Pachyprotasis qilianica Zhong & Wei

Zhong, Yihai, Li, Zejian & Wei, Meicai, 2015, Six new Chinese species of the Pachyprotasis melanosoma group (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) with a key to the species, Zootaxa 3914 (1), pp. 1-45 : 14-15

Pachyprotasis qilianica Zhong & Wei , sp. nov.

( Figs. 32, 33 , 53 , 69 , 87 , 102, 116, 127)

Distribution. China (Qinghai) ( Fig. 127 ).

Material examined. Holotype: Qinghai: ♀, Haibei, Menyuan (37°22′N, 101°37′E), 20.07.1989, Meicai Wei leg. ( CSCS); Paratypes: 2 ♀, Haibei, Menyuan (37°22′N, 101°37′E), 20.07.1989, Meicai Wei leg.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality, located in the Qilian mountain range.

Female ( Figs. 32, 33 ): Body length 6.0 mm. Body black, with white pattern as follows: labrum except two medial large spots, two separate spots on posterolateral clypeus, supraclypeal area, lower part of inner orbit connected to lower part of hind orbit, a narrow stripe on upper part of inner orbit connected to an oblique spot on temple, a small spot on ventral side of scape, posterolateral margin of pronotum, laterally deflexed parts of all terga, posterior margins of all sterna; dark brown pattern as follows: two medial large spots on labrum, clypeus except two separate posterolateal spots; legs black, with white pattern as follows: a stripe each on underside of fore and middle femur, underside of fore and middle tibiae and tarsi, a narrow stripe on dorsum of hind femur. Wings hyaline, vein C of fore wing pale brown, stigma and others veins dark brown.

Labrum and clypeus with sparse, shallow and minute punctures; vertex and frons with dense and shallow punctures, space between punctures with dense sculpture, slightly shiny; mesoscutum with dense punctures and sculpture, slightly shiny; punctures on upper mesepisternum quite large, deep, on lower part minute and dense, space between punctures slightly shiny; mesepimeron with distinct sculpture, outer parters with shallow and quite dense punctures, luster absent; metepisternum with dense, shallow and minute punctures, metepimeron with sparse and quite large punctures, sculpture dense, slightly shiny ( Fig. 87 ); mesoscutellum and mesoscutellar appendage with large, deep but not dense punctures, sculpture dense, slightly shiny; punctures on terga extreme shallow and minute, sculpture and luster distinct; outer hind coxa with quite large, shallow and dense punctures.

Anterior margin of labrum truncate, with a shallow medial notch; clypeus roundly incised to about 2/5 of its medial length, lateral lobe blunt; malar space slightly broader than diameter of median ocellus; inner margins of eyes distinctly convergent downwards; supra-antennal tubercle indistinct; frontal area distinctly elevated, as high as top of eyes in lateral view; frontal ridge blunt; median and lateral fovea pit-shaped, shallow ( Fig. 53 ); interocellar furrow shallow, postocellar furrow absent; postocellar area elevated, 2 times as broad as long, lateral postocellar furrows deep; head indistinctly narrowed behind eyes in dorsal view ( Fig. 69 ). Antenna slightly shorter than combined length of thorax and abdomen, flagellomere 1 1.1 times as long as flagellomere 2, some apical flagellomeres compressed. Mesoscutellum elevated, lateral carina blunt, mesoscutellar appendage with acute middle carina. Hind tarsomere 1 longer than combined length of following 4 tarsomeres. Fore wing with middle petiole of anal cell nearly 0.7 times as length of basal part of anal cell, 1.7 times as long as vein R+M; petiole of hind wing anal cell quite long.

Ovipositor sheath nearly as long as middle tarsomere 1 in lateral view, valvula 3 quadrate at apex and distinctly longer than valvifer 2. Lancet with 19 serrulae (Fig. 102), base of each serrula slightly elevated, middle serrula each with 2 basal denticles and 14–15 small distal denticles (Fig. 116).

Male. Unknown.

Discussion. This species is similar to female P. maculopleurita and may be distinguished as follows ( P. maculopleurita in parentheses): body length 6.0 mm (body length 8.5 mm); mesoscutellum completely black, middle of mesoscutellum with distinct punctures, not smooth (middle of mesoscutellum yellow-white, punctures nearly absent, smooth); apex of ovipositor sheath quadrate, base of each serrula slightly elevated (apex of ovipositor sheath round, base of each serrula distinctly elevated). It is also similar to P. melanosoma and may be distinguished as follows ( P. melanosoma in parentheses): body small, length 6.0 mm in female (body large, length 11.0 mm in female); punctures on mesepisternum not rough, their diameter and depth regular, distance between them also regular (punctures on mesepisternum rough, their diameter and depth irregular, distances between them also irregular); laterally deflexed parts of all terga and posterior margins of all sterna white (deflexed parts of all terga and all sterna completely black); lateral carina of mesoscutellum blunt (lateral carina of mesoscutellum sharp). The color of abdomen, body length, punctures on mesepisternum and serrulae easily distinguished P. qilianica from these two species.

Figures

FIGURE 127. Geographical distribution of species of P. melanosom a group in China (3).

FIGURES 30 – 33. Dorsal and lateral view: 30 – 31. P. pailongensis, female, holotype; 32 – 33. P. qilianica, female, holotype.

FIGURES 50 – 53. Face in front view: 50. P. nigroclypeata, female; 51. P. nitididorsata, female; 52. P. pailongensis, female; 53. P. qilianica, female.

FIGURES 66 – 71. Head in dorsal view and face in front view: 66. P. nigroclypeata, female; 67. P. nitididorsata, female; 68. P. pailongensis, female; 69. P. qilianica, female; 70. P. xibei, male, head in dorsal view; 71. xibei, male, face in front view.

FIGURES 84 – 88. Thorax in lateral view: 84. P. nigroclypeata, female 85. P. nitididorsata, female; 86. P. pailongensis, female; 87. P. qilianica, female; 88. P. xibei, male.