Mickelomyrme leleji Sittichaya & Williams, 2022

Thaochan, Narit, Williams, Kevin A., Thoawan, Kodeeyah, Jeenthong, Tadsanai & Sittichaya, Wisut, 2022, Three new species and one new country record of velvet ants (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae) from Thailand, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 93, pp. 151-165 : 151

Mickelomyrme leleji Sittichaya & Williams sp. nov.

Fig. 3

Material examined.

Holotype: ♀, Thailand, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Khong Chiam District, Khao Phan Bok, Mekong river , 140 msl., N152708.33 E1053545.96, 09.ii.2016. W. Jaitrong leg. (THNHM) . Paratype: ♀, Thailand, Loei Province, Phu Ruea District, Waranya Resort 17.460 -101.355, 25-26.III.2019, K. Williams, S. Puttasok, K. Thoawan, R. Malee and N. Thaochan leg. (1♀ CSCA) .

Diagnosis.

Female. This species can be separated from other Mickelomyrme by the unique metasomal setal pattern: the T2 posterior fringe is has a mesal patch of white setae and T3-5 have the setae mostly whitish. The following characters are also diagnostic: the vertex has sparse whitish setae; the mesosoma is uniformly orange-brown without distinct whitish setal patches; the scutellar scale is transversely arcuate, ~6 punctures wide, with transverse wavy carinae anterior and posterior to the scale; the T2 disc is convex and the cuticle is uniformly blackish beneath the white setal spots; and the pygidium is elongate triangular with most striae continuous nearly to the apical margin. Body length 3.5-4.5 mm. Male. Unknown.

Description.

Female. Body length 3.5 mm. Coloration. Head dark brown except antennal tubercle, malar space, clypeus, mandibular bases, scape and pedicel bases apparently paler brown. Mesosoma orange-brown. Legs brown except pro-, meso- and metacoxae paler. Metasoma dark brown except T1 orange-brown, S1-6 paler brown. Body setae generally sparse except T3-4 apically. Setal color generally whitish, except mesosoma dorsum and T2 aside from setal patches covered with dark-brown appressed setae; T2 disc with three large white ovate setal patches; T2 fringe white mesally; T3-6 setae almost entirely whitish. Head. Width behind eye subequal to mesosoma width. Frons, vertex, and gena punctures small, widely separated. Mandible apex apparently unidentate. Clypeus with transverse entire carina carina, basomedial portion triangulate narrow with a small, median tubercle. Antennal scrobe without dorsal carina. Antennal tubercle smooth. Genal carina obliterated. F1 1.6 × pedicel length, F2 1.2 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Length 1.4 × width. Dorsum with shallow hexagonal punctures, punctures on apical onefifth very shallow obscure, deeper and more prominent posteriorly. Side of mesosoma smooth and shining, upper portion sparsely covered with shorter setae, lower portion with dense white long setae. Mesopleural lamella absent. Humeral carina weakly developed and obliterated dorsally. Ratio of width of humeral angle, anterior spiracle, narrowest point of mesonotum, propodeal spiracle, and widest point of propodeum 46:52:44:46:48. Scutellar scale transversely arcuate, ~6 punctures wide, with transverse wavy carinae anterior and posterior to scale. Posterior propodeal face; upper portion areolate, lower portion shagreened without punctures. Lateral and posterior propodeal faces not separated by carina. Metatibio-tarsal ratio 39:20:12:9:6:6. Metasoma. T1-5 with small dense punctures. S1 with simple longitudinal carina. T2 felt line 0.56 × T2 total length. T6 with elongate triangular pygidial plate, with sub-parallel striae (~14 near base), mostly reaching apex. S6 posterior margin narrowly emarginate.

Male. Unknown.

Variation.

The paratype is 4.5 mm in length and has slightly a wider patch of blackish setae mesally on T5.

Distribution.

Thailand (Loei, Ubon Ratchathani)

Etymology.

The name honors Arkady S. Lelej, who described the genus and for his great contributions to modern velvet-ant taxonomy.

Remarks.

In the key to female velvet ants in southern Thailand ( Williams et al. 2019), this species terminates at couplet 17 because the metasomal coloration does not match any of the species. It terminates at couplet 2 in the key to East Asian Mickelomyrme species ( Lelej 1996) for the same reason. Structurally, this species seems most similar to M. kinguri Williams in Williams et al,. 2019 or M. puttasoki Williams in Williams et al. 2019, based on the distinct pygidial striae. The pygidial shape is somewhat intermediate between those species, being elongate triangular (broadly triangular in M. puttasoki , elongate ovate in M. kinguri ). Unlike those species, the mesonotum is uniformly orange-brown (pronotum largely blackened in M. kinguri and M. puttasoki ); the mesonotum lacks distinct white setal patches (present in M. kinguri and M. puttasoki ), the T2 disc patches are composed of concolorous whitish setae (mesal T2 disc patch yellowish, orange, or absent in M. kinguri and M. puttasoki ), and the T2 fringe has a whitish mesal setal patch (T2 fringe entirely black in M. kinguri and M. puttasoki ). Additionally, unlike M. kinguri , the head is dark brown (pale orange-brown in M. kinguri ) and, unlike M. puttasoki , the pygidial striae are sub-parallel (striae posteriorly divergent in M. puttasoki ).

Figures

Figure 3. Mickelomyrme leleji sp. nov., holotype, female A dorsal view B mesosoma dorsum C lateral view D metasomal terga E vertex F clypeus G pygidium.