Hedychridium striatum Rosa, Proshchalykin & Halada sp. nov.

Figure 14A-F

Material examined.

Holotype: ♀, Mongolia, Tuv, 75 km W of Ulaanbaatar, dunes, 2.VIII.2005, leg. JH (ZIN) . Paratypes: 3 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, same date and locality as holotype (MHC, PRC); Govi-Altai, 1 ♀, 1 ♂, 70 km E of Altay City, Guulin, 14.VII.2005, leg. JH (MHC) ; 4 ♀♀, 8 ♂♂, same data and locality, leg. PT (PTC) .

Diagnosis.

Hedychridium striatum sp. nov. is characterised by transversal (on mesoscutum), longitudinal (on mesoscutellum) and oblique (on mesopleuron) wrinkles (more evident in male); propodeal posterior projections divergent and spiniform; legs largely yellowish; metasoma scattered punctures, with wide polished interspaces; S2 extensively metallic.

Description.

Female. Body length 4.0-4.5 mm (holotype 4.5 mm). Head. Face nearly flat, with narrow and elongate eyes (Fig. 14B); brow between vertex and scapal basin with contiguous, longitudinally aligned punctures; scapal basin transversally microridged; incomplete longitudinal mid-line extended from anterior ocellus almost to clypeus; at sides, between scapal basin and eye, with small punctures transversally aligned amongst fine wrinkles; vertex with deep punctures and polished interspaces; clypeus elongate, subantennal space about 1.5 × MOD; ocellar triangle isosceles, with deep ocellar line connecting posterior ocelli. Relative length of P:F1:F2:F3 = 1.0:1.6:1.0:0.8; OOL = 2.4 × MOD; POL = 1.8 × MOD; MS = 1.0 × MOD. Mesosoma. Pronotum with coarse, contiguous punctures; mesoscutum with sparse, shallow punctures amongst transverse wrinkles; mesoscutellum with sparse punctures amongst longitudinal wrinkles; mesopleuron with similar punctures and oblique wrinkles. Posterior propodeal projections divergent and spiniform (Fig. 14A); mid-tibia with small, oval, darkened area; metatibia with large triangular black area as long as half of its length. Metasoma. T1-T3 with sparse, minute and even punctures, equally spaced (2-3 PD), T1 smooth along median line and posteriorly; T3 with narrow brownish rim on posterior margin; S2 with metallic coppery spot (Fig. 14E). Colouration. Body dorsally metallic red-bronze; scape and pedicel greenish, flagellum black; tegulae bronze; femora bronze; tibiae yellowish, outer side slightly bronze to opalescent, tibial joints yellowish; tarsi 1-2 yellowish, tarsi 3-5 dark brown.

Male. Body length 3.5-4.0 mm. Similar to female in habitus, colour pattern and unusual sculpture, yet face unmodified, whereas in female, looks narrow and elongate; genital capsule as in Fig. 14E, triangularly shaped, narrowed apically.

Etymology.

The specific epithet Hedychridium striatum derives from the Latin adjective striatus, a, um (striated) and refers to the unusual striated sculpture on mesosoma.

Comparative diagnosis.

We tentatively describe Hedychridium striatum sp. nov. in the Hedychridium ardens species group; nevertheless, for some diagnostic characters, such as genital capsule and yellowish legs, it can be confused with members of other species group ( H. rhodinum and H. femoratum groups); the female shows narrow and elongate eyes as members of the H. planifrons group. This species is anyway easily recognisable from all other Hedychridium species by its unique mesonotal sculpture with punctures amongst transversal wrinkles on mesoscutum, longitudinal wrinkles on mesoscutellum and oblique wrinkles on mesopleuron (more evident in male); propodeal posterior projections divergent and spiniform; legs largely yellowish; metasoma with scattered punctures, with wide polished interspaces.

Distribution.

Mongolia (Govi-Altai, Tuv).