Nitela transcarinata, Li & Li & Ma, 2025

Li, Chengfang, Li, Qiang & Ma, Li, 2025, Six new species of the genus Nitela Latreille (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae) from China, with a key to the Oriental species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 98, pp. 871-896 : 871-896

Nitela transcarinata sp. nov.

Fig. 4

Type material.

Holotype. ♀, China • Guangdong, Guangzhou, Haitzu National Wetland Park , 23.0603°N, 113.3369°E, 2021.V.24–VII.9, Fei Ye collector .

Paratypes. • 2 ♀, Yunnan, Jinghong, Menghai Country, Bulang Mountain , 21.6267°N, 100.4064°E, 2021.V.24–VII.9 ( 1 ♀), 2019.VII.19–VIII.21 ( 1 ♀), Ling Zhao collector ; 1 ♀, Xishuangbanna, Mengla Country, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden , rubber plantation, 21.9197°N, 101.2778°E, 2020.VIII.14–IX.15, Ling Zhao collector ; • 1 ♀, Hainan, Lingshui Country, Diaoluo Mountain , 19.0778°N, 109.4144°E, 2020.IX.3–III.30, Longlong Chen collector ; • 1 ♀, Baisha Country, Nankai Township, Binlanglin , 19.0778°N, 109.4144°E, 2019.X.20–30, Longlong Chen collector ; • 1 ♀, Danzhou, Hainan Tropical Botanical Garden , Binlanglin, 19.5122°N, 109.5028°E, 2019.VIII.10–20, Longlong Chen collector .

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles N. collaris R. Turner, 1926 in having frons with coarse, irregular reticulation; mesoscutum basal median area with two short longitudinal ridges, basal two-thirds with conspicuous, regular, transverse ridges. It can be readily distinguished from that species by the following characteristics (characters of N. collaris in parentheses): transverse groove of pronotal collar with conspicuous longitudinal ridges (transverse groove without any longitudinal ridges); mesoscutum between ridges highly polished, scutal lateral sulcus absent (mesoscutum between ridges dull, scutal lateral sulcus present and crenulate); ventral half of mesopleuron with parallel oblique ridges reaching mesopleural suture (ventral half of mesopleuron with non-parallel ridges not extending to mesopleural suture); propodeal dorsum with straight parallel longitudinal ridges from base to apex (propodeal dorsum with longitudinal ridges converging medially toward apex).

Description of female.

Body length 5.4–5.9 mm. Body black. Mandible basally dark brown, apex yellowish-brown; maxillary palpus and labial palpus mostly yellowish-brown; stigma dark brown; wing veins yellowish-brown; tarsi blackish-brown; fore femur basally reddish-brown to black. Body covered with silvery pubescence.

Head. Inner margin of mandible subapically with one tooth. Clypeus conspicuously convex medially; with midclypeal carina extending from anterior margin to frontoclypeal suture; anterior margin of clypeus with triangular smooth area, slightly concave medially (Fig. 4 B ). Frons with coarse, irregular reticulation, swollen medially, depressed laterally; convex portion with median carina; frontal concavity very shallow (Fig. 4 B ). Ocellar triangle densely rugose. Gena densely finely punctate. Vertex finely punctate (Fig. 4 C ). Eyes converging above; OOD: POD: ODD = 4: 11: 7 (Fig. 4 C ). Flagellomere I conspicuously shorter than pedicel.

Mesosoma. Pronotal collar rectangular, with broad transverse groove and without any longitudinal ridge; antero-lateral angle nearly rectangular; anterior carina conspicuous (Fig. 4 D ). Basal median area of mesoscutum with two short longitudinal ridges; basal two-thirds with conspicuous, regular, transverse rugae, between rugae smooth, extremely finely punctate; posterior third with conspicuous, long, longitudinal wrinkles connected to median ridges, between wrinkles finely punctate; scutal lateral sulcus absent (Fig. 4 D ). Mesoscutellum densely punctate; median longitudinal carina present, lateral longitudinal carinae conspicuous; anterior margin crenulate (Fig. 4 D ). Mesopleuron densely, finely punctate except episcrobal area (Fig. 4 F ) coriaceous and densely punctate; central circular depression with longitudinal rugae; area below depression with conspicuous oblique ridges (Fig. 4 F ); episternal sulcus deeply crenulate, internal longitudinal ridges conspicuously exceeding lateral margin; hypersternaulus well-developed, deeply crenulate (Fig. 4 F ). Mesosternum densely, finely punctate. Metanotum finely punctate; laterally with several conspicuous longitudinal ridges (Fig. 4 E ). Metapleuron inconspicuously separated from propodeal lateral surface dorsally with oblique ridges (Fig. 4 F ). Propodeal dorsum with conspicuous, longitudinal ridges from base to apex, interconnected by conspicuous short transverse carinae forming reticulate pattern (Fig. 4 E ); posterior surface with median sulcus narrowing from base to apex, forming triangular zone with transverse ridges in its upper portion; posterior surface laterally with densely transverse ridges (Fig. 4 E ); lateral surface of propodeum with parallel oblique carinae, internal oblique carinae with inconspicuous, short ridges (Fig. 4 F ).

Wing. Recurrent vein with trace of vein stub just before its junction with submarginal cell (Fig. 4 G ).

Metasoma. Metasoma spindly; terga polished, terga I – II densely finely punctate; basal quarter of tergum II with several transverse ridges (sometimes absent); terga III and subsequent densely, finely punctate. Sternum I with 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 ( Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan).

Etymology.

The specific epithet transcarinata is derived from the Latin “ trans - ” and “ carinata ”, referring to the presence of transverse carinae on mesoscutum of this species.

Figures

Figure 4. Nitela transcarinata sp. nov. Female. Holotype A habitus, lateral view B head, frontal view C head, dorsal view D pronotum, scutum and scutellum, dorsal view E propodeum, dorso-posterior view F thorax, lateral view G fore and hind wings. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.