Arpactophilus vamale, Breitkreuz, Laura C. V., Ohl, Michael & Engel, Michael S., 2016

Breitkreuz, Laura C. V., Ohl, Michael & Engel, Michael S., 2016, A review of the New Caledonian Arpactophilus (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), Zootaxa 4063 (1), pp. 1-66 : 50-51

Arpactophilus vamale sp. nov.

( Figs. 103–104 )

Diagnosis. Arpactophilus vamale is the only New Caledonian species in the genus with the combination of a sternum II with a bulge ( Fig. 104 , and as in Fig. 2 ), a dorsally-interrupted occipital carina ( Fig. 6 ), dark brown femora, a mostly flat hypostomal midventral line that is slightly angulate medially, a light brown metatibia without a prominent darker colored area, and a roughly punctured frons without a distinct carina parallel to the inner compound eye margin ( Fig. 103 ).

Description. FEMALE: Total length 5.0 mm; forewing length 3.3 mm.

Body black, with brown and dark yellow. Dark yellow: trochanters; femora apically and basally; tibiae; tarsi. Brown: antenna; anterior pronotal margin; tegula; coxae; most of femora. Mandible reddish-black. Wings slightly infumate; pterostigma dark brown.

Head about 1.1 × as long as wide in frontal view. Apical margin of clypeus strongly projecting medially, medioapical margin nearly straight ( Fig. 103 ). Apical margin of labrum projecting medially, with a shallow Vshaped incision medially and laterally, forming four small lobes. Ventral mandibular tooth about ¼–1/5 of total mandibular length, not reaching opposite mandibular base. Palpal formula 5:4. Frons finely carinate-reticulate with dense short setae. Frontal carina present from median ocellus to midlength of clypeus, forming a flat point at basal clypeal margin. Scape 3.3 × as long as wide. Ocellar triangle anterior of tangent between upper posterior orbits of compound eyes, lateral ocelli anterior of tangent by more than their diameter. Occipital carina interrupted dorsally ( Fig. 6 ). Gena imbricate, with sparse punctation and associated setae, without tubercles, spines, or dorsoventral carina. Hypostomal midventral line faint anteriorly, carinate posteriorly, slightly angulate medially.

Mesosoma about 1.8 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Propodeum about 0.9 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Mesosoma colliculate, also finely carinulate laterally ( Fig. 104 ) and densely punctured dorsally, except on propodeum; lateral surface of propodeum transversely carinulate; dorsal surface of propodeum coarsely reticulate (similar to pattern in Fig. 18 ). Broadly pitted sulcus present posterior to fine mesoscuto-mesoscutellar sulcus. Hypersternal sulcus absent. Metafemur 2.7 × as long as wide. Metatibia without differently colored area apically. Pretarsal claws with a small tooth at base. Forewing with two submarginal cells; anterior border of submarginal cell II shorter than posterior border. Hind wing with five distal hamuli.

Metasoma polished, punctation sparse ( Fig. 104 ). Metasomal sternum II swollen medially, forming bulge (as in Fig. 2 ). Pygidium with broad row of silk setae apically.

MALE: Unknown

Remarks. Arpactophilus vamale is similar to A. kumak , A. pwapwa , A. numee , A. xaragure , A. nyelayu , A. orowe , and A. arboreus as all share the combination of a dark brown or black metasoma with a bulge on the metasomal sternum II and a dark brown or black clypeus with a medially strongly projecting apical margin that has no or only a small incision medially. See remarks-section of A. kumak .

Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♀: “ NEW CALEDONIA Mt. Khogi, 600m, 30.XI.1963; R. Straatman, Collector, BISHOP [ BPBM].

Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the name Vamale , one of the New Caledonian native languages. It is treated as a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURES 101 – 106. Facial views and lateral habitus of ♀ holotypes (except for Arpactophilus webbi Bohart) of species of Arpactophilus Smith. 101. A. tiri sp. nov., facial view; 102. A. tiri, lateral habitus; 103. A. vamale sp. nov., facial view; 104. A. vamale, lateral habitus; 105. A. webbi, facial view; 106. A. webbi, lateral habitus.

FIGURES 1 – 4. Line drawings of metasomata and forewings of New Caledonian species of Arpactophilus Smith. 1. Metasoma in profile of ♀ of Arpactophilus merle sp. nov., arrow indicates unmodified metasomal sternum II; 2. Metasoma in profile of ♀ of A. irwini Bohart, arrow indicates ventrally swollen metasomal sternum II. 3. Forewing of ♀ of A. irwini; ps: pterostigma, sz I: submarginal cell I, sz II: submarginal cell II. 4, Forewing of ♀ of A. caledonicus Bohart; ps: pterostigma, sz I: submarginal cell I.

FIGURES 5 – 9. Head and metatibial details of New Caledonian Arpactophilus Smith. 5. Schematic view of posterior of head of Arpactophilus, arrow indicates complete occipital carina; 6. Schematic with arrow indicating incomplete, dorsallyinterrupted occipital carina; 7: Metatibia of holotype ♀ of A. xaragure sp. nov., arrow indicating slightly differently colored but not differently-structured area apically; 8. Metatibia of holotype ♀ of Arpactophilus orowe sp. nov., arrow indicating differently colored and structured area apically; 9. Metatibia of paratype ♀ of A. orowe, scanning electron micrograph with arrow indicating concave area apically.

FIGURES 16 – 22., Dorsal surfaces of ♀ of species of Arpactophilus Smith. 16. Arpactophilus concavus Bohart; 17. A. irwini Bohart; 18. A. kumak sp. nov. (holotype); 19. A. merle sp. nov. (holotype); 20. A. caac sp. nov. (holotype); 21. A. kraussi Bohart; 22. A. propodealis Bohart.