Nordeniella dokbua Sittichaya & Williams, 2022

Thaochan, Narit, Williams, Kevin A., Thoawan, Kodeeyah, Jeenthong, Tadsanai & Sittichaya, Wisut, 2022, Three new species and one new country record of velvet ants (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae) from Thailand, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 93, pp. 151-165 : 151

Nordeniella dokbua Sittichaya & Williams sp. nov.

Fig. 4

Material examined.

Holotype: ♀, Thailand, Ubonratchatthani Province, Sirinthon district , 18.VII. 2002. W. Jaitrong. (THNHM) . Paratypes 4♀, Thailand, Nakhon Rathasima Province, 5.7 km N Muak Lek , 14.717 -101.188, 29.III.2019, K. Williams, S. Puttasok, K. Thoawan, R. Malee and N. Thaochan (2♀ CSCA); Saraburi Province, Mai Ngerm Thong Resort, 7 km NW Muak Lek, 14.711 -101.165, 15.III.2019, K. Williams, S. Puttasok, K. Thoawan, R. Malee and N. Thaochan (2♀, CSCA) .

Diagnosis.

Female. This species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: head and metasoma with cuticle black; mesosoma with cuticle orange-brown; propodeum clearly wider than pronotum; T2 disc with large mesal spot of whitish setae basally. Body length 4.0-5.5 mm.

Male. Unknown.

Description.

Female. Body length 5.9 mm. Coloration. Head black, except antennal tubercle, mandible, scape, and pedicel largely orange-brown. Mesosoma entirely orange-brown, except legs moderately darkened apically. Metasoma black, except S1 and T1 basally orange-brown and T2-3 obscurely yellow-brown beneath white setal markings. Body setae generally sparse and silvery, except vertex and mesosomal dorsum with scattered silver and erect blackish setae; T2 disc, T4, and T5 setae dense black; and T2 basomedial spot, T2 apex, T3 entirely, and T6 basal tuft with dense whitish silver setae. Head. Width behind eye 1.15 × pronotal width. Frons, vertex, and gena punctures dense to confluent. Mandible apex tridentate. Clypeus with transverse truncate lamella; basomedial portion convex, densely punctate, with obscure longitudinal carina basally. Antennal scrobe with dorsal carina. Antennal tubercle shagreened with a few scattered punctures. Genal carina weakly defined, forming raised tooth with hypostomal carina. F1 1.4 × pedicel length, F2 1.4 × pedicel length. Mesosoma. Length 1.1 × width (width measured at propodeum). Dorsum of mesosoma with coarse confluent punctures. Side of mesosoma with scattered micropunctures with short setae, ventral portion of meso- and metapleuron areolate, posterior portion of propodeal side with obscure reticulations. Mesopleural lamella absent. Humeral carina distinct, arcuate. Ratio of width of humeral angle, anterior spiracle, midpoint of mesonotum, propodeal spiracle, and widest point of propodeum 60:69:70:73:75. Scutellar scale obliterated. Posterior propodeal face areolate. Lateral and posterior propodeal faces separated by interrupted wavy carina. Metatibio-tarsal ratio 79:33:23:17:13:11. Metasoma. Terga 1-5 with small dense punctures, sparser on T1, confluent on T2. S1 with long simple longitudinal carina. T2 felt line 0.25 × T2 total length. T6 convex, mostly smooth. S6 posterior margin bidentate.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution.

Thailand (Nakhon Ratchasima, Saraburi Provinces and Ubonratthani province).

Etymology.

This name refers to an old name and meaning for Ubonratthani province ( Nordeniella dokbua =water lily), the holotype specimen locality. Treat as a noun in apposition.

Remarks.

In the key to female velvet ants in southern Thailand ( Williams et al. 2019), this species keys out to N. maleeae Williams in Williams et al. 2019, the only other Nordeniella species known from the eastern Oriental region. Nordeniella dokbua can be separated from that species by having the propodeum clearly wider than the pronotum (mesosoma equally wide throughout its length in N. maleeae ). These two Thai species can be separated from the known Indian and Sri Lankan Nordeniella females by having the head black, the head is reddish in western Oriental Nordeniella (see André 1894, 1907; Turner 1911). These Thai species can be separated from the Australasian N. sumbawaensis Okayasu, 2022 by having the basomesal clypeal carina indistinct and restricted to the basal portion and the metasoma dark brown to black; N. sumbawaensis has the basomesal clypeal carina distinct and continuous to the anterior margin, and the metasoma with obscure metallic blue lustre ( Okayasu 2022).

Figures

Figure 4. Nordeniella dokbua sp. nov., holotype, female A dorsal view B posterior propodeal face and metasoma dorsum C lateral view D mesosoma E frons and vertex F clypeus G pygidium.