Scrapter punctatus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 4C655519-A4FA-450E-8F66-940B66C9B5BA

Figs 23–24

Diagnosis

The female of S. punctatus sp. nov. can be separated from other species of this group by the combination of the following characters: supraclypeal area and clypeus densely and distinctly punctate, shiny, only partly superficially sculptured (Fig. 23B), scutum densely and coarsely punctate, basal area of propodeum medially only slightly longer than metanotum (Fig. 23 C–D), stigma brown, apical margins of metasomal terga partly and narrowly brownish translucent, terga densely and coarsely punctate (Fig. 23E). The male can be separated from all other species of this group by its very long antenna with the last flagellar segment being about as twice as long as wide (Fig. 24E).

Etymology

Named for the distinct punctation of the scutum and metasomal terga of the species.

Type material (7 specimens examined)

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♀, Witwater, slope, yellow + white, 30.23050° S, 18.13458° E, 23 Sep. 2003, C. Mayer (SANC).

Paratypes

SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♀, same data as holotype (RCMK); 1 ♀, 1 ♂, Leliefontein, plain, white trap, 30.23169° S, 18.16260° E, 31 Aug. 2003, C. Mayer (RCMK); 1 ♀, Leliefontein, slope, white trap, 30.23288° S, 18.16458° E, 7 Sep. 2003, C. Mayer (RCMK); 1 ♂, Leliefontein, plain, white trap, 30.23391° S, 18.16476° E, 7 Sep. 2003, C. Mayer (RCMK); 1 ♀, Remhoogte, plain, white trap, 30.23431° S, 18.16491° E, 7 Oct. 2002, C. Mayer (RCMK).

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 5.0– 5.6 mm.

HEAD. Head wider than long. Integument black, except part of mandibles dark reddish-brown. Face sparsely covered with long, greyish, erect hair (Fig. 23A). Clypeus strongly convex with coarse and dense punctation (i = 1–2 d); surface between punctures apically smooth and shiny, basally superficially shagreened but shiny (Fig. 23B). Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna dorsally blackishbrown, ventrally yellowish-brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures superficially reticulate, shiny; disc densely (i = 1–2 d) and coarsely punctate (Fig. 23 C–D). Metanotum about as long as basal area of propodeum, apically with narrow, indistinct carinate depression (Fig. 23D). Propodeum basally shallowly but broadly carinate (Fig. 23D). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with short, greyish, erect hair (Fig. 23A).

WINGS. Slightly yellowish-brown; wing venation and stigma yellowish-brown.

LEGS. Integument black to dark reddish-brown; fore and mid tibia basally sometimes with small yellowish spot. Vestiture greyish-white, scopa greyish-white, dorsally blackish-brown.

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga broadly translucent yellowish to reddish-brown (Fig. 23E). Discs of T1 and T2 without hair; following terga with sparse and very short but increasingly more and longer hair; T2 (and sometimes T3) basally with a medially very narrow, laterally much broader band of very fine, short and erect silverish hair; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga (Fig. 23E). Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae greyish-brown. T1 densely (i = 0.5–1 d) and finely to indistinctly punctate, between punctures polished to superficially sculptured and shiny; T2–T4 smoorh or superficially sculptured, shiny, with dense, fine, indistinct to fine punctation; T2–T4 with polished or superficially sculptured, broad and shiny apical tergal depression (Fig. 23E).

Male

BODY LENGTH. 5.0– 5.4 mm.

HEAD. Head slightly wider than long. Integument black, except mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face densely covered with long, greyish-white, erect hair. Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna elongate, last flagellar segment about twice as long as broad, dorsally dark brown, ventrally bright yellowish-brown (Fig. 24E).

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures smooth and shiny; disc very densely (i ˂ 0.5–1.0 d) and finely punctate. Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with long, greyish to yellowish-white, erect hair (Fig. 24A).

WINGS. Slightly yellowish-brown; wing venation and stigma yellowish-brown.

LEGS. Integument black, fore tarsi and fore tibia anteriorly yellow (posteriorly with large brown spot), mid and hind tibia basally and apically and femora apically with small yellow spot (Fig. 24A). Hind tibia unmodified. Vestiture greyish-white.

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga broadly translucent yellowish to reddish-brown (Fig. 24C). T1–T4 anteriorly densely covered with dense long, erect, white to silverish hair, apically with very sparse pilosity; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga (Fig. 24C). T1 and following terga densely (i ˂ 0.5–1 d) and finely punctate, between punctures smooth and shiny; terga with broad, smooth and shiny apical tergal depression (Fig. 24C). S3 and particularly S4–S5 with sparse long apical hair fringes.

TERMINALIA. Genitalia (Fig. 24B), S7 (Fig. 24D) and terminal plate of S8 (Fig. 24F) as illustrated.

Distribution

The species is only known from the Kamiesberg Mountains.

Floral hosts

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

August–October.