Pristocera morawitzi Fadeev 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Fadeev, Kirill I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Bethylidae
Pristocera
Pristocera morawitzi

description: Pristocera morawitzi sp. nov.
(Figs 4–6)
Type material. Holotype: ♂, [RUSSIA, Volgograd Province], Sarepta (handwritten) [= Krasnoarmeyskiy District of Volgograd City, 48°30’N 44°32’E] // Pristocera depressa (handwritten) [det. F. Morawitz] // к. Ф. Моравица [in cyrillic] [from F. Morawitz collection], [without date and collector, probably Alexander K. Becker`s collection from Sarepta] (ZISP). Paratypes: RUSSIA: 1♂, same labels as in holotype, with additional label “ Radoszkowskii Sauss.[ure]“ [misidentification as mutillid Paramyrmosa radoszkowskyi (Saussure, 1880) by an unknown author, handwritten] (ZISP). AZERBAIJAN: 1♂, near Gobustan [40°03’N 49°24’E], 03.V.2013, D. Kasatkin leg. (ZMMU). ARMENIA: Ararat Province: 1♂, val.[ley] Araxis [River], m.[ountains] Sarai-bulag [Urts Ridge], 5000 [ft] [39°49’N 44°53’E], 08.VI.1928, A. Schelk.[ovnikov] leg. // кол. В. Вучетич [in cyrillic] [from V. Vuchetich collection] (ZISP); 1♀, Karabakhlar [= Chimankend or Urtsadzor [39°55′N, 44°49′E], 10.VI.1960, G. Viktorov leg. (ZMMU); Kotayk Province: 1♂, Jrvezh [40°11’N 44°35’E], 6.VI.1956, L. Zimina leg. (ZISP); 5 ♂, Jrvezh, 18.V and 6.VI.1959, 19.V and 2.VI.1960, G. Viktorov leg. (ZISP); 1♂, same label, 6.VI.1959, G. Viktorov leg. (ZMMU); 1♀, Garny vicinity [40°07’N 44°44’E], 23.V.1999, M. Volkovitsh leg. (ZISP); Tavush Province: 1♂, Verin Kerpilu [= Zoracan, 41°13’N 44°56’E], 31.V.1959, E. Antonova leg. (ZISP); 1♂, same label (ZMMU); 1♂, 10 km W of Kazak [= Gazakh, 41°04’N 45°10’E], 23.V.1959, G. Viktorov leg. (ZISP); Vayots Dzor Province: 1♂, 7 km E of Malishka [39°44’N 45°28’E], 16.VI.1960, G. Viktorov leg. (ZISP); 1♂, Areni [39°43’N 45°11’E], 10.VI.1956, L. Zimina leg. (ZISP); Yerevan: 1♂, 1♀ [in copula], Eriban [= Yerevan, 40°11’N 44°31’E], 18.V.1959, E. Antonova leg. (ZISP).
Description. MALE (Fig. 4 A, C–E; 5) Holotype. Measurements. Body 10 mm long; forewing 6 mm long; HL 1.75 mm; HW 1.675 mm; WF 1.18 mm; OOL 0.5 mm; EL 0.8 mm; AOL 0.18 mm; WOT 0.5 mm; DAO 0.1 mm; POL 0.33 mm; LM 3.7 mm; LPD 1 mm; WPD 1.25 mm.
Colour. Head and mesosoma are black, except antenna, lateral part of clypeus, apex of mandible, pronotal flange and legs castaneous, lighter in distal part. Metasoma brown, except petiole black to dark orange in distal part, metasomal segment II orange-brown. Hypopygium brown. Basal part genitals dark orange and distal part castaneous. Tegula and wing veins yellow-brown, flexion lines pale. Wings subhyaline. Forewing slightly darkened in antero-distal part from pterostigma to apex.
Head. Head 1.05 × longer than its width in dorsal view. Mandible with five distal teeth. Median clypeal lobe trapezoidal, straight or slightly rounded anteriorly, with small central rounded projection. Median carina of clypeus low, arched. Vertex and lateral parts of frons punctate. Punctures large, round, not polygonal, slightly less than diameter of median ocellus (about 0.05 mm); intervals between punctures shiny. In front of median ocellus (on frons) with short (3 DAO) smooth, depressed and shiny triangular area. Ocelli in an obtuse triangle. Anterior ocellus placed anteriorly to imaginary line of eye top. Palpal formula 6:3. Head, mandible, scape, and pedicel with long setae (as on mesosoma). Antenna with short dense setae. Eye ovoid in lateral view. Occipital carina present. Ratio of first five antennomeres 25:6:14:13:13.
Mesosoma. Dorsum shinning and punctate, with long setae. Pronotal flange predominantly transversely wrinkled dorsally. Transverse pronotal carina well developed. Dorsal pronotal area trapezoidal, punctured as well as vertex, without transverse wrinkle. Lateral sides of pronotum punctate as pronotal disc, rugose in ventro-lateral part. Posterior margin of prothorax with almost smooth transverse posterior pronotal sulcus, after which with two transverse rows of small punctures. Ventral pronotal area similar in punctation and shine as vertex. Mesoscutum 0.35 × as long as wide. Notauli wide, deep, at bottom with transverse striation. Parapsidal signum narrow, distinct, curved, 2.0–3.0 × narrower than notauli. Mesopleuron punctate. Mesodiscrimen (median ventral line of mesosoma) wide and cellular. Metapectal-propodeal disc as wide as long, without median carina, its median subtriangular area rugose with large cells. Transverse posterior carina weakly expressed. Lateral surface of metapectal-propodeal complex markedly strigulate to rugose, declivity rugose.
Wings. Forewing with costal (C) and subcostal veins (Sc+R) parallel. R1 2 V vein long. 2r-rs&Rs vein with two smooth angled bends. Hind wing with six hamuli.
Metasoma. Depressed dorsoventrally. Segment I petiolate, with longitudinal folds in ventral surface. Hypopygium deeply divided medially, its inner margin not dentate and slightly sinuous; apex blunt and round, not hook-like, rarely coved with setae reaching middle of inner margin.
Genitalia (based on paratypes). Harpe very short, C-shaped, with low blunt tooth on inner side of end, without long curved distal process, almost not protruding beyond aedeagus, its outer margin covered with long setae. Aedeagus short, subconical and thick, its apical lobe long and bifurcated up to quarter of its length. Digitus curved. Cuspis with bunch of long setae in ventral view.
Variation. Length body 10.0–14.0 mm; forewing 6.0– 6.5 mm long; HL 1.8–2.0 mm; HW 1.7–1.9 mm; WF 1.18 mm; LM 3.7–4.1 mm; LPD 1.0– 1.25 mm; WPD 1.25–1.43 mm.
FEMALE (Figs 4 B, 6). Measurements. Body 8.0–10.0 mm long. HL 1.15–1.70 mm; HW 0.90–1.35 mm.
Colour. Body orange. Margin of head near mandible, eye, margin of clypeus, inner margin of mandible and teeth, ventral mesopleuron at middle trochanter level, ventrolateral part of metapectal-propodeal complex and petiole of metasomal segment I reddish brown to brown. Legs and antennae yellowish orange, distally yellow.
Head. Head 1.2–1.3 × longer than its width, slightly narrow posteriorly in dorsal view. Head with almost flat and parallel dorsal and ventral surfaces in lateral view. Mandible curved, with four distal teeth (second inner teeth smallest). Median lobe of clypeus with three projections in dorsal view. Punctation dense, head dorsum with longitudinal 14–16 rows of punctures. Longitudinal folds formed from punctures, surface between punctures shiny. Eye small, with about 20 facets, its width slightly less than width of scape. Ratio of first five antennomeres 22:6: 7:7:7.
Mesosoma. Dorsal pronotal area narrowed anteriorly, 1.25–1.30 × longer than its width, shiny, densely punctate but slightly less frequently than on head, with six–eight longitudinal irregular rows. Lateral pronotal area punctate and imbricate. Mesothorax triangular, with hardly concave posterior sides and rounded apices. Mesopleuron almost straight (dorsally), its lateral surface parallel to each other, not converge at angle (dorsally). Mesopleuron longer than wide, punctuate. Metapectal-propodeal disc elongated, polished dorsally, with smooth median area, very sparse punctate laterally and with two–three rows of four–five punctures along lateral sides. Maximum width 2.0–2.3 × its minimum width. Lateral marginal carina of the metapectal-propodeal disc developed. Lateral surface not punctate, imbricated.
Legs. Mesotibia spinose along outer edge, with two–three longitudinal rows of five–six spines in each.
Metasoma. Metasomal spiracles of first tergite close to round shape. Segments more intensively punctured and pubescent distally.
Biology. Hosts unknown. Active from late spring to middle of summer (May–July).
Remarks. This new species differs from P. depressa and similar Palaearctic species mainly by the shapes of the male genitals, short harpe and aedeagus, and hypopygium (see key below). It also differs from P. formosana Miwa & Sonan, 1935 and other southeast Asian species by five dentate mandible, not dentate inner margin of hypopygium, rufous tergites I–II, absence of regular median carina on metapectal-propodeal disc, and C-shaped harpe without lateral outgrowths and low blunt tooth on inner side of ends, not long digitiform process of harpe.
I studied one copulating pair of this species from Armenia (see the Material examined Section). Originally male and female were pinned on a single entomological pin together, but later I remounted them and glued on separate individual paper triangles. After studying this female of Pristocera morawitzi sp. nov., I found in the collection two additional females not associated with males and established their morphological similarity to each other and a significant difference from the females of P. depressa (see diagnostic characters in the description and key).
Distribution: Russia (?) (Volgograd Prov.), Azerbaijan, Armenia.
The presence of this new species in Russia is still questionable. The holotype and one paratype probably originate from the Sarepta collection of Alexander K. Becker (1818–1901), which also contains material from different geographical localities. Both these specimens have handwritten labels “ Sarepta ” without specifying the date of its catching and the collector names. It is possible that Sarepta is not a true place of specimens collecting, since there is no later collected additional material for this species from the Volgograd Province and adjacent territories. Also, it is well known that A. Becker collected insects in 1840–1890 years not only in the vicinity of Sarepta but had a number of expeditions to Saratov and Astrakhan Provinces, the Caucasus, and the Trans-Caspian region (Viren 1901). The true and additionally confirmed findings of this species are known only from Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Etymology. This species is named after Ferdinand Carl Joseph Morawitz (1827–1896), the famous Russian entomologist of 19th century, in whose collection this species were found.
description: Published as part of Fadeev, Kirill I., 2021, Review of the genera Pristocera Klug and Pristepyris Kieffer (Hymenoptera Bethylidae, Pristocerinae) of Russia and adjacent territories, pp. 461-482 in Zootaxa 4965 (3) on pages 470-475, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4965.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4753699