Dicranorhina dinesani Mawadda, Girish Kumar & Sureshan, 2019

Mawadda, N. V. Ayisha, Kumar, P. Girish, Sureshan, P. M. & Rajan, Tessy, 2019, A taxonomic review of the genus Dicranorhina Shuckard (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Crabroninae) from the Indian subcontinent with the description of three new species from Southern Western Ghats, Zootaxa 4629 (1), pp. 109-121 : 111-112

Dicranorhina dinesani Mawadda, Girish Kumar & Sureshan sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–16 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:06035973-3DB8-404E-81A4-B621DB0A80D1

Diagnosis. Within Dicranorhina , this new species can be separated from all other species by the following character combination: Recurrent veins 1 and 2 are not united anteriorly, they are distinctly separated. Hind femur near the base beneath without distinct tooth, but only with a preapical thickening ( Fig. 8 ). Interocular distance at vertex 1.35–1.45 × as long as F1. Basal area of clypeus medially strongly raised with distinct median carina, and the apex of clypeus with flattened inverted V-shaped emargination medially as in figure 3.

Description. Holotype ♀ ( Fig. 1 ). Head. Head width 1.17-1.19 × its median height in frontal view ( Fig. 2 ); clypeus tripartite, apex of clypeus broadly quadrate with distinct but weak incision (flattened inverted V-shaped) medially ( Fig. 3 ); basal area of clypeus medially strongly raised with distinct median carina which extends beyond basal half; apical margin of clypeus behind glabrous area with few gross piliferous punctures medially; distance between antennal toruli 0.50–0.52 × distance between antennal toruli and inner eye margin; posterior ocelli opaque, scar-like and oval-shaped ( Fig. 5 ), its maximum diameter 0.52–0.54 × POL; POL 0.15–0.25 × OOL; distinct glossy median fovea present above posterior ocelli on vertex as in Fig. 5 ; interocular distance at vertex 0.50–0.53 × interocular distance at clypeus, 1.39–1.41 × as long as F1. Antenna ( Fig. 6 ) with scape 4.33–4.37× as long as wide, F1 3.90–3.92 × as long as wide, 1.15–1.19× as long as F2; F2 as long as F3.

Mesosoma . Pronotal collar transversely striated, with deep transverse grove anteriorly, thick and roundly swollen at lateral areas, but medially obliquely inclined and then raised anteriorly; median length of mesoscutum 0.57– 0.59 × as long as its maximum width, with depression at medioanterior area, anterior margin strongly emarginated in middle ( Fig. 7 ); mesoscutum with two weak submedian and two lateral carina up to ¼ of mesoscutum basally; scutellum convex; propodeal dorsum transversely, finely and closely rugosostriate, striae laterally stronger and sparser; forewing ( Fig. 9 ) with recurrent vein 1 and 2 not united anteriorly, distinctly separated; hind femur near base beneath without distinct tooth, but only with preapical thickening ( Fig. 8 ).

Metasoma. T1 1.22–1.24 × as long as its maximum width, 0.90–1.02 × as long as T2 ( Fig. 11 ); T2 0.60–0.71 × as long as its maximum width; T7 somewhat largely densely and subcontiguously punctured, but punctures slightly sparser towards base; pygidial plate as in figure 12.

Colouration. Black, with following ferruginous markings: clypeus except at apical margin dark brown, mandible except at apex dark brown, scape, pedicel and F2-F5 (F1, F6 blackish brown and remaining segments black), pronotum, mark on both sides of mesoscutum anteriorly, tegula, metapleuron, propodeum except median part of dorsal side and posterior side, T1 and S1 and T6. Legs mostly ferruginous to reddish brown with following black markings: black mark on outer side of fore femur, base of mid and hind coxae, outer sides of mid and hind trochanters and femora, apical half of hind tibia, mid and hind tibial spurs. Wings slightly yellowish hyaline, forewing with stigma strongly and adjacent areas lightly infumated. Body setae silvery, dense on lower frons, clypeus, dorsal base and posterior side of propodeum. Short setae on apical part of pygidial area yellowish brown.

Size (measured from head to second tergite). 6.06–6.08 mm.

♂. Characters same as in female except colour blacker than that of female; antenna black except scape; pro- notum, mesoscutum and legs more blackish; propodeum entirely black ( Fig. 13 ). Clypeal teeth ( Fig. 15 ) long and slender; hind femoral tooth much longer ( Fig. 16 ). Apical margin of T7 and S7 medially incised. Size (measured from head to second tergite): 5.57 mm.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, INDIA: Kerala, Wayanad district, Vellamunda (11.7341°N, 75.9376°E), sweep net collection, 12.vi.2016, Coll. K.A. Dinesan, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV/11598 . Paratype ♂, collection data as that of holotype, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV/11599 . Paratype ♀, Kerala, Kozhikode district, Vengeri (11.3045°N, 75.7967°E), 2.i.2018, Coll. A.P. Ranjith, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV/11834 . Paratype ♂, Kerala, Kannur district, Kannapuram (11.9691°N, 75.3208°E), 20.ix.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV/11835 .

Distribution. India: Kerala.

Etymology. The species is named after Mr. K. A. Dinesan, Field Attendant, Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode, who collected the holotype.

Discussion. In Tsuneki (1983), females of this new species key out as D. ruficornis ( Cameron, 1889) in having clypeus, antenna, prothorax, T1, T6 and legs extensively ferruginous; hind femur near base beneath without distinct tooth, but with preapical thickening. But, it differs from D. ruficornis in having: (1) recurrent vein 1 and 2 not united anteriorly, distinctly separated (in D. ruficornis , recurrent vein 1 and 2 united anteriorly); (2) interocular distance at vertex 1.40 × as long as F1 (in D. ruficornis , interocular distance at vertex as long as F1); (3) T2 at base black (in D. ruficornis , T2 at base ferruginous); (4) scape and pedicel and F2-F5 ferruginous, F1 and F6 blackish brown and remaining segments black (in D. ruficornis , antenna entirely ferruginous or up to F8).

This new species differs from D. ruficollis ( Cameron, 1904) in having: (1) clypeus with flattened inverted Vshaped emargination at apex medially as in figure 3 (in D. ruficollis , clypeus with semi circular depression at apex medially); (2) scape and pedicel and F2-F5 ferruginous, F1 and F6 blackish brown and remaining segments black (in D. ruficollis , antennae black, except ferruginous scape).

This new species differs from D. sreeramani Mawadda, Girish Kumar & Sureshan sp. nov. in having: (1) distinct glossy median fovea present above posterior ocelli on vertex (in D. sreeramani sp. nov., glossy median fovea not present above posterior ocelli on vertex); (2) clypeus with distinct but weak incision (flattened inverted V-shaped) medially (in D. sreeramani sp. nov., apex of clypeus with distinct, strong inverted U-shaped incision medially); (3) basal area of clypeus medially strongly raised with distinct median carina (in D. sreeramani sp. nov., clypeus medially weakly raised with indistinct median carina); (4) pronotum entirely ferruginous, mark on both sides of mesoscutum anteriorly and propodeum except median part of dorsal side and posterior side ferruginous (In D. sreeramani sp. nov., posterolateral corner of pronotum, mesoscutum and propodeum entirely ferruginous).

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Dicranorhina dinesani sp. nov., holotype ♀. 1. Body in profile, lateral view; 2. Head, frontal view; 3. Clypeus; 4. Left mandible; 5. Area around ocelli; 6. Antenna; 7. Head and Mesosoma; 8. Hind tibia

FIGURES 9–16. Dicranorhina dinesani sp. nov., holotype ♀ and paratype ♂. 9–12. Holotype ♀. 9. Forewing; 10. Hindwing; 11. Metasoma, dorsal view; 12. Pygidium. 13–16. Paratype ♂.13. Body in profile; 14. Head, frontal view; 15. Clypeus; 16. Hind femur