Nitela noncrenulata sp. nov.

Fig. 2

Type material.

Holotype. ♀, China • Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, Mengla Country, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, rubber plantation, 21.9197°N, 101.2778°E, 2021.I.15–II.17, Ling Zhao collector .

Paratypes. • 1 ♀, same data as holotype; 13 ♀, same location as holotype, 2021.II.17–III.16 (1 ♀), 2021.V.16–VI.19 (4 ♀), 2021.IV.11–V.16 (3 ♀), 2021.VIII.14–IX.15 (2 ♀), Ling Zhao collector; • 1 ♀, Xishuangbanna, Mengla Country, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, rainforest, 21.9200°N, 101.2300°E, 2021.V.16–VI.19, Ling Zhao collector ; • 2 ♀, Xishuangbanna, Mengla Country, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Tanyoulin, 21.9169°N, 101.2711°E 2021.II.17–III.16, Ling Zhao collector .

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles N. collaris R. Turner, 1926 in having pronotal collar rectangular, with broad transverse groove containing sparse longitudinal ridges; frons with coarsely, irregular, reticulate ridges. It differs by the following characteristics (characters of N. collaris in parentheses): gena with slender, transverse striations (gena densely punctate); vertex with irregular, transverse ridges (vertex densely punctate); anterior margin of mesoscutellum not crenulate (anterior margin of mesoscutellum deeply crenulate and widened); ventral half of mesopleuron without conspicuous oblique carina (ventral half of mesopleuron with several conspicuous oblique carinae). propodeal posterior surface with irregular, reticulate ridges forming large triangular area, flanked by sparse transverse ridges (propodeal posterior surface with dense transverse ridges).

Description of female.

Body length 5.3–6.3 mm. Body black. Mandible basally dark brown, apex yellowish-brown. Maxillary palpus and labial palpus mostly yellowish-brown; stigma dark brown; wing veins, tegula, fore and mid tibiae and tarsi, basal quarter of hind tibia yellowish-brown; mid tibia sometimes with inner margin dark brown to black. Body covered with silvery pubescence.

Head. Inner margin of mandible subapically with one tooth. Clypeus conspicuously convex medially, with complete mid clypeal carina extending to basal area of frons, anterior margin of clypeus with triangular smooth area, slightly concave medially (Fig. 2 B). Frons with coarse, irregularly reticulate ridges, swollen medially, depressed laterally, swelling with median carina, frontal concavity shallow (Fig. 2 B). Vertex with irregular transverse ridges and shallow transverse groove behind posterior ocelli (Fig. 2 C). Gena with long transverse striations. Eyes converging above; OOD: POD: ODD = 5: 6: 7 (Fig. 2 C). Flagellomere I conspicuously shorter than pedicel.

Mesosoma. Pronotal collar rectangular, with broad transverse groove containing sparse longitudinal ridges, antero-lateral angle nearly rectangular; anterior carina conspicuous (Fig. 2 D). Basal median area of mesoscutum with two short longitudinal ridges, basal two-thirds with irregular transverse ridges, between ridges with few inconspicuous, short, longitudinal ridges, posterior third with conspicuous, long, longitudinal wrinkles connected to ridges on median mesoscutum, inter-wrinkle areas densely punctate; scutal lateral sulcus crenulate, inner margin sharply defined, internal transverse ridges not extending beyond border (Fig. 2 D). Mesoscutellum densely, finely punctate; median longitudinal carina present, flanked by weak lateral longitudinal rugae; anterior margin not crenulate (Fig. 2 D). Mesopleuron punctate; episcrobal area punctate; central circular depression with transverse carinae extending beyond its margin; episternal sulcus deeply crenulate, internal longitudinal ridges slightly exceeding lateral margin; hypersternaulus well-developed, broadened, weakly crenulate (Fig. 2 F). Metanotum finely punctate; lateral surface with several conspicuous longitudinal rugae (Fig. 2 D). Metapleuron not conspicuously separated from propodeal lateral surface; metapleuron with several longitudinal ridges (Fig. 2 F). Propodeal dorsum surface with longitudinal carinae from base to apex, interconnected by short transverse carinae forming reticulate pattern (Fig. 2 E); posterior surface with median sulcus narrowing from base to apex, lateral to sulcus with irregular reticulate ridges forming triangular zone, lateral posterior surface with sparsely transverse rugae (Fig. 2 E); lateral surface of propodeum with parallel oblique carinae extending to metapleuron and connecting to its longitudinal ridges, internal oblique carinae with inconspicuous short ridges (Fig. 2 F).

Wings. Recurrent vein without stub of vein just before its junction with submarginal cell (Fig. 2 G).

Metasoma. Metasoma spindly; terga polished, terga I-II with finely punctures. Sternum I with a keeled projection, laterally to keel with several conspicuous ridges. Basal third of sternum II with deep transverse groove, groove surface coriaceous.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan).

Etymology.

The specific epithet noncrenulata is derived from the Latin prefix “ non ” and “ crenulate ”, referring to the anterior margin of the mesoscutellum being non-crenulate of this species.