Pristocera teetsii Azevedo, Alencar & Colombo, 2018

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 : 29-32

Pristocera teetsii Azevedo, Alencar & Colombo , sp. nov.

( Figs 17–18 )

Description. Holotype ♂ ( Figs. 17 ). Body length 9.8 mm; length of forewing 6.0 mm.

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

Head. Head 1.1 × as long as wide. Mandible with five distal teeth, uppermost directed inward, apex wider than base. Median clypeal lobe subrectangular, median carina conspicuous, short in profle. Antenna almost reaching mesoscutellar sulcus; flagellar pubescence suberect, and shorter than half flagellar diameter; first four antennomeres ~ 8:2:4:4, flagellomere IX as long as wide. Frons punctate and shining, punctures small; frontal groove absent, lateral groove absent, scrobal carina absent. Ocellar triangle compact, elevated, frontal angle acute; ocelli large and not protruding, anterior margin of posterior ocellus anterior to imaginary line between tops of eyes. Vertex broadly convex. Temple convergent posterad; occipital carina present ventrally and dorsally.

Mesosoma. Pro- and mesonotal dorsum shining, punctulate, setae long. Pronotal disc trapezoidal, side slightly concave, anterior margin carinate, anterior carina high and curved posterad, median transverse region carinate. Notaulus conspicuous, convergent posteriorly with posterior part curved inward, narrow, shallow and polished inside. Parapsidal furrow complete, straight, narrow. Surface of posterolateral corner of mesoscutum elevated. Mesoscutellar groove angulate medially, not dilated laterally. Metanotum with large median elevation, median fovea triangular with inner surface setose, metanotal groove foveolate laterally, inner fovea very large, triangular and not punctulate inside, other foveae rectangular and narrower than inner fovea. Metapectal-propodeal 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 metapectalpropodeal complex; metapleural carina present; transverse posterior carina present. Lateral of metapectalpropodeal 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, oval, anterior area strongly punctate to puncticulate posteriorly. Pleurosternum with elliptical groove, median carina present; epicnemial carina wide medially with two very 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 seven hamuli.

Metasoma. Petiole very long and tubular, midlength 6.5 × midwidth. Hypopygium deeply divided with apical third abruptly narrower than base, apex convex; inner margin not dentate, with subapical concavity absent, and median concavity absent; antero-lateral corner rounded; hypopygeal chamber with latero-basal margin somewhat angled. Genitalia: Paramere bilaminar, shorter than basiparamere; apical margin outcurved, digitiform process absent, inner concavity absent. Basivolsellar surface smooth, inner margin smooth. Aedeagus subcircular, apical lobe giving rise on apical half of aedeagus and straight, apex upward, apical part convex in lateral view; ventral lamina with outer margin outcurved in ventral view.

Description. Allotype ♀ ( Fig. 18 ). Body length 5.5 mm.

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

Body. Head 1.3 × as long as wide. Mandible short and wide, upper margin straight, with four distal teeth subequals, uppermost far from subupper one. Median clypeal lobetridentate, lateral margin smooth, apical margin straight and elevated in frontal view, median carina high in profile. Frons coriaceous and punctured. Eye with about 23 facets. Temple margin parallel, vertex convex, occipital carina complete and not visible in dorsal view. Pro- and mesonotal dorsum coriaceous. Metapectal-propodeal complex polished, maximum width 1.7 × minimal width. Mesotibia strongly spinose. First abdominal spiracle oval. Metasomal petiole with midlength 1.3 × midwidth, anterior margin outcurved medially in ventral view, anterolateral corner subangulate, lateral margin notched subanteriorly, diverging posterad, ventral surface subtrapezoidal.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, Allotype ♀, in copula: MADAGASCAR, Ivondro , II.40, in cop. N. 1, A. Seyrig ( MNHN) ( Fig. 18E ) . Paratypes: MADAGASCAR, Rogez, Forêt Cote Est, 1♂ V.36 and 2 ♂ I.37, A. Seyrig ( MNHN) , 1♂, Diégo , XI.29, A. Seyrig ( MNHN) .

Remarks. The males of this species are similar to the males of P. alexi sp. nov., because both species have the mandibles with five distal teeth, the antennae with setae shorter than half the flagellar diameter, the metasomal petiole with midlength 6.5 × midwidth; the aedeagus subconical with the apical lobes giving rise on apical fourth of aedeagus. However, the males of this species have the forewings with R1 vein, the parameres shorter than basiparameres, the aedeagus subcircular, and the apical lobesof the aedeagus giving rise on apical half of aedeagus, whereas the males of P. alexi sp. nov. have the forewings without R1 vein, the parameres longer than basiparameres, the aedeagus subconical, and the apical lobesof th aedeagus giving rise on the apical fourth of aedeagus.

The females of this species are also similar to the females of P. alexi sp. nov., because both species have the mandibles with four distal teeth subequals, the median clypeal lobe tridentate, and the first abdominal spiracles oval. However, the females of this species have the petiole with midlength 1.3 × midwidth, with the anterolateral corner subangulate, and the eyes with about 23 facets, whereas the females of P. alexi sp. nov. have the petiole with midlength 1.9 × midwidth, with the anterolateral corner angulate, and the eyes with about eight facets.

Distribution. Madagascar.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Pristocera teetsii, ♂. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mandible, frontal view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Mesosoma, ventral view. E. Metasomal petiole, ventral view. F. Pronotum, lateral view. G. Mesopleuron, lateral view. H. Forewing. I. Hamuli, hind wing. J. First abdominal spiracle, dorso-lateral view. K. Hypopygium, inner view. L. Genitalia, dorsal view. M. Genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars: 500 µm, except 200 µm for J and 100 µm for C, D, H, K–M.

FIGURE 18. Pristocera teetsii, ♀. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mandible, latero-frontal view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Mesosoma, ventral view. E. Labels. Scale bars: 100 µm.