Scrapter pygmaeus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 9327C6C8-CEB2-4BEA-A958-2EE02563FFA8

Fig. 25

Diagnosis

The female of S. pygmaeus sp. nov. can be separated from other species of this group by the combination of the following characters: supraclypeal area and clypeus sparsely but distinctly punctate, mostly finely sculptured and slightly matt (Fig. 25B), scutum reticulate, sparsely and shallowly punctate, basal area of propodeum basally indistinctly carinate (Fig. 25 C–D), stigma brown, apical margins of metasomal terga black, terga impunctate (Fig. 25E). The male is unknown.

Etymology

Named for the small body size of the species.

Type material (35 specimens examined)

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♀, Nieuwoudtville, pad to Farm Glen Lyon, slope, 737 m, 31°23'25" S, 19°08'28" E, 3 Sep. 2007, K. Timmermann (SANC).

Paratypes

SOUTH AFRICA: 5 ♀♀, same data as holotype (RCMK); 6 ♀♀, idem, 2 Sep. 2007, KT (SANC 1 ♀, RCMK 5 ♀♀); 1 ♀, Nieuwoudtville, garden, 700 m, 31°22' S, 19°07' E, 18-19 Aug. 2007, KT (RCMK); 1 ♀, Nieuwoudtville, Pad Glen Lyon to R27, 740 m, 31°23'24" S, 19°09'06" E, 7 Sep. 2007, KT, on Ruschia sp. (RCMK) ; 1 ♀, idem, 17 Sep. 2007, KT (SANC); 1 ♀, idem, 20 Sep. 2007, KT (RCMK); 1 ♀, N. Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Flower Reserve, 770 m, 31°22'10" S, 19°08'50" E, 27 Aug. 2006, KT (RCMK) ; 1 ♀, idem, 1 Sep. 2006, KT (SANC); 3 ♀♀, idem, 2 Sep. 2006, KT (NHML 1 ♀, RCMK 2 ♀♀); 2 ♀♀, idem, 10 Sep. 2006, KT (NHML, RCMK); 3 ♀♀, idem, 18 Sep. 2006, KT (NHML 1 ♀, RCMK 2 ♀♀); 4 ♀♀, idem, 16 Aug. 2007, KT (NHML 1 ♀, RCMK 3 ♀♀); 1 ♀, idem, 19 Aug. 2007, KT (SANC); 2 ♀♀, idem, 21 Aug. 2007, KT (RCMK); 2 ♀♀, idem, 6 Sep. 2007, KT (RCMK).

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 4.6–5.0 mm.

HEAD. Head slightly wider than long. Integument black, except part of mandibles dark reddish-brown. Face sparsely covered with long, greyish, erect hair (Fig. 25A). Clypeus almost flat, with dispersed large, shallow punctation (i = 1–2 d); surface between punctures apically smooth or only superficially sculptured, shiny, basally more heavily sculptured and matt (Fig. 25B). Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna dorsally blackish-brown, ventrally yellowish-brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures strongly reticulate, matt; disc sparsely (i = 2–3 d), finely and shallowly punctate (Fig. 25 C–D). Metanotum about half as long as basal area of propodeum, apically with indistinct narrow carinate depression (Fig. 25D). Propodeum with shallow carination covering about half of the basal area (Fig. 25D). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with short, greyish, erect hair (Fig. 25A).

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

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

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga sometimes narrowly translucent yellowish to dark reddish-brown (Fig. 25E). Disc of T1 without hair; following terga with sparse and short but increasingly more and longer hair; T2 and 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. 25E). Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae yellowish-brown. Terga impunctate, superficially and ± densely sculptured, mostly shiny; T2–T4 with finely sculptured, broad apical tergal depression (Fig. 25E).

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

The species is only known from the vicinity of Nieuwoudtville.

Floral hosts

Aizoaceae: Ruschia sp.

Seasonal activity

August–September.