Pristocera levicollis ( Kieffer, 1905 )

Azevedo, Celso O., Alencar, Isabel D. C. C. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2018, Pairs in copulation of the highly dimorphic genus Pristocera Klug (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Madagascar solve taxonomic problems of male-female associations, Zootaxa 4433 (1), pp. 1-49 : 33-38

Pristocera levicollis ( Kieffer, 1905)

( Figs 21–22 )

Pristepyris levicollis Kieffer, 1905: 120 –121 (male description); Kieffer 1908: 21 (list); Kieffer 1914: 421 (key), 422–423 (description); Gordh & Móczár 1990: 139 (catalogue).

Pristocera levicollis ( Kieffer, 1905) : Azevedo & Alencar 2009: 50 (combination); Azevedo et al. 2010: 853 –854 (catalogue).

Description. Male ( Fig. 21 ). Body length 5.8 mm; length of forewing 3.0 mm.

Colors. Head and mesosoma dark castaneous; antenna, clypeus, mandible, legs and veins; light castaneous; metasoma castaneous; wings subhyaline.

Head. Head 0.9 × as long as wide. Mandible with four distal teeth, uppermost directed inward, apex wider than base. Median clypeal lobe rounded, median carina conspicuous, high in profile. Antenna almost reaching mesoscutellar sulcus; flagellar pubescence suberect, and shorter than half flagellar diameter; first four antennomeres ~ 4:1:2:2, flagellomere IX 0.5 × as long as wide. Frons punctate and shining, punctures small; frontal groove absent, lateral groove absent, scrobal carina absent. Ocellar triangle not compact but continuous to head, frontal angle obtuse; ocelli small and protruding, anterior margin of posterior ocellus not touching imaginary line between tops of eyes. Vertex broadly convex. Temple convergent posterad; occipital carina present ventrally and dorsally.

Mesosoma. Pro- and mesonotal dorsum shining and punctulate with setae long. Pronotal disc trapezoidal, side slightly concave, anterior margin carinate, anterior carina high and curved posterad, median transverse region elevated. Notaulus conspicuous, convergent posteriorly, with posterior part straight, gradually wider posteriorly, deep and polished inside. Parapsidal furrow incomplete, straight and narrow with surface of posterolateral corner of mesoscutum elevated. Mesoscutellar groove convex posteriorly, dilated laterally. Metanotum with large median elevation, median fovea rectangular with inner surface setose, metanotal groove foveolate laterally, inner fovea very large, triangular, not punctulate inside, other foveae rectangular and narrower than inner fovea. Metapectalpropodeal complex strigulate laterally and posteriorly; transverse anterior carina narrow, metapostnotum mostly rugulose, median carina present; first abdominal spiracle elongate and slightly arched, wholly placed on dorsum of metapectal-propodeal complex; metapleural carina present; transverse posterior carina absent. Lateral of metapectal-propodeal complex strigulate. Propodeal declivity rugulose-strigulate near petiole. Mesopleuron with subtegular groove dilated anteriorly and uniformly narrow posteriorly, foveolate inside; episternal groove continuous with subtegular one, foveolate; mesopleural callus weakly delimited, polished and shining, circular, anterior area strongly punctate to puncticulate posteriorly. Pleurosternum with heart-shaped groove weakly defined, median carina present; epicnemial carina wide medially followed by large foveae. Tarsal claws tridentate. Forewing with r-rs&Rs vein long and almost parallel to anterior margin, R1 vein shorter than stigma. Hind wing with six hamuli.

Metasoma. Petiole with midlength 4.0 × midwidth. Hypopygium deeply divided with apical part gradually narrower than base, apex convex; inner margin irregularly dentate in upper third, with subapical concavity absent, and median concavity absent; antero-lateral corner sharply produced; hypopygeal chamber with latero-basal margin somewhat angled. Genitalia: Paramere bilaminar, shorter than basiparamere; subbifid, apical margin strongly emarginated, digitiform process absent, inner concavity absent. Basivolsellar surface smooth, inner margin folded dorsad. Aedeagus subconical, apical lobe giving rise on apical fourth of aedeagus, straight, apex upward, apical part convex in lateral view; ventral lamina with outer margin outcurved in ventral view.

Description. Female ( Fig. 22 ). Body length 4.4 mm.

Colors. Head, mesosoma, metasoma, petiole, antenna, mandible, clypeus and legs light castaneous.

Body. Head 1.1 × as long as wide. Mandible short and wide, upper margin straight, with four distal teeth gradually wider ventrad, uppermost far from subupper one upper margin straight. Median clypeal lobe trapezoidal, lateral margin crenulate, apical margin incurved and elevated in frontal view, median carina high in profile. Frons coriaceous and punctured. Eye with about 24 facets. Temple margin convergent posteriorly, vertex convex, occipital carina complete, not visible in dorsal view. Pro- and mesonotal dorsum coriaceous. Metapectal-propodeal complex polished, maximum width 2.0 × minimal width. Mesotibia strongly spinose. First abdominal spiracle oval. Metasomal petiole with midlength 2.5 × midwidth, anterior margin straight medially in ventral view, anterolateral corner angulate, lateral margin straight, parallel, ventral surface trapezoidal.

Material examined. 1♂, 1♀, in copula: MADAGASCAR, Behara, IX.40, (?) N. 4, A. Seyrig ( MNHN) ( Fig. 22E ).

Remarks. This species was recently transferred from Pristepyris by Azevedo & Alencar (2009). The males of this species are similar to the males of P. mauricei sp. nov., because both species have the mandibles with four distal teeth, the clypeal median lobe rounded, the flagellomeres with suberect setae, the forewings with R1 vein, the aedeagus subconical, with the apical lobes giving rise on the apical fourth of aedeagus. However, the males of this species have the petiole with midlength 4.0 × midwidth, the parameres shorter than basiparameres, and the digitiform process absent, whereas the males of P. mauricei sp. nov. have the petiole with midlength 5.0 × midwidth, the parameres longer than basiparameres, and the digitiform process present.

Here we described the female for the first time. The females of this species are similar to the females of P. morti sp. nov., because both species have the mandibles with four distal teeth gradually wider ventrad, the median clypeal lobe trapezoidal, and the first abdominal spiracles oval. However, the females of this species have the petiole with midlength 2.5 × midwidth, with the anterolateral corner angulate, whereas the females of P. morti sp. nov. has the petiole with midlength 1.5 × midwidth, with the anterolateral corner rounded.

Distribution. Madagascar.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Pristocera levicollis, ♂. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mandible, frontal view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Mesosoma, ventral view. E. Forewing. F. Hypopygium, inner view. G. Genitalia, dorsal view. H. Genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars: 100 µm, except 200 µm for A, C, D, and 500 µm for E.

FIGURE 22. Pristocera levicollis, ♀. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mandible, latero-frontal view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Mesosoma, ventral view. E. Labels. Scale bars: 500 µm, except 200 µm for B.