Smicromyrme (Smicromyrme) langobardensis Schmid-Egger, 2021

Schmid-Egger, Christian & Schmidt, Stefan, 2021, Unexpected diversity in Central European Vespoidea (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae, Myrmosidae, Sapygidae, Scoliidae, Tiphiidae, Thynnidae, Vespidae), with description of two species of Smicromyrme Thomson, 1870, ZooKeys 1062, pp. 49-72 : 49

Smicromyrme (Smicromyrme) langobardensis Schmid-Egger sp. nov.

Figures 14-26 , 25

Material.

Holotype Italy • male; Lombardia, Valtellina, 10 km E Sondro, Ponte in V.; 46.17°N, 9.96°E; 500 m a.s.l.; 9 Jul. 2006; Schmid-Egger leg.; coll. ZSM, BC ZSM HYM 10620 . Paratypes Italy • 1 male; same collecting data as holotype; BC ZSM HYM 10618 • 1 male; same collecting data as holotype ; • 1 female; same locality as holotype; BC ZSM HYM 17467 (all in coll. CSE) .

Additional material examined.

Female specimens without barcode sequences, excluded as paratypes: 2 females, Italy, Valle d’Aosta, Pondel , 45.67°N, 7.22°E, 7.vii.1995, 25.vii.1999 and Valle d’Aosta, St. Pierre, 45.71°N, 7.23°E, 1.viii.1997, Schmid-Egger leg. (coll. CSE). The females differ from the paratype female in some characters and lack DNA barcode sequences and are therefore not considered in the description (frons and propodeum posteriorly more like S. rufipes ) .

Diagnosis.

Smicromyrme langobardensis sp. nov. agrees in most characters with S. rufipes and S. burgeri sp. nov. All examined males belong to the red form, as described under S. rufipes and S. burgeri sp. nov., with the exception that the metanotum is always red, whereas it is usually black in the other species. The male is characterised by shape and length of setae of the volsella (lateral view, Fig. 25 ): basal setae are not longer than medial setae and apically only weakly curved. In S. rufipes and S. burgeri sp. nov., basal and some of the medial setae are long and bent backwards over the remaining setae (Figs 23 , 24 ). Female frons with some golden adpressed setae, but golden pilosity much sparser than in S. rufipes . Lower half of backside of propodeum shiny without punctation or microsculpture in holotype, but always with some punctation or striation in S. rufipes and S. burgeri .

Description.

Holotype male. Body length 12.0 mm. Colour. Black with the following parts red: pronotum (pronotal base black), mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, tegula. Body with long white erect setae, setae of frons (apart vertex), scutellum and tergites VI and VII black. Morphology. Clypeus in basal half with keel, apically flat with two tubercles in lower third and two tubercles near apical margin. Mandible distinctly curved, with inner tooth near apex. Otherwise like S. rufipes . Genitalia see Fig. 25 .

Variation in male paratypes.

Body length 8.0-12.0 mm. Colour of paratypes agrees with holotype except one male with darker red on mesosoma, and only pronotum laterally bright red as in remaining males.

Description of female paratype.

Body length 5.0-5.5 mm. Agrees in all aspects with females of S. burgeri sp. nov. and S. rufipes apart from colour and extend of frontal setae. Frons bears 8-10 golden adpressed and isolated setae in S. langobardensis sp. nov., not forming a dense patch as in S. rufipes .

Distribution.

The species is only known from two localities in the Italian Alps, near the border to Switzerland. Records of S. rufipes from northern and central Italy and the Balkans ( Petersen 1988) may also belong to this species.

Etymology.

The species is named after the type locality, the province Langobardia in northern Italy.

Figures

Figures 14 - 18. Smicromyrme langobardensis sp. nov. 14 - 16 female paratype 14 habitus in dorsal view 15 head in frontal view 16 tergite S 6 17, 18 male holotype 17 habitus in lateral view 18 mesosoma in dorsal view. Scale bar: 1 mm for all images.

Figures 23 - 26. Genitalia, males 23 Smicromyrme rufipes 24 Smicromyrme burgeri sp. nov. 25 Smicromyrme langobardensis sp. nov. 26 Dolichovespula pacifica.