Arpactophilus paici 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 paici

description: Arpactophilus paici sp. nov.
(Figs. 85–86)
Diagnosis. Arpactophilus paici is the only New Caledonian species in the genus with a partly reddish-yellow mesoscutum. Other distinctive features are the yellow mesoscutellum and the entirely yellow clypeus with the combination of a U- or W-shaped yellow marking on the frons, extending beyond tangent between upper posterior orbits of compound eyes (Fig. 85).
Description. FEMALE: Total length 4.0– 4.4 mm, mean = 4.2 mm; forewing length 2.4–2.7 mm, mean = 2.6 mm.
Body black, yellow, reddish yellow and dark brown. Yellow: clypeus; labrum; mandible; palpi; area around mandibular base; scape; flagellum ventrally; U- or slightly W-shaped (when including both sides of frons) area on frons, over basal clypeal margin and next to inner compound eye margin, extending beyond tangent between upper posterior orbits of compound eyes (Fig. 85); ventral gena and ventral half of lateral gena; pronotum; tegula; legs; metasoma laterally, ventrally except on sternum VI and dorsally except transverse bands on terga. Reddish yellow: flagellum dorsally; margin from black to yellow on frons and gena; most of mesoscutum; mesoscutellum; tegula; metanotum; mesosoma ventrally, except of area on mesopleuron next to forecoxa; anterior part of lateral surface of propodeum. Dark brown: transverse bands on terga; sternum VI. Wings hyaline; pterostigma brown.
Head about as long as wide in frontal view. Apical margin of clypeus projecting medially with a slight, shallow concave incision (Fig. 85). Apical margin of labrum with slight shallow V-shaped incision. Ventral mandibular tooth about ¼–1/5 of total mandibular length, not reaching opposite mandibular base. Palpal formula 4:3. Frons imbricate with dense punctation and dense short, but inconspicuous setae. Frontal carina present from median ocellus to upper half of clypeus. Scape 3.6 × 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 dense punctation and associated setae, without tubercles, spines, or dorsoventral carina. Hypostomal midventral line carinate with bordering sparse and short transverse carinulae on hypostomal integument, not angulate.
Mesosoma about × 1.6 as long as wide in dorsal view. Propodeum about 0.8 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Mesosoma imbricate with dense punctation (Fig. 86), except on propodeum; lateral surface of propodeum transversely carinulate; median area of dorsal surface of propodeum reticulate, laterally with curved carinae, posteriorly with almost transverse carinae (similar to pattern in Fig. 16). Slightly pitted sulcus present posterior to mesoscuto-mesoscutellar sulcus. Hypersternal sulcus barely visible, represented as a small linear impression close to omaulus. Metafemur 3.2 × 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 shorter than posterior border. Hind wing with five distal hamuli.
Metasoma polished, without punctation (Fig. 86). Metasomal sternum II without bulge (as in Fig. 1). Pygidium with broad row of silk setae apically.
MALE: Unknown.
Remarks. Arpactophilus paici is easily identifiable by its unique coloration. As in A. nere, A. merle, and A. scutellaris the mesoscutum is mostly yellow, but A. paici differs from these species in that the mesopleuron partly and the mesoscutum are reddish-yellow, and by the transverse brown bands on the terga. See also remarks-section of A. merle.
Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♀: “ NEW CALEDONIA 1120: 21°37’S x 165°49’E, 470m, Col d’Amieu, west slope. 27 Jan 2004. G.B. Monteith, Q.M. Berlesate. Rainforest, sieved litter” [QM].
PARATYPES 4♀: (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 8711: 21°11’S x 165°18’E, 850m, Aoupinie top camp. 3–23 Nov 2001. C. Burwell & G. Monteith. Malaise, rainforest” [ZMB]; (2x) “ NEW CALEDONIA 9964: 20°33’S x 164°46’E, 900m, Mt Panie track. 25 Sep–19 Nov 2000. Skevington & Burwell. Malaise” [QM].
Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the name Paicî, 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 41-43, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4063.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/270412