesoscutellum slightly longer. A median, longitudinal strip of punctures on lateral mesoscutal lobes; median mesoscutal lobe largely impunctate except for a few indistinct punctures on posterior edge; mesoscutellum in anterior half nearly impunctate, posterior half densely punctate ( Fig. 2D ). Mesepisternum shallowly punctate, with shiny interspaces; setae up to 3.5× as long as the width of anterior ocellus. Mesepimeron impunctate but finely sculptured, without setae. Protibia with 1 pre-apical spur. Fore wing cell C glabrous; cell Sc apically with very few, minute setae. Hind wing 2A without stub ( Fig. 1A ).

Abdomen. Terga 1–3 slightly sculptured, especially laterally, but shiny; following terga nearly without sculpture ( Fig. 2E ).

Body length: 9.5–10.0 [HT 10.0] mm.

Male ( Fig 3 ). Characters as for female except for: Head ( Figs 3C–E ) largely black. Pale (yellow-white) are most of clypeus apart from black upper lateral margins, mouthparts (but basal and apical palpomeres partly dark; mandibles brown-tipped), narrow margins of inner and outer orbit to about 0.75× height of eye, a small spot at the top of the eye. Pubescence partly long: on upper head up to 2.5× width of anterior ocellus ( Fig. 3D ). 30 antennomeres. Ratios of lengths of antennomeres 1–5 as 10.0: 3.3: 10.1: 4.3: 4.0. Thorax ( Figs 3A, B ) entirely black except for small part of pronotum next to spiracle. Pro- and mesofemur black except for tips; metafemur extensively black dorsally, pale ventrally. All tibiae black-streaked along inner side (more strongly than in female); streak widening towards apex. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum more extensively and strongly punctate than female; densely setose, longest setae 2.5× as long as width of anterior ocellus. Abdominal terga black; lateral margins pale ( Fig. 3A ). Sterna yellow with small median dark fleck on sterna 1–6 ( Fig. 3B ). Subgenital plate apically truncate ( Fig. 3F ).

Body length: 8 mm.

Differential diagnosis. The main distinguishing character between Acantholyda and the closely related genus Cephalcia Panzer, 1802 is the presence of one or two pre-apical spines on the protibia of the former and the absence of pre-apical spines in the latter. Cephalcia tannourinensis Chevin, 2002 , which also occurs in the cedar forests of Lebanon, and was previously the only pamphiliid species recorded in the country, is readily distinguished from A. nemeri sp. nov. by its completely black head (in both sexes). As far as we have determined, the combination of characters consisting of 1 pre-apical spur on protibia, missing occipital carina, and hind wing 2A without stub is unique among the described Acantholyda species.

Etymology. The species name honours Nabil Nemer, entomologist and curator of the Tannourine Cedar Nature Reserve, who collected part of the type series.

Host plant. All the specimens were collected either “on sight” from branches of Cedrus libani A. Rich. , or from herbaceous vegetation growing under C. libani . As no other tree species of the Pinaceae occur at the type locality (N. Nemer, personal communication), it is very likely that C. libani is the larval host.

Distribution. Lebanon (this paper).

Figures

Fig. 1. Acantholyda nemeri sp. nov. ♀. A, B, D, E – holotype; C – paratype DEI-GISHym81502. A, C – dorsal view; B – ventral view; D – antenna; E – face. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Fig. 2. Acantholyda nemeri sp. nov. ♀. A, B, D, E – holotype; C – paratype DEI-GISHym81503. A – lateral view; B, C – head dorsal and lateral; D – thorax dorsal; E – abdomen dorsal. Scale bar = 2 mm.

Fig. 3. Acantholyda nemeri sp. nov. J paratype DEI-GISHym81504. A – dorsal view; B – ventral view; C, D, E – head dorsal, lateral and frontal; F – subgenital plate ventral. Scale bars = 2 mm.