Philoctetes gulbahra Rosa & Halada, 2025

Rosa, Paolo, Halada, Marek, Fateryga, Alexander V. & Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu., 2025, Contribution to the knowledge of the Uzbek cuckoo wasps (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) with the first checklist and descriptions of new species, Zootaxa 5715 (1), pp. 331-399 : 348-350

Philoctetes gulbahra Rosa & Halada , sp. nov.

( Figs 3A–G )

Material examined. Holotype — ♂, Uzbekistan: Kyzyl-Kir env. (pr. Buchara), 28.IV.1978, leg. J. Strejček ( NMLU).

Diagnosis. In the genus Philoctetes Abeille de Perrin , only a few species are entirely golden, red or red to violet in colour.Among them, P. gulbahra sp. nov. stands out by the following combination of characters: the apical margin of the third tergum is broadly hyline, medially notched and snout-like ( Fig. 3F ); the metasomal punctation is double, with very small, dense punctures ( Fig. 3D ); the face is almost flat, with a narrow scapal basin just wide enough to accommodate the two antennal scapes ( Fig. 3C ); the temples are narrow and gently rounded ( Fig. 3A ); and the body is entirely rosy, darkened to black on scutellum and metascutum ( Figs 3B, D ). Other Palaearctic species with a similar colour pattern include the following: P. mongolicus and P. cynthiae , both easily distinguished by the presence of a metanotal plate, a wide scapal basin and very narrow hyaline rim; P. horvathi , with the metanotum apically convex, and the apical margin lacking the distinct hyaline rim; P. inflammatus , with a wide scapal basin and without a medial notch or hyaline rim; P. deauratus , with a shiny, golden colour, even punctation, a small median notch and a narrow hyaline rim.

Description. Male holotype ( Fig. 3A–G ). Body length: 3.7 mm.

Head. OOL = 1.4× MOD; POL = 2.5× MOD; MS = 0.6× MOD. Punctures on vertex, frons, face, and laterally to scapal basin, relatively large (up to 0.6–0.7× MOD), deep ( Figs 3A, C ) and spaced, up to 1 PD with shining, polished interspaces, without dots or other sculpture; face medially polished, with scapal basin reduced to a narrow concavity; posterior ocellus close to eye (1.4× MOD); ocellar triangle with shallow punctures; area around posterior ocelli largely polished, including the posterior margin of vertex ( Fig. 3A ); temple narrow, 1.5× MOD from posterior margin of eye to posterior margin of vertex, rounded; genae punctate as frons; genal carina not bisecting malar space; apical margin of clypeus trilobed, median lobe with brown rim, lateral lobes hyaline; subantennal distance 0.6× MOD; post-ocellar line incomplete, formed by short line (about 1.0× MOD) close to posterior ocelli. Antennae lost, only the scapes present.

Mesosoma. Pronotum largely polished, with sparse, shallow punctures medially, as large as those on vertex, laterally denser, deeper ( Fig. 3B ); smaller, denser and aligned on posterior margin. Mesoscutum with small, shallow, sparse punctures (0.2–0.4× MOD) clumped along notauli, larger at base. Mesoscutellum anteromedially with large triangular, polished area; punctures around this area as large as those on vertex; metascutellum slightly convex, but not protruding or ending in prominence ( Fig. 3E ), with propodeal declivity straight in lateral view; punctures on metascutellum large, reticulate, and contiguous, without polished interspaces; mesopleuron ventrally carinate.

Metasoma. First tergum medially impunctate; sparse and double punctured laterally; apical margin impunctate; second tergum medially and postero-medially evenly punctate with shallow, sparse (up to 3–4 PD), small punctures; impunctate along mid-line; double punctation laterally with larger, deep punctures; apical margin widely impunctate (1.0× MOD wide) and non-metallic brown; punctures on third tergum similar, but denser, and more extensively double punctate; apical margin of third tergum medially notched, apically drawn out, snout-like with expanded hyaline-brownish rim ( Figs 3F, G ). Second sternum with few, sparse dots.

Colour. Body entirely rosy with darker area to blackish on interspaces on scutellum and metanotum, contrasting with greenish or rosy punctures; sterna black, mandible and tegula non-metallic brown. Legs metallic rosy, tarsi light brown; meso-, metacoxa and femur ventrally dark green to blackish. Scape metallic rosy.

Etymology. The epithet gulbahra (feminine noun in apposition) derives from the Uzbek gulbahra (“Rosebeautiful”), referring to colour pattern of this species. Gulbahra is also a character of the Uzbek folktale “Zarlik and Munglik”, which is also present in other Central Asian countries, among Turkic peoples, with some variants (e.g., “Hasan and Zuhra”).

Distribution. Uzbekistan.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Philoctetes gulbahra Rosa & Halada, sp. nov., holotype, female; A, C—head, dorsal (A) and frontal (C) view; B, E—mesosoma, dorsal (B) and lateral (E) view; D, F, G—metasoma, dorsal (D), lateral (F) and posterior (G) view.