Promecidia Lelej, 1996

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 : 105

Genus Promecidia Lelej, 1996 Figs 1-2, 3-5, 6-7, 8-10

Promecidia Lelej, 1996b: 15, ♀; 2005: 80, ♂ & ♀; Lelej and Brothers 2008: 47, ♂ & ♀. Type species: Promecidia yamanei Lelej, 1996, ♀ (Malaysia, Sarawak), by original designation.

Gender.

Feminine.

Diagnosis.

Male. Head very short, rounded posterad. Eye deeply notched inside. Prementum not tuberculate. Mandible bidentate, with weak subbasal widening beneath or subbasal tubercle ( Promecidia abnormis , Promecidia chui ) and without subbasal tooth on inner border (with weak subbasal widening in Promecidia chui ). Scape curved, rarely widened apically ( Promecidia chui ), with two longitudinal carinae. Ocelli small, POL much shorter than OOL. Tegula not elongated. Mesoscutellum simple, not swollen nor conical. Metacoxa not dentate. Marginal cell of fore wing 1.5 × longer than first submarginal cell. Metasomal tergum 2 with lateral felt line. Sternum 2 without lateral felt line. Metasomal sterna 8 (hypopygium) and 7 without strong carina, at most with weak submedian elevation or two submedian carinae on sternum 8 (in Promecidia chui , Promecidia abnormis ) and blunt lateral tubercle on sterum 7 (in Promecidia abnormis ). Penial valves short, slightly asymmetrical, capitate apically. Volsella with long thin cuspis, stick-like digitus and tuberculate paracuspis. Female. First flagellomere slightly flattened. Anterior part of clypeus with or without two teeth. Mandible slender, with inner preapical tubercle. Scutellar scale lacking. Propodeum dorsally with longitudinal median carina; posterolateral margin of propodeum dentate or serrate. Metasomal tergum 2 with two pale spots located transversely on basal half and with or without pale apical fringe, tergum 3 with pale band. Tergum 6 without distinct pygidial area, convex, smooth, shiny, basal part of tergum punctured, with long pale setae.

Species included.

Promecidia abnormis Lelej, sp. n., ♂ (China: Guangdong, Hainan); Promecidia birmanica (de Dalla Torre, 1897), ♂ (Myanmar); Promecidia bonthainensis ( André, 1896), ♂ (Indonesia: Sulawesi); Promecidia boopis (Kohl, 1882), comb. n., ♀ (Indonesia: Sulawesi); Promecidia chui Lelej & Xu, sp. n., ♂ & ♀ (China: Yunnan, Hainan); Promecidia mamblia (Cameron, 1902), ♀ (Malaysia: Sabah, Sarawak); Promecidia ninnii (Magretti, 1892), ♀ (Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos); Promecidia rubrocyanea (Mickel, 1935), ♂ (Malaysia: Sabah); Promecidia saturnia (Mickel, 1935), stat. n., ♂ & ♀ (Malaysia: Malay Peninsula; Singapore); Promecidia samawangensis (Mickel, 1935), stat. n., ♂ (Malaysia: Sabah, Sarawak); Promecidia yamanei Lelej, 1996, ♀ (Malaysia: Sarawak).

Sex association.

The male of the type species has not been recognized; the presumed males of other species were associated and described by Lelej 2005: 196. The following pairs of species may eventually be recognized as opposite sexes: Promecidia yamanei Lelej, 1996, ♀, and Promecidia rubrocyanea (Mickel, 1935), ♂ (both are from Borneo, with dark metallic blue metasoma); Promecidia boopis (Kohl, 1882), ♀, and Promecidia bonthainensis ( André, 1896), ♂ (both are from Sulawesi); Promecidia mamblia (Cameron, 1902), ♀, and Promecidia samawangensis (Mickel, 1935), ♂ (both are from Sabah and Sarawak); Promecidia ninnii (Magretti, 1892), ♀, and Promecidia birmanica (de Dalla Torre, 1897), ♂ (both are from Myanmar and Vietnam).

Distribution.

Oriental Region.

Comments.

The male of Promecidia Lelej, 1996 has very short asymmetrical penial valves and definitely belongs to tribe Trogaspidiini . Based on similar penial valves, coupled with having the mandible not strongly excised beneath and simple mesoscutellum the male of Promecidia is related to that of Afrotropical Spinulomutilla Nonveiller, 1994 but differs by lacking strong lateral carinae on metasomal sterna 7 and 8 (with strong ones in Spinulomutilla ) and by metacoxa (dentate in Spinulomutilla ). The male of Promecidia is superficially similar with that of Taiwanomyrme Tsuneki, 1993 from the tribe Petersenidiini , but differs asymmetrical penial valves (symmetrical in Taiwanomyrme ). Within the tribes Trogaspidiini and Petersenidiini the female of Promecidia easily differs by the absence of a scutellar scale (with more or less developed scutellar scale in other genera of these tribes) and absence of a pygidial area, metasomal tergum 6 glabrous, shiny, not carinate even apically (with more or less developed pygidial area, at least carinate apically in other genera of these tribes; if without pygidial area ( Orientidia Lelej, 1996) then scutellar scale visible).

Key to species of Promecidia