Amisega boyi Lucena, 2021

Lucena, Daercio A. A., Almeida, Eduardo A. B. & Zanella, Fernando C. V., 2021, Amiseginae and Cleptinae from northeastern Brazil, with the description of four new species (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 81, pp. 57-85 : 57

Amisega boyi Lucena sp. nov.

Fig. 2

Diagnosis.

Vertex and anterolateral border of pronotum with rugose-striate marks; anterior declivity of pronotum without medial pit; dorsum of propodeum polished; scapal basin punctate-rugulose, vaguely cross-ridged; metasoma with distinct purple highlights; legs brown, lighter on pro- and mesotibiae, and tarsomeres; malar space 1.5 × MOD. Amisega boyi Lucena, sp. nov. most resembles A. flavipes Kimsey, 1987 and A. similis Kimsey, 1987. This new species can be distinguished from both species based on the following combination of characters: rugose marks on vertex and pronotum (lacking rugose marks on vertex in A. similis , and only striatiform punctures on anterior border of pronotum in A. flavipes ); scapal basin punctate-rugulose, vaguely cross-ridged medially (entirely cross-ridged in A. flavipes and A. similis ); dorsum of propodeum polished and impunctate (dorsum of propodeum smooth and scarcely punctated in A. flavipes and A. similis ); sparse punctation on disc of T2, with more than 1PD apart and medial impunctate polished strip clearly defined (disc of T2 densely punctated in A. similis , and medial impunctate polished strip not defined in A. flavipes ); and purple highlights on metasoma (blue highlights in A. similis ). The light brown antenna, mandible, and clypeus, and the anterior declivity of pronotum lacking medial pit also help to distinguish this new species from A. flavipes (dark brown antenna, mandible, and clypeus, and with well-marked medial pit on anterior border of pronotum); and the greenish blue body coloration contrasts with the light blue pattern of A. similis .

Description.

Holotype, male. Body length: 2.8 mm (Fig. 2A ).

Head: 0.95 × wider than high; toruli barely separated, inner margins slightly produced, forming a short lamellar projection; scape long, cylindrical, slightly wider basally, 3.8 × longer than its maximum width; F1 length 2.2 × breadth, 1.25 × longer than F2, F2 1.15 × longer than F3; F4 0.9 × F3, F5-F10 slightly shorter than F4, F11 acute; lower margin of clypeus evenly round; subantennal distance 0.2 × MOD; malar space 1.5 × MOD; POL 1.6 × OL, 4.3 × OOL; inner ocular margin convergent submedially, LID 0.95 × scape length; eye height 1.75 × breadth.

Mesosoma: anterior declivity of pronotum lacking medial pit, lobe slightly separated from tegula; scutum notaulus barely distinguishable, impressed only basally (Fig. 2D, E ); parapsidal line deeply impressed; M with first abscissa gently curved submedially, diverging before 1cu-a; Rs very short, spectral trace gently curved towards costal wing margin; dorsum of propodeum posteriorly limited by discrete transverse groove.

Metasoma: lateral margins of T1-T3 sharp, but not carinate; first metasomal segment with ventral keel; posterior margin of S1 concave, posterior margins of S2-S4 nearly straight.

Coloration: head greenish blue, with greenish highlights on frons, scapal basin, and gena; bluish purple tint on vertex (Fig. 2B ); antenna, clypeus, and mandible brown, labrum and mouthparts light brown; mesosoma mainly greenish blue; lateral pronotum, mesopleuron, and metapleuron-propodeum mostly dark brown, extending from half portion to venter, with greenish blue tints on anterior corners; tegula light brown; wing membrane light fuscous, veins brown; legs dark brown, lighter on pro- and mesotibiae and tarsomeres; metasoma mostly brown, with distinct purple highlights on dorsum (e.g., Fig. 2F ), venter entirely brown.

Sculpturing: head regularly punctate, punctures becoming clumped among ocelli and near face; vertex with rugose marks marginally (Fig. 2B ); scapal basin somewhat rugulose, vaguely cross-ridged medially, with discrete medial groove extending from dorsal border of torulus to midface (Fig. 2C ); gena punctate; malar area and clypeus impunctate; scape punctulate dorsally, with broad basal impunctate area; dorsum of mesosoma without distinct striae, except anterolateral margin of pronotum with rugose-striate marks (Fig. 2B, D ); scutum and scutellum punctate, sparser posteriorly on scutellum (e.g., Fig. 2E ); mesopleuron contiguously punctate anteriorly, with broad impunctate stripe along posterior margin; metanotum scarcely punctate; propodeum polished on dorsum (e.g., Fig. 2E ), posterior declivity with some sparse punctures; anterior border of T1 and most of laterotergite impunctate, marginal punctate stripe running from dorsum to dorsoposterior corner of laterotergite; punctation on disc of T2 more than 1PD apart (e.g., Fig. 2F ); T2-T4 contiguously punctate, becoming clumped on laterotergites, posterior borders of terga with impunctate stripes, S2-S4 densely punctate.

Vestiture: short erect light brown setation on vertex, gena, and frons, with relatively longer and denser setation on occiput; mandible, clypeus and labrum with distinct long gold setation; antenna with short, decumbent, pale setation; eye with sparse microtrichia; dorsum of mesosoma with dense, relatively long, light brown setation; lateral pronotum, posterior border of mesopleuron, dorsum of propodeum, and metapleuron-propodeum, glabrous; wing membrane entirely setose; outer surface of metatibia, and pro- and metafemora, with long dark setae; venter of tarsomeres with abundant irregularly-sized spines; T1-T2 mostly glabrous, except for sparse short setae placed marginally; T3-T5 with marginal stripe of dense long dark setae; S2-S5 abundantly setose.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined.

Holotype: Brazil • ♂; Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoró, "Faz. Sta. Júlia” [Fazenda Santa Júlia], Malaise 1, caatinga; 05°01'10"S, 37°22'56"W; 14.iv.2008; Fernandes, DRR & cols; RPSP.

• 3♂ paratypes: same data as holotype (1♂ INPA; 2♂ UNILA) .

Distribution.

Brazil, RN: Mossoró.

Comments.

The holotype is missing F6-F11 of the left antenna. The metasoma is damaged, with distal segments partly detached and upside down. Two paratypes lack heads, and another paratype has a detached metasoma. This species is only known from Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte state (sympatric with A. sertaneja Lucena, sp. nov., see below), within the semiarid region. All specimens were collected in a Caatinga native vegetation fragment adjacent to a melon crop Cucumis melo L. ( Cucurbitaceae ) ( Fernandes et al. 2014).

Etymology.

The new species is named after Daniell Fernandes (Boy), collector of many specimens used in this study.

Host.

Unknown.

Figures

Figure 2. Amisega boyi Lucena, sp. nov., holotype, male (A-D) A lateral habitus B head and pronotum, dorsal view C head, frontal view D head and mesosoma, dorsal view. Paratype, male (E, F): E dorsal habitus F metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A), 0.5 mm (B, D, E), 0.2 mm (C, F).