Labus edentatus Li & Carpenter, 2018

Li, Ting-Jing & Carpenter, James M., 2018, A taxonomic account of the genus Labus de Saussure, 1867 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae) with descriptions of three new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 65, pp. 23-46 : 23

Labus edentatus Li & Carpenter sp. n.

Figs 1-5

Material examined.

Holotype, ♀, China: Hongkong, Hung Fa Leng , 50Q KK 108 854, 435m, 16.IV-16.V. 2014, Yiu Vor, HFL-Moo1. F.Hy. 9, deposited in AMNH.

Description.

Female (Figs 1-2 ): body length 7.0 mm. Black, with the following parts yellow: a narrow and transverse band of clypeus basally (Fig. 2 ), a widely interrupted band on pronotum anteriorly (interruption less than each marking), a small spot on upper part of mesepisternum; outer margin of tegula anteriorly and posteriorly, parategula, two transverse spots on scutellum posteriorly, apical lamellae of propodeum, a small apical spot of fore femur inside, a large spot at outer side of fore and mid tibiae, a small spot on hind tibiae basally, narrow apical bands of T1-T2 and S2; apex of mandible, A12 beneath, and fore and mid tibiae dark ferruginous with exception of yellow spots. Wings slightly infuscated.

Head. In front view head (Fig. 2 ) slightly wider than high, its sides rounded; clypeus sparsely punctate, clypeal width 1.35 × length, weakly convex at basal half, anterior portion less produced and with wide emargination in the middle, clypeal total width 4.6 × its apical width, apical width 2 × emargination depth, its teeth short and blunt; frons convex and densely punctate, inter-antennal carina continued on lower part of frons, frontal fovea deep, almost circular and distinctly defined (Fig. 3 ).

Mesosoma. Anterior angles of pronotum projecting only slightly, pronotal transverse carina obsolete; punctures on pronotum, mesoscutum, mesepisternum and scutellum slightly denser and their interspaces duller than those on frons; metanotum with an acute tubercle in the middle; propodeum posteriorly on each side without a tooth above the apical spine formed by the submarginal carina (Fig. 5 ); dorsal area of propodeum sparsely punctate and the interspaces between punctures coriaceous, posterior area with dense setae, lateral area obviously coriaceous.

Metasoma. Metasomal petiole (Fig. 4 ) long and moderately slender, total length of petiole 6.19 × basal width and 2.6 × apical one, swollen part of metasomal petiole slightly longer than (1.07 ×) half of the length of the petiole, linear part of petiole rugosely punctate, swollen part coriaceous and with scattered minute punctures; each of T2 and S2 with an apical translucent lamella, and microscopically sculptured, sparsely covered with extremely minute and shallow punctures.

Distribution.

China (Hongkong).

Remarks.

This species resembles L. pusillus van der Vecht, 1963 by propodeum posteriorly on each side without a tooth above the apical spine formed by the submarginal carina and swollen part of metasomal petiole as long as or longer than half of the length of the petiole. It differs from L. pusillus and all other members of the genus by the following character combination: the median portion of clypeus less produced, its emargination wide medially and lateral teeth slightly blunter (Fig. 2 ), frontal fovea (Fig. 3 ) much larger than the anterior ocellus and bigger than that in L. pusillus (Fig. 37 ).

Etymology.

The specific name edentatus is derived from two Latin words: e - and dentatus, referring to propodeum posteriorly on each side without a tooth above the apical spine formed by the submarginal carina.

Figures

Figures 1 - 5. Labus edentatus sp. n., holotype 1 habitus (dorsal view), ♀ 2 head in frontal view, ♀ 3 frontal fovea, ♀ 4 metasomal petiole, ♀ 5 propodeum in dorsal view, ♀.

Figures 36 - 41. Labus pusillus van der Vecht, 1963. 36 habitus, ♀ 37 head in frontal view, ♀ 38 head in frontal view, ♂ 39 habitus, ♂ 40 propodeum in dorsal view, ♀ 41 metasomal petiole, ♀.