Liphanthus (Melaliphanthus) inornatus, Vivallo, Felipe, 2008

Vivallo, Felipe, 2008, Liphanthus Reed, 1894 (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae, Protandrenini): Two new Argentine species and keys to the species of the subgenera Liphanthus s. str. and Melaliphanthus Ruz & Toro, 1983, Zootaxa 1854, pp. 55-62 : 56-58

Liphanthus (Melaliphanthus) inornatus new species

( Figs. 1–4 )

Comments. Following the key given by Ruz & Toro (1983) for the species of the genus, this new species belongs to the subgenus Melaliphanthus.The male of this new species differs from the two previously known species of the subgenus by the unmodified distal margin of S2 and S3, unlike L. atratus Ruz & Toro , which possesses a spine-like projection on S2 and the distal margin of S3 is produced backward mesally, while L. penai Ruz & Toro has the same modification of S2, but has the distal margin of S3 almost straight. The female is similar to L. atratus , but differs from it by the absence of yellow on mandibles, the hyaline wings, the reduction of dark coloration of tegula and the yellowish veins.

Description. HOLOTYPE MALE: Dimensions: Approximate total length: 6.1; forewing length: 3.78; head length: 1.19; head width: 1.97; facial fovea length: 0.43; facial fovea width: 0.06; labrum width: 1.42; labrum length: 0.53; marginal cell length: 0.82; distance from its apex to the wing tip: 0.74. Coloration: Black, with the following areas yellow: mandibles (apex mahogany), labrum, clypeus, lower paraocular area, pronotal lobe, fore and middle basitarsi, apices of femora, external surface of fore tibia, middle tibia with external lateral longitudinal area, hind tibia with external posterior longitudinal line and disk of the basitibial plate. Rest of the tarsi, flagellum and veins light brown. Margin of the basitibial plate mahogany. Wings hyaline. Punctation: Head areolate, including the base of clypeus; rest of the yellow areas of the head not areolate and with fine punctation. Mesosoma areolate and with strong punctation, except the mesoscutum, with dense and fine punctation, not areolate. Metasomal terga with fine and dense punctation, with distal margin somewhat substrigulate. Pubescence: Scarce and white, located mainly on clypeus, frons, occipital area and legs. Structure: Head 1.65 times wider than long; facial fovea relatively short and distinct 7.53 times longer than wide, and divergent downward. Labrum convex apically, 2.69 times wider than long. Mandible stout and simple, with a strong carina that runs diagonally from the acetabulum to the apex. F1 compressed dorsoventrally. Inner subantennal sutures almost parallel, divergent upward; outer subantennal suture slightly curved, convergent upward. Ocular orbits divergent downward. Marginal cell 1.11 times longer than the distance between its apex and wing tip. Sterna without projections or combs. Lateral fovea of T2 long, almost as long as the width of the tergum. Basitibial plate long, oval, apex more acute than base. Pygidial plate absent.

ALLOTYPE FEMALE: Dimensions: Approximate total length: 5.97; forewing length: 3.9; head length: 1.47 head width: 1.76; facial fovea length: 0.29; facial fovea width: 0.06; labrum length: 0.23; labrum width: 0.39; marginal cell length: 0.92; distance from its apex to wing tip: 0.92. Coloration: Black, with apex of fore and middle tibia yellow. Tegula, mandible, ventral surface of flagellum, tarsi, wing veins and distal margin of terga brown-mahogany. Punctation: As described for the male, but coarser and denser on paraocular areas and clypeus. Metasoma with fine and dense punctation, and distal margin of terga somewhat substrigulate. Pubescence: White and long on head, denser on occiput. Mesosoma with the same pilosity as the head, but denser and longer, especially on the propodeum. Mesoscutum with white, very short and scattered hairs. Metasoma with the same pilosity as head and mesosoma, but longer towards the metasomal apex and in the prepygidial fimbria. Structure: Head 0.82 times wider than long. Facial fovea as in male but shorter, 5.17 times longer than wide. Labrum 1.7 times wider than long, with some striation basally, apically concave. Mandible simple. Ocular orbits almost parallel, slightly divergent downward. Marginal cell of equal length to distance between its apex and wing tip. Basitibial plate oval, with the distal edge elevated. Pygidial plate wide, with raised edges and central prominence.

Distribution: Argentina: Mendoza: Las Heras.

Type material. Argentina: Mendoza: Las Heras: Holotype male, ARG Mendoza 1264m Las Heras 32º 32'31.3”s 68º 57'18.9”w 10-Octubre-2004 F. Vivallo. Allotype female: ARG Mendoza 1459m Las Heras 32°31’47.1”s 68°59’24,5”w 10-Octubre-2004 F. Vivallo. Paratypes (1 female and 2 males) with the same date and locality as the holotype. The holotype, allotype and one paratype male will be deposited in the Collection of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile ( PUCV). Two paratypes (male and female) will be deposited in the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” ( MACN), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Etymology. The specific name is the latin word for “unadorned” for the absence of ornamentation of the S2 of males, these are present in the other species of the subgenus Melaliphanthus.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Liphanthus (Melaliphanthus) inornatus n. sp. 1, head of male (holotype) in frontal view. 2, male (holotype) in lateral view. 3, head of female (allotype) in frontal view. 4, female (allotype) in lateral view. Scale bar = 1 (mm).