Parancistrocerus laticlypeus Li & Carpenter, 2019

Li, Tingjing & Carpenter, James M., 2019, Descriptions of eight new species of the genus Parancistrocerus Bequaert (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), with a key to the Oriental species, Zootaxa 4551 (3), pp. 251-274 : 259-260

Parancistrocerus laticlypeus Li & Carpenter , sp. nov.

Figs 14–19

Material examined. Holotype, 1♀, Thailand, Loei Phu Kradueng NP Forest prot. unitLoei.5 (Phakbung), 16°50.54′N, 101°41.663′E, 406m, Malaise trap, 19–25.II.2007, Noo Kerdlom leg, T1502, deposited in QSBG.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to P. samarensis (Schulthess) from Laos and Philippines by having the apex of T3 prolonged mesally. It differs from P. samarensis and other congeners by the following combination of characters: apical prolongation of T3 little developed and indistinct ( Figs. 17 ), clypeus with flattened part welldefined by two longitudinal carinae from middle to apex, clypeal apex obviously wide: 1.61× distance between antennal sockets ( Fig. 15 ), and apical bands of T1–T2 thin and ivory white ( Figs 17–19 ).

Description. Female ( Fig. 14 ). Body length 6.0 mm. Head slightly wider than long in frontal view; clypeus ( Fig. 15 ) sparsely punctate excluding apex smooth, with flattened part well-defined by two longitudinal carinae from middle to apex, clypeal maximum width 1.09× its length, apex moderately emarginated forming two lateral and blunt teeth, apex 1.61× as wide as distance between antennal sockets; inter-antennal area strongly swollen; frons coarsely punctate and reticulate, punctures on vertex and tempora sparser than those of frons; cephalic foveae present, somewhat circle and flattened, covered with setae and easily discriminated from same surrounding punctures; interocular distance on vertex 1.47× that at clypeus; interspace of posterior ocelli polished and sparsely punctate, POL 1.29× OOL; distance between anterior ocellus and posterior ocelli 1.1× as long as diameter of anterior ocellus; occipital carina incomplete mesally.

Median area of anterior face of pronotum polished, two median foveae contiguous and V-shaped mesally; anterior face of pronotum laterally with setae and unobvious punctures; pronotal carina absent dorsally, and present and not strong laterally; pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum punctate and somewhat reticulate, these punctures almost as big and deep as those on head ( Fig. 14 ); median length of mesoscutum as long as its maximum width; scutellum medially without longitudinal groove; metanotum with coarse punctures, interspaces more or less carinate; mesopleuron coarsely punctate and reticulated except large area of epicnemium and posterior margin with pubescence covering epicnemial carina; metapleuron with pubescence; dorsal face of propodeum forming horizontal area behind midline of metanotum ( Fig. 18 ), obviously with pubescence and coarsely and deeply punctate, interspaces between punctures with reticulate carinae; posterior face of propodeum deeply concave, densely with transverse striate, and withmedian, longitudinal and strong carina; lateral sides of propodeum similar to dorsal face on upper part, and with pubescence and without punctures on lower part; superior carina of propodeum well-developed and lamellate at top, submarginal carina moderately projecting as lobe above propodeal valvula. Tegula smooth with few minute punctures, evenly rounded posteriorly, posteriorly emarginated adjoining parategula and almost reaching apex of latter.

T1 ( Fig. 18 ) with strong arched and transverse carina separating vertical face from dorsal face, transverse carina 0.75× as wide as dorsal horizontal face; vertical anterior face of T1 much shorter than dorsal horizontal face, with few scattered punctures, dorsal face long, 1.38 as wide as its median length, with shallow and transverse groove at about 1/3 from the base of dorsal face, moderately punctate and not reticulate, punctures much sparser, and shallower than those on head and mesosoma, and without rows of punctures at the yellow band; punctures of T2 ( Fig. 17 ) similar to and somewhat denser than those of T1, T2 not swollen, laterally normal at base, without cave at median base, with one regular row of sparse punctures at subapex, 1.49× as wide as its median length; maximum width of T2 1.12× that of T1, T2 not reflexed at apex, with apical margin normal, not prolonged mesally; S2 ( Fig. 19 ) convex basally; both T3 ( Fig. 17 ) and S3 ( Fig. 19 ) indistinctly prolonged at median apex forming small and arched lobe; following metasomal segments normal.

Body black, following parts yellow or whitish yellow: arched band of clypeus basally, mandible basally, apical spot in ocular sinus, a small spot on upper tempora, ventral side of scape, two lateral spots on dorsal surface of pronotum, and two lateral spots on metanotum; the following parts ivory white: anterior and posterior spots of tegula, parategula, submarginal carina, a small apical spot on fore femur, apical spots on all tibiae, bands on first mid and hind tarsi, thin apical bands of T1–T2 and wider apical band of S2, and elongated lobe of T3; apex of clypeus, mandible mostly, and all legs excluding ivory white spots brownish yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Thailand.

Etymology. The specific name laticlypeus is derived from the Latin word latus (=wide) and the clypeus, in reference to the wide clypeal apex.

Figures

FIGURES 14–19. Parancistrocerus laticlypeus sp. nov., holotype, ♀. 14. Habitus, dorsal view; 15. Clypeus; 16. Pronotum, dorsal view; 17. T1–T5, dorsal view; 18. Propodeum and T1, dorsal view; 19. S2–S4, ventral view.