Promecidia chui Lelej & Xu

Lelej, Arkady S., Zhou, Hu-ting, Loktionov, Valery M. & Xu, Zai-fu, 2016, Review of the genus Promecidia Lelej, 1996, with description of two new species from China (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae, Trogaspidiini), ZooKeys 641, pp. 103-120 : 111-115

Promecidia chui Lelej & Xu sp. n. Figs 3-5, 7, 8-10

Type material.

Holotype (SCAU). CHINA: ♂, pinned, with genitalia in a separate micro vial, attached on the same pin, Yunnan, Nabanhe National Nature Reserve, 19-23.VII.2011, Na-sen Wei & Zai-fu Xu, No. 2015000329.

Paratypes.

CHINA: 2 ♂ (SCAU), with the same label as holotype; 3 ♂ (SCAU), Hainan, Bawangling National Nature Reserve, 7-11.VII.2006, Jiang-xian Liu and Li-qiong Weng; 2 ♂ (SCAU), same place, 9-10.VI.2007, Jie Zeng and Bing Xiao; 1 ♂ (SCAU), Wuzhishan Nature Reserve, 16-20.V.2007, Li-qiong Weng; 1 ♂ (IBSS), Jianfengling, 4-7.VI.2007, Jie Zeng; 1 ♀ (SCAU), Diaoluoshan National Nature Reserve, 16-17.VII.2006, Jiang-xian Liu and Li-qiong Weng; 2 ♂ (SCAU), Jiujialing, YPT, 18.VII.2010, Hua-yan Chen.

Diagnosis.

Male. Body length 6.8-11.9 mm. First flagellomere equal in length to flagellomere 2. Scape widened apically. Ocelli small, POL:OOL=0.6-0.65. Distance between outer ocellar margins 1.2 –1.3× distance between posterior ocelli and posterior border of occiput. Mandible bidentate apically, with subbasal tooth on outer margin beneath, inner margin with weak subbasal widening. Metasomal sternum 2 basally with strong median carina highest basally. Female. Body length 7.65 mm. Mesosoma and legs ferruginous red; flagellomeres 2-9 ferruginous ventrally. First flagellomere 1.33 × flagellomere 2. Metasomal tergum 2 with two subcircular spots of yellowish setae anteriorly, separated by distance equal to their diameter. Tergum 6 convex, glabrous and shiny, without definite pygidial area.

Description.

Male. Body length 6.8-11.9 mm. Black except ferruginous metasomal terga 1-3 and sterna 1-3; tegula brownish. Frons, vertex, lateral area of clypeus and base of mandible with whitish dense subappressed setae; gena with whitish dense erect setae. Pronotum, propleuron with golden or whitish recumbent setae (posterior margin of pronotum densely fringed); mesonotum with sparse reddish (Yunnan) or white (Hainan) setae. Mesopleuron, lateral area of metanotum and dorsum of propodeum with whitish yellow, dense, appressed setae; posterior propodeal slope with whitish sparse erect setae; mesoscutellum and metanotum medially with erect yellowish setae; legs with yellowish dense suberect setae; lateral propodeal slope with few erect white setae. Metasomal tergum 2 with sparse yellowish setae; terga 3-4 with dense subappressed yellowish setae; terga 1-6 sparsely fringed apically; sterna 1-3 (1-4 in paratypes from Hainan) with sparse subappressed yellowish setae. Metasomal tergum 2 with felt line laterally, sternum 2 without lateral felt line.

Head width 0.84 –0.92× mesosoma width including tegulae; relation of maxillary palpus length and cardo length 6.0:1.5. Mandible bidentate apically, with subbasal tooth on outer margin beneath and dorsal carina extending from base to subapical tooth; inner margin weakly widened subbasally. Clypeus subtriangularly raised with median area concave and with anterior margin slightly notched, with transverse preapical carina with few setae. Scape widened apically, bicarinate beneath basally, upper (dorsal) carina complete and widened apically. First flagellomere equal in length to flagellomere 2; antennal scrobe carinate above. Ocelli small, POL:OOL=0.6-0.65. Distance between outer ocellar margins 1.2 –1.3× distance between posterior ocelli and posterior border of occiput. Frons, vertex and gena with coarse dense punctures.

Tegula not projecting over scuto-scutellar suture, with smooth and shiny disc and posterior border. Mesoscutellum evenly convex. Metanotum densely punctured, with deep glabrous area medially. Pronotum and mesopleuron with dense, confluent punctures; mesoscutum with dense separated punctures; mesoscutellum with larger coarse, somewhat confluent punctures; propleuron, mesopleuron anterad, metapleuron glabrous. Propodeum reticulate, laterally more finely so, and dorsomedially with larger cells. Notauli well developed, ⅔ length of mesoscutum. Parapsides weaker and shorter than notauli.

Fore wings fuscous, first submarginal cell large, subtriangular, apically acute, 0.7 × length of marginal cell; second submarginal cell receiving recurrent vein at midpoint; third submarginal cell less distinct than submarginal cell 2 and receiving recurrent vein at midpoint. Pterostigma length equal to distance between origin of RS1 on SC and pterostigma.

Carina on metasomal sternum 1 well developed, 0.8 × length of sternum 1 in profile, straight; sternum 2 basally with strong median carina highest basally. Terga 1-6 and posterior halves of sterna 3-6 with moderately fine, well separated punctures, larger on tergum 2; sternum 2 with larger, separated punctures; sternum 8 (hypopygium) and tergum 7 with moderately coarse, dense punctures; tergum 7 medially with narrow glabrous area widened apically.

Female. Body length 7.65 mm. Black with brownish clypeus, palps pale, with ferruginous red mandible (except apex), scape, pedicel, flagellomere 1, legs, mesosoma; flagellomeres 2-9 ventrally ferruginous. Clypeus, gena, mandible with whitish, sparse, erect setae; frons and occiput with subappresseed golden-reddish setae; gena with subappressed whitish setae; dorsum of mesosoma with setae as those on frons; posterior propodeal slope and metasomal tergum 1 with erect whitish setae; metasomal tergum 2 with black dense, recumbent setae; apical fringe of terga 2-3 with yellowish, dense, appressed setae mixed with longer erect ones; terga 4-6 (except pygidial area) with darker and sparser brown setae; sterna 2-6 and legs with yellowish, sparse, erect setae. Metasomal tergum 2 in basal half with two subcircular spots of yellowish setae, separated by distance equal to their diameter; lateral felt line of tergum 2 whitish.

Relation of head width and mesosoma width 47:45 (pronotum): 42 (mesonotum): 37 (propodeum); relation of maxillary palp length and cardo length 3.5:1.5. Head distinctly narrowed behind eyes. Mandible with weak preapical tooth on inner margin. Clypeus posteriorly elevated into rather low, transversely arcuate ridge, with well developed median tubercle basally. First flagellomere 1.33 × flagellomere 2; antennal scrobe distinctly carinate above. Eye ovate, strongly convex. Gena not carinate beneath, with tubercle on hypostomal carina closer to mandibular insertion. Frons, vertex and gena with moderately coarse, elongate punctures; vertex with two distinct tubercles located transversely on line of posterior eye borders.

Relation of mesosoma length to its width 55:37, widest on pronotum, narrowest propodeal spiracles. Mesosoma with lateral margins convergent posterad; crenulate, concavely curved, mesoscutum with lateral carina; humeral angles and pronotal lateral tubercle acute, latter prominent. Pleura depressed in center, sharply marked-off from anterior pronotal slope and dorsum of pro- to metanotum by marginal recurvature and from posterior propodeal slope by marginal tubercles; mesopleural suture carinate; dorsal and posterior propodeal slope in profile without definite bend. Dorsum of mesosoma with moderately coarse, deep punctures; posterior propodeal slope with coarser and shallower, elongate, strongly confluent punctures with tendency to rugosity; pleura glabrous.

Legs moderately long; meso- and metatibia each with one row of 5-6 spines and another one with three weak spines; tibio-tarsal relation of hind leg 37:15:11:9:5:7.

Metasomal sternum 1 with anterior arm of Y-shaped ridge moderately strong and posterior ones very weak. Anterior slope of tergum 1 with well separated punctures; dorsal surface of tergum 1 indefinite; tergum 2 with separate setiferous punctures mixed with dense micropunctures; terga 3-5 basally with separate punctures obscured by dense pale setae; tergum 6 (except pygidial area) with dense punctures; sternum 2 basally with median carina, with large separate punctures; posterior areas of sterna 3-6 with fine, separated punctures. Tergum 6 convex, glabrous and shiny, without definite pygidial area; lateral margins not carinate even apically.

Etymology.

It is a great pleasure for us (A. Lelej and Z. Xu) to name this species after the well-known Chinese hymenopterist Prof. Chu Joo-tsu (1900-1981).

Distribution.

China (Yunnan, Hainan).

Comments.

The male and female are collected by the same collectors in July 2006 sites Hainan which are close to each other. There is no direct evidence to support the relationship.