Smicromyrmilla margalla Lelej and Ullah

Lelej, Arkady S., Ullah, Mishkat & Mahmood, Khalid, 2007, Additions to the knowledge of the Mutillidae (Hymenoptera) of Pakistan, Zootaxa 1444, pp. 53-60 : 54-55

Smicromyrmilla margalla Lelej and Ullah , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–8 )

Diagnosis. The male of this new species can be easily distinguished from that of Palaearctic Smicromyrmilla miranda Nonveiller & Gros 1996 , which is distributed in Spain and South France ( Nonveiller & Gros 1996, Foucart 2005), in having a distinct scutellar shape (triangular and acuminate posteriorly in miranda ).

Description. MALE. Body length 6.4–6.9 mm (holotype – 6.9 mm). Head width 1.1X maximal pronotal width, very short. Head behind the eyes strongly convergent. Eyes large, weakly emarginated inside with rare pores visible under large magnification. Ocelli small, POD: OOD 0.5X. Mandible tridentate, not excised beneath. Relation of pedicel and first three flagellomeres 0.5: 0.8: 1.5: 1.5. Clypeus with transversal preapical groove carinated dorsally, without basal tubercle. Ocellar triangle glabrous, frons and vertex with sparse punctures. Vertex without carinae between occipital carina and ocellar triangle. Dorsum of pronotum carinated anteriorly, humeral angles not acuminate. Pronotum reticulate, size of cells lesser than on scutellum, lateral side densely punctate. Mesoscutum with two parapsidal furrows, without notauli, densely punctate. Scutellum projecting over metanotum, carinated laterally and posteriorly, posteriorly emarginated and forms two blunt tubercles. Scutellum reticulate, size of cells larger than on pronotal dorsum. Mesopleural disc reticulate. Tegulae glabrous with a few punctures anteriorly and posteriorly. Metanotum with median longitudinal carina. Metapleura glabrous. Propodeum divergent posteriorly, laterally carinate, not dentate ( Fig. 4 ). Propodeum reticulate with median elongated and two rounded basal cells, the latter covered by recumbent, short silver pubescence, lateral sides reticulate. Forewings with two radio-medial and two discoidal cells, radial cell truncate, very short, second radio-medial cell petiolate, second recurrent vein weak, vein RS 2, M and Cu touch the wing margin ( Fig. 1 ). Hindwing venation as in Fig. 2 . Metasomal segment 1 wide and long, not constricted posteriorly, T1 with strong curved up tergal latero-basal tooth. Metasomal segment 2 with long wide lateral felt lines on S2 and short ones on T2 ( Fig. 3 ). Disc of T2 weakly flattened with sparse small punctures, which are larger and denser to the borders. T7 with glabrous median part. S6 posteriorly concave with median narrow emargination ( Fig. 7 ). S7 hidden, not emarginated medially ( Fig. 8 ). S8 (hypopygium) with median longitudinal emargination carinated laterally and narrowed basally, which divides hypopygium in two lobes acuminate apically; median long narrow process cover emargination dorsally ( Fig. 8 ). Gonostyli rather short, strongly curved down, volsella with basal rather large lobe-like digitus ( Fig. 6 ). Basal ring (gonocardo) a little bit longer than gonostylus ( Fig. 5 ).

Body, antennae and legs black. Mandibles black, preapically piceous. Palps dark brown. Tibial spurs whitish. Forewings infuscated. Clypeus covered with dense, recumbent silver pubescence. Frons, vertex, genae, mandible, and scape with sparser, recumbent and scattered, erect silver pubescence mixed on frons with erect black setae. Mesosoma with sparse, erect whitish setae and recumbent whitish pubescence, which is denser on mesopleura, mixed with erect black setae on scutum and scutellum. Legs with recumbent and erect whitish pubescence. Metasoma with scattered long, erect and recumbent whitish pubescence, T5–T7 with sparse black setae. T1–T3 and S2–S5 with apical white fringes. Felt line covered with white pubescence on T2 and without pubescence on S2.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♂, Pakistan: Margalla Hills National Park, 12.VII.2005, MT, H. Khurram & M. Fida [ PMNH]. Paratypes. Margalla Hills National Park, 5, 18, 27.VII.2005, MT, H. Khurram & M. Fida, 3 ♂ [ PMNH, IBSS]; 31.VII.2006, MT, H. Khurram & M. Fida, 1 ♂ [ PMNH].

Distribution. Pakistan.

Etymology. The specific name is a noun derived from Margalla Hills National Park, referring to the area where the species has been found.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Smicromyrmilla margalla sp. nov., male, paratype. 1. Forewing; 2. Hindwing; 3. Mesosoma and metasomal segments 1 – 2, lateral view; 4. Mesosoma and metasomal tergum 1, dorsal view; 5. Genitalia, lateral view; 6, Volsella and gonostilus, ventral view; 7, Sternum 6, ventral view; 8, Sterna 7 – 8, ventral view.