Scolia (Discolia) pakshaoensis Taylor & Barthélémy 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Taylor, Christopher
name: Barthélémy, Christophe
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Scoliidae
Scolia
Scolia pakshaoensis

description: Scolia (Discolia) pakshaoensis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F74C96DE-B8E5-4D04-AA3B-7E8CB7922620
Figs 3A–B, 5B, 6, 8D, 10F, 12D, 14F, 16D, 18F, 20D, 22F, 24D, 26F, 28D, 30F, 32D, 34F, 36D, 38F, 39L, 40L, 41L, 42L
Diagnosis
Female
This species can be differentiated from other black bodied and red headed scoliids, including Scolia rugifrons Betrem, 1928 with which it is probably closely allied, by its entirely black antennae, including scape; clypeus with large punctures medially; frontal spatium with large punctures, frontal fissura short; mesoscutum uniformly punctured, lacking the distinct impunctate V-shaped area posteriorly; metanotum with large and uniform punctures; mesopleuron and metapleuron with extensive deep punctures; sternites punctured uniformly except first sternite which is smooth centrally and bears large punctures laterally. The male is almost identical to the female.
Etymology
The specific name refers to the type locality.
Material examined
Holotype CHINA – Hong Kong • 1 ♀; Pak Sha O; 22°26′59″ N, 114°19′04″ E; alt. 70 m; 7–13 Jun. 2004; C. Barthélémy leg.; Malaise trap, ref.: M018.C.Hy.18; CAS.
ParatypeCHINA – Hong Kong • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; 14–31 May 2009; C. Barthélémy leg.; Malaise trap, ref.: M062.C.Hy.4; CBC.
Description
Female
STANDARD RATIOS (n = 1). L: 14.5 mm; CR: 1.16; OOR: 0.83; CLR: 0.33; MER: 1.22; OMR: 1.07; FRR: 2.0; MSR: 0.78; TER: 1.61.
HEAD. Clypeus impunctate medially densely punctate laterally and along anterior margin; frontal area sparsely punctate medially, densely punctate laterally; scrobe densely punctate; frons sparsely punctate medially, largely impunctate laterally (Fig. 16D); vertex largely impunctate, moderately punctate in rear of declivous portion (Fig. 20D); frontal spatium not defined posteriorly; frontal fissura mostly obsolete except for short length on frontal spatium (Fig. 16D); ocelli slightly depressed with depressed area extending laterally from posterior ocellus about half of distance to eye (Fig. 16D).
MESOSOMA. Dorsum of mesosoma deeply punctate; dorsum of pronotum densely punctate without distinct impunctate posterior margin, punctures becoming more widely spaced anterior to tegula (Fig. 24D); mesoscutum densely punctate, punctures becoming subcontiguous near posterior margin, less densely punctate outside parapsides (Figs 24D, 28D); tegulae punctate near anterior and inner margins, otherwise impunctate; scutellum densely punctate anteriorly, more widely punctate in posterior half; metanotum moderately punctate medially, densely punctate laterally (Fig. 24D); propodeum densely punctate on dorsomedial area and on posterior declivity, more sparsely punctate on dorsolateral area (Fig. 28D). Pronotal callosity sparsely punctate; mesopleuron mostly densely punctate, sparsely punctate on dorsal crest, with impunctate areas anteriorly and posteriorly; upper panel of metapleuron densely punctate posterodorsally, impunctate anterolaterally; lower panel of metapleuron impunctate dorsally, with shallow, effaced punctures ventrally; lateral panel of propodeum moderately punctate (Fig. 8D). Scutellum and metanotum without median longitudinal carina (Fig. 28D). Dorso-median area of propodeum without distinct tubercule medially (Fig. 28D).
METASOMA. S1 with strong median tubercle anteriorly (Fig. 32D); S2 weakly bulging anteriorly with weak transition between anterior and ventral faces in lateral view (Fig. 32D); tergites each uniformly moderately punctate, becoming more densely punctate on apical tergites (Figs 32D, 36D), without differentiation of punctures towards posterior margin of tergite. T2 with basal elevation distinct (gradulus) (Fig. 36D).
WINGS. Fore wing with two submarginal cells and one recurrent vein. Fore wing with costal, first submarginal and marginal cells with short setae.
COLOUR AND VESTITURE. Head red on frons, vertex except for spot around ocellar triangle, and behind upper lobe of eye (Figs 16D, 20D); remainder of body black (becoming reddish distally on each tarsal segment) (Fig. 8D). Vestiture brown on head, absent on frons and vertex, black on mesosoma and metasoma. Wings dark brown with bronze reflections.
Male
STANDARD RATIOS (n = 1). Genitalia were dissected and total length not acquired; CR: 1.13; OOR: 1.27; CLR: 0.58; MER: 1.30; OMR: 0.96; FRR: 1.74; MSR: 0.79; TER: 1.80.
HEAD. As for female, except head moderately punctate on clypeus, frons and vertex, punctures on frons and vertex relatively shallow, giving head a wrinkled appearance (Figs 18F, 22F).
MESOSOMA. As for female, except lower panel of metapleuron and lateral panel of propodeum more densely punctate than in female.
METASOMA. As for female, but T2 without basal elevation (gradulus) (Fig. 38F).
WINGS. Same as female but fore wing uniformly covered in short setae
GENITALIA. Ventral side of paramere sparsely setose (Fig. 40L), dorsal side with dense long setae on most of its surface (Fig. 39L); volsella with sparse setae apically, cuspis volsellaris with a cluster of short hairs apically and a row/cluster of long hairs basally (Fig. 42L); volsella bearing a few sensory cones on its external margin, acute apically and with no lamella (Figs 39L, 42L). External margin of paramere angled medially, rounded apically (Figs 39L, 40L); aedeagus with nine teeth (Fig. 42L), serrated margin convex apically, straight medially and subconcave basally (Fig. 42L).
Notes
This species is very similar to S. rugifrons Betrem, 1928 of northeastern India and Myanmar from which it may be distinguished by the features described above. Among other species previously recorded from China (Liu et al. 2021a, 2021b), it comes closest to S. laeviceps from which it is readily distinguished by its red frons.
description: Published as part of Taylor, Christopher & Barthélémy, Christophe, 2021, A review of the digger wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Scoliidae) of Hong Kong, with description of one new species and a key to known species, pp. 1-92 in European Journal of Taxonomy 786 (1) on pages 36-38, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2021.786.1607, http://zenodo.org/record/5817778