Lestica breviantennata Yue & Li, 2022

Yue, Dan, Li, Qiang & Ma, Li, 2022, Descriptions of two new species of Lestica Billberg (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Crabronidae) from China, with a key to the Chinese Lestica species, Zootaxa 5099 (3), pp. 391-400 : 394-396

Lestica breviantennata Yue & Li , sp. nov.

Figure 2a–n , Figure 3 a-c urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6EC2B7A4-7C46-4493-8471-B71FF3680C12

Material examined. Holotype. ♂, China: Hunan: Chenzhou: Yizhang: Mang Mountain , 25°23′57″N, 112°57′4″E, 2004.X.1, coll. Jingxian Liu ( YNAU) . Paratypes. 1♂, China: Jiangxi: Jiujiang: Lushan Mountain , 29°40′18″N, 115°59′20″E, 1982.VIII.10, coll. Junhua He ( YNAU) ; 1♂, China: Yunnan: Baoshan: Tengchong , 25°1′31″N, 98°29′29″E, 2006. VII.14-15, coll. Jie Zeng ( YNAU) .

Diagnosis. The characters shared by the males of L. constricta and L. breviantennata are as follows: head (in dorsal view) narrowed behind eyes; mandible bidentate apically; flagellomere I wider than long; anterior margin of pronotum with transverse, cristate carina, terminating laterally in large tooth; fore trochanter with round, sturdy, lamellate extension; mid basitarsus concave in middle of margin, widened towards apex; gastral terga constricted.

The new species clearly differs from L. constricta by the following characters: flagellomere I shortest of flagellomeres I-VI ( Fig. 2g ); scutellum without yellow small spot in middle ( Fig. 2e ); metanotum with irregular rugae, without punctures in middle ( Fig. 2e ); lateral surface of propodeum without punctures posteriorly ( Fig. 2f ); mid femur swollen, lower margin lamellate ( Fig. 2k ); outer surface of mid and hind tibiae brown ( Fig. 2k ); fore femur apically, fore tibia basally and on inner side yellow ( Fig. 2h ); gastral tergum VII without longitudinal depression in middle ( Fig. 2n ). In L. constricta , flagellomeres I-VI are equal in length; scutellum with small yellow spot in middle; metanotum with dense, fine punctures in middle; lateral surface of propodeum with a few close punctures posteriorly; mid femur lamellate on hind margin; outer surface of mid tibia at basal two-thirds, and long stripe on outer surface of hind tibia yellow; fore femur except outer surface basally and fore tibia stramineous; gastral tergum VII with shallow longitudinal depression in middle.

Description. Male ( Fig. 2a ). Body length 9.1-9.8 mm. Black; yellow or yellowish brown are: outer surface of scape ( Fig. 2g ), fore trochanter apicoventrally ( Fig. 2h ), fore femur apically ( Fig. 2h ), fore tibia basally and on inner side ( Fig. 2h ), fore tarsomeres I-III ( Fig. 2h ), mid trochanter apically, banded spot on lower mid femur ( Fig. 2k ), spots on gastral terga I, III and IV laterally, banded spot on tergum II ( Fig. 2m ); reddish brown are: pedicel, flagellum ventrally, tegula, fore femur basally, fore tarsomeres IV-V, inner and banded spot on outer surface of mid femur, inner side of mid tibia, mid tarsus, banded spots on gastral terga and sterna I-VI apically; outer surface of mid and hind tibiae brown; clypeus and lower inner eye margin with dense appressed silvery setae ( Fig. 2c ); lower gena ( Fig. 2d ), fore trochanter and fore femur ( Fig. 2h ) with dense, silvery setae; upper gena and mesopleuron with sparse, silvery setae.

Head. Mandible bidentate apically, inner side of mandible with one tooth; median lobe of clypeus with mid carina, free margin of clypeus slightly emarginate medially ( Fig. 2c ); antennal flagellomere I slightly wider than long ( Fig. 2g ), flagellomere I shortest of flagellomeres I-VI; ratio of scape length: IODm = 26:11; OOD: POD: OCD = 1:1:2; orbital fovea 3.4-3.7 × as long as widest part ( Fig. 2b ); head in frontal view obtrapezoidal, from above significantly narrowed behind eyes ( Fig. 2b ), ratio of its greatest width: least width (just before occipital carina): mid length = 20:11:16; upper frons with dense, deep, large punctures, interspaces much smaller than puncture diameter; vertex with dense, deep, large to huge punctures, interspaces between punctures hardly visible ( Fig. 2b ); upper gena with somewhat dense, deep, large to huge punctures, remaining gena with several, small to midsize punctures ( Fig. 2d ); occipital carina lamellar laterally, reaching hypostomal carina.

Thorax. Pronotal collar long, with mid furrow ( Fig. 2e ), with dense, deep, midsize to large punctures, interspaces much smaller than puncture diameter, anterior margin with transverse, cristate carina, and terminating laterally in large tooth ( Fig. 2e ), posteriorly with longitudinal rugae; scutum with dense, deep, huge punctures, rugose posteriorly, interspaces between punctures hardly visible ( Fig. 2e ); scutellum with rugae and dense, deep, large to huge punctures, interspaces between punctures hardly visible ( Fig. 2e ); prepectus and mesopleuron with dense, deep, huge punctures ca. 0.0–2 × diameters apart, upper mesopleuron with longitudinal rugae; postspiracular carina continuous with omaulus, omaulus extending back from mesosternum to verticaulus; metanotum irregularly rugose; metapleuron with sturdy, oblique longitudinal ridges; propodeal enclosure with mid furrow and reticulate rugae, mid furrow with transverse rugae; posterior surface with deep mid furrow and reticulate rugae, rugae smaller than those of propodeal enclosure; lateral surface of propodeum with sturdy, oblique longitudinal ridges ( Fig. 2f ). Fore trochanter with round lamellate extension, translucent ( Fig. 2h ); fore femur and tibia prismatic, fore tarsi patellate, inner margin of fore basitarsus concave, outer surface convex ( Fig. 2h, j ); mid femur swollen, lower margin lamellate, translucent ( Fig. 2k ); mid tibia stout, markedly curved laterally, outer surface with carina basally, mid tarsi patellate, mid basitarsus concave on outer side of middle, widened towards apex ( Fig. 2k ); outer surface of hind tibia with two rows of spines, at its lower half with three long spines ( Fig. 2i ); hind basitarsus much longer than combined length of remaining articles, slightly concave on fore margin ( Fig. 2i ). Forewing recurrent vein joining submarginal cell beyond its middle, marginal cell with truncate apex ( Fig. 2l ); hindwing jugal lobe small, jugal lobe shorter than submedian cell, media diverging beyond cu-a.

Gaster. Gastral terga II-V at base markedly constricted; terga I-V rather gently constricted posteriorly, with dense, deep, midsize to large punctures anteriorly and medially ( Fig. 2m ); terga I-VI posteriorly with dense, small to midsize punctures; tergum VII with somewhat dense, midsize to large punctures posteriorly, posterior margin concave, without longitudinal depression in middle ( Fig. 2n ); sternum II laterally with large mat area, and dense, midsize to large punctures, anteriorly with sparse, midsize punctures, posteriorly with somewhat dense, midsize to large punctures; sternum III with dense, midsize to large punctures.

Genitalia. Gonostyles long, with very long, yellowish setae at outer and inner margins, volsella thumb-shaped apically ( Fig. 3 a-c).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Jiangxi, Hunan, Yunnan) ( Fig. 4 ).

Etymology. The species’ name, breviantennata , is derived from the Latin stem brev - (=short) and the Latin word antenna, referring to the short flagellomere I, which is one of the main diagnostic characters of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Lestica breviantennata Yue & Li, sp. nov., Holotype ♂. a. Habitus, dorsal view. b. Head, dorsal view. c. Head, frontal view. d. Head, lateral view. e. Mesosoma, dorsal view. f. Mesosoma, lateral view. g. Antennae, lateral view. h. Fore leg. i. Hind leg. j. Fore tarsi. k. Mid leg. l. Fore wing. m. Metasoma, dorsal view. n. Gastral tergum VII, dorsal view. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Lestica breviantennata Yue & Li, sp. nov., Paratype ♂. a. Genitalia, dorsal view. b. Genitalia, ventral view. c. Genitalia, lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Distribution records of Lestica Billberg from China.