Liphanthus ancashensis Mir Sharifi and Packer, 2019

Sharifi, Negar Mir, Graham, Liam & Packer, Laurence, 2019, Fifteen new species of Liphanthus Reed (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) with two submarginal cells, Zootaxa 4645 (1), pp. 1-80 : 46-49

Liphanthus ancashensis Mir Sharifi and Packer , sp. nov.

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Figs. 99–108 , 127 , 148, 150 , 199–200.

Diagnosis: Both sexes of this species can be differentiated from others of the genus by the combination of two submarginal cells, pronotal lobe black ( Figs. 99 & 106 ), metatibial spurs curved ( Fig. 108 ). Other species with two submarginal cells and curved metatibial spurs have a yellow pronotal lobe. The males are unique among all Liphanthus with two submarginal cells in having a mostly reddish metasoma and among all species of the genus in having a posteroventrally oriented process on S6 ( Fig. 102 ). The hidden sterna are also unique: S7 has the apical lobes reduced to a pair of minute angulations ( Fig. 103 ) and S8 has the anterior margin immediately in front of the anterior margin of the lateral lobes ( Fig. 104 ).

Description. Holotype Male: Dimensions: Approximate body length: 4.95mm; head width: 1.65mm, wing length: 3.4mm, intertegular width: 1.1mm.

Coloration: Black to dark brown with following parts yellow: mandible (except third quarter orange and apical quarter red-brown and extreme base brown), apical 1/3 of clypeus (except extreme sides blackish and apical teeth brown), extreme apex of all femora dorsally and extreme base of pro- and mesotibiae, basal 1/2 of metatibia dorsally. Metasoma orange-red except anterior declivitous surface of T1 and S1 entirely brown, apical terga somewhat darker orange-brown.

Sculpture: Lower face and vertexal area strongly imbricate, dull, apex of clypeus somewhat more shiny; disc of clypeus punctures moderately large, irregularly spaced, i=0.5–2d; lower paraocular area punctures moderately large, moderately dense, i=1–1.5d; supraclypeal area punctures smaller, and dense, i<d; upper paraocular, frontal and vertexal areas punctures crowded, sharp edged, except between lateral ocellus and compound eye, i<d; genal strongly imbricate, dull, obscurely punctate; hypostomal area imbricate, somewhat shinym punctures more distinct, sparse i=0.5–4d. Mesosoma strongly imbricate, dull; mesoscutum and scutellum densely punctate, i<d; metanotum punctures crowded; sides of thorax coarsely imbricate, hypoepimeral area coarsely imbricate, punctures difficult to detect, mesopleuron and lower portion of metapleuron punctures shallow, i>d, upper portion of metapleuron longitudinally microstriate; metapostnotum with strong longitudinal striae, not attaining posterior margin except median stria extending part way down posterior declivitous portion; propodeum imbricate, lateral and posterior surfaces obscurely punctate, dorsolateral area densely punctate, i~d. Metasomal terga moderately imbricate, somewhat shiny; T1–T2 moderately densely punctate, i=1–1.5d, T3 punctures small, moderately sparse, i=1.5–2d; T4–T6 punctures irregular in size and spacing, i>d, apical impressed areas imbricate; metasomal sterna moderately imbricate, somewhat shiny; sparsely but somewhat distinctly punctate, i>2d.

Pubescence: Generally white, moderately dense and branched; ≤2 MOD on clypeus, lower paraocular area, between antennal sockets, vertexal area, lateral surface of of mesopleuron, dorsolateral area of propodeum; slightly longer posteriorly on scutellum; shorter metanotum and anterior declivitous surface and towards sides of T1,.,. Plumose around margins of mesoscutum, on metapostnotum and small anterolateral patches on T2–T4. Brownish to black erect hairs on vertexal and vertexal areas, mesoscutum and scutellum, ≤2.5 MOD.

Structure: Head: ~1.25 X as wide as long (83:67). Mandible ~ 3X longer than basal depth (80:27), widened preapically as if possessing a weak subapical tooth. Labrum strongly widened towards apex, 2.2 X as broad as long (49:23). Clypeus 2.4X as wide as long (90:38); apicolateral margin concave basally, the rest straight in frontal view; apicomedial margin straight. Subantennal sutures weakly concave outwardly, slightly convergent below; epistomal suture weakly concave between inner subantennal sutures; anterior tentorial pit at junction of outer subantennal and epistomal sutures. Frontal line briefly raised below, otherwise flat. IAD> AOD (25:19). Inner margin of compound eyes strongly sinuate, convergent below, UOD: LOD 98:79. Facial fovea small, approximatey ¼ as long as scape, oval, length to width: 7:4, converging to inner margin of compound eye below. IOC < OOC 18.5:27.5. Scape ~2.2 X as long as greatest width (30:14), longer than pedicel and F1 combined (24); pedicel shorter than wide (10:12), F1 longer than wide (13:10); F2 shorter than wide (9:11), remaining flagellomeres slightly wider than long except F11~ 1.5 X as long as width (20:13).

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum ~1.25 X as wide as long (100:81); length of scutellum: metanotum: metapostnotum: 34:20:18. Metatibial spurs curved and subequal in length; tarsal claws bifid, metatarsal posterior claw more deeply so.

Metasoma: Broadest near midlength of T2; pygidial plate present, apex broadly rounded; metasomal sterna unmodified except S4 apex concave with row of robust pale yellow setae, ~0.3 MOD; S6 apicomedially narrowly concave, sides of concavity somewhat less than right angular. S7: Apodeme short and broad, anterior margin obtuse, sinuate; apical lobe reduced to minute acute angulation. S8: Apodeme reduced to transverse ridge, strongly concave anteriorly; lateral lobe acute and twice as broad as long; apical lobe broadly based, gradually converging toward truncate apex, moderately short posterolaterally oriented hairs near sides subapically, short spicules on dorsal surface except basally. Gonocoxa anterodorsally weakly convex, lateral margin sinuate, weakly concave towards base, divergent towards base of gonostylus, medial margin almost straight; gonostylus fused to gonocoxa, short, narrowly subtriangular, with long posteromedially oriented hairs on medial surface; penis valve very broad, apex acute, with short sparse posterolaterally oriented hairs on lateral margin. Endophallus not elaborated.

Allotype Female: As in male except for usual sexually dimorphic features and as follows:

Dimensions: Approximate body length: 5.88mm; head width: 1.62mm, wing length: 3.56mm, intertegular width: 1.12mm.

Coloration: Black to dark brown except: extreme base of pro- and mesotibia yellow. Mandible (except apex dark red and base suffused with brown), apical impressed areas of T1–T4 and metasomal sterna orange-brown, anterior of T1 and T5–T6 brown. Apical impressed areas yellow-brown.

Sculpture: Clypeus punctures large, shallow, irregularly spaced. Mesopleuron punctures irregularly spaced, crowded anteriorly, i~d posteriorly. T1–T2, punctures small, moderately dense, i=1–1.5d; T3–T4 punctures shallow, moderately sparse, i=1.5–2d; T5 sparsely punctate anteriorly, i>2d, moderately sparsely punctate posteriorly, i=1.5–2d.

Pubescence: Tibial scopa hairs ~2.5 MOD. Prepygidial fimbria brown, hairs ~2 MOD.

Structure: Head: Mandible ~2.5 X longer than basal depth (63:25). Labrum rectangular, 1.5 X as broad as long (43, 28). Clypeus 2.1 X as wide as long (75:36). IAD ~ AOD (23:22). Inner margins of compound eyes convergent below, UOD:LOD 94:86. Facial fovea long, somewhat linear, broader below, length to width: 30:4. IOC < OOC 16:29. Scape 2.6 X as long as greatest width (29:11), longer than pedicel and F1 combined (22); pedicel as long as width (10:10).

Mesosoma: Length of scutellum: metanotum: metapostnotum: 27:19:18. Marginal cell shorter than distance between apex to wing tip (71:75). Tarsal claws with moderately long teeth.

Metasoma: Broadest at base of T2; pygidial plate triangular, sides straight, forming angle of ~60, apex moderately rounded, medially depressed, raised apically.

Material studied. Holotype male, allotype female, 4 male and 4 female paratypes as follows: PERU, Ancash Dept., Cordillera Negra, above Huaraz , 3000–4000m, 16.v.1996, J. G. Rozen, A. Ugarte. All specimens collected from Dalea weberbaueri var. weberbaueri [ D. weberbaueri Ulbr. ] and at AMNH except one pair PCYU.

Variation. For females, colour of metasomal terga and sterna varies from orange-brown to dark brown and males vary in the degree of darkness of T5–T7.

Etymology. This species is named after the type locality.

Comments. Males of this species fail at couplet 4 of Ruz and Toro (1983) in that both halves suggest the clypeus to be yellow but either with, or without, black spots. Males of L. ancashensis have only the apical 1/3 of the clypeus yellow. Females fail at couplet 3: while they have the claw-like metatibial spurs of the subgenus Xenoliphanthus , the vertex is convex (albeit weakly) rather than at most straight as required for it to belong to that subgenus.

This is a very distinctive species with numerous unique characteristics including the sexual dimorphism in colour: in some species of Liphanthus s.str. and L. ( Pseudoliphanthus ) the females have a red metasoma while that of the male is black with yellow bands. Liphanthus ancashensis is the only species in which only the males have a red metasoma. The male genitalia and hidden sterna and S6 are also unique.

Figures

FIGURES 99–105. Liphanthus ancashensis sp. nov., paratype male. 99: lateral habitus, 100: face, frontal view, 101: T7, dorsal view of cleared tergum, to show pygidial plate, 102: S6 oblique ventral view of cleared sternum, to show process (red arrow); 103: S7, 104: S8, 105: genital capsule. Scale bars Fig. 99 1mm, Figs. 100–101 0.5mm, Figs. 102–105 0.25mm.

FIGURES 106–108. Liphanthus ancashensis sp. nov., allotype female: 106: lateral habitus, 107: face, frontal view, 108: metatibial apex to show curved metatibial spurs. Scale bars Figs. 106–107 1mm, Fig. 108 0.5mm.

FIGURES 124–127. 124: Liphanthus jenamro to show pale pronotal lobe, 125: L. jenamro head, frontal view to show pale lower paraocular area, 126: L. amblayensis to show dark pronotal lobe, 127: L. ancashensis head, frontal view to show dark lower paraocular area. Scale bars 0.5mm.

FIGURES 148–152. 148: L. ancashensis metasoma, dorsal view to show mostly orange-red colour, 149: L. amblayensis metasoma dorsal view to show dark colour, 150: L. ancashensis to show extensive pale markings on metatibia, lack of very long hairs apicodorsally on metatibia (line at bottom right is 2MOD) and absence of brush of hairs basoventrally on metabasitarsus (red arrow), 151 & 152: L. amblayensis and L. cochabambensis respectively to show absence of pale markings on metatibia, presence of very long apicodorsal hairs (lines at bottom right are 3MOD) and presence of brush of hairs basoventrally on metabasitarsus (red arrows). Scale bars Figs. 148–149 1mm, Figs. 150–152 0.5mm.