Parancistrocerus elatitergus Qin, Chen, & Li, 2023

Qin, Jiong, Chen, Bin & Li, Ting-Jing, 2023, Additions to the knowledge of the genus Parancistrocerus Bequaert, 1925 from China (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), Zootaxa 5256 (4), pp. 345-357 : 349

Parancistrocerus elatitergus Qin, Chen, & Li sp. n.

Figs 8–14

Material examined. Holotype, ♀, China, Sichuan Province, Chongzhou City, Jiguanshan Village, 30°798′N, 103°388′E, 15.VIII.2018, Xue Zhang ( CNU).

Diagnosis. This species is easily distinguished from other members of the genus by the following combination of characters: T2 ( Figs 12–13 ) with a row of large, deep, and regular dense punctures close to margin, with strong preapical bulge, margin narrow and smooth, not prolonged medially, apex of T3 weakly sinuate ( Fig. 12 ), that of S3 with broad median prolongation ( Fig. 14 ).

Description. Female ( Fig. 8 ): body length 6.60 mm. Body black, with sparse and short setae, with following parts yellow: clypeus except apex ( Fig. 9 ), mandible at base, ventral side of scape, one spot in ocular sinus, interantennal spot on lower frons, a band on upper gena ( Fig. 11 ), two large anterior connected spots on dorsal surface of pronotum ( Fig. 11 ), two small lateral separated spots of scutellum, metanotum, tegula mostly except inner area, parategula entirely, tibiae largely ( Fig. 8 ), apical bands on both T1–T4 and S2 ( Figs 12, 14 ); fore wing brown and apex much darker, hind that relatively paler.

Head ( Fig. 9 ). Slightly wider than long in frontal view, maximum width of head 1.09× its length; clypeus densely punctate, clypeal maximum width 1.07× its length, slightly convex, apex emarginate forming two lateral teeth, apical width 0.78× distance between antennal sockets; inter-antennal area with longitudinal carina; frons coarsely punctate and distinctly reticulate, punctures on vertex and gena similar to those of frons; POL 0.73× OOL ( Fig. 11 ); distance between anterior and posterior ocelli 0.5× diameter of anterior ocellus; occipital carina complete ( Fig. 11 ).

Mesosoma. Median sloping area of anterior face of pronotum obviously polished ( Fig. 11 ), with two small and separated foveae medially; pronotal carina tapered dorsally; pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum coarsely punctate, these punctures similar to those on vertex; median length of mesoscutum 1.01× its maximum width; metanotum with coarse punctures, interspaces carinate and sharp, minutely dentiform ( Fig. 10 ); mesopleuron coarsely punctate and reticulated; epicnemial carina present but weak; metapleuron with few transverse striae; propodeum sloping downward just behind metanotum ( Fig. 10 ), coarsely punctate, punctures large, shallow, flat bottomed and interspaces present as reticulated carinae, dorsal carina weak; posterior face of propodeum slightly concave, with median longitudinal carina, and a few thin and transverse striae; lateral face of propodeum densely with minute transverse striae.

Metasoma ( Figs 12–14 ). Transverse carina of T1 almost absent medially, laterally present and weakly raised ( Fig. 10 ); vertical anterior face shorter than dorsal horizontal one, dorsal face much wider than long, 1.83× its median length, coarsely punctate, punctures larger than those on mesoscutum, and without regular rows of punctures at yellow band; T2 short and wide, median length of T2 0.89× its maximum width ( Fig. 12 ), moderately punctate, punctures obviously smaller than those of T1, T2 with a row of dense deep punctures close to margin, with strong preapical bulge, margin narrow and smooth, not prolonged medially ( Fig. 12 ); S2 slightly convex basally, medially depressed and with a deep median longitudinal furrow ( Figs. 13–14 ); T3 with a row of larger and sparser punctures close to margin than T2, apex of T3 weakly sinuate medially ( Fig. 12 ), that of S3 with broad median prolongation ( Fig. 14 ), apex of T4 apically with a row of sparse punctures similar to T3, and other metasomal segments normal.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Sichuan).

Etymology. The specific name elatitergus is derived from two Latin words: elatus (=raised) and tergum, referring to T2 having a strong preapical bulge.

Figures

FIGURES 8–14. Parancistrocerus elatitergus sp. n., holotype, ♀. 8. Habitus (dorsal view); 9. Clypeus; 10. Propodeum and T1 (dorsal view); 11. Head and pronotum (dorsal view); 12. T2–T6 (dorsal view); 13. Metasomal segments 2–6 (lateral view); 14. S2–S3 (ventral view).