Dasyproctus helenae Saini and Dey, 2022

Saini, Varun & Dey, Debjani, 2022, Dasyproctus helenae, a new species of solitary hunting wasp from India and a checklist of Dasyproctus Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau and Brullé, 1835 from the Indian subcontinent (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae: Crabronini), Zootaxa 5195 (2), pp. 155-162 : 156-160

Insertion of D. helenae n. sp. into the key for females provided by Binoy et al. (2021b)

5 Clypeus quadridentate, with median indentation formed by overhanging prolongation of median carina (cf. Fig. 24 of Leclercq 1958: 47); POD distinctly shorter than OOD.......................................... D. pentheri Leclercq, 1956

- Clypeus with two well produced lobes apico-medially and pointed lateral process, no median indentations; POD almost equal to OOD........................................................................................... 5a

5a Prepectus with yellow patch ( Figs 1 and 7–8 in Binoy et al. 2021); foveae beneath IOC present ( Fig. 3 in Binoy et al. 2021); distinct oval spot between IOC and median ocellus absent ( Fig. 5 in Binoy et al. 2021); punctation on mesopleuron similar to that of the head, mesosoma and metasoma ( Figs 5–6, 8 in Binoy et al. 2021); Gt 1 distinctly punctate dorsally, one pair of maculae (only dorsal spots) on Gt 3 ( Figs 11–12 in Binoy et al. 2021)...................... D. geethae Binoy et al. 2021

- Prepectus entirely black ( Fig. 10 ); foveae beneath IOC absent ( Fig. 6 ); distinct oval spot between IOC and median ocellus present ( Figs 4, 6 ); punctation on mesopleuron, mesosoma and metasoma different from head ( Figs 4, 9–10 , 14 ); Gt 1 without punctation dorsally, two pairs of maculae (dorsal and lateral spots) on Gt 3 ( Figs 13–14 and 16 )............................................................................................... D. helenae Saini and Dey , sp. nov.

Taxonomy

Dasyproctus helenae Saini and Dey sp. nov.

( Figs 1–17 )

Diagnosis. The new species is close to D. geethae Binoy et al. (2021) , sharing with it the following characters: scape, pedicel, pronotal lobe, pronotal collar, axilla entirely yellow; Gt 1 –Gt 4 maculate; hind femur with yellow apical spot; all basitarsi pale yellow; antennal toruli almost touching inner ocular margin but separated from one another; postscutellum with longitudinal striae, with deep excavation laterally; POD almost equal to OOD; pronotum anterolaterally distinctly rugose with vertical wrinkles; sterna black with posterior margins paler. The new species differs from D. geethae and other species of Dasyproctus by a deep clypeal emargination of median lobe, scapal basin deeply excavated, absence of fine longitudinal sulcus between posterior ocelli, larger distance between orbital fovea and median ocellus, spots on metasoma, coloration and punctation on body and legs described below.

Description. Head. Distinctly punctate dorsally, densely punctate near ocelli, orbital fovea and IOC; clypeus medial emargination deep; orbital fovea oval, almost equal to the diameter of an ocellus; fovea beneath IOC absent; fine longitudinal line between posterior ocelli absent ( Fig. 4 ). Mesosoma . Prepectus without yellow spot; punctation on scutum and scutellum finer than on head; mesopleuron with very fine punctation; lateral surface of propodeum with distinct fine longitudinal striation ( Fig. 10 ). Metasoma. Gt 1 dorsally with diagonal striae ( Fig. 13 ); pygidial plate not excavated medially ( Fig. 17 ).

FEMALE. Holotype ♀. BL= 8.91–9.25 mm; FWL= 5.92 mm; PPL= 0.52 mm.

Colour pattern and pubescence. Body mat black, except the following yellow: scape, pedicel, pronotal collar except medial notch, pronotal lobe, antennomere III ventrally, axilla, scutellum except posterior margin, mandible medio-basally and ventrally, apical spot on trochanters of all legs, wide L-shaped band on fore femur ventrally, mid femur with large apical spot, hind femur with small apical spot, fore and mid tibiae except ventral stripe, outer surface of hind tibia (completely yellow in paratype), spots on Gt 1 –Gt 2, lateral spot on Gt 3; dorsal spot on Gt 3 and Gt 4, band on Gt 5 yellowish brown; sterna ferruginous with posterior margins paler; femora of all legs, wing base dark brown ( Figs 1–3 ); tegula, wing veins light brown; wings with brownish tinge. Body mostly with sparse, light brown setae; clypeus and scapal basin covered with dense silvery setae; upper frons and vertex with sparse light brown setae; lateral surface of head covered with sparse silvery setae; mesosternum and lateral surface of propodeum covered with dense light brown setae; Gt 1 laterally covered with dense creamy white setae, remaining terga covered with small light brown pubescence ( Figs 14–16 ); pygidial plate laterally covered with elongate sparse brownish setae.

Head. Subcubical, dull, distinctly punctate dorsally, punctation dense near ocelli and IOC, length 0.6 × of width; orbital fovea distinct, oval, close to compound eyes ( Fig. 4 ); distance between compound eyes and antennal toruli very small, almost nil; scapal basin deeply excavated, longitudinal line extending from base of IOC and reaching up to antennal sockets; frons more closely punctate than rest of head dorsally, distinct oval spot between IOC and median ocellus present ( Figs 4, 6 ); lateral surface of head covered with sparse silvery pubescence ( Fig. 5 ); inner orbit of compound eyes and scapal basin covered with dense silvery pubescence; clypeus produced medio-apically into pair of pointed lobes and pair of lateral processes, covered with silvery pubescence, emargination deep between apically produced lobes, well defined median carina present ( Fig. 7 ); vertex without fine longitudinal line; occipital carina forming complete circle, joining with hypostomal carina; mandible tridentate at apex, inner margin edentate, externo-ventral margin entire; antennal sockets contiguous, POD equal to 0.94 × of OOD; antennomere III equal to 1.5 × of antennomere IV ( Fig. 8 ); scape bicarinate; relative lengths of antennomeres I: II: III: IV: V: VI: VII: VIII: IX: X: XI and XII = 5.1: 2.6: 2.4: 1.9: 1.9: 1.7: 1.5: 1.5: 1.3: 1.6: 1.7 and 2.3

Mesosoma . Matt; dorsally covered with brownish setae; pronotal collar medially notched, with transverse carina, lateral angle rounded, continuous with pronotal lobe; scutum very finely sparsely punctate with well-defined admedian and parapsidal lines, pre- and postscutellar sulcus with foveae; scutellum broad, very finely sparsely punctate ( Fig. 9 ); metanotum dorsally with longitudinal striae ( Fig. 11 ); axilla simple; mesopleuron very finely sparsely punctate; prepectus almost impunctate; epicnemial sulcus with distinct large foveae; omaulus continuous with acetabular carina; precoxal area rugose; mesopleural suture with distinct small foveae; metapleuron shiny, dorsally with oblique transverse striae ( Fig. 10 ); propodeum shiny, median furrow distinct, with fine longitudinal carina anteriorly and distinct foveae below, dorsal and posterior surfaces separated by distinct foveae, dorsal surface reticulo-punctate, posterior surface dorsally covered with diagonal conspicuous and fine transverse striation, lateral propodeal carina deeply excavated dorsally, lateral surface of propodeum obliquely transversely striate ( Fig. 11 ). Legs not modified.

Wings. Recurrent vein joining submarginal cell beyond middle ( Fig. 12 )

Metasoma. Petiolate, petiole almost equal to combined length of hindtrochanter and hindfemur, distinctly nodose at apex ( Figs 13, 16 ); all terga matt black with pair of yellow maculae laterally except Gt 3 with two pairs of maculae: one dorsal and one lateral; Gt 1 2.0 × as long as wide; maculae on Gt 1 –Gt 2 and Gt 4 large (larger than in D. geethae ); maculae on Gt 1 –Gt 2 and lateral macula on Gt 3 bright yellow, maculae on dorsum of Gt 3, Gt 4 and band on Gt 5 pale yellow; 3/4 th of Gt 5 covered with pale yellow band (2/3 rd in D. geethae ) ( Figs 14, 16–17 ); Gt 2 longer than wide, following terga subequal; all sterna black, apical margins pale yellow ( Fig. 15 ); pygidial plate present, dorsally reticulate, punctate laterally, depressed and rounded apically, ferruginous with thick brown bristles ( Fig. 17 ).

MALE. Unknown.

Etymology. The new species is named in memory and honour of the late Mrs. Helen K. Court (expert on Crabronid wasp’s taxonomy), California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA.

Material Examined. Holotype ♀, India: Chhattisgarh: Banhar , 07.V.1919, coll. H. Inglis ( NPC – IARI) . Paratype: ♀, 12. V .1918, other data as on holotype label ( NPC – IARI) .

Figures

FIGURES1–3.Dasyproctushelenaesp.nov. Holotype♀.1. Habitus,lateralview;2.Habitus,dorsalview;3.Habitus,ventralview.

FIGURES 4–10. Dasyproctus helenae sp. nov. Holotype ♀. 4. Head, dorsal view; 5. Head, lateral view; 6. Head, frontal view; 7. Clypeus; 8. Antenna; 9. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 10. Mesosoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 11–17. Dasyproctus helenae sp. nov. Holotype ♀. 11. Propodeum; 12. Fore wing; 13. Tergum I; 14. Metasoma, dorsal view; 15. Metasoma, ventral view; 16. Metasoma, lateral view; 17. Pygidial plate.