Methocha transcarinata Liao, Chen & Li sp. nov.

Figs 1-8

Material examined.

Holotype, ♂, China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Zengcheng Distinct, Xiaolou Town (Malaise trap), 23°55'20"N, 113°13'26"E, 114 m, 14.VI-1.VII.2019, Yi Guo (IPP-GAAS) . Paratypes: 7♂, same as holotype; 1♂, China, Hainan Province, Changjiang County, Shilu Town, Baomeiling Nature Reserve (Malaise trap), 19°43'11.9"N, 109°37'48"E, 738 m, 3.Ⅵ- 5.VII.2021, He-Shen Wang (CNU) .

Diagnosis.

This species can easily be separated from all other members of the genus by the following characters: dorsal surface of propodeum (Fig. 6) posteriorly with transverse carina between dorsal and posterior surfaces; mesepisternum anteriorly with strong carina followed by deep, smooth groove (Fig. 7).

Description.

Male. (Figs 1-8). Body length 9.2-9.6 mm, fore-wing length 5.3-6.4 mm. Body (Fig. 1) almost black; antenna, mandible (Fig. 2), postero-lateral margin of pronotum, tegula, and leg dark brown to black. Wings untinted, veins and stigma brown.

Head. Head 0.71-0.75 times as high as wide in frontal view; clypeus distally circularly emarginated, and entirely sclerotized, without membranous area, surface with sparse and minute punctures, medially with obtuse prominence (Fig. 3); mandible distally not narrowed; ventral surface of A1 with longitudinal carina; frons with moderate to dense punctures; POL: AOL: DAO = 1: 1: 0.69 (Fig. 4), vertex (Fig. 4) and gena with sparse and minute punctures.

Mesosoma. Pronotal transverse carina absent (Fig. 5), dorsal surface of pronotum sparsely minutely punctate; anterior half of pronotum latero-ventrally with sparse minute punctures (Fig. 7), antero-ventrally carinate, with groove behind carina containing short striae, posterior half smooth and impunctate; mesonotum medially with sparse punctures and laterally with dense punctures; mesepisternum (Fig. 7) anteriorly with strong carina followed by deep, smooth groove, elsewhere with sparse and minute punctures; scutellum sparsely punctate; metanotum medially with U-shaped depression, elsewhere sparsely striate, and with smooth interspaces; dorsal surface of propodeum (Fig. 6) with broad median groove and granulate interspace, posteriorly with strong transverse carina between dorsal and posterior surfaces, antero-laterally with longitudinal striae, postero-laterally with irregular areolate sculpture; posterior surface of propodeum medially smooth, laterally with coarse and large punctures; lateral surface (Fig. 7) of propodeum antero-ventrally with oblique striae, postero-ventrally smooth, dorsally with coarse punctures. Claws of hind tarsaus with subapical tooth shorter than half of apical tooth.

Metasoma. Metasomal terga sparsely punctate and with smooth interspaces. T1 (Fig. 8) antero-laterally with pair of strong longitudinal carinae, and with shallow median groove between longitudinal carinae. T1 transversely depressed posteriorly, T2-T6 and S2-S6 transversely depressed both anteriorly and posteriorly, anterior depressions of both T2 and S2-S6 costate, anterior ones of T3-T6 and posterior ones of both T1-T6 and S2-S6 smooth. S1 with sparse punctures; S2-S6 anteriorly with dense punctures, posteriorly with sparse ones, medially without longitudinal depression; S7 sparsely punctate and with smooth interspaces.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Guangdong, Hainan).

Etymology.

The specific name Methocha transcarinata is derived from the two Latin words: trans - (= transverse) + carinata (= carinate), referring to the propodeum with a transverse carina between dorsal and posterior surfaces.