Odontochrydium bicristatum Rosa 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Rosa, Paolo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Odontochrydium
Odontochrydium bicristatum

description: Odontochrydium bicristatum Rosa, sp. nov.
(Figs 1C, 1D, 3A–3B, 6A–6F, 7A–7F)
Material examined. Holotype: ♂, KENYA, Archers post, 5–10.XII.1986, leg. W. Spillmann Coll. Lins. (labelled as Type of Odontochrydium spillmanni Linsenmaier, 1987, in litt.). Paratypes: KENYA: 2♂, SE Kenya, Voi, 10.XII.1999, leg. Snižek (PRPC, GLAC); 2♂, env. Voi (Tsavo), 22.XI–2.XII.1996, leg. Mi. Halada (PRPC) and leg. M. Snižek (MPPC); 2♂, same locality, 8–18.XI.1996, leg. Mi. Halada (PRPC, GLAC). Additional specimens. SAUDI ARABIA: ♀, Jizan, Marabah, Al-Hudaithy farm, 226m, 17°51’N 42°23’E, 9.III.2015, leg. H.A. Dawah, Malaise trap (FSPC).
Diagnosis. Median mesoscutal area with two longitudinal ridges (Fig. 6D, 7D), feature not observed in other species; metasomal punctation scattered, with large punctures (Fig. 6A, 7A), whereas in the other species is evenly punctate to subreticulate-punctate (Fig. 2A, 4A, 5A, 8A, 9A). General habitus (Figs 1C, 1D) stouter than in O. irregulare (Fig. 1B).
Description. Male. Body length 6.5–9.0 mm (Fig. 1C). Fore wing length 5.0– 6.5 mm. OOL 1.5 × MOD; POL 2.3 × MOD; MS 1.0 × MOD; relative length of P:F1:F2:F3 = 1.0:1.3:1.0:1.0.
Head. Frons with strong TFC, with branches encircling mid-ocellar area and forming roughly kidney-shaped carinate area, less deeply punctate than rest of vertex (Fig. 6B); vertex and frons with large, deep and contiguous punctures (Fig. 1C); scapal basin quite deep; medially strongly transversely ridged, impunctate, more laterally with small punctures between ridges, and covered with silvery setae, close to eye margin punctate, without ridges (Fig. 6B); clypeus elongate (subantennal distance 2 × MOD), with apical margin almost straight to weakly concave, irregularly to finely punctate, with tiny dots mixed with small punctures; antennal sockets close, 0.4 × MOD apart; malar space finely reticulate-micropunctate; genal carina strong and complete (Fig. 6C); mid-ocellus and posterior ocelli lidded. Mandible subdistally toothed.
Mesosoma. Pronotal punctures large (up to 0.8 × MOD), separated by 0.1–0.3 × PD, with interspaces micropunctate; antero-median groove large and deep, impunctate and polished, reaching ¾ of pronotal length; anterior angles of pronotum distinctly convergent, sharp. Mesoscutum coarsely reticulate-punctate (Fig. 1C), with a few large, foveate-reticulate punctures (up to 0.8 × MOD), compared with mesoscutum punctation of O. irregulare (Figs 1B, 4D); median mesoscutal area with two longitudinal edges and deep, enlarged foveae in between; lateral mesoscutal areas more enlarged than in O. irregulare and partially hiding tegulae; notauli complete, deep and large, with foveae larger than in O. irregulare; parapsidal furrows raised and developed only until half scutal length; mesoscutellum with reticulate-punctate sculpture; metanotum rounded with similar sculpture; posterior propodeal projection narrower than in O. irregulare (Fig. 1C); lower mesopleuron armed with three strong teeth; upper teeth subequal, whereas in O. irregulare the anterior tooth is usually smaller than posterior one; lower mesopleuron between teeth nearly smooth; fourth sharp tooth is present posteriorly on mesopleuron, before metapleuron. Wing venation as in other Chrysidini, with distal area of Rs 1 × MOD apart from wing margin.
Metasoma. Metasomal tergite 2 and metasomal tergite 3 basally with weak longitudinal medial ridge; metasomal punctation with large and scattered punctures, interspaces smooth to weakly and finely punctulate (Fig. 6A); metasomal tergite 3 profile convex and continuous (Fig. 6E, 6F), without pre-pit swelling or post-pit sunken area; pits of pit row small and shallow, barely visible; apical margin with three median subtriangular teeth (Fig. 6F).
Coloration. Male body overall metallic green, a little darker bluish on mesoscutum, sometimes becoming rosy to golden red on head, pronotum and metasoma; legs metallic green, including first tarsomere; wings smoky, not distinctly dark brown as in O. irregulare; tegula metallic green, metasomal sterna metallic green. Female body from Saudi Arabia dark blue to violet, with greenish reflections on TFC.
Remarks. Odontochrydium bicristatum sp. nov. is the first species of this genus recorded from the Palaearctic region. It has two longitudinal edges on the median mesoscutal area, which is unusual for the genus, and never observed in Chrysididae. Yet morphological modifications were previously known for the lateral area of mesoscutum (Chrysis cavernosa group) adjacent to the parascutal carina and tegula. Odontochrydium bicristatum sp. nov. apparently inhabits dry habitats, whereas the other African species, O. irregulare, prefers moist and richly vegetated areas (see below).
Distribution. Kenya and Saudi Arabia.
Etymology. The specific epithet bicristatum derives from the Latin adjective cristatus and refers to the two longitudinal ridges on the median lobe of the mesoscutum.
description: Published as part of Rosa, Paolo, 2018, Review of Odontochrydium Brauns (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) with description of two species from the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, pp. 445-457 in Zootaxa 4450 (4) on pages 449-451, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4450.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/1444920