Palpostilpnus pterodactylus, Reshchikov & Santos & Liu & Barthélémy, 2019

Reshchikov, Alexey, Santos, Bernardo F., Liu, Jing-Xian & Barthélémy, Christophe, 2019, Review of Palpostilpnus Aubert (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Phygadeuontinae), with the description of ten new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 582, pp. 1-63 : 24-26

Palpostilpnus pterodactylus sp. nov.

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Figs 13–14

Diagnosis

Body oblique elongate ( Fig. 13A ). Postero-ocellar distance 2.0 times as long as ocular-ocellar distance ( Fig. 14F ). Occipital carina dorsally broadly absent. Epomia long and strong. Epicnemial carina reaching to upper 0.8 of mesopleuron. Propodeum with median longitudinal carina complete and pleural carina absent ( Fig. 14B ). T1 stout, 1.5 times as long as apically broad. Fore wing hyaline ( Fig. 14G ).

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the resemblance in lateral view of T1 and its carinae to the outlines of the head of a Pterodactylus sp. (with teeth!), an extinct genus of flying reptile pterosaurs.

Material examined

Holotype CHINA • ♀; Hong Kong , Pak Sha O; 22°26.88′ N, 114°19.19′ E; 70 m a.s.l.; garden/orchard clearing; Malaise trap M263; 24 Sep.–8 Oct. 2016; Christophe Barthélémy leg.; NHRS HT-HEVA000010859.

Paratype CHINA • ♀; Hong Kong , Tai Tan; 22.43857° N, 114.33327° E; among Kandelia sp.; Malaise trap 28M1; 5–19 Dec. 2017; C. Taylor and U. Chang leg.; HKU .

Description

Female

SIZE. Fore wing length 2.8 mm. Body oblique elongate, 1.42 times as long as high ( Fig. 13A ). HEAD. Face as broad as high, slightly convex centrally, with fine granulose texture (approximately transversely wrinkled) and densely punctate ( Fig. 13B ). Clypeal suture indistinct. Clypeus with weak transverse striation, apical margin straight. Mandible with basal half smooth, scattered with sparse fine punctures, apical tooth sharp. Malar space with granulose texture, 1.4 times as long as mandibular basal width. Gena polished, with fine punctures. Vertex with posterior portion from posterior ocelli to occiput nearly vertically slanted ( Fig. 14F ). Frons transversely wrinkled, punctate in between. Postero-ocellar distance 2.0 times ocular-ocellar distance. Antenna with 25 flagellomeres, distinctly thickened from 8 th to 20 th flagellomeres and ventrally flattened ( Fig. 14E ). Occipital carina dorsally broadly absent, laterally present.

MESOSOMA. Pronotum smooth on lower half, finely punctate on upper half, posterior corner weakly rugose. Epomia long and strong. Mesoscutum short, 0.85 times as long as broad, with granulose texture and large shallow punctures, punctures close and tend to be rugose. Mesoscutum weakly convex anteriorly in lateral view. Notaulus absent. Scutellum flat, shiny and sparely punctate. Mesopleuron centrally smooth and polished, dorsally with 3 irregular rows of punctures; sternaulus shallow, finely punctate. Epicnemial carina reaching to upper 0.8 of mesopleuron. Sternaulus shallow, finely punctate. Mesopleural suture distinctly foveolate. Metapleuron irregularly punctate, juxtacoxal carina weak. Submetapleural carina complete. Postpectal carina interrupted in front of hind coxa. Fore wing with 1cu-a slightly distad of M becoming Rs, 3rs-m absent, distal abscissa of M spectral; ramulus absent; length of vein Cu slightly longer than 2cu-a. Hind wing with cu-a strongly inclivous and interrupted at lower 0.25. Distal abscissa of Cu pigmented in its proximal 0.4. Distal abscissa of M spectral. Inner profile of basal portion of fore basitarsus distinctly bent. Hind femur 2.4 times as long as its maximum width; hind tibia with longer spur 0.6 times as long as hind tibia. Propodeum gradually sloping in lateral view, sparsely punctate, smooth posterocentrally, shiny. Median longitudinal carina complete, third lateral area complete, pleural carina absent ( Fig. 14B ).

METASOMA. T1 1.5 times as long as apically broad, slightly wrinkled, postpetiole punctate, dorsolateral carina complete and strong, reaching to spiracle, ventrolateral carina complete and strong ( Fig. 13D ). T2 to T4 strongly punctate ( Fig. 14A ), broader than long ( Fig. 14A ). Ovipositor very thin, 0.65 times as long as hind basitarsus ( Fig. 14D ).

COLOUR. Head black. Antenna with scape whitish, pedicel and first to seventh flagellomeres yellowish brown, with eighth to apical flagellomere dorsally black brown and ventrally yellowish brown. Mandible whitish, with apical tooth black. Palpi whitish yellow. Mesosoma yellowish brown, apex of scutellum and metanotum black. Legs light brown, fore coxa and trochanter yellowish white, hind tibia with base and apex fuscous, hind tarsus whitish yellow. T1 brown with proximal base black; T2–T6 yellowish brown, centrally with a transverse black band. Ovipositor sheath light brown with apical tip fuscous. Wings hyaline, veins and stigma fuscous.

Male

Unknown.

Remarks

This species is similar to P. rotundatus Sheng & Sun, 2013 , but can be distinguished from the latter by the following combination of characters: occipital carina broadly absent dorsally; T1 short and stout (1.5 times as long as apically broad vs 1.8 times as long as apically broad in P. rotundatus ). This species can easily be separated from other congeneric species by is occipital carina being dorsally broadly absent.

Distribution

China ( Hong Kong).

Figures

Fig. 13. Palpostilpnus pterodactylus sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (HKU). A. Lateral habitus. B. Head, anterior view. C. Mesopleuron. D. T1, lateral view. E. Scutum.

Fig. 14. Palpostilpnus pterodactylus sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (HKU). A. Metasoma, dorsal view. B. Propodeum, dorsal view. C. Hind leg. D. Ovipositor. E. Antennae. F. Vertex. G. Wing.