Bethylus prolatus Wang, He & Chen, 2021

Wang, Chung-Hong, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2021, Taxonomy of Bethylus (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from China with description of nine new species, Zootaxa 4974 (2), pp. 361-382 : 375-377

Bethylus prolatus Wang, He & Chen sp. nov.

Fig. 8

Description. Holotype ( Fig. 8a ). Male. Body length 3.54 mm. Forewing length 2.09 mm.

Color. Body dark castaneous to black, metasoma castaneous. Mandible yellow. Antenna yellow. Legs yellow, coxae and femora castaneous. Forewing hyaline tinged with light castaneous; veins and pterostigma light castaneous.

Pubescence. Body with sparse setae, denser in head, propleuron, mesopectus ventrally and legs. Antenna with dense appressed setae. Forewing with short dense setae.

Head ( Fig. 8b–e ). Head slightly longer than wide, LH 1.07 × WH. Mandible with four teeth; upper most one with apex straight. Median clypeal lobe developed with apex straight; median clypeal carina slightly extending posterad into frons. Antennomeres II–VI in ratio of 1.32:1.18:1.08:1.04:1.0 in length and respectively 2.37, 2.37, 2.11, 1.92, 1.80 × width; antennal scrobal carina absent. Frons and vertex coriaceous with shallow sparse punctures separate 1.0–4.0 × their own diameter. WF 1.51 × LE; LE 1.05 × DEV. Anterior ocellus far away from eyes; frontal angle of ocellar triangle acute; POL1.07 × AOL; OOL 2.17 × WOT; DPV 0.93 × DAO. Vertex crest straight; sides of head posterior to eyes converging posteriorly. Malar space narrow, malar line between mandible and eye absent. Gena coriaceous; ventral area coriaceous with punctures less than frons.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 8 f-g). Pronotum coriaceous; dorsal pronotal area shorter than wide with shallow punctures. Mesoscutum coriaceous with shallow punctures; mesoscutum 0.86 × mesoscutellum; parapsidal signum complete. Mesoscutellum coriaceous with shallow punctures; mesoscutellar pits oblong. Metapostnotum rugulose, median ridge weakly coriaceous; dorsal area of propodeum rugulose, obliquely rugose near lateral marginal carina; lateral marginal carina of metapectal-propodeal disc complete; propodeal declivity coriaceous; anterior metapleural area coriaceous, metapleural line with three pits; lateral surface of metapectal-propodeal complex coriaceous. Propleuron coriaceous. Prosternum coriaceous. Mesopectus coriaceous with shallow punctures; mesopleural pit and fovea weak.

Forewing ( Fig. 8h ). Rs+M 2 v extremely short; 2r-rs&Rs 2 v slightly rounded with apex curved.

Metasoma. Metasomal terga shiny, weakly coriaceous basally; median longitudinal carina of first metasomal tergum exceeding first metasomal spiracle, about one third as long as first metasomal tergum. Metasomal sterna coriaceous; first metasomal sternum rugulose, basal half elevated medially, median longitudinal carina absent; hypopygium bilobate with median notch deep and narrow ( Fig. 8i ). Genitalia ( Fig. 8 j-k): ventral arm of paramere with long setae, apex of dorsal arm obtuse; margin of cuspis distinctly rounded in ventral view; digitus sickle-shaped and papillate dorsally; aedeagus bottle-shaped.

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Body length: 3.45–4.36 mm. Length of forewing: 1.94–2.33 mm. LH 1.04–1.07 × WH; WF 1.51– 1.64 × LE; LE 1.02–1.09 × DEV; POL 1.02–1.07 × AOL; OOL 2.10–2.23 × WOT; DPV 0.93–1.14 × DAO.

Type material. Holotype ♂ ( ZJUH), China, Hebei Province, Zhangjiakou, Xiaowutai Mountain , 20– 23.viii.2005, Jingxian Liu, No. 200609401 . Paratypes: ♂ ( ZJUH), Ningxia, Jingyuan, Hongxia Forest Farm, 106°20′14″E, 35°30′15″N, 1–7.vii.2008, Minjie Yao, No. 200808904 ; ♂ ( ZJUH), Ningxia, Jingyuan, Hongxia Forest Farm , 106°20′14″E, 35°30′15″N, 1–7.vii.2008, Minjie Yao, No. 200808906 .

Distribution. China (Hebei, Ningxia).

Etymology. The specific name “ prolatus “refers to the extended clypeus of this species.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other species of this genus by having its head almost square ( Fig. 8b ), apex of median clypeal lobe truncate ( Fig. 8b ), notch of hypopygium broad ( Fig. 8i ), and cuspis echinate ( Fig. 8k ).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Bethylus prolatus sp. nov. holotype, ♂. a. Habitus lateral; b. Head, frontal view; c. Mandible; d. Antenna; e. Head, lateral view; f. Mesosoma, dorsal view; g. Mesosoma, lateral view; h. Forewing; i. The seventh metasomal sternum and Hypopygium; j. Genitalia, dorsal view; k. Genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.15 mm.