Pristocera alexi Azevedo, Alencar & Colombo, 2018

Azevedo, Celso O., Alencar, Isabel D. C. C. & Colombo, Wesley D., 2018, Pairs in copulation of the highly dimorphic genus Pristocera Klug (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Madagascar solve taxonomic problems of male-female associations, Zootaxa 4433 (1), pp. 1-49 : 7-10

Pristocera alexi Azevedo, Alencar & Colombo , sp. nov.

(Figs 3–4)

Description. Holotype ♂ (Fig. 3). Body length 10.6 mm; length of forewing 7.0 mm.

Colors. Head and mesosoma black except: antenna, clypeus, mandible, metasoma, veins dark castaneous; wings subhyaline.

Head. Head 1.06 × as long as wide. Mandible with five distal teeth, uppermost directed inward, apex wider than base. Median clypeal lobe rounded, median carina conspicuous, high in profile. Antenna not reaching mesoscutellar sulcus; flagellar pubescence suberect, and shorter than half of flagellar diameter; first four antennomeres ~ 5:2:3:3, flagellomere IX 1.5 × as long as wide. Frons punctate and shining, punctures small; frontal groove present, lateral groove present, scrobal carina absent. Ocellar triangle compact, elevated, frontal angle acute; ocelli small and protruding, anterior margin of posterior ocellus touchingimaginary line between tops of eyes. Vertex broadly convex. Temple convergent posterad; occipital carina present ventrally and dorsally.

Mesosoma. Pro- and mesonotal dorsum shining, punctulate, setae long. Pronotal disc trapezoidal, side slightly concave, anterior margin carinate, anterior carina high and curved posterad, median transverse region elevated. Notaulus conspicuous, convergent posteriorly, with posterior part curved mesiad, gradually wider and deeper posteriorly, polished inside. Parapsidal furrow complete, straight and narrow with surface of posterolateral corner of mesoscutum elevated. Mesoscutellar groove convex posteriorly, not dilated laterally. Metanotum with large median elevation, median fovea rectangular with inner surface setose, metanotal groove foveolate laterally, inner fovea very large, dropped shaped, not punctulate inside, other foveae rectangular and narrower than inner fovea. Metapectal-propodeal complex strigulate laterally and posteriorly; transverse anterior carina narrow, metapostnotum mostly rugulose, somewhat distinct on disc, median carina present; first abdominal spiracle elongate and slightly arched, wholly placed on dorsum of metapectal-propodeal complex; metapleural carina present; transverse posterior carina present. Lateral of metapectal-propodeal complex strigulate. Propodeal declivity rugulose-strigulate near petiole. Mesopleuron with subtegular groove dilated anteriorly and uniformly narrow posteriorly, foveolate inside; episternal groove continuous with subtegular one, foveolate; mesopleural callus elevated and well delimited, polished and shining, oval, anterior area strongly punctate to puncticulate posteriorly. Pleurosternum with heart-shaped groove weakly defined, median carina present; epicnemial carina wide medially with two very large foveae. Tarsal claws tridentate. Forewing with r-rs&Rs vein long and almost parallel to anterior margin, R1 vein absent, shorter than stigma. Hind wing with 10 hamuli.

Metasoma. Petiole very long and tubular, midlength 6.5 × midwidth. Hypopygium deeply divided with apical part gradually narrower than base, apex hook-like; inner margin not dentate, with subapical concavity present, and median concavity absent; antero-lateral corner rounded; hypopygeal chamber with latero-basal margin strongly outcurved and recurved. Genitalia: Paramere bilaminar, longer than basiparamere; apical margin outcurved, digitiform process present, thick, long, inner concavity present. Basivolsellar surface smooth, inner margin smooth. Aedeagus subconical, apical lobe giving rise on apical fourth of aedeagus and sinuous, apex directed ventrad, apical part convex in lateral view; ventral lamina with outer margin outcurved in ventral view.

Description. Allotype ♀ (Fig. 4). Body length 7.2 mm.

Colors. Head, mesosoma, metasoma and petiole dark castaneous; antenna, mandible, clypeus and legs light castaneous.

Body. Head 1.3 × as long as wide. Mandible short and wide, upper margin straight, with four distal teeth subequals, uppermost closed to subupper one. Median clypeal lobe tridentate, lateral margin smooth, apical margin incurved and elevated in frontal view, median carina high in profile. Frons coriaceous and punctured. Eye with about eight facets. Temple margin convergent posteriorly, vertex convex, occipital carina completebut not visible in dorsal view. Pro- and mesonotal dorsum coriaceous. Metapectal-propodeal complex polished, maximum width 2.2 × minimal width. Mesotibia strongly spinose. First abdominal spiracle oval. Metasomal petiole with midlength 1.9 × midwidth, anterior margin incurved in ventral view, anterolateral corner angulate, lateral margin straight, subparallel, ventral surface longitudinally subrectangular.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, Allotype ♀ in copula: MADAGASCAR, Rogez, Forét Cot Est, VII.40, in cop. N. 2, A. Seyrig ( MNHN) (Fig. 4G).

Remarks. The males of this species are similar to the males of P. teetsii sp. nov., because both species have the mandibles with five distal teeth, the flagellar pubescence suberect, and shorter than half of the flagellar diameter, the metasomal petiole with midlength 6.5 × midwidth; the aedeagus with the apical lobes giving rise on the apical fourth of aedeagus. However, the male of this species has the forewings without R1 vein, the parameres longer than basiparameres, the aedeagus subconical, whereas the male of P. teetsii sp. nov. has the forewings with R1 vein, the parameres shorter than basiparameres, the aedeagus subcircular.

The females of this species are also similar to the females of P. teetsii sp. nov., because both species have the mandibles with four distal teeth subequal, the median clypeal lobe tridentate and the first abdominal spiracles oval. However, the female of this species has the petiole with midlength 1.9 × midwidth, with the anterolateral corner angulate, and the eyes with about eight facets, whereas the female of P. teetsii sp. nov. has the petiole with midlength 1.3 × midwidth, with the anterolateral corner subangulate, and the eyes with about 23 facets.

Distribution. Madagascar.

FIGURE 0 3. Pristocera alexi , ♂. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mandible, frontal view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Mesosoma, ventral view. E. Metasomal petiole, ventral view. F. Pronotum, lateral view. G. Mesopleuron, lateral view. H. Forewing. I. Hamuli, hindwing. J. Tarsal claws. K. Hypopygium, inner view. L. Genitalia, dorsal view. M. Genitalia, ventral view. Scale bars: 200 µm, except 100 µm for I–M.

FIGURE 0 4. Pristocera alexi , ♀. A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mandible, latero-frontal view. C. Mesosoma, dorsal view. D. Mesosoma, ventral view. E. Metasomal petiole, ventral view. F. Mesosoma, lateral view. G. Labels. Scale bars: 100 µm, except 200 µm for C, D.