Propristocera pingtungensis ( Terayama, 1996 )

Liao, Hauchuan, Terayama, Mamoru & Eguchi, Katsuyuki, 2019, Revision of Taiwanese and Ryukyuan species of Propristocera (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4668 (4), pp. 451-474 : 467-472

Propristocera pingtungensis ( Terayama, 1996)

( Figs 15–18 , Table 1 )

Apenesia pingtungensis Terayama, 1996: 25 , Figs 17 –19, type: holotype (male, NSMT, examined), type loc.: Kentin Park, Pingtung Hisen, Taiwan. Propristocera pingtungensis: Azevedo et al., 2018: 115 (genus transfer). Apenesia kusigematii Terayama, 1999: 704 , Figs 17 –22, type: holotype (male, NIAES, examined), type loc.: Kanpira, Iriomote- jima, Okinawa, Japan. Syn. nov.

Diagnosis. Male. TL = 7 mm. HL/HW × 100 = 109–118. Dorsal face of head with dense and deep foveae (ca. 0.04– 0.05 mm in diameter) with intervals smooth and shining; intervals in vertex usually as wide as or narrower than diameter of foveae; intervals in frons usually narrower than diameter of foveae. Clypeus obtuse-triangular. Mandible with one apical tooth. LP/WP = 0.98–1.10. Metapostnotal median carina complete. Apical lobe of aedeagus forming one large apicolateral extension largely hooked ventrobasad, not reaching level of ventral valve of aedeagus; outer edge of extension serrate.

Male description. Full description was given by Terayama (1996, 1999). Additional information as below.

Head. HL/HW × 100 = 109–118 (holotype 109). Dorsal face with dense and deep foveae (ca. 0.04–0.05 mm in diameter) with intervals smooth and shining; intervals in vertex usually as wide as or narrower than diameter of foveae; intervals in median part of frons usually narrower than diameter of foveae. Occipital carina present.

Mesosoma. Mesopleuron elongate, largely smooth and shining excluding anterior, upper and lower depressions; anterior, upper and lower depressions present, with inconspicuous foveae; mesopleural pit absent. Lateral surface of metapectal-propodeal complex obliquely rugose in marginal area, and irregularly rugose in central area. Metapectal-propodeal complex in dorsal view with LP/WP = 0.98–1.10 (holotype 1.10), with lateral margins subparallel and slightly convex; metapostnotal median carina very distinct, almost reaching posterior margin (or reaching posterior margin in holotype of “ P. kusigematii ”); submedian rugae very distinct, irregularly running; sublateral margin mod- erately distinct; posterior margin moderately distinct, almost straight; dorsomedian face strongly rugoso-scabrous, with intervals smooth and shining; antero-inner portion of dorsolateral face imbricate; postero-outer portion of dor- solateral face strongly areolate-rugose, with intervals imbricate; median portion of propodeal declivity transversely rugoso-scabrous weakly to strongly. Forewing with cu-a not meeting directly with Rs+m (arrows in Fig. 15E ).

Metasoma. Hypopygium with median stalk a little shorter than lateral ones; apical part relatively strongly incurved and trilobate, with two large lateral and one small median lobes; outer face of apicomedian part with long setae. Basiparamere glabrous. Paramere in ventral view elongate-triangular, slightly curved inward, with blunt apex, entirely covered with setae increasing apicad; inner basal portion with concavity which accommodates digitus and cuspis. Cuspis lobate and extending outward; middle and subapical parts of outer face with short and thin setae. Digitus extending outward, curled; outer face with foveae. Apical lobe of aedeagus forming one large apicolateral extension largely hooked ventrobasad, not reaching level of ventral valve of aedeagus; outer edge of extension ser- rate; medium valve of aedeagus absent.

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. 2 Ƌ (TN 160725 _7-2; TN 160725 _7-3); Taiwan, Nantou County, Huisun experimental forest, N24°05'12", E121°01'56", 779 m alt.; HauChuan Liao leg. (sweeping); 27/VII/2016. 1 Ƌ ( TP 170606 _10) ; Taiwan, Pingtung County, Mt. Kaoshihfu , N22°07'44", E120°47'55", 315 m alt.; T. Mita leg. (sweeping); 19/V/2017. 1 Ƌ (A 170808 _14) ; Japan, Kagoshima County, Amami-Oshima Island, Mt. Yuwan , N28°16'14", E129°19'26", 44 m alt.; HauChuan Liao leg. (sweeping); 16/VIII/2017. 2 Ƌ (JI 170808 _17; JI 170808 _18) ; Japan, Okinawa County, Ishigaki-jima Island, Mt. Yarabu , N24°26'22", E124°05'33", 154 m alt.; HauChuan Liao leg. (sweeping); 13/ VIII/2017 .

Taxonomic remarks. This species is most similar in general appearance to P. seediq among the named species known from East and Southeast Asia. However, both morphological and molecular evidences strongly support the heterospecificity of P. pingtungensis and P. seediq (see the taxonomic remarks of P. seediq ).

This species is also very similar to P. formosimonticola in structure of hypopygium and genitalia, but easily distinguished from the latter as mentioned in the Taxonomic remarks of P. formosimonticola .

Our reexamination of the holotypes of P. pingtungensis and P. kusigematii strongly suggested the conspecificity of the two species. Furthermore, the “ P. pingtungensis ” specimens collected from the type locality (Pingtung, southern Taiwan) and the “ P. kusigematii ” specimens from Ishigaki-jima (near the type locality of P. kusigematii ) were nested in a strongly supported clade ( Fig. 6 ). Therefore, P. kusigematii is herein synonymized with P. pingtungensis .

Distribution and habitat. Central and Southern Ryukyus in Japan ( Terayama 1996, Terayama 1999); northern, midland and southern Taiwan. This species has been collected from evergreen broadleaved forests.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Bayesian inference tree based on the 28S+CO1 sequence dataset. Bootstrap and posterior probability values are given beside the nodes. The tips are labeled with the specimen IDs. Amami, Amami-Oshima Island; Okinawa, Okinawa- Hontou Island; Ishigaki, Ishigaki-jima Island; N. Taiwan, northern Taiwan; M. Taiwan, midland of Taiwan; S. Taiwan, southern Taiwan.

FIGURE 15. Propristocera pingtungensis, holotype. A, head in dorsal view; B, antenna (left); C, mandible; D, mesosoma in lateral view; E, forewing; F, mesosoma in dorsal view. Scale = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 16. Propristocera kusigematii, holotype. A, head in dorsal view; B, mandible; C, mesosoma in lateral view; D, mesosoma in dorsal view; E, forewing. Scale = 0.5 mm

FIGURE 17. Propristocera pingtungensis, specimen TP170606_10. A, head in dorsal view; B, right antenna; C, mandible; D, mesosoma in lateral view; E, mesosoma in dorsal view; F, forewing; G, hind wing. Scale = 0.5 mm

FIGURE 18. Propristocera pingtungensis, specimen TN160725_07-3. A, hypopygium; B, C, genitalia in ventral view; D, left apical lobe in outer view. Scale = 0.2mm