Methocha transcarinata Liao, Chen & Li, 2022

Liao, Xiang-Ping, Guo, Yi, Chen, Bin & Li, Ting-Jing, 2022, A new species of Methocha Latreille (Hymenoptera, Tiphiidae, Methochinae) from China, with a key to the Chinese species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 92, pp. 229-240 : 229

Methocha transcarinata Liao, Chen & Li sp. nov.

Figs 1-8

Material examined.

Holotype, ♂, China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Zengcheng Distinct, Xiaolou Town (Malaise trap), 23°55'20"N, 113°13'26"E, 114 m, 14.VI-1.VII.2019, Yi Guo (IPP-GAAS) . Paratypes: 7♂, same as holotype; 1♂, China, Hainan Province, Changjiang County, Shilu Town, Baomeiling Nature Reserve (Malaise trap), 19°43'11.9"N, 109°37'48"E, 738 m, 3.Ⅵ- 5.VII.2021, He-Shen Wang (CNU) .

Diagnosis.

This species can easily be separated from all other members of the genus by the following characters: dorsal surface of propodeum (Fig. 6 ) posteriorly with transverse carina between dorsal and posterior surfaces; mesepisternum anteriorly with strong carina followed by deep, smooth groove (Fig. 7 ).

Description.

Male. (Figs 1-8 ). Body length 9.2-9.6 mm, fore-wing length 5.3-6.4 mm. Body (Fig. 1 ) almost black; antenna, mandible (Fig. 2 ), postero-lateral margin of pronotum, tegula, and leg dark brown to black. Wings untinted, veins and stigma brown.

Head. Head 0.71-0.75 times as high as wide in frontal view; clypeus distally circularly emarginated, and entirely sclerotized, without membranous area, surface with sparse and minute punctures, medially with obtuse prominence (Fig. 3 ); mandible distally not narrowed; ventral surface of A1 with longitudinal carina; frons with moderate to dense punctures; POL: AOL: DAO = 1: 1: 0.69 (Fig. 4 ), vertex (Fig. 4 ) and gena with sparse and minute punctures.

Mesosoma. Pronotal transverse carina absent (Fig. 5 ), dorsal surface of pronotum sparsely minutely punctate; anterior half of pronotum latero-ventrally with sparse minute punctures (Fig. 7 ), antero-ventrally carinate, with groove behind carina containing short striae, posterior half smooth and impunctate; mesonotum medially with sparse punctures and laterally with dense punctures; mesepisternum (Fig. 7 ) anteriorly with strong carina followed by deep, smooth groove, elsewhere with sparse and minute punctures; scutellum sparsely punctate; metanotum medially with U-shaped depression, elsewhere sparsely striate, and with smooth interspaces; dorsal surface of propodeum (Fig. 6 ) with broad median groove and granulate interspace, posteriorly with strong transverse carina between dorsal and posterior surfaces, antero-laterally with longitudinal striae, postero-laterally with irregular areolate sculpture; posterior surface of propodeum medially smooth, laterally with coarse and large punctures; lateral surface (Fig. 7 ) of propodeum antero-ventrally with oblique striae, postero-ventrally smooth, dorsally with coarse punctures. Claws of hind tarsaus with subapical tooth shorter than half of apical tooth.

Metasoma. Metasomal terga sparsely punctate and with smooth interspaces. T1 (Fig. 8 ) antero-laterally with pair of strong longitudinal carinae, and with shallow median groove between longitudinal carinae. T1 transversely depressed posteriorly, T2-T6 and S2-S6 transversely depressed both anteriorly and posteriorly, anterior depressions of both T2 and S2-S6 costate, anterior ones of T3-T6 and posterior ones of both T1-T6 and S2-S6 smooth. S1 with sparse punctures; S2-S6 anteriorly with dense punctures, posteriorly with sparse ones, medially without longitudinal depression; S7 sparsely punctate and with smooth interspaces.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Guangdong, Hainan).

Etymology.

The specific name Methocha transcarinata is derived from the two Latin words: trans - (= transverse) + carinata (= carinate), referring to the propodeum with a transverse carina between dorsal and posterior surfaces.

Figures

Figures 1 - 8. Methocha transcarinata sp. nov., holotype, ♂. 1 habitus (dorsal view) 2 head (frontal view) 3 head (lateral view) 4 head (dorsal view) 5 pronotum (dorsal view) 6 propodeum (dorsal view) 7 mesosoma (lateral view, anterior to right) 8 T 1 and T 2 (dorsal view).