Leioproctus (Protomorpha) latifrons Batley, 2013

Batley, Michael & Popic, Tony, 2013, Five New Species of Leioproctus (Protomorpha) Rayment (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 65 (2), pp. 39-50 : 44-45

Leioproctus (Protomorpha) latifrons Batley n.sp.

Type specimens. HOLOTYPE ♂ Kunnamuka Swamp, Queensland (23.353°S 138.260°E), 22 Nov 2010, T. Popic , ex Scaevola parvibarbata , in AM ( K362320 ).

PARATYPES (7, all deposited in AM): Queensland: ♀, Kunnamuka Swamp (23.353°S 138.260°E), 15 Apr 2012, M. Batley, ex Scaevola depauperata (K362321) ; 5♀♀, Ethabuka Station (23.756°S 138.474°E), 21 Apr 2012, M. Batley, ex Scaevola depauperata (K362322–6) ; ♀ Ethabuka Station (23.740°S 138.466°E), 14 Nov 2010, T. Popic, ex Scaevola parvibarbata (K362327) .

Other specimens examined. New South Wales: ♀, Milparinka , 17 Nov 1949, E. F. Reik, in ANIC . Northern Territory: 2♀♀, Plenty River , 245 km ENE Alice Springs, 14 Oct 1978, J. C. Cardale, in ANIC . Queensland: ♀, Lawn Hill Gorge , 16–18 May 1995, I. D. Naumann, in ANIC . Western Australia: ♀, 13 km N Nerren Nerren HS, 15 Sep 1981, L. Kelsey, in ANIC .

Diagnosis

Female with vertex broadly elevated, bigibbous, bearing stiff orange setae, frons with lateral patches of similar setae, clypeus flat. Male with vertex weakly bigibbous, hind tibia with hooked setae, basitarsus broad (width 0.32× length) with moderately long spurs, inner recurved near base, outer 0.7× as long as inner.

Descriptions

Male— Head width 1.9 mm, body length 5.7 mm. Relative measurements: HW 50, HL 42, UID 32, UFW 33, LID 23, HVO 3, WOC 20, OOD 8, IAD 7, AOD 7, SL 15, SW 4, FL 38.— Inner orbits strongly convergent; clypeus almost flat, apical ¼ gently convex; labrum strongly carinate, basal part smoothly convex, apical part not visible; flagellum 0.75× as long as head width; propodeal triangle subhorizontal basally, vertical apically with a sharp change of slope but no carina. Hind tibia broad ( Fig. 14), maximum width 0.32× length, with 7 stiff, apically hooked setae and two large spurs, inner recurved near base, outer 0.7× as long as inner; hind basitarsus weakly concave, width 0.34× length, with a short apical extension of anterior margin ( Fig. 15). Metasomal T2 with postgradular area depressed; S6 with strong medial ridge; S7,8 and genitalia as in Figs. 30–32 .— Integument black except flagellum dull orange-brown, mandibles orange-brown with dark red tips, labrum orange-brown, metasomal terga with posterior margins translucent brown, sterna dark brown, anterior face fore tibia, distal ends of all tibiae and all tarsi orange-brown, S6 brown.— Clypeus, supraclypeal area and frons densely punctate, fovea obscured by tomentum; scutum and scutellum polished, closely punctate; mesepisternum densely punctate; metanotum with weak tubercle; propodeal triangle coarsely rugose basally, laterally propodeum with large, contiguous punctures; metasoma strongly punctate except for wide impunctate apical margins.— Face below mid frons densely covered with adpressed, silver-white pubescence; vertex with open, erect, plumose pale brown hair; gena with open, white, plumose hair; scutum and scutellum openly covered with long, white, finely plumose hair; metasomal T1 with open, long, white hair on basal half, T1,2 apicolaterally with weak white hair patches; T2–4 basally with bands of close white hair; S3,4 with long apical fringes; S6 with dense apical hair tuft.

Female— Head width 2.2 mm, body length 6.8 mm. Relative measurements: HW 50, HL 40, UID 35, UFW 34, LID 26, HVO 2, WOC 21, OOD 7, IAD 8, AOD 8, SL 15, SW 3, FL 22.— Inner orbits convergent ventrally; clypeus flat, except ventrolateral corners strongly convex, apical margin gently sinuous with small medial projection; labrum strongly carinate, basal and apical areas concave; mandibles narrow with no preapical tooth ( Fig. 1) and weak, rounded outer ridge; flagellum <½ as long as head width; propodeum as for male. Hind basitibial plate strongly carinate; inner hind tibial spur gently curved with 8 strong teeth; pygidial plate striate with small apical emargination.— Integument black, except labrum and marginal area of clypeus amber, flagellum brown, mandibles amber with dark red tips, metasomal terga with posterior margins translucent brown, sterna dark brown, anterior face fore tibia yellow-brown.— Clypeus densely punctate except ventrolateral corner impunctate and polished; frons and vertex densely punctate; fovea impressed, impunctate and dull, about as wide as base of scape, almost reaching lateral ocellus; scutum and scutellum densely punctate; metanotum with fine contiguous punctures; propodeal triangle irregularly rugose basally, propodeum laterally densely punctate; metasomal terga polished and densely punctate except on posterior margins; sterna with punctures sparse basally becoming dense apically, pygidial plate striate.— Face with dense, adpressed, white pubescence covering a triangular part of paraocular area from bottom of eye to level of mid frons; vertex and upper frons laterally with stiff orange setae ( Figs. 8, 9); clypeus and frons medially with close, fine simple hair; scutum covered with short, denselybranched, erect, white hair, open anteriorly, close medially, dense around margins; scutellum with similar, pale brown hair; hind tibial scopa white, plumose; hind basitarsus with open fringe of long white plumose hair on posterior margin; metasomal T1,2 with dense white hair apicolaterally, T3,4 with broad, dense white apical hair bands, T2–4 basally with close white hair bands; prepygidial fimbria white; S5 with dense, white apical fringe.

Remarks. The sexes were associated on the basis of the biggibous vertex. A male and female were collected within days from the same plant species in neighbouring locations.

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin noun in apposition meaning broad brow.

Figures

Figures 21–35. Male hidden sterna and genital capsule. Leioproctus crispus n.sp.: (21) S7, ventral view on left; (22) S8, ventral view on left; (23) genital capsule, ventral view. L. gibber n.sp.: (24) S7, ventral view; (25) S8, ventral view; (26) genital capsule, ventral view. L. gurneyi n.sp.: (27) S7, ventral view; (28) S8, ventral view; (29) genital capsule, ventral view. L. latifrons n.sp.: (30) S7, ventral view; (31) S8, ventral view; (32) genital capsule, ventral view. L. nix n.sp.: (33) S7, ventral view; (34) S8, ventral view; (35) genital capsule, ventral view.