Morochares xuzaifui Loktionov, Lelej & Liu, 2018

Loktionov, Valery M., Lelej, Arkady S. & Liu, Jing-Xian, 2018, Contribution to the knowledge on the spider wasps genus Morochares Banks, 1934 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from China, Zootaxa 4462 (4), pp. 497-510 : 507-509

Morochares xuzaifui Loktionov, Lelej & Liu , sp. nov.

( Figs 36–45 )

Material examined. Holotype, ♀, China, Guangdong, Mt. Nan Kun Shan, 22.V.2010 ( Zaifu Xu ), No 2016000201 [ SCAU] . Paratypes: 1♀, China, Guangdong, Mt. Nan Kun Shan, 4–6.VI.2011 (Zaifu Xu), No 2016001301 [ IBSS] ; 1♀, China, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, Mt. Wuyanling, 28.VII–5.VIII.2005 ( Jingxian Liu ), No 2 0 16000679 [ SCAU] .

Diagnosis. Female. The female of Morochares xuzaifui sp. nov. can be easily separated from those of other congeners by having the forewing yellowish-brown, with a subapical brown fascia and a narrow whitened apical band ( Fig. 44 ) and the head in frontal view with the vertex slightly produced beyond the eye top and slightly roundly convex medially ( Fig. 39 ). Other characters of importance are: the clypeus with anterior margin straight ( Fig. 38 ); the scape 1.5–1.6 times as long as F1; apical flagellomere roundly blunt apically; the propodeum with coarse and more or less straight transverse rugae on dorsum posteriorly and posterior face ( Fig. 43 ); and maxillary palps from yellow to light brown ( Fig. 39 ). Male. Unknown.

Description. FEMALE. Length: body 12.0– 14.5 mm; forewing 8.8–11.0 mm. Head 1.15–1.22 times as wide as height; MID 0.51–0.54 times as long as head width in frontal view, half of MID 1.03–1.20 times as long as eye width ( Fig. 39 ). Ocelli large, not raised; ocellar triangle right-angled; POD: OOD = 1.0–1.2 ( Fig. 42 ). Head in frontal view with vertex slightly produced beyond eye top and slightly roundly convex medially ( Fig. 39 ). Posterior margin of vertex in dorsal view inconspicuously concave medially or straight ( Fig. 42 ). Head in lateral view with frons slightly convex ( Fig. 40 ). Temple in dorsal view slightly developed ( Fig. 42 ). Gena in profile narrowing towards vertex ( Fig. 40 ). Face on both sides of antennal sockets slightly concave. Malar space short ( Fig. 38 ). Clypeus slightly convex, 1.08–1.09 times as wide as LID and 2.67–2.95 times as wide as height; anterior margin straight or inconspicuously concave; anterolateral corner rounded ( Fig. 38 ). Mandible stout with small subapical tooth. Labrum anterior margin emarginate medially ( Fig. 38 ). Maxillary palps 3–6 about same length, fourth segment slightly longer. Flagellum filiform; scape slightly bent; ratio of scape, pedicel and F1–F 4 in holotype 61: 10: 38: 33: 30: 27; scape 1.5–1.6 times as long as F1, and 0.83–0.85 times as long as F1 and F2 combined, and 1.27–1.36 times as long as UID; F1 3.64–3.80 times as long as maximum width and 0.81–0.84 times as long as UID; apical flagellomere roundly blunt apically ( Fig. 37 ).

Mesosoma. Pronotum in dorsal view somewhat elongated, medially 0.38–0.42 times as long as maximum width ( Fig. 42 ); anterior face low and noticeably inclined, roundly merging into dorsum ( Fig. 40 ); posterior border subangulate ( Fig. 42 ). Dorsum of mesoscutum convex in anterior half. Dorsum of mesoscutellum and metanotum slightly convex. Metapostnotum constricted medially and slightly concave posteromedially ( Figs 41, 43 ). Propodeum in dorsal view 0.89–0.93 times as long as wide ( Fig. 41 ); dorsum in lateral view barely convex; dorsum roundly merging with lateral and posterior faces, with longitudinal and shallow furrow medially, sometimes indistinct ( Fig. 43 ).

Legs. Proleg without spines, except following: protibia outer face with 2–3 short spines, protibia with few different length spines apically, protarsomere 1 with two short spines on outer face and two longitudinal rows of very short spines ventrally, protarsomeres 2 and 3 with very short spines ventrally; protarsi shortened, protarsomere 1 1.27–1.33 times as long as protarsomere 2–4 combined. Meso- and metafemur without spines except two inconspicuous spines dorso- and lateroapically; meso- and metatibia, meso- and metatarsomere 1 with scattered long and suberect spines; meso- and metatarsomeres 2 and 3 ventral face with three longitudinal rows of short spines; meso- and metatarsomere 4 ventral face with median longitudinal row of short spines and 1–2 spines on each side of row; metatibia longer spur 0.57–0.71 times as long as metatarsomere 1. Tarsomere 5 without spines ventrally. Tarsal claws symmetrical and bifid, inner tooth broad and obliquely truncated.

Wings translucent, yellowish-brown ( Figs 44, 45 ). Forewing ( Fig. 44 ) with brown fascia on marginal cell (except basally), SMC2 (entirely or apical half), SMC3 (entirely) and 2M (apical part) across wing, and with short somewhat whitened apical band; pterostigma light brown; SMC2 1.50–1.84 times as long as high, narrowed on vein Rs by 0.65–0.70 times its own length on vein M, receiving crossvein 1m-cu at basal 0.65–0.69; SMC3 0.97– 1.09 times as long as SMC2 on vein M, 0.73–1.03 times as long as SMC2 on vein Rs, narrowed on vein Rs by 0.55– 0.71 times its own length on vein M, receiving crossvein 2m-cu at basal 0.61–0.71; crossvein 2rs-m straight or hardly arched towards wing apex; crossvein 3rs-m curved or arched towards wing apex; crossvein cu-a straight, originating right to or just beyond separation of vein M+CuA; vein M ending slightly before wing margin; vein Cu1 almost touching wing margin. Hind wing ( Fig. 45 ) with barely brownish apical portion; crossvein cu-a interstitial or slightly anterofurcal, arched before confluence with vein A.

Metasoma slightly wider than mesosoma in dorsal view. Posterior margin of T1 usually straight, T2–T5 and S1–S5 slightly emarginate medially. S5 somewhat compressed laterally, forming indistinct longitudinal median carina in posterior half.

Sculpture. Body matt, except clypeus apically, mandible and metapostnotum posteromedially polished, metasoma sometimes somewhat polished. Body with inconspicuous micropunctures. Metapostnotum with fine transverse stria ( Fig. 43 ). Propodeum with transverse coarse and more or less straight rugae on dorsum posteriorly and posterior face; dorsum microshagreened ( Fig. 43 ). S6 with carina polished posteromedially. Antenna and legs matt.

Colour and pubescence. Body black ( Fig. 36 ); top of apical flagellomere somewhat yellowish; mandible dark brown, sometimes light brown subapically; maxillary palps from yellow to yellowish-brown; claws and spurs brown; longitudinal brush on metatibia inner face golden-brown. Body without setae except following: upper frons and pronotum with scattered thin short erect setae; labrum and mandible with few thin and pale setae; S1–S4 with short scattered pale setae; S5 with short or long pale setae; T6 and S6 with long pale setae. Head, mesosoma and legs with iridescence micropubescence; frons with somewhat yellowish micropubescence; dorsum of pronotum, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, meso- and metapleuron and sides of propodeum with somewhat coppery micropubescence; propodeum posterior face with silver micropubescence. Metasomal segments with iridescent micropubescence; T2–T4 anteriorly with band of silver micropubescence more distinct in anterolateral portion ( Fig. 36 ).

MALE. Unknown.

Distribution. China: Zhejiang and Guangdong.

Etymology. This species is named after well-known Chinese hymenopterologist, Prof. Xu Zai-fu (1965–2017).

Remarks. The female of Morochares xuzaifui sp. nov. is similar with those of M. sinica sp. nov. and M. wolfi sp. nov. by having the forewing yellowish-brown, but it can be easily distinguished from them by the following characters: the scape 1.5–1.6 times as long as F1 and the F1 1.27–1.36 times as long as UID in M. xuzaifui sp. nov. vs the scape 1.24–1.28 times as long as F1 and the F1 1.05–1.09 times as long as UID in M. sinica sp. nov.; the head in frontal view with the vertex slightly produced beyond the eye top and slightly convex medially ( Fig. 39 ) in M. xuzaifui sp. nov. vs the vertex not produced beyond the eye top and almost straight medially in M. sinica sp. nov. ( Fig. 7 ); the temple in dorsal view slightly developed ( Fig. 42 ) in M. xuzaifui sp. nov. vs not developed in M. sinica sp. nov. ( Fig. 9 ); the clypeal anterior margin straight ( Fig. 38 ) in M. xuzaifui sp. nov. vs distinctly roundly produced in M. wolfi sp. nov. ( Fig. 32 ).

Figures

FIGURES 36–45. Morochares xuzaifui sp. nov., ♀, holotype. 36. Habitus, dorsolateral view. 37. Apical flagellomeres of both antennae. 38. Clypeus, frontal view. 39. Head, frontal view. 40. Head, lateral view. 41. Mesosoma and T1, dorsal view. 42. Head, pronotum and mesoscutum, dorsal view. 43. Mesoscutellum, metanotum, metapostnotum, propodeum and T1, dorsolateral view. 44. Forewing. 45. Hind wing.

FIGURES 6–14. Morochares sinica sp. nov., ♀, holotype. 6. Habitus, lateral view. 7. Head, frontal view. 8. Head, lateral view. 9. Head, dorsal view. 10. Clypeus, frontal view. 11. Mesosoma, lateral view. 12. Propodeum, dorsolateral view. 13. Forewing. 14. Hind wing.

FIGURES 27–35. Morochares wolfi sp. nov., ♀, holotype. 27. Habitus, lateral view. 28. Head, frontal view. 29. Head, lateral view. 30. Head, pronotum and mesoscutum, dorsal view. 31. Head, mesosoma and T1, lateral view. 32. Clypeus, frontal view. 33. Propodeum, dorsolateral view. 34. Forewing. 35. Hind wing.