Arpactophilus fwai Breitkreuz, Ohl & Engel, 2016, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Breitkreuz, Laura C. V.
name: Ohl, Michael
name: Engel, Michael S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Crabronidae
Arpactophilus
Arpactophilus fwai

description: Arpactophilus fwai sp. nov.
(Figs. 55–56)
Diagnosis. Arpactophilus fwai is the only New Caledonian species in the genus that has the combination of an entirely yellow clypeus, with a shallow V-shaped incision (Fig. 55), a head that is about as long as wide, two submarginal cells in the forewing and a black or brown mesoscutellum (in most specimens), and the meso- and metasoma ventrally black or dark brown (Fig. 56).
Description. FEMALE: Total length 3.8–4.4 mm, mean = 4.0 mm; forewing length 2.3–2.6 mm, mean = 2.5 mm.
Body black or brown, with areas of yellow. Yellow: clypeus; labrum; most of mandible; palpi; area around mandibular base; most of scape; flagellum ventrally; band close to inner compound eye margin, extending from clypeus to middle of frons (up to 2/3 of scape) (Fig. 55); anterior pronotal margin; pronotal lobe; tegula; mesoscutellum partially in few specimens (entirely brown in most specimens); legs entirely (some specimens with some brown basally on metacoxa). Flagellum dorsally and pedicel brown. Some specimens with slightly lightbrownish mesoscutellum. Wings hyaline; pterostigma dark brown.
Head about as long as wide in frontal view. Apical margin of clypeus medially slightly projecting, with shallow and broad V-shaped incision (Fig. 55). Apical margin of labrum slightly bilobed. Ventral mandibular tooth about ¼–1/5 of total mandibular length, not reaching opposite mandibular base. Palpal formula 4:3. Frons imbricate and densely punctate with short prominent setae. Frontal carina present from median ocellus to apical margin of clypeus, forming a sharp point at basal clypeal margin. Scape 3.7 × as long as wide. Ocellar triangle anterior of tangent between upper posterior orbits of compound eyes, lateral ocelli anterior of tangent by less than their diameter. Occipital carina interrupted dorsally (Fig. 6). Gena imbricate with sparse punctation and longer setae than on frons, without tubercles, spines, or dorsoventral carina. Hypostomal midventral line carinate with bordering sparse and short transverse carinulae on hypostomal integument, not angulate.
Mesosoma about 1.0 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Propodeum about 0.8 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Mesosoma imbricate and densely punctured (Fig. 56), except dorsal surface of propodeum; mesopleuron also transversely carinulate, lateral surface of propodeum imbricate and transversely costate; dorsal surface of propodeum coarsely reticulate with some transverse carinulae apicolaterally (similar to pattern in Fig. 20). Slightly pitted sulcus present posterior to mesoscuto-mesoscutellar sulcus. Hypersternal sulcus absent. Metafemur 2.7 × as long as wide. Metatibia without differently colored area apically. Pretarsal claws without teeth. Forewing with two submarginal cells; anterior and posterior border of submarginal cell II subequal. Hind wing with five distal hamuli.
Metasoma polished, sparsely punctured (Fig. 56). Metasomal sternum II without bulge (as in Fig. 1). Pygidium with broad row of silk setae apically.
MALE: Difference from female aside from genitalic structures: some specimens with light brown marking on mesoscutellum. Metasomal sternum VIII neither broadened nor narrowed.
Remarks. Arpactophilus fwai is most similar to A. yuanga in body size and coloration, but they may be easily distinguished by the coloration of the clypeus which is entirely yellow in the former (Fig. 55) basally brown to black in the latter (Fig. 111). Very few specimens have a faint yellow coloration of the mesoscutellum (similar to Fig. 19, but less bright), which leads to the split of this species in the key. These specimens are easily distinguished from the other species with a yellow mesoscutellum. In comparison to A. paici and A. scutellaris the meso- and metasoma are not yellow ventrally (Fig. 56). The fully yellow clypeus of the species (Fig. 55) distinguishes A. fwai from A. merle and A. nere, which have a medially brown clypeus (Figs. 71, 77).
Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♀: “Nouvelle Calédonie, Pinda 30m, 18.IV.1995, Réc. Chazeau & Jourdan [MNHN].
PARATYPES 17♀, 4♂:
♀: (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 8711: 21°11’S x 165°18’E, 850m, Aoupinie top camp. 3–23 Nov 2001. C. Burwell & G. Monteith. Malaise, rainforest [QM]; (2x) “ NEW CALEDONIA 8905 2058’S x 16517’E. 500m Pic d’Amoa, N slopes 24 Nov 2001 – 31 Jan 2002 Burwell, Monteith. Malaise [QM]; (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 8926: 21°11’S x 165°18’E, 850m, Aoupinie top camp. 23 Nov 2001 – 1 Feb 2002. Burwell, Monteith. Malaise [QM]; (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 11488: 20°24’S x 164°31’E, 550m, Mandjelia, lower creek 29 Nov 2003 – 31 Jan 2004. G. Monteith. Malaise [QM]; (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 11846: 22°17’S x 166°53’E, 250m, Pic du Grand Kaori, site 1. 22 Nov –22 Dec 2004. Wright, Burwell. malaise, rainforest [QM]; (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 11858: 22°15’S x 166°49’E, 280m, Pic du Pin, site 1. 25 Nov –23 Dec 2004. Burwell, Wright. malaise rainforest [QM]; (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 11864: 22°14’S x 166°50’E, 280m, Pic du Pin, site 2. 25 Nov –23 Dec 2004. Burwell, Wright. Malaise, rainforest [QM]; (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 12047: 22°14’S x 166°50’E, 280m, Pic du Pin, site 2. 23 Dec 2004– 12 Jan 2005. Burwell, Wright. malaise, rainforest [ZMB]; (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 12082: 22°19’S x 166°55’E, 200m, Foret Nord, site 2. 22 Dec 2004– 9 Jan 2005. Burwell, Wright. Malaise, rainforest [ZMB]; (5x) “Nouvelle Calédonie, Pinda 30m, 18.IV.1995, Réc. Chazeau & Jourdan [CAS, MNHN]; (1x) “Nouvelle Calédonie, Mont Koghis. 350m, 25.IV.1995, Réc. Chazeau & Jourdan [MNHN]; (1x) “ NEW CALEDONIA Plaine de Lacs, III.1959; N.L.H. Krauss, Collector, BISHOP [BPBM]; (1x) “ NEW CALEDONIA Mt. Mou 400-1000m, 3.III.1972; J.L. Gressitt, Collector, BISHOP [BPBM].
♂: (1x) “ NEW CALEDONIA 11826: 2219’S x 16655’E, 200m, Foret Nord, site 2. rainforest. 2–3 Dec 2004. C.J. Burwell, S.G. Wright. yellow pan [QM]; (3x) “Nouvelle Calédonie, Pinda 30m, 18.IV.1995, Réc. Chazeau & Jourdan [CAS, MNHN, ZMB].
Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the name Fwâi, one of the New Caledonian native languages. It is treated as a noun in apposition.
description: Published as part of Breitkreuz, Laura C. V., Ohl, Michael & Engel, Michael S., 2016, A review of the New Caledonian Arpactophilus (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 4063 (1) on pages 24-27, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4063.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/270412