Profoenatopus bimaculatus Gadallah & Soliman, 2017

Soliman, Ahmed M., Gadallah, Neveen S. & Al Dhafer, Hathal M., 2017, First record of the family Stephanidae (Hymenoptera: Stephanoidea) for the fauna of Saudi Arabia, with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 4311 (1), pp. 23-38 : 24-30

Profoenatopus bimaculatus Gadallah & Soliman sp. nov.

Figs 3 ̄17

Material examined. Holotype ♀: Saudi Arabia, Asir, Regal Alma', Wadi Sabian [18°17'53"N, 42°07'39"E], 775 m, 10.ii.2016, vacuum machine on Acacia , leg. A. Alansi [ KSMA].

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Length 18 mm; fore wing length: 6 mm; ovipositor length: 16 mm. Generally black, with few yellow spots on different parts of the body; T4 peculiarly with a pair of large subbasally ivory rounded spots ( Figs 14 & 15 ); ovipositor sheath with ivory area that is 0.35 × as long as its dark apical part ( Fig. 17 ); fore wing hyaline ( Fig. 10 ); veins and pterostigma dark brown, pterostigma yellow on basal third ( Fig. 10 ); fore wing infuscate (brown tainted) on basal 0.45 of 1Cu and almost all 2Cu but darker apically ( Fig. 10 ).

Morphometric ratios: Cxl/Cxh 2.4; tw/iEE 0.5; btl/btw 6.25; Pnl/Smw 0.7; Pnl/Ew 1.76; GSl/Ptl 1.3; Ptl/T3l 2.1; Hdl/Ew 2.1; Ew/Tw 1.37; iEE/eEE 0.6; io/oo 9.5; Ptl/alinotum 2.4; 1Cu/1cu-a 1.4.

Description. FEMALE (holotype). Body length 18 mm; fore wing length 6 mm; ovipositor length 16 mm.

Head ( Figs 4 ¯7). Antenna with 27 flagellomeres, devoid of any tyloids; F1 4 × its maximum width, F2 1.35 × as long as F1 and scarcely shorter than F3; vertex irregularly shallowly rugose; three anterior coronal tubercles medium-siZed, tooth-shaped, both lateral and posterior ones as transverse wide lamella; interocellar carina strong and elevated above the level of ocelli; io 9.5 × oo; frons coarsely (roughly) and irregularly rugose; temples minutely sculptured (alutaceus) except for some striae ventrally, broadly rounded laterally, with well distinct smooth elevated oval-shaped area; clypeus broad, its height 0.3 × its width; mandible strong, truncate apically; occipital carina not reaching hypostomal carina; postgenal bridge convex and gradually declivous behind lamelliform hypostomal carina; hypostomal flange small.

Mesosoma ( Figs 8 & 9 ). Pronotal colo (neck) anteriorly deeply emarginated, as broad as its depth, finely transversely striated throughout; pronotal fold absent; preannular area coarsely areolated, disc of pronotum coarsely transversely striated or strigated, posterior margin elevated, broadly concave; pronotal lobes weakly developed, striated; tegula smooth and shiny; mesoscutum coarsely rugose; scutellum finely longitudinally striated; scutellar sulcus areolate; axilla foveolate, with small spaces in between; propodeum alutaceus basally, foveolated in almost all dorsal surface, longitudinally strigate meso-posteriorly; spiracular area hardly seen; propodeum slightly projected postero-laterally. Mesopleuron finely rugose above becoming coarser ventrally; metapleuron alutaceus above and coarsely rugose ventrally, both areas separated by fine, very short strigations.

Wings. Fore wing ( Fig. 10 ). cu-a antefurcal; SR1 does not reach wing apex; 1-SR 0.6 × as long as 1-M and 1.8 × as long as parastigmal vein; 1-M scarcely longer than m-cu (1.15 ×); 2-SR sinuate, unsclerotiZed, 1.4 × as long as vein r; vein r ends 0.2 × length of pterostigma behind level of apex of pterostigma; veins r and SR1 widened, the angle between them about 135o; 2-1A largely absent; Hind wing ( Fig. 10 ) with only Sc+R vein fully tubular, with three transparent hamuli at end of Sc+R.

Legs ( Figs 11 ̄14). Hind coxa cylindrical in dorsal view, constricted apically, coarsely foveolate, with very short oval alutaceus area exteriorly; hind femur and tibia alutaceus, femur with a slight triangular tooth at basal 0.1, with median and subapical large teeth and three tubercles in between; four tubercles could also be seen beyond subapical large tooth, apices of all tubercles with a single short and fine hair. Hind tibia distinctly narrowed at basal half, inner and outer sides finely sparsely setose except for densely bristly setose area at inner side below oblique depression; hind basitarsus subparallel-sided (slightly narrowed apically), long, its ventral length 5 × its width, densely setose distally.

Metasoma ( Figs 14 ̄17). Petiole 7.2 × as long as its maximum width, slightly shorter than remainder of metasoma (0.7 × rest of metasoma), densely regularly and finely transversely striate; T3 longitudinally strigate basally, petiolate; rest of T3 and following tergites alutaceus. Pygidium very small, strongly emarginated posteriorly, pygidial impression very deep intermediate between reversed V-shaped. Length of ovipositor sheath about 2 × fore wing (and 0.8 × as long as body), its ivory part 0.35 × as long as its dark apical part.

Color. Black ( Fig. 3 ), except the following: coronal area reddish brown ( Fig. 5 ); temple yellowish ventrally near eye ( Fig. 6 ); malar space with yellowish tint ( Fig. 6 ); mandible and palpi light brown to reddish brown, mandible blackish apically ( Figs 4 & 6 ); antenna dark brown to black ( Fig. 7 ); posterior rim of pronotum and scutellum yellowish brown and brownish respectively ( Fig. 8 ); tarsi reddish brown ( Fig. 11 ); petiole ivory at basal 0.1 ( Figs 14 & 15 ); T4 sub-basally with a pair of large ivory rounded spots ( Figs 14 & 15 ). Ovipositor sheath black with ivory subapical part ( Fig 17 ). Wing membrane hyaline ( Fig. 10 ); veins and pterostigma dark brown, pterostigma yellow on basal third ( Fig. 10 ); fore wing infuscate (brown tainted) on basal 0.45 of 1Cu and almost all 2Cu but darker apically ( Fig. 10 ).

MALE unknown.

Host record. Unknown.

Remarks. The genus Profoenatopus van Achterberg, 2002 is an Afrotropical genus (van Achterberg & Quicke 2006). It currently comprises three described species, P. elliotti (Ceballos, 1926), P. oberthueri (Saussure, 1892), and P. paulyi van Achterberg, 2002, all are described from Madagascar (van Achterberg 2002). In the present study, P. bimaculatus sp. nov. is collected from Asir ( KSA), a fact that strongly supports previous studies that conclude that Asir province (southwestern Saudi Arabia) is exclusively related to the Afrotropical ecoZone with its floristic composition that is closely related to this ecoZone (e.g. HölZel 1998).

Distribution. Saudi Arabia (Asir region).

Etymology. From the Latin: “ bi ”, meaning two, and “ macula ” meaning spots, in reference to the two yellow spots on each side of T4.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 7. Profoenatopus bimaculatus sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 3. Habitus, dorsal view; 4, 5, 6. Head, frontal, dorsal and lateral views respectively; 7. Scape, pedicel and F 1 − 12.

FIGURES 14 – 17. Profoenatopus bimaculatus sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 14. Metasoma and hind legs, dorsal view; 15. Metasoma, lateral view; 16. Pygideal area; 17. Ovipositor sheaths.

FIGURES 8 – 10. Profoenatopus bimaculatus sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 8. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 9. Mesosoma, latero-ventral view; 10. Fore and hind wings.

FIGURES 11 – 13. Profoenatopus bimaculatus sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 11. Hind leg, outer side; 12. Hind tibia and tarsus, inner side; 13. Hind tibia, dorsal side.