Aberropompilus Shimizu & Wahis

Akira Shimizu, Raymond Wahis, Anthony C. Harris & James P. Pitts, 2016, An extraordinary new genus and species of spider wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Southeast Asia, Journal of Natural History 50, pp. 1549-1559 : 1550-1553

Genus Aberropompilus Shimizu & Wahis gen. nov.

( Figures 1 – 3 )

Diagnosis

The female has unique characteristics among Pompilidae in having a remarkably shaped head, its outline rhomboid in frontal view ( Figure 1 A) and triangular in profile ( Figure 1 B); upper frons strongly produced anteriorly, hence supra-antennal area overhanging radicle of scape; lower frons markedly receding posteriorly, greatly narrowed below, flattened. The following characteristics are also very specialised and, together with the above traits, distinguish this genus from others: (1) body very slender ( Figure 2 A); (2) mesosoma and metasoma compressed laterally; (3) upper frons with several long, stout, suberect setae ( Figures 1 A, B); (4) inner orbits strongly arcuate and remarkably convergent below; (5) eye with numerous erect setulae, those being much longer than facet width; (6) clypeus small, entirely flattened; (7) antenna not convolute ( Figures 2 A, 3); (8) juncture of anterior and posterior faces of vertex sharply edged; (9) posterior faces of vertex and gena concave, smooth and highly polished, without occipital carina ( Figure 1 C); (10) pronotum much longer than mesoscutum at midline ( Figure 1 D); (11) pronotal collar slightly depressed below level of its dorsum ( Figure 2 B); (12) oblique sulcus on mesepisternum subobsolete ( Figure 2 C); (13) mesepimeron entirely obsolete, save for its upper margin ( Figure 2 C, arrow); (14) metapostnotum completely invaginated dorsally; (15) lower metapleuron and lateral side of propodeum fairly flattened, smooth and highly polished ( Figure 2 C); (16) pterostigma very small and triangular, its base much shorter than cross vein 2r-rs ( Figure 2 D); (17) marginal cell very long and narrow, strongly tapering apically ( Figure 2 E); (18) vein M reaching outer wing margin; (19) hind wing with only one basal hamulus; (20) hind wing cross vein cu-a short and almost straight, originating very basally to fork of vein M+CuA, forming an obtuse angle with vein 1A ( Figure 2 F); (21) jugal lobe very small; (22) outer face of fore coxa flattened, with a fine, semi-circularly curved groove posteriorly from base to apex ( Figure 2 G, arrow); (23) fore femur enormously incrassate ( Figure 2 G); (24) hind coxa much larger than mid coxa, strongly compressed laterally, greatly raised and lamellate dorso-innerly, smooth and polished, forming the same plane with both lower metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum ( Figure 2 B); (25) outer apicoventral corner of hind femur rounded; (26) orbicula minute, with its pecten consisting of a few radiating, almost straight weak setulae; (27) all tarsal claws edentate ( Figure 1 E); (28) tergum I narrowed and parallel sided basally ( Figure 2 A); and (29) sternum VI strongly compressed laterally, with a median carina ( Figure 2 H).

Description

Body smooth and impunctate. Ocelli forming low obtuse-angled triangle ( Figure 1 F). Malar space much longer than one-half width of mandibular base ( Figure 1 B). Labrum small, fairly exposed beneath clypeus ( Figure 1 A); apical margin feebly convex without median emargination. Mandible small, thin antero-posteriorly with small tooth subapically on inner margin, without lamina or fimbriate groove along outer margin. Maxilla with palpus elongate ( Figures 1 G, H); last three palpomeres thinner than third, fourth longer than third. Labium with prementum without median cleft apically or circular or heart- or spade-shaped membranous area subapically ( Figure 1 I). Antennal socket removed from upper margin of clypeus by much more than its long axis. Scape long, flattened and curved outward on outer face ( Figure 1 F).

Pronotum with anterior declivity much shorter than dorsum, gradually and uniformly merging into dorsum, thus never differentiated from dorsum ( Figure 2 B); lateral face almost vertical and concave ( Figure 2 A), juncture of lateral and dorsal faces narrowly rounded. Dorsal surface of pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellar disc flattened, almost conforming to the same plane ( Figure 2 B). Posterolateral margin of mesoscutum not raised. Axilla (cuneoli) practically absent. Propodeal dorsum much longer than declivity, flattened, and gradually merging into latter ( Figure 2 C); declivity somewhat concave posteromedially.

Third abscissa of fore wing vein M (basal vein) curved anteriorly ( Figure 2 E). Cross veins 2 and 3 rs-m almost straightly slanting and subparallel. Cross vein 2 m-cu meeting vein CuA1 much less than half of distance from base of CuA1 to wing margin. Vein CuA1 slightly deflected downward basally. Cross vein cu-a originating basally to fork of vein M+CuA.

Mid coxa sharply raised and lamellate on dorso-outer surface. Fore tarsomere I shorter than tarsomeres II – IV combined. Mid and hind femora with basal ring, and small spines posterodorsally. Hind femur compressed laterally, its inner face flattened. Hind tibia with many short but strong spines dorsally, without scale-like teeth; apical spines equal in thickness but unequal in length, weakly splayed out ( Figure 2 I). Apicoventral spine on hind tarsomere V and apicodorsal spine on hind tarsomere IV somewhat broadened basally and narrowly triangular.

Metasoma slender, fusiform ( Figure 2 A). Tergum 1 with lateral crease. Sternum II without transverse groove.

Distribution

Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Thailand).

Biology

Unknown.

Figures

Figure 1. Aberropompilus dayi sp. nov., holotype (A, B, E, F) and paratype (C, D, G – I) females: (A – C), (F) head (A, frontal view; B, lateral view; C, posterior view; F, dorsal view); (D) pro-, meso- and metanota, dorsolateral view; (E) left hind tarsal claw, outer view; (G) left maxilla, inner view; (H) maxillary palpus; (I) labium, posterior view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 2. Holotype female of Aberropompilus dayi sp. nov.: (A, B) whole body (A, dorsal view; B, lateral view); (C) meso- and metapleura and propodeum, lateral view; (D) pterostigma; (E) fore wing; (F) hind wing; (G) fore leg, lateral view; (H) apical metasomal segments, ventral view; (I) apex of hind tibia, outer view. Scale bars: A – C, E – H = 1 mm; D, I = 0.2 mm.

Figure 3. Paratype female of Aberropompilus dayi sp. nov.:, lateral view. Scale bar: 1 mm.