Aclista vernalis, Macek, 2005

Macek, Jan, 2005, Revision of the Central European species of Aclista (Diapriidae, Hymenoptera). Part II. Aclista insolita Nixon, 1957 Aclista dubia Kieffer, 1909 and similar species, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 45, pp. 183-197 : 91-93

Aclista vernalis sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 9 , 16 , 23 , 30, 37 )

Type locality. Czech Republic, Čelákovice env., NR Lipovka.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀, ‘CZ, Bohemia centr., Čelákovice env., Lipovka res., (5854), 4.- - 19.v.1993, Macek lgt. et det.’ ( NMPC) . ALLOTYPE: J, same label data as holotype ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: CZECH REPUBLIC: BOHEMIA centr., Čelákovice env., NR Lipovka (5854), 4.- - 19.v.1993, 8 ♀♀ 3 JJ ; Praha-Kunratice, Nový Hrádek ruin (5952), 18.-25.v.1992, 3 ♀♀ 10 JJ ; Kunratice park (5952), 5.-18.v.1992, 3 ♀♀ 4 JJ ; Krčský les forest (5952), 4.v.1993, 1 ♀ 1 J ; 6.v.1980, 1 J; NR Křivoklátsko, Jestřábec forest (6049), 4.vi.1984, 1 J . MORAVIA mer., Lanžhot (7267), 15.v.1984, 1 ♀ 1 J, all J. Macek lgt. et det. ( NMPC) . SLOVAKIA centr.: Cerová vrchovina Mts., Pohanský vrch hill (7785), 14.v.1985, 1 ♀ 2 J ; Obručná hill (7785), 14.v.1985, 2 JJ ; Ragáč hill (7785), 15.v.1985, 2 JJ ; SLOVAKIA occ.: Zobor hill (7674), 23.v.1987, 3 ♀♀ 3 JJ, all J. Macek lgt. & det. ( NMPC) .

Description. Female (holotype). Length 3.8 mm; colour black; antennae, legs, mandibles and palpi brownish.

Head in dorsal view strongly transverse, in frontal view subtriangular with smooth face, prominent antennal sockets, toruli separated by deep cleft; vertex convex; temples converging posteriorly; ocelli large, OOL> POL; longest eye diameter slightly shorter than malar space; eyes pubescent; head in lateral view higher than long; antennal sockets slightly rugose below; subantennal furrows short, indistinct, confluent with fine subantennal rugosity; tentorial pits placed in deep hollows; mouth aperture shorter than malar space; clypeus convex, smooth; mandibles overlapping slightly; antennae incrassate, 15-segmented with very short, dense pubescence; scape narrowed towards apex, slightly curved, about twice as long as flagellomere 1; flagellomeres becoming shorter and more transverse towards apex.

Mesosoma convex, as wide as head; pronotal shoulders sharply prominent; epomia strong; lateral pronotum strongly impressed, smooth and very shiny, not visible from above; the pronotal shoulder connected with tegula by distinct upper rim lining the sulcus; mesoscutum convex; notauli continuous diverging posteriorly; scutellum convex, smooth, with large subquadrate anterior fovea; lateral foveae smooth, with a very fine tuft of pubescence; mesopleura smooth, with large scrobe in middle; dorsellum with conical tubercle in middle; lateral sides of metanotum smooth with irregular puncturation; propodeum slightly transverse, its dorsal surface quadrate, sparsely pubescent; posterior rim of propodeum with raised ledge; medial keel of propodeum simple; outer plicae turned outwards posteriorly, sharply pointed posteriorly, inner plicae not prominent posteriorly.

Wings slightly infumate; marginal vein slightly shorter than parastigma; radial cell closed, 1.5 times as long as marginalis; postmarginal vein longer than marginal vein; stigmal vein slightly oblique to marginal vein, shorter than marginal vein.

Petiole subcylindrical and smooth with irregular longitudinal rugosity; gaster fusiform, with slightly upturned pygidium, sparsely pubescent; base of macrotergite as wide as petiole; basal sculpture of macrotergite with long medial furrow and short, fine and fan-shaped contiguous striation; prepygidial segments partly telescoped in repose; pygidium very short, slightly upturned.

Male (allotype). Differs from female in 14-segmented filiform antennae; scape slender, shorter than F1; F1 with semicircular emargination on basal third.

Variability. The examined material shows no apparent variation.

Differential diagnosis. Based on the morphological characters, A. vernalis sp. nov. has an intermediate position between A. prolongata (Kieffer, 1907) and A. insolita . It differs from the former species in the slender blackish antennae with subtle apical segment, short mandibles, short marginal cell and subquadrate scutellar fovea. From A. insolita it differs in the flagellum and scape not narrowed at the apex and in the more transverse head in frontal view.

Etymology. Adjective vernalis (Latin) = spring; referring to the spring flight period of the species.

Bionomy. Hosts unknown; flight period from May to June.

Distribution. So far known only from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Figures

Figs. 1-7. Head, frontal view (female). 1 – Aclista insolita Nixon, 1957; 2 – A. vernalis sp. nov.; 3 – A. dubia Kieffer, 1909; 4 – A. longistilus Kieffer, 1909; 5 – A. marginalis Kieffer, 1909; 6 – A. elegantula sp. nov.; 7 – A. subtilis sp. nov. Scale = 1 mm.

Figs. 8-13. Head, dorsal view (female). 8 – Aclista insolita Nixon, 1957; 9 – A. vernalis sp. nov.; 10 – A. dubia Kieffer, 1909; 11 – A. longistilus Kieffer, 1909; 12 – A. marginalis Kieffer, 1909; 13 – A. elegantula sp. nov.; 14 – A. subtilis sp. nov. Scale = 1 mm.

Figs. 22-28. Antennae, lateral view (female). 22 – Aclista insolita Nixon, 1957; 23 – A. vernalis sp. nov.; 24 – A. dubia Kieffer, 1909; 25 – A. longistilus Kieffer, 1909; 26 – A. marginalis Kieffer, 1909; 27 – A. elegantula sp. nov.; 28 – A. subtilis sp. nov. Scale = 2 mm.

Figs. 29-42. 29-35 – fore wing venation (female). 29 – Aclista insolita Nixon, 1957; 30 – A. vernalis sp. nov.; 31 – A. dubia Kieffer, 1909; 32 – A. longistilus Kieffer, 1909; 33 – A. marginalis Kieffer, 1909; 34 – A. elegantula sp. nov.; 35 – A. subtilis sp. nov. 36-42 – proximal part of antenna, lateral view (male). 36 – A. insolita; 37 – A. vernalis sp. nov.; 38 – A. dubia; 39 – A. longistilus; 40 – A. marginalis; 41 – A. elegantula sp. nov.; 42 – A. subtilis sp. nov. Scale = 1 mm (Figs. 29-35) and 0.7 mm (Figs. 36-42).