Parancistrocerus jaferpaloti Girish Kumar & Carpenter

P. Girish Kumar, J. M. Carpenter & P. M. Sureshan, 2016, A taxonomic review of the genus Parancistrocerus Bequaert (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from the Indian subcontinent with the description of three new species, Halteres 7 (1), pp. 36-156 : 144-146

8. Parancistrocerus jaferpaloti Girish Kumar & Carpenter sp. n.

(Figs. 13-21)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CBFA052E-99A6- 43E5-88B7-C6370952FAFE

Description: Holotype female (Fig. 13): Head: 0.91x as wide as long in frontal view (Fig. 14); clypeus strongly convex, apex with two teeth, not sharp, area in between them moderately incised, distance between teeth 1.22x distance between antennal toruli, maximum width of clypeus 1.19x its length medially, with small punctures; both mandibles with 5 teeth; frons, vertex and tempora with punctures small, deep and almost uniformly arranged; POL 0.93x OOL; distance between anterior ocellus and posterior ocelli 1.15x as long as diameter of anterior ocellus; distance between two posterior ocelli 1.91x as long as diameter of posterior ocellus; ocellar triangle not protruding; cephalic foveae present as two closely arranged pits, diameter of each pit slightly larger than that of surrounding punctures; tempora 0.57x as wide as eye in profile (measured through ocular sinus); interocular distance 1.65x greater on vertex than at clypeus; occipital carina not complete, evanescing at vertex. Antennal sockets 3.50x farther from each other than from eyes; scape 4.11x as long as F1; F1 1.06x as long as F2, 1.13x as long as wide; flagellomeres widening towards apex; clava 1.09x as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Median area of anterior face of pronotum with two deeply impressed, well separated foveae mesally; lateral sides of anterior face of pronotum with few scattered punctures; pronotal carina absent dorsally, present laterally; posterior face and lateral sides of pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum strongly and closely punctate, diameter of punctures, on average, as large as or greater than distance between punctures (Fig. 15); scutellum with deep transverse groove at anterior margin; median length of mesoscutum as long as its maximum width; metanotum with strong punctures, interspaces carinate; mesopleuron closely punctured except large area of epicnemium and posterior margin smooth; epicnemial carina present; upper metapleuron with few strong transverse striations and large, deep pits; lower metapleuron with a vertical row of deep pits, interspaces carinate. Dorsal face of propodeum not forming horizontal area behind midline of metanotum (Fig. 16); posterior face of propodeum concave, with strong median carina; area separating dorso-lateral face of propodeum from posterior face carinate and becoming lamellate on either side behind metanotum; posterior face of propodeum finely striate; dorso-lateral sides of propodeum with large punctures, interspaces strongly carinate; lateral sides of propodeum smooth except upper portion with moderately strong punctures, interspaces mostly carinate; submarginal carina strongly projecting as lobe above propodeal valvula. Tegula smooth with minute punctures, not evenly rounded posteriorly, emarginate adjoining parategula and shorter than apex of latter posteriorly; forewing (Fig. 17) with pterostigma 3.6x length of prestigma, first and second recurrent veins received in second submarginal cell.

Metasoma (Fig. 18): T1 with regular, strong transverse carina separating vertical face from dorsal face; vertical anterior face of T1 distinctly shorter than dorsal horizontal face; vertical face of T1 almost smooth with few weak scattered punctures; dorsal face of T1 with broad apical yellow band, narrowed at sides, about 4-6 irregular rows of punctures at median area of yellow band; dorsal face of T1 1.66x as wide as its median length; T2 with wavy apical yellow band, about 4-5 irregular rows of punctures at median area of yellow band; T2 1.26x as wide as its median length; maximum width of T2 1.10x than that of T1; T2 not reflexed at apex, with apical margin normal, not prolonged in middle; S2 convex at base, very weakly depressed after.

Colour description: Body black with yellow and brown ferruginous markings. Yellow markings: spot at base of mandibles; clypeus except a brownish black spot at middle and brownish black outer border; ocular sinus; small mark on tempora; lower side of scape; wide band on dorsal surface of pronotum; speck on top of mesepisternum; tegula (except median brown area); parategula; metanotum; apical mark on fore and mid femora; mark on all tibiae; basitarsal segment of fore leg; wide apical band on T1, narrowed at sides; wavy apical bands on T2 & S2. Brown ferruginous markings: lower face of basal funicles; tegulae (excluding yellow portions); all tarsi except basitarsal segment of fore leg. Wings almost hyaline, fore wing with subapical fuscous cloud. Body with small silvery white pubescence.

Length (H+M+T1+T2): 6.5 mm.

Male (Fig. 19): Clypeus more emarginate at apex than that of female (Fig. 20); apical antennal article pointed at apex and not reaching to base of 11th article in curved position (Fig. 21). Colour similar to that of female except clypeus entirely yellow; yellow stain present on front, above interantennal space, extended to base of clypeus; yellow spot present on mid and hind coxa.

Length (H+M+T1+T2): 6 mm.

Material examined: Holotype female, INDIA: Kerala, Kozhikode Dist., Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary , Kakkayam , 8.xii.2015, Coll. Md. Jafer Palot, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRS/I.R-INV.6954 . Paratypes: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur Dist., Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, 1♀, 10.v.2009, Coll. K. Rajmohana & Party, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRS/I.R- INV.6955; Kozhikode Dist., Muthappanpuzha, 1³, 27.ix.2012, Coll. K.P. Mohammed Shareef, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRS/I.R- INV.6956; Malappuram Dist., Nilambur, 1³, 1.vi.2012, Coll. K.P. Mohammed Shareef, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRS/I.R-INV.6957.

Distribution: India: Kerala.

Etymology: The species is named after Dr. Md. Jafer Palot, Assistant Zoologist, Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode, who collected the holotype.

Discussion: This new species comes close to P. vicinus Giordani Soika, 1994 , in having: dorsal face of propodeum absent at midline, not forming horizontal area behind midline of metanotum; vertical anterior face of T1 distinctly shorter than dorsal horizontal face; S2 convex at base, very weakly depressed after; T2 not reflexed at apex, with apical margin normal, not prolonged in middle. However, this new species differs from P. vicinus in having: (1) T2 with wavy apical yellow band, about 4-5 irregular rows of punctures at median area of yellow band (in P. vicinus , T2 with almost regular apical yellow band, about 2 irregular rows of punctures at median area of yellow band); (2) Punctures on T2 smaller than that of P. vicinus ; (3) T1 with broad apical yellow band, about 4-6 irregular rows of punctures at yellow band (in P. vicinus , T1 with narrow apical yellow band, about 2-3 irregular rows of punctures at yellow band); (4) Clypeus of female yellow except brownish black spot at middle (in P. vicinus , clypeus of female black with broad yellow band at base and apex).