Lyroda salalah Schmid-Egger & Al-Jahdhami, 2021

Schmid-Egger, Christian & Al-Jahdhami, Ali, 2021, The genus Lyroda Say, 1837 in Africa and Arabian Peninsula with description of two new species (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae), Zootaxa 4915 (2), pp. 273-281 : 278-281

Lyroda salalah Schmid-Egger & Al-Jahdhami sp. nov.

( Figs 7, 8 , 19–22 , 26 )

Holotype: OMAN, ♀, 30.xi.2018, Dhofar, Salalah, Ayn Athum, 17.1140 N 54.3640 E (leg. Al-Jahdhami, coll ZSM) . Paratypes: 2 ♀♀, 29.viii.2018; 1 Ƌ, 30.xi.2018, same location as holotype; 3 ƋƋ, 1.ix.2019, Dhofar, Ayn Ishat , 16.9770N 53.8210E (coll. AAJ and CSE) .

Diagnosis: Lyroda salalah is similar to L. aethiopica and L. centralafricana . The female is characterized by large teeth on medial set of ACM, which are similar in size to teeth of lateral set (always smaller in remaining species). The male differs by form of medial tooth of ACM. It is smaller and triangular, compared with L. aethiopica , and the medial lamella is narrower as in L. centralafricana . Male and female are also characterized by a dense and long pilosity in face, reaching the ocellar region.

Description of female holotype: Body length 10.0 mm. Colour: Black, tergal segments 5–6 dark red. Face with dense and long golden pilosity, reaching ocellar region. Mesosoma except propodeal dorsum with dense, but shorter pilosity, dorsal parts golden, lateral parts silver. Clypeus below with two long bristles, S2–6 each with 3–5 long pale bristles. T1–3 with large apical bands of silver pubescence, T6 with dark short pubescence. Wings transparent, with pale bluish shimmer. Morphology. Lateral set of ACM. with three large teeth. Intermediate set without clear teeth, medial set with two large rounded teeth, as large as outer teeth. Distance between both medial teeth nearly as large as hindocellar diameter. Fore metatarsus with seven pale spines, and with a row of long white setae in between. Surface of upper head, mesosoma and tergites grainlike and dull, tergites finer sculptured than mesosoma. Pronotum with lateral and medial tubercle. Propodeal dorsum finely and irregulary sculptured, with distinct medial carina. T6 with large pygidial area, surrounded by black carina and covered with short yellow setae.

Remaining female paratypes agree with holotype.

Description of male paratype: Body length 7.5–8.5 mm. Agree with female apart from the following characters: ACM with narrow lamella, as large as distance between antennal bases, measured medially of antennal base. Lamella bear a median triangular tooth. Forebasitarsis with five short white spines. Mandible and abdominal segments black in one male, mandibular base and abdominal segments 6–7 red in the two other males. T6 apically and T7 with long, pale apressed setae.

Distribution: Dhofar region in Southern Oman.

Habitat: The species was collected in the Cloud Forest of Dhofar region during the monsoon season. The area is covered with a dense tropical vegetation in this time.

Etymology: The species is named after the capital of Dhofar region, Salalah, where the species was collected. The species name is a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Specimens in dorsal view. 1. Lyroda aethiopica ♀ from Burkina Faso. 2. Lyroda aethiopica Ƌ from Ethiopia. 3. Lyroda centralafricana ♀ from Central African Republic. 4. Lyroda centralafricana Ƌ holotype. 5. Lyroda formosa ♀ from Vietnam. 6. Lyroda formosa Ƌ from Bangladesh. 7. Lyroda salalah ♀ holotype. 8. Lyroda salalah Ƌ.

FIGURES 19–22. Lyroda salalah 19. Holotype ♀ face. 20. Ƌ face. 21. Holotype ♀ clypeus. 22. Ƌ, clypeus.

FIGURES 23–28. Drawing of clypeal outline. 23. Lyroda centralafricana ♀. 24. Lyroda salalah Holotype ♀. 25. Lyroda centralafricana holotype Ƌ. 26. Lyroda salalah Ƌ. 27. Lyroda aethiopica Ƌ from Ethiopia. 28. Lyroda aethiopica Ƌ from RSA