Harpactus impudens ( Nurse, 1903 ), 2022

Binoy, C., Kumar, P. Girish, Monks, Joseph & Sheikh, Altaf Hussain, 2022, A review of digger wasp genus Harpactus Shuckard, 1837 (Hymenoptera Crabronidae) of the Indian subcontinent, with description of a new species and rediscovery of Harpactus impudens (Nurse, 1903), Zootaxa 5190 (4), pp. 531-542 : 533-537

Harpactus impudens ( Nurse, 1903)

Figures 1–17

Gorytes impudens Nurse, 1903: 15 , Holotype ♂, India: Rajasthan: Mount Abu (NHMUK).

Dienoplus impudens (Nurse) , new combination by Bohart & Menke 1976: 508.

Harpactus impudens (Nurse) , new combination by Pulawski 1985: 59–60.

Type material ( Images): Holotype ♂ ( Figs 1–4 ), India: Rajasthan, —“Abu Col[onel]. C. G. Nurse Collection. 1920–72, B.M. Type Hym. 21.1,498 ( NHMUK) NHMUK012858524 —”.

Additional materials examined: 2 ♂ & 2 ♀, India: Kerala, Wayanad, Muthanga Forest range (11°38′38.6″N 76°22′31.4″E, alt. 919 m), 7.ii.2021, P. Girish Kumar collector, ( ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.17647– 17650 .

Diagnosis. Propodeal enclosure black; clypeus apico-medially emarginate; fore wing subhyaline, without apical infumation; fore and mid coxae and femora with ivory streaks ventroapically; metasoma black with white oval spots on T1 and T2; T1 smooth, impunctate; T2 with scattered large punctures and sparse micropunctures.

Description. Female (hitherto unknown) ( Figs 5–12 ). Body length 6.7 mm; fore wing length 4.1 mm.

Colour. Head black with the following yellow: labrum, lower two third of frons (except in middle), clypeus (except large medial brown-black patch), antennal scape ventrally, small medial patch on outer mandibular surface (base black, remainder red-brown), and small mark behind eye. Mesosoma reddish brown (except ventrally black) with sclerites separated by black margin; propodeal enclosure black ( Fig. 8 ); legs brown-black with yellow spot; fore coxa ventrally with yellow patch, and mid and hind coxae reddish brown ventrally with apical ivory-yellow patch; fore and mid femora reddish brown to black with pale ivory-yellow to white spot on apico-ventral margin; fore and mid tibiae brownish black; hind coxa and femur brownish black; hind tibia brownish black with baso-dorsal surface with trace of pale yellow spot; all tarsi brown with terminal tarsomeres black; wings subhyaline with dark brown venation ( Fig. 17 ); metasoma black with yellow patches as follows: T1 with two oval sublateral patches; T2 with an apical band along posterior margin joining two sublateral oval spots; T5 mostly pale yellow ( Fig. 11 ).

Pubescence. Head with moderately dense white setae along yellow patches, remainder of face with moderate pubescence, setae white, except slightly yellow on upper frons; pedicel, flagellum, maxillary and labial palpi, pronotal lobe, tegula, both wing surfaces and tarsi of all legs with short appressed to semi-erect pubescence; pubescence around vertex and gena dense, white; clypeus with white pubescence arising from punctures and few long brown setae arising from foveae; spine-like thick setae present on labrum and mandible; pronotum and lateral side of mesoscutum with white setae, medially with moderately dense brown setae; propodeum with long, white setae apically; legs moderately pubescent both on outer and inner sides; metasoma moderately pubescent, with white setae on T2 on oval spot, remainder with brown setae; T3 and T4 moderately pubescent with thick brown setae; T5 mostly with sparse white pubescence; T6 with white-brown pubescence.

Head. Head in frontal view rounded, wider than high (IH= 0.75), inner orbits subsinuate ( Fig. 7 ); gena wide ( Fig. 6 ); occipital carina separated from eye margin at vertex by 2.0 × OD; labrum rounded at free margin; clypeus broad (IC= 0.3), with clypeal disc evenly convex, apico-medially emarginate, uneven, with discernible setigerous punctation and setigerous foveae; clypeal lamella broad, pale to semi-translucent brown; mandible slender, evenly curved, inner tooth triangular; frons shiny, distinctly micropunctate and with scattered large punctures; vertex, ocellar area and gena shiny, sculpture similar as on frons, relatively sparser; OOD = 0.82× OD, 0.49× POD ( Fig. 5 ); scape twice as long as wide; flagellomeres longer than broad.

Mesosoma. Pronotum and mesoscutum shiny, with setigerous micropunctures and thick setae; anterior margin of scutellum with row of foveae; scutellum, metanotum and mesopleuron shiny with scattered micropunctures; scrobal sulcus distinct; metapleuron shiny, unevenly sculptured, virtually impunctate; propodeal enclosure distinctly rugose, distinct median furrow present, most of remaining area slightly rugose ( Fig. 8 ).

Metasoma. T1 smooth, shiny, with sparse micropunctures, few scattered large punctures laterally; T2 minutely alutaceous with scattered large punctures; large punctures 2–3 diameters apart; T3–T4 uniformly and finely rugosepunctate with dense pubescence throughout; T6 with scattered oblong punctures at apex; pygidial plate broadly triangular, with sharp lateral carina ( Fig. 11 ); sterna finely alutaceous with scattered large setigerous punctures; S2 with punctures concentrated baso-dorsally, sparse posteriorly; S3–S6 with similar base sculpture and scattered punctures ( Fig. 12 ).

Redescription. Male ( Figs 1–4 , 13–17 ). Body length 6.0 mm; fore wing length 4.0 mm.

Colour. Head black with labrum, clypeus, lower two third of frons (except in middle), scape ventrally and basal two thirds of outer mandibular surface (remainder reddish brown) yellow; antenna brownish black, reddish brown ventrally, more prominent on F8 to terminal flagellomere; remainder as in female.

Head. Head in frontal view slightly broader than high (IH = 0.75), inner orbits almost parallel, slightly sinuate dorsally ( Fig. 14 ). Gena moderately wide; occipital carina separated from eye margin at vertex by 1.7 × OD, ocular width about 1.3 × as malar space in lateral view; labrum with free margin rounded; clypeus less broad than in female (IC = 0.55), with disc moderately and evenly convex mesally, shiny,hardly rugulose, its free margin evenly emarginate; clypeal lamella broad (0.3× OD), translucent; mandible evenly curved, inner tooth distinctly small, blunt; supraantennal sclerite shiny, uniformly micropunctate over shiny background; punctures one diameter apart ( Fig. 14 ); few scattered larger punctures, puncture diameter 0.16 × OD; vertex, ocellar area and gena shiny, with setigerous micropunctures and few larger punctures as on frons; OOD 0.8 × OD, 0.6 × POD ( Fig. 13 ); scape robust, 1.68 × as long as wide; flagellomeres I–VII stout, flagellomere VIII onwards enlarged; IF 1 –IF 11 = 3.8: 2.7: 2.3: 2.1: 1.7: 2.1: 1.5: 3.4: 2.5: 3.0: 4.2; ventral surface of flagellomeres VIII-XI finely excavated, excavation deepest in flagellomere VIII ( Fig. 16 ).

Mesosoma. Sculpture and colour as in female ( Fig. 15 ).

Metasoma. T1 smooth, shiny, with sparse micropunctures, few scattered large punctures laterally; T2 with dense micropunctures and scattered large punctures; large punctures 2–3 diameters apart; T3–T4 uniformly micropunctate throughout; sculpture on rest of terga hidden under thick pubescence; sterna sculptured like terga.

Variation. In the specimens from southern India the legs, mesosoma and antenna ventrally are much darker than in the holotype from Mount Abu (Rajasthan). The patches on hind tibia are much more pronounced in the holotype while weakly represented (and even absent in some specimens) in the south Indian form. These differences, however, can be considered intraspecific variations given the species distribution .

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Harpactus impudens (Nurse, 1903) Holotype ♂. 1, habitus, lateral view; 2, head, frontal view; 3, habitus, dorsal view; 4, type labels.

FIGURES 5–12. Harpactus impudens (Nurse, 1903) ♀. 5, habitus, lateral view; 6, head, lateral view; 7, head, frontal view; 8, metapostnotum and propodeum; 9, fore wing; 10, hind wing; 11, metasoma, dorsal view; 12, metasoma, ventral view.

FIGURES 13–17. Harpactus impudens (Nurse, 1903) ♂. 13, habitus, lateral view; 14, head, lateral view; 15, habitus, dorsal view; 16, antenna, ventral view; 17, wings.