Nysson excavatus Turner

Kumar, P. Girish, 2021, A review of the genus Nysson Latreille (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Bembicinae: Nyssonini) from India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 121 (2), pp. 269-277 : 271-274

3. Nysson excavatus Turner ( Figure 10–18 )

1914. Nysson excavatus Turner , 253, ♂. Holotype: ♂, India: Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore ( BMNH).

Diagnosis: Apical margin of clypeal lobe rounded medially ( Figure 12 ); frontal carina low, somewhat triangularly projected, extending about half towards anterior ocellus; punctation of head coarser ( Figure 11 ); pronotal dorsum not ridged anteriorly; upper part of mesopleuron towards top weakly elevated, not to form a lamellate projection; propodeal enclosure with coarse longitudinal rugae dorsally; posterolateral propodeal tooth short, blunt; second submarginal cell of forewing distinctly shorter than the third submarginal cell on the lower side ( Figure 14 ); first two metasomal tergites with punctures separated by once or twice the diameter of a puncture; in female, pygidium ( Figure 17 ) well developed with small continuous pits, apex narrowly rounded; last metasomal sternite, in female, without a median polished longitudinal groove, apex of this sternite distinctly curved inward; in male, seventh metasomal tergum with acute posterolateral tooth, apex between teeth emarginate and apical margin of seventh sternum rounded.

Colour: Black, integument dull, the following red: mandible except base and apex; the following dull white to pale yellow: base of mandible, apex of scape beneath, stripe on pronotal dorsum interrupted in middle ( Figure 13 ), pronotal lobe, narrow band at base of scutellum ( Figure 13 ), fore coxa and apices of mid and hind coxa beneath, small spot on base of fore and mid tibia, small spot on apices of all tibiae (rarely absent), posterolateral propodeal tooth, first two metasomal terga apically with a narrow transverse stripe broadly interrupted in middle and not extending to sides ( Figure 16 ); the following brown: outer margin of tegulae. Vestiture silvery, short, and appressed, dense only on clypeus, lower half of frons towards inner eye margins, and propodeal dorsum laterad of propodeal enclosure, and in males apical margin of seventh sternum (with a row of dense short setae) also. Wings ( Figure 14 & 15 ) slightly infumated, veins dark brown.

Size: female, 6.0–7.0 mm; male, 5.5–6.5 mm.

Material examined: INDIA: Goa, North Goa district, Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary (15° 26’ 24’’ N & 74° 06’ 23’’ E, 216 m), 1♂, 16.v.2018, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14475 . Karnataka, Kodagu district, Thondoor (12° 25’ 08’’ N & 75° 52’ 74’’ E, 884 m), 1♀, 22.xii.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14476 . Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram district, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Ananirathi (8° 49’ 75’’ N & 77° 24’ 2’’ E, 1600 m), 3♀♀, 16.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14477– 14479; Thiruvananthapuram district , Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kottur (8° 33’ 21’’ N & 77° 9’ 15’’ E, 101 m), 1♀ & 2♂♂, 17.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14480–14482; Thiruvananthapuram district , Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, dam site (8° 32’ 01’’ N & 77° 08’ 50’’ E, 77 m), 1♀, 17.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14480– 14483; Thiruvananthapuram district , Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanithadam forest (8° 39’ 43’’ N & 77° 08’ 59’’ E, 125 m), 1♀, 19.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14480–14484; Kozhikode district , Janakikkadu forest (11° 37’ 32’’ N & 75° 47’ 36’’ E, 31 m), 1♀, 7.iii.2019, Coll. N.V. Ayisha Mawadda, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14485; Kozhikode district , Purameri (11° 40’ 26’’ N & 75° 37’ 51’’ E, 20 m), 1♂, 15.xii.2018, Coll. K.P. Hanima Raveendran, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14486; Kozhikode district , Nadapuram (11° 41’ 01’’ N & 75° 39’ 20’’ E, 27 m), 2♂♂ ,

15.i.2020, Coll. K.P. Hanima Raveendran, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14487 & 14488; Wayanad district , Pookode lake side (11° 32’ 30’’ N & 76° 1’ 35’’ E, 778 m), 1♂ , 9.iii.2019, Coll. P.M. Sureshan & Party, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14489; Wayanad district , Nadavayal (11° 44’ 23’’ N & 76° 07’ 08’’ E, 784 m), 1♂ , 29.ii.2020, Coll. Kuriakose Junior, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.14490; Malappuram district , Nedumkayam (11° 17’ 29’’ N & 76° 20’ 26’’ E, 34 m), 1♂ ,

9.ii.2020, Coll. Tessy Rajan, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/ IR/INV.14491.

Distribution: India: Goa (new record), Karnataka (new record), Kerala (new record), Tamil Nadu ( Turner, 1914).

Figures

Figures 10-18. Nysson excavatus Turner. 10–17 ♀ & 18 ♂. 10. Habitus, lateral view. 11. Head, face view. 12. Lower part of head, face view. 13. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 14. Fore wing. 15. Hind wing. 16. Metasoma, dorsal view. 17. Last metasomal tergite. 18. Antenna.