Moricella rueaensis Smith, 2011

Smith, David R., 2011, Nematinae (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae) of Thailand, with notes on some other southeastern Asian nematines, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 22, pp. 1-27 : 7-8

Moricella rueaensis Smith sp. n. Figs 8-10

Description.

Female. Length, 8.0 mm. Antenna black. Head black with clypeus light orange, apex of mandible red brown, labrum and maxilla white to light orange with upper surfaces mostly black. Thorax and abdomen orange; sheath black. Legs orange with apical foretarsomere black, midtarsus brown to black, and apical half of hind femur, tibia, and tarsus black. Wings hyaline; veins and stigma black.

Head smooth, shiny, without punctures. Antennal length 2.3 × head width; 3rd antennomere 1.2 × length of 4th antennomere. Clypeus short, broad, about 4.0 × broader than long, slightly broadly emarginated in front. Malar space short, about 0.25 × diameter of front ocellus. Left mandible evenly tapering from base to apex. Distance between eye and hind ocellus subequal to distance between hind ocelli; postocellar area about 2.0 × broader than long. Lower interocular distance about 1.1 × eye height. Forewing with 3 cubital cells; intercostal crossvein absent; crossvein 2r present in one wing, absent in the other. Pulvilli small, on tarsomeres 1-4. Inner hind tibial spur about ¼ length of hind basitarsomere and equal to width of hind tibia at apex. Hind basitarsomere 1.1 × length of remaining tarsomeres combined. Tarsal claws with long inner tooth, equal in length to outer tooth. Sheath from above broad, with short lateral scopae (similar to Benson 1968, fig. 412). Lancet ( Fig. 10 ) with 15 serrulae; annuli strongly curved, V-shaped, with thick, stout spines on dorsal curve and lacking hairs or spines on ventral curve; serrulae with 6 or 7 subbasal teeth on basal serrulae, gradually decreasing to 3 or 4 on apical serrulae; serrulae 2-10 with small spurette dorsal to anterior margin of serrula.

Male. Unknown.

Holotype.

Female, labeled "THAILAND Loei, Phu Ruea NP, Pah Lo Nay, 17°30.502'N, 101°20.868'E, 1343 m, Malaise trap, 26.ix-2.x.2006, Nu Koonchal Jaaroenchal leg., T833" (QSBG).

Etymology.

The species name is derived from the type locality, Phu Ruea National Park.

Discussion.

Moricella is close to Mesoneura and Dineura and is characterized by the narrower malar space equal to or less than diameter of the front ocellus, clypeus truncate with slight median depression; pentagonal area obsolete; left mandible in lateral view evenly tapering from base to apex, third antennomere slightly longer than the fourth, forewing with intercostal crossvein present and interstitial with vein M and with four cubital cells, the hind basitarsomere equal to the following three tarsomeres combined, and the tarsal claws cleft with the inner tooth slightly long and broader than the outer tooth. The new species shares most characters with Moricella except the forewing lacks the intercostal crossvein and has only three cubital cells. Because of the similarities, including the presence of spurettes near the serrulae and stout, thick spines on the annuli of the lancet, I place this species in Moricella . Moricella includes two other species, Moricella rufonota Rohwer (1916) from Taiwan and Moricella nigrita Wei, 1998, from Yunnan, China. Wei (1998) illustrated both species. Wu et al. (1982) recorded the host of Moricella rufonota as Cinnamomum camphora Nees. and Eberm. ( Lauraceae ).

The orange thorax and abdomen and mostly orange legs are diagnostic for Moricella rueaensis . Moricella rufonota is black with the pronotum, mesonotum, and upper half or more of the mesepisternum red and the legs have the coxae white apically, femora black, and tibiae white except for the black apical quarter of the hind tibia.

Figures

Figures 8 - 10. Moricella rueaensis, holotype 8 Lateral view 9 Dorsal view; left line points to position of M joining Sc + R, right line points to vein 2 r 10 Lancet.