Alysson himachalensis Girish Kumar, 2020

Kumar, P. Girish, Sheela, S. & Sharma, Gaurav, 2020, Additions to the knowledge of the Tribe Alyssontini (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae Bembicinae) in India with description of two new species of the genus Alysson Panzer, Zootaxa 4861 (2), pp. 270-280 : 273-274

Alysson himachalensis Girish Kumar , sp. nov.

( Figs 11–20 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E6A6ACAF-D897-4C25-9AB5-FDF7DD6BD813

Type material. Holotype ♀, India: Himachal Pradesh, Chamba district, Catchment Ala (32° 31’ 28’’ N & 76° 00’ 07’’ E, 2289 m), 15.viii.1971, Coll. Sukh Dev, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.14403 . Paratype ♀, Chamba district , Dalhousie (32° 32’ 09’’ N & 75° 58’ 46’’ E, 2133 m), 21.viii.1972, Coll. Khan, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC / IR/INV.14404 . Paratype ♀, Chamba district , Dainkund Peak (32° 31’ 25’’ N & 76° 01’ 37’’ E, 2723 m), 30.vii.1971, Coll. Tulsi, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.14405 .

Diagnosis. This new species differs from all other species of the genus by having the following combination

of characters: Gt 1 completely and Gt 2 mostly yellowish red (except black apex and typical creamy yellow lateral spots on second tergite); propodeal enclosure apically triangularly pointed, only longitudinally carinated inside; mesosoma (except tegulae brown) entirely black (with bluish reflections), without ferruginous red markings. This new species comes close to A. bengalensis sp. nov. and A. triangularis Krombein in having propodeal enclosure apically triangularly pointed, and mesosoma (except tegulae brown) entirely black, without ferruginous red markings but distinctly differs from both of them in having Gt 1 completely and Gt 2 mostly yellowish red (in A. bengalensis sp. nov. and A. triangularis Krombein , metasoma entirely black, except paired, rounded creamy white anterolateral spots on Gt 2). As per the key of Nemkov (2014), the female of this new species comes close to a widely distributed Palearctic species A. spinosus (Panzer, 1798) in general colour pattern especially having metasomal base red. But this new species clearly differs from A. spinosus by absence of creamy white spots on scutellum (in A. spinosus , distinct and large creamy white spots on scutellum present in both female and male) and reduced yellow markings on clypeus and towards lower half of inner eye margins (in A. spinosus , yellow markings on clypeus and inner eye margins are more prominent in both female and male). Not only the aforementioned differences, A. spinosus have also an U-shaped metapostnotum and it belongs to another species group. As per the key for Chinese species by Wu & Zhou (1987), this new species comes close to A. caeruleus Wu & Zhou and A. sichuanensis Wu & Zhou but distinctly differs from both. This new species clearly differs from A. caeruleus in having Gt 1 completely and Gt 2 mostly yellowish red (in A. caeruleus metasoma entirely black). This new species in having no yellow spot between antennal sockets (in A. sichuanensis a yellow spot present between antennal sockets).

Description. Holotype female ( Fig. 21–30 ). Length 9.42 mm; forewing length 7.31 mm. Colour. Black (with bluish reflections on mesosoma), the following parts yellowish red: first metasomal segment completely and second metasomal segment mostly (except black apex and typical creamy yellow lateral spots on second tergite). The following parts creamy white to whitish yellow: mandible except apex, a band at apical half clypeus, which emarginated at middle above (not extending towards lateral margins of clypeus), narrow stripe along inner eye margin and not extending halfway to anterior ocellus, scape beneath, fore coxae beneath, narrow streak anteriorly on fore tibia, all segments of fore tarsus and fore claws, and pair of round anterolateral spots on Gt 2. The following pale brown: fore tibia (except narrow whitish yellow streak anteriorly), mid and hind tarsal segments, and tegula. The following dark brown: mid and hind femora and tibia. Wings clear except forewing with two infumated bands; outer infumated band covers most of marginal cell, apical third of first submarginal cell, second and third submarginal cells, outer half of third discoidal cell, extending toward posterior margin of wing; inner infumated band covers basal half of first discoidal cell, second discoidal cell almost entirely except apex and apex of submedial cell. Vestiture silvery, subappressed; some longer suberect setae also present on mandible, clypeus, mesopleuron, coxae and femora beneath, sides of Gt 3-6 and Gs 2-6; pygidial setae silvery. Head. Head width 1.91 × interocular distance at antennal insertions and 1.76 × that at anterior ocellus ( Fig 12 ); apical margin of clypeus ( Fig 13 ) trilobate, tooth-like, middle lobe larger than lateral lobes; labrum short, about as wide as lobate section of clypeus and with subtruncate apical margin; front with shallow median groove evanescent towards anterior ocellus, with small punctures; OOL 2.50 × POL (in female paratypes OOL 2.72–2.91 × POL); POL 0.38 × ocellooccipital distance (in female paratypes POL 0.35–0.37 × ocellooccipital distance). Antenna as in Figure 14 , length of antennal segments as follows, scape: pedicel: fu 1: fu 2: fu 3: fu 4: fu 5: fu 6: fu 7: fu 8: fu 9: fu 10 = 16: 7: 16.25: 16.25: 13: 13: 12: 11: 10: 10: 10: 13. Mesosoma. Pronotum dorsally with small punctures, mostly separated by about the width of the diameter of a puncture, with a crenulate groove posteriorly (groove narrowed towards middle); lateral surface of pronotum with few strong oblique rugulae on upper half, lower half mostly glabrous anteriorly; mesoscutum with small subcontiguous punctures; mesopleuron with tiny punctures separated by more than the diameter of a puncture. Dorsal side of propodeum ( Fig 16 ) with propodeal enclosure apically triangularly pointed, inner side of enclosure only longitudinally carinated inside, outer side of enclosure with radiating striae from outer margins of enclosure and rugoso-reticulations towards periphery, lateral tooth well developed; posterior side of propodeum smooth on either sides of its median carina. Forewing ( Fig 17 ) with second recurrent vein joins with third submarginal cell. Metasoma. Gt 1 and Gt 2 almost impunctate except for sparse, scattered setae on sides ( Fig 19 ); base of Gt 1 with strong longitudinal cavities on either side, margined by strong carina.

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the state of collection of the species, Himachal Pradesh.

Distribution. India: Himachal Pradesh ( Fig 41 ).

Figures

FIGURE 41. Distribution map of the genus Alysson Panzer from the Indian subcontinent.

FIGURES 11–20. Alysson himachalensis sp. nov. Holotype ♀. 11. Habitus, lateral view. 12. Head, frontal view. 13. Lower half of head, frontal view. 14. Antenna. 15. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 16. Propodeum, dorsal view. 17. Forewing. 18. Hindwing. 19. Metasoma, dorsal view. 20. Last metasomal tergite.

FIGURES 21–30. Alysson triangularis Krombein ♀. 21. Habitus, lateral view. 22. Head, frontal view. 23. Lower half of head, frontal view. 24. Antenna. 25. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 26. Propodeum, dorsal view. 27. Forewing. 28. Hindwing. 29. Metasoma, dorsal view. 30. Last metasomal tergite.