Methocha priorrecta Lin, 1966

Narita, Keisuke & Mita, Toshiharu, 2021, A review of the subfamily Methochinae from Taiwan (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae) with description of a new species and redescription of the known species, Zootaxa 4964 (2), pp. 303-329 : 324-325

10. Methocha priorrecta Lin, 1966

Figs 102–108

Methocha priorrecta Lin, 1966: 191–193 . Type locality: Kuaru, Henchuen , Pingtung. Fig 4 .

Material examined. Type material. Holotype, ♀, Kuaru, Henchuen , Pingtung, 19–21.vi.1937, M. Chujo leg. [ TARI].

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other Asian Methocha species by a combination of the following characters: the punctate frons; presence of the frontal tubercles; the rounded clypeal apex; the distinguishable mesoscutum and mesoscutellum from each other; the reddish brown mesosoma; the subapical tooth shorter than the apical one.

Redescription. Female.

Head ( Figs 106, 107 ). Head 0.9 times as long as wide in frontal view; temple weakly rounded in dorsal view; ocelli forming regular triangle, POL:AOL:DAO = 1.0:1.0:0.3; vertex sparsely punctate; frons punctate: punctures larger on vertex, 1.0–5.0 puncture diameters apart, pair of frontal tubercles developed, frontal line faintly present; gena sparsely punctate; clypeus moderately convex, with weak projection; anterior third rugulose, clypeal apex rounded; mandible not distally narrowed, lower tooth longer than upper one; maxillary palpus slightly shorter than pronotum, ratio of length to width of palpomeres II–VI: 1.3:4:2.7:3.3; ratio of length to width of flagellomeres I–III: 1.7:1.9:2.3.

Mesosoma ( Figs 104, 105 ). Collar of pronotum inconspicuously costate dorsally; pronotal disc punctate: punctures 1.0–5.0 puncture diameters apart, with smooth interspaces; mesoscutum trapezoidal, smooth, with a few indistinct punctures, length almost equal to scutellum, separated from mesoscutellum and mesepisternum by distinct groove; mesoscutellum smooth, elevated, rounded in profile, postero-lateral corner with deep notch, separated from mesepisternum; tegula present; mesepisternum longitudinally rugose with large smooth area, surface around upper fourth distinctly convex; metanotum with anterior crescentic depression; propodeum trapezoidal, puncate: punctures 2.0–5.0 puncture diameters apart, with smooth interspaces.

Legs. All tarsal claws ( Fig 108 ) strongly curved in apical half, tridentate, apical tooth sharp, subapical one truncate, shorter than apical one, basal one minute, shorter than half subapical one.

Metasoma. Oval, polished, sparsely punctate by minute punctures; petiole transversely rugose.

Color. Head and metasoma black, flagellomere III–X brown, mesosoma reddish brown, tibiae and femora brown.

Measurements. BL 5.3 mm, HL 1.1 mm, HW 1.2 mm, WF 0.3 mm, EL 0.6 mm, ML 1.9 mm, MW 0.8 mm. Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Southern Taiwan.

Figures

FIGURES 102–105. Methocha priorrecta Lin, 1966, holotype, female. 102 Dorsal habitus, 103 lateral habitus, 104 mesosoma, dorsal view, 105 mesosoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 106–108. Methocha priorrecta Lin, 1966, individual, female. 106 Head, frontal view, 107 head, lateral view, 108 hind tarsal claw. Scale bars are given in mm.

FIGURES 4–11. Methocha alutacea Lin, 1966, individual, male. 4 Head, frontal view, 5 head, lateral view, 6 propodeum, 7 hind tarsal claw, 8 T1, dorsal view, 9 right paramere, lateral view (right side is dorsal), 10 aedeagus, dorsal view, arrow indicating median membranous lobe, 11 aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bars are given in mm.