Scrapter minutus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 28AFECA3-0EC5-449D-B850-EEFB3AC29BEA

Fig. 15

Diagnosis

The female of S. minutus sp. nov. can be separated from other species of this group by the combination of the following characters: head about as long as broad, supraclypeal area and clypeus densely and distinctly punctate, only partly superficially sculptured and matt (Fig. 15B), scutum densely but relatively finely punctate, metanotum apicaly without distinct carinate depression (Fig. 15 C–D), fore tibia anteriorly largely yellowish-brown, stigma brown, apical margins of metasomal terga black, terga densely and coarsely punctate (Fig. 15E). The male is unknown.

Etymology

Named for the small body size of the species.

Type material (2 specimens)

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♀, Hantam Mountains, 30 km N of Calvinia, 880 m, 31°12'09" S, 19°50'04" E, 16 Sep. 2007, K. Timmermann (SANC).

Paratype

SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♀, same data as holotype (RCMK).

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 4.9 mm.

HEAD. Head about as broad as long. Integument black, except part of mandibles dark reddish-brown. Face sparsely covered with long, greyish, erect hair (Fig. 15A). Clypeus convex with coarse and dense punctation (i = 1–2 d); surface between punctures apically smooth and shiny, basally superficially sculptured and less shiny (Fig. 15B). Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna dorsally blackish-brown, ventrally yellowish-brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures superficially reticulate but shiny; disc densely (i = 1.0–1.5 d) and finely punctate (Fig. 15 C–D). Metanotum slightly shorter than basal area of propodeum, apically with indistinct narrow carinate depression (Fig. 15D). Propodeum basally only laterally finely carinate (Fig. 15D). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with short, greyish, erect hair (Fig. 15A).

WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation and stigma brown.

LEGS. Integument black to dark reddish-brown; fore tibia basally with large yellowish spot (Fig. 15A). Vestiture greyish-white, scopa greyish-brown.

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga partly narrowly translucent dark reddish-brown (Fig. 15E). Discs of T1 and T2 without hair, following terga with very short but increasingly more and longer hair; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga (Fig. 15E). Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae greyish-brown. T1 densely (i = 1.0–1.5 d) but very finely punctate, between punctures basally superficially sculptured, apically polished and shiny; T2–T4 basally superficially sculptured, apically smooth and shiny, with dense (i = 1.0–1.5 d), fine, superficial punctation; T2–T4 with smooth and shiny, broad apical tergal depression (Fig. 15E).

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

The species is only known from the Hantam Mountains.

Floral hosts

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

September.