Maurillus argenticapitis Pitts & Shimizu, 2021

Shimizu, Akira, Pitts, James P, Rodriguez, Juanita, Wahis, Raymond & Yoshimura, Jin, 2021, Systematics and convergent evolution in three Australian genera of Pepsinae spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Austral Entomology 60 (2), pp. 301-316 : 7-8

Maurillus argenticapitis Pitts & Shimizu , sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 ) http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B216A94F-8600- 4C18-BDA0-D367964D6730

Maurillus australis: Waichert et al. 2015: 277 .

Specimens examined

Holotype ♀ ‘ Australia Western Australia, Mt. Augustus NP, 9 km STourist Cmp 394 mS 24°22.8′ E116°54.2′ 25 Apr–7 May 2003 Malaise trap Irwin M.E. Parker F.D. FDP65204’ ‘ Maurillus australis (Smith) det. Pitts ’06’ ‘Pitts & von Dohlen Pompilidae voucher PO404’ ( ANIC).

Diagnosis

Female

Head wholly black with dense silvery-white pubescence ( Fig. 1a ), its height as long as width in frontal view; distance from eye top to vertex crest, in profile, about two-fifths of eye height ( Fig. 1c ); OOcD/POD = ~2.2 ( Fig. 1d ); gena, in profile, as broad as eye ( Fig. 1c ); and T1–5 with pairedpatches of silvery pubescence posterolaterally ( Fig. 1e ).

Description

Female

Based on holotype.

Length: body 16.0 mm; fore wing 11.3 mm. Body and legs black. Following dark rufous: apical two-thirds of mandible, clypeus, labrum, scape, pedicel, flagellomeres 1 and 2, propodeum, palpi, mid and hind femora, dorsal face and lateral margin of T1, lateral margins of T2–5, T6 and metasomal sterna. Flagellomeres 3–10 orange–brown ventrally. Posterior margin of metanotum bright brown. Fore tibial spur pale yellow. Wings almost uniformly infuscate ( Fig. 1f ).

Pubescence silvery-white on vertex (somewhat sericeous), frons, clypeus, basal third of mandible, propleuron, mesopleuron and metapleuron ventrally, fore coxa laterally, mid and hind coxae above, all femora and tibiae mostly, fore tarsus interiorly, T1–5 posterolaterally, S1–5 broadly and posteriorly, and S6 except medially; pubescence coppery on occiput, pronotum ventrally and posteriorly, mesoscutum posteriorly, scutellum basilaterally (whitish in some lights), metapostnotum laterally, upper mesopleuron, propodeal dorsum, metasomal terga except silvery patches, S1–5 anteriorly and S6 medially; pubescence on remainder of body black. Vertex, frons along inner orbit, clypeus, labrum, mandible, gena, scape beneath, pronotum anteriorly and ventrally, propleuron, mesonotal and metanotal discs, mesopleuron ventrally, metapostnotum and propodeum laterally, legs except tarsomeres 2–5, T5 and 6, and metasomal sterna with pale brown to coppery bristles.

Frons with median sulcus finely impressed only ventrally ( Fig. 1a ). MID 1.8× as broad as both eyes together. Antennocular line slightly concave ( Fig. 1d ). Inner orbits weakly emarginate above middle, slightly divergent below. UID:MID: LID = 8.2:10:9.8. MID 0.64× TFD. POL:OOL = 1:1.2. Clypeus 3× as wide as long; lateral and anterior rims smooth and polished; lateral margin slanted, apicolateral corner broadly rounded. Labrum distinctly emarginate apically. Scape rectangular in cross-section; median and lateral faces with carinae on both sides, surfaces between them concave ( Fig. 1b,d ). Scape:pedicel: fl:fl2 = 9.9:2.5:10:8.3. Fl1 4.2× as long as wide, 0.62× UID.

Pronotum with dorsum slightly concave and declivous in whole outline in lateral view ( Fig. 1c ); posterior margin arcuate. Mesoscutum flattened with parapsidal sulcus sharply impressed ( Fig. 1g ). Discs of scutellum pentagonal, flattened at same level as mesoscutum. Metanotum declivous. Metapostnotum 0.4× as long as metanotum at midline, arcuately emarginate posteromedially. Propodeum, in dorsal view, 1.4× as wide as long; dorsum roundly raised anteromedially, coarsely and reticulately rugose with deep median groove; its sides barely broadened posteriorly ( Fig. 1g ); declivity with arcuate fine rugae, those being stronger posteriorly.

Longer spur of hind tibia 0.46× hind tarsomere 1.

Fore and hind wings as shown in Figure 1e,f . Marginal cell removed from wing tip by 0.71× its own length. SMC2: SMC3 = 1:1.5 on vein M, 1:1.2 on vein Rs. SMC2 0.66× as high as long, narrowed on vein Rs by 0.71× its length on vein M, receiving crossvein 1m-cu at basal 0.58. SMC3 0.57× as high as long, narrowed on vein Rs by 0.57× its length on vein M, receiving crossvein 2m-cu at basal 0.60, removed from outer wing margin by 1.3× its own length. Crossvein 2rs-m slightly sinuate, oblique to vein M. Crossvein 2m-cu bifurcated (left fore wing) or trifurcated anteriorly (right fore wing). Crossvein cu-a originating distal to point of separation of vein M + CuA, oblique to vein A. Hind wing crossvein rs-m slightly sinuate, oblique to vein M. Crossvein cu-a originating at (left hind wing) or slightly anterior (right hind wing) to point of separation of vein M + CuA.

Metasoma much longer than mesosoma, laterally and strongly compressed posteriorly ( Fig. 1e ).

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Known only from type locality in the Gascoyne Region of Western Australia.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the greater part of the head covered with silvery-white pubescence.

Figures

Fig. 1. Maurillus argenticapitis, sp. nov., holotype female.(a) Head, anterior view; (b) head and anterior part of antenna, ventrolateral view; (c) head and mesosoma, lateral view; (d) head and anterior part of mesosoma, dorsal view; (e) posterior part of mesosoma and metasoma, dorsal view; (f) fore wing and anterior part of hind wing; (g) head and mesosoma, dorsal view; (h) apical part of fore tibia, dorsal view; (i) right fore tarsus, dorsal view; and (j) right hind pretarsus, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm for (j), 0.5 mm for (h) and (i) and 1 mm for others.