Micatagla reemae Gadallah & Soliman

Figures 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B, 10B, 11B, 12B, 13B, 14B

Material examined.

Holotype ♀: Saudi Arabia, Asir (Abha, GRNR), 30.vii.2015, Hp 4 (Olive 1), leg. Al Dhafer et al. [ZMB].

Diagnosis.

Metasomal segments 2-6 dark brown to black (Figs 12B, 13A, 14B); head and mesosomal dorsum greatly bare (Figs 6B, 7B, 9B); T2 with setal row restricted to posteromesal part along the yellow band, absent laterally (Fig. 12B); T2 and T3 ellipsoid punctate, punctures are opened posteriorly, with strong longitudinal ridges in between (Fig. 12B).

This species resembles M. fuscogaster Soliman & Gadallah in having the same body colour, apical rows of setae and yellow bands of metasomal tergites, but differs in the following: face asetose (Fig. 6B) (face covered with dense pale setae in M. fuscogaster (Fig. 6A)); vertex narrowly convex, semi-rounded (broadly convex in M. fuscogaster); mandible edentate (Fig. 6B) (with very small two teeth subapically in M. fuscogaster); ridges between ellipsoid punctures on T2 and T3 fine (Fig. 12B) (coarse in M. fuscogaster (Fig. 12A)); T6 with eight longitudinal ridges, widely separated (Fig. 14B) (10-12 and closer in M. fuscogaster (Fig. 14A)).

Description.

Female (Holotype). Body length 6.0 mm.

Colour (Figs 4B, 5B, 12B, 14B): Head (including antennae), mesosoma, legs and first metasomal segment bright red; remaining metasoma dark brown to black, with yellow bands posteromesal margin of T2 and posterior margin of T3; mandible dark reddish brown, red basally. Eye gray; fore tibial spur yellow, mid and hind ones waxy white; T6 with black longitudinal ridges.

Pubescence (Figs 7B, 9B, 10B, 11B, 12B): Posterior margin of head, anterior margin of pronotum, as well as lateral margins of mesosoma and metasoma clothed with fine whitish setae that are short and erect at head and pronotum; anterior margin of T1 with fine, long upwardly directed setae, posterior margin of metasomal tergites with rows of silvery setae, that are somewhat less dense on T1 and restricted to the yellow area on T2, absent laterally.

Head (Figs 6B, 7B, 8B): In dorsal view as wide as pronotum, with thin, sharp occipital carina; face with relatively large, deep punctures, that are dense along inner margin of eyes and antennal tubercles, becoming reduced in number above, with smooth and shiny integument between punctures; face just behind vertex nearly bare medially; vertex somewhat semi-rounded (narrowly convex); eye small, weakly bulged laterally when seen in dorsal or frontal view, located above mid line between clypeus and vertex when seen in frontal view; distance between antennal tubercles about as long as tubercle length; malar space about as long as eye height; scape of antenna about 2.5 × as long as F1; F1 slightly longer than F2. Clypeus thin and broad, slightly emarginate at free margin; mandible relatively thick, edentate.

Mesosoma (Figs 9B, 10B): Pronotum about 1.7 × as wide as long at its maximum width, densely foveate dorsally, with anterior margin gently declivous, humeral angle rounded and posterior margin slightly concave; remainder of mesosomal dorsum densely foveate-reticulate, fovea larger than those on pronotum; posterior face of propodeum gently declivous, somewhat smooth and impunctate; pronotal lateral face faintly wrinkled; mesopleuron superficially foveolate; metapleuron nearly smooth. Outer hind tibial spur about 0.5 × length of hind basitarsus. Mesosternum with two parallel-sided, very close lobes enclosing a thin-carinated oval area, extending in the middle just above bases of mesocoxae and reaching bases of metacoxae straightly. Mesosternum punctate, punctures about 1 diameter apart.

Metasoma (Figs 11B, 12B, 13B, 14B): T1 pear-shape, about as long as maximal width, densely and closely foveate; T2 bell-shape, about 1.3 × as wide as long, with yellow band widened medially and absent laterally; T2 and T3 on disc longitudinally strigate, with large ellipsoid puncture in between, punctures are closed on T2 and opened posteriorly on T3, contiguous with each other, laterally both tergites are densely foveate; T4 and T5 with rows of coarse and very close setiferous punctures; T6 basally with about eight longitudinal, widely separated ridges, broadly rounded at apex, with sharp spaced teeth laterally, extending from near base to upper two thirds, becoming minute to serrate, and very close posteriorly. S2 and S3 with scattered punctures mainly laterally and medially, leaving posterior margin smooth and shiny pre-apically, S2-5 with row of fine setae along posterior margins, arise from large sockets, S4-6 smooth and shiny.

Distribution.

Saudi Arabia (Asir region, Garf Raydah Natural reserve).

Etymology.

This species is named in honour of the daughter “Reem” of Ahmed M. Soliman.