Arpactophilus caac 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 caac

description: Arpactophilus caac sp. nov.
(Figs. 20, 35–36)
Diagnosis. Arpactophilus caac is the only New Caledonian species in the genus with the combination of a black, projecting clypeus with a nearly straight apical margin medially (Fig. 35), yellow mandible, the frontal carina forming a projecting tip on the basal clypeal margin, a yellowish flagellum about as light or only little darker than the scape, a dorsally-interrupted occipital carina (Fig. 6), two submarginal cells in the forewing, yellow legs, a flat metasomal sternum II without a bulge (as in Fig. 1), and a dark brown metasoma (Fig. 36).
Description. FEMALE: Total length 3.0– 3.7 mm, mean = 3.4 mm; forewing length 2.2–2.3 mm, mean = 2.2 mm.
Body black or brown, with areas of yellow. Yellow: mandible; labrum; palpi; scape; pedicel; flagellum (slightly darker towards apex); anterior pronotal margin; pronotal lobe; tegula; legs. Wings hyaline; pterostigma brown.
Head about 0.9 × as long as wide in frontal view. Apical margin of clypeus projecting medially, medioapical margin nearly straight (Fig. 35). Apical margin of labrum bilobed. Ventral mandibular tooth about ¼–1/5 of total mandibular length, not reaching opposite mandibular base. Palpal formula probably 4:3 (not completely visible). Frons imbricate with sparse punctation and long setae. Frontal carina present from median ocellus to upper half of clypeus, forming a distinct point at basal clypeal margin. Scape 3.9 × as long as wide. Ocellar triangle anterior of tangent between upper posterior orbits of compound eyes, lateral ocelli anterior of tangent by approximately their diameter. Occipital carina interrupted dorsally (Fig. 6). Gena imbricate with sparse punctation and long setae, without tubercles, spines, or dorsoventral carina. Hypostomal midventral line carinate, not angulate.
Mesosoma about 1.7 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Propodeum about 0.9 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Mesosoma imbricate with sparse punctation (Fig. 36), except posterior part of dorsal surface of propodeum; lateral surface of propodeum also imbricate and transversely carinulate; dorsal surface of propodeum also reticulate medially, lateral and posterior areas of dorsal surface of propodeum transversely carinulate (Fig. 20). Slightly pitted sulcus present posterior to fine mesoscuto-scutellar sulcus. Hypersternal sulcus represented by fine line. Metafemur 3.0 × as long as wide. Metatibia without differently colored area apically. Pretarsal claws without teeth. Forewing with two submarginal cells; anterior border of submarginal cell II slightly shorter than posterior border. Hind wing with five distal hamuli.
Metasoma polished, sparsely punctured (Fig. 36). Metasomal sternum II without bulge (as in Fig. 1). Pygidium with narrow row of silk setae apically.
MALE: Difference from female aside from genitalic structures: apical half of clypeus yellow. Metasomal sternum VIII neither broadened nor narrowed.
Remarks. Arpactophilus caac is somewhat similar to A. pwaamei, A. kraussi, and A. tayo in the head shape, size and general coloration. Arpactophilus kraussi has a finer sculpture on the propodeal dorsum. Arpactophilus caac can be distinguished from A. tayo easily by the black coxae of the latter. The coarse macro-punctation on the frons of A. pwaamei distinguishes it from A. caac with its fine punctation.
Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♀: “ NEW CALEDONIA: 9.2 km NE Col d’Amieu on Rte. 5 slopes of Mt Rembai, 375–675 m, 23.IX.1979; W.C. Gagne, G.M. Nishida, Colls. BISHOP Museum Acc. No. 1979.380 [BPBM].
PARATYPES 7♀, 1♂:
♀: (1x) NEW CALEDONIA 8905: 20°58’S x 165°17’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 9964: 20°33’S x 164°46’E, 900m, Mt Panie track. 25 Sep–19 Nov 2000. Skevington & Burwell. Malaise [ZMB]; (1x) “Nouvelle Calédonie, Pinda 30m, 18.IV.1995, Réc. Chazeau & Jourdan [CAS]; (2x) “Nouvelle Calédonie, Mont Koghis. 350m, 25.IV.1995, Réc. Chazeau & Jourdan [MNHN]; (1x) “ NEW CALEDONIA Col d’Amieu, 650m 21.III.1968; T. C. Maa, Collector, BISHOP [BPBM].
♂: “ NEW CALEDONIA Mont Panie, 700 m, 27-29.VII.1971; J.L. Gressitt, Collector, BISHOP museum [BPBM].
Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the name Caac, 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 15-17, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4063.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/270412