Hylaeus (Dentigera) luna Chen and Xu

Chen, Xuan & Xu, Huanli, 2009, A key to species of the genus Hylaeus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) from mainland of China with descriptions of new species and new records, Zootaxa 1974, pp. 31-50 : 35-39

Hylaeus (Dentigera) luna Chen and Xu , sp. nov.

( Figs. 7–12, 13–14)

Diagnosis: Back of thorax without yellow or white spots; malar space extremely short; propodeal TRN and OBL absent; scape of male turbinate broadened; S3 of male with two weak protuberances; gonoforceps broadened at base; pronotal collar of female roughness.

Description: Male (Holotype). Measurements: BL 5.59mm; WL 3.40mm; HL 1.36mm; HW 1.50mm; CI 1.23; SI 1.46.

Coloration: Black. The following yellowish: clypeus except anterior tentorial pit and apical margin; lower portion of supraclypeal area; subtriangular face mark along margin of eye not extending beyond the level of lower margin of antennal socket above; anterior mark on scape; apical small obscure spots on fore and middle femora, anterior mark on fore tibia, basal small spot on middle tibia, basal spot on hind tibia. Underside of flagellum slightly brown; apical portion of pronotal lobe reddish brown; posterior portion of tegula brown; mediotarsus and distitarsus brown; wings slightly brownish subhyaline, veins and stigma brown.

Structure: Scape turbinate broadened; face slightly shiny with minute to fine punctures; clypeus longitudinally lineolate-reticulate, with shallow punctures, lower portion slightly convex; paraocular area with sparse punctures; lower portion of supraclypeal area with indistinct punctures, upper portion convex, gently merging into frons, with subcontiguous punctures; punctures between lateral ocellus and eye larger and sparser; facial fovea indistinct; gena slightly narrower than eye in lateral view, moderately shiny with fine and close to sparse punctures; pronotal collar attenuated toward middle; mesoscutum slightly shiny with fine and dense punctures; scutellum weakly convex, moderately shiny with fine and sparse punctures which are larger and sparser than those on mesoscutum; metanotum slightly convex and dull; mesopleuron moderately shiny with fine to moderate and dense to close punctures; propodeal TRN, OBL and lateral carinae nearly absent, posterior portion of propodeal enclosure slightly concave with fine and dense punctures, punctures on lateral area fine to moderate and subcontiguous to dense; T1 transverse lineolate-reticulate, shiny with minute and scattered punctures, T2 and following terga like T1 but punctures closer; S3 with two weak protuberances.

Pilosity: Hairs on vertex yellow, dense and short; hairs on apical margin of clypeus yellow and very sparse; hairs on back of thorax yellow and short; hairs on mesopleuron white and sparse; hairs on apicolateral of T1 to T3 white, short and sparse.

Terminalia: See Figs. 7–12. Gonoforceps broadened at base both from dorsal and lateral view; apical portion of gonoforceps broadened in lateral view; apical lobe of S7 small and without hairs, basal plate broadened.

Female (Paratype). Measurements: BL 4.80mm; WL 3.33mm; HL 1.30mm; HW 1.46mm; CI 1.23; SI 3.33.

Coloration: Black. The following yellowish: marks on paraocular area obscure, small and strip-shaped, along the eye margin and not extending beyond the level of the lower margin of the antennal socket; basal anterior marks on fore and middle tibiae; basal one-third mark on hind tibia. Underside of flagellum brown; posterior portion of pronotal lobe brown; mediotarsus and distitarsus brown; wings slightly brownish subhyaline, veins and stigma brown.

Structure: Clypeus lineolate-reticulate, dull, punctures fine and shallow, scattered in center but close in lower portion and lateral margin; paraocular area slightly shiny with fine to moderate and subcontiguous punctures; lower portion of supraclypeal area like clypeus, upper portion slightly convex, gently merging into frons, slightly shiny with fine and subcontiguous punctures, median sulcus distinct; frons slightly shiny with fine and contiguous to subcontiguous punctures, becoming larger towards eye; gena as broad as eye in lateral view, moderately shiny with moderate and subcontiguous punctures, sparser in lower portion; pronotal collar roughness, thick and attenuated toward middle; mesoscutum slightly shiny with fine and subcontiguous to close punctures; scutellum nearly flat, moderately shiny with moderate and subcontiguous to dense punctures; metanotum dull and roughness; mesopleuron moderately shiny with fine and dense punctures; propodeal TRN, OBL and lateral carinae nearly absent, punctures on lateral area fine and subcontiguous, posterior portion of propodeal enclosure slightly concave with irregular and dense punctures; T1 shiny with minute and scattered punctures; T2 and following terga not as shiny as T1, punctures minute and denser than those on T1.

Pilosity: Hairs on vertex black, short and sparse; hairs on clypeus golden yellow and very sparse, those on apical margin longer; hairs on back of thorax short and yellow, hairs on apical pronotal lobe very short and golden yellow; hairs on posterior of propodeal enclosure and lower portion of lateral area white and dense.

Discussion: This new species belongs to the brevicornis group and is similar to H. brevicornis Nylander , the differences between the two being: region around the upper portion of supraclypeal area with punctures fine and subcontiguous and area around antennal socket very weakly wrinkled in H. luna (shiny and no punctures in H. brevicornis ); punctures on T1 of H. luna sparser than on T1 of H. brevicornis ; apical portion of gonoforceps in H. luna not convex (slightly convex in H. brevicornis ).

Type material: Holotype: Male. Paratype: Female.

Both type species were collected by Xuan Chen from China : Hubei Province, Shenlongjia Natural Reserve , Pingqian, 27.vii.2007. Type series deposited in the entomological museum of China Agricultural University, Beijing, China .

Distribution: China: Hubei Province.

Etymology: The name “luna” is a Latin word meaning moon, referring to the moon-shaped spots on face of male.