Megaprosternum nuaulu, Colombo & Azevedo, 2024

Colombo, Wesley D. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2024, Revision of the strongly flattened Megaprosternum Azevedo (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 958 (1), pp. 1-47 : 31-33

Megaprosternum nuaulu sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9A0F3D1D-5268-422F-AE26-A6363740DE37

Fig. 11

Differential diagnosis

The females of this species are morphologically similar to those of M. navatu sp. nov., as aforementioned in its section of the differential diagnosis.

Etymology

The epithet nuaulu is derived from the Nuaulu, a Melanesian people who live in the jungles of the island of Seram, Indonesia.

Material examined

Holotype

INDONESIA – North Ceram • ♀; “N[orth] Ceram, 9 km E Wahai , nr PHPA-Q, coastal rainforest, 28.ii-21.iii.1997, Mal. trap 7, C.v.Achterberg & R.de Vries, RMNH’97”; RMNH.

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS (mm). Body length 2.6; LH 0.50; WH 0.40; WF 0.20; WOT 0.06; surface of median clypeal lobe 0.10; HE 0.21; OOL 0.26; LFW 1.36.

COLOR ( Fig. 11A–B ). Head, mesosoma and metasoma castaneous.

HEAD ( Fig. 11C ). Oval, in lateral view; sides almost parallel, in dorsal view; malar space absent; median clypeal lobe incurved, as long as lateral ones, with pair of lateral carinae, converging posteriorly, lobe delimitation indistinct; mandible with three apical teeth; hypostoma rounded medially; antenna with 11 flagellomeres, pedicel longer than flagellomere I; eye glabrous, contour not protruding; frons smooth coriaceous; ocellar triangle with anterior angle acute, postocellar line shorter than DAO.

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 11D–E ). Pronotal flange polished and coriaceous, with posterior margin at most 1.5× as wide as anterior one; dorsal pronotal area polished, posterior margin outcurved medially, overlapping anterior area of mesoscutum; probasisternum very large, anterior margin strongly angulated, posterior margin curved; epicnemium with anterior margin weakly incurved; mesoscutum longer than mesoscutellum medially; parapsidal signum absent; transscutal fissure conspicuous; mesoscuto-scutellar suture absent; mesopleuron with mesepimeral lobe not evident, anterior mesopleural fovea present, mesopleural epicoxal lobe not evident, mesopleural pit present, upper mesopleural fovea absent; metapectal-propodeal disc almost as long as wide medially, without evident constriction at propodeal spiracle; transverse anterior carina present; lateral marginal carina absent; paraspiracular sulcus absent; paraspiracular carina absent; metapostnotal median carina absent; propodeal spiracle circular, on lateral surface of the metapectal-propodeal complex; metadiscrimen absent; metafurcal pit absent; forewing with prestigmal abscissa of radial 1 triangular; 4.0× as long as pterostigma; 3.0×as wide as Sc+R vein; prestigmal flexion line present; pterostigma small and oval; hind wing with three non-equidistant distal hamuli.

METASOMA. S2aa with anterior margin incurved; S2pa longer than wide medially, evenly wide; second abdominal spiracle oval; third abdominal sternum with anterior margin outcurved; abdominal tergum widening apicad.

Male

Unknown.

Host

Unknown.

Distribution

Indonesia (North Ceram).

Figures

Fig. 11. Megaprosternum nuaulu sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (RMNH). A–B. Habitus. A. Lateral view. B. Dorsal view. C. Head, dorsal view. D–E. Mesosoma. D. Dorsal view. E. Ventral view. Scale bars: A–B = 250 μm; C–E = 125 μm.