Athlophorus taegeri Saini & Ahmad 2012, sp. n.
Creators: name: Saini, M.
name: Ahmad, M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Tenthredinidae
Athlophorus
Athlophorus taegeri

description: Athlophorus taegeri sp. n.   (Figs 1–2, 7, 11, 16)   Male. Colour – Head fuscoferruginous, black are: dorsal side of scape, tip of antennal segment 5, segments 6–9 entirely; tip and base of mandible; clypeus except its lateral margins; supraclypeal area except a medial spot in between the antennal basis; broad frontal spot laterally not touching the eye margins and leaving the supraantennal tubercles and frontal ridges except a spot in their middle; a spot on the posterior side of lower ½ of hind orbit. Yellowish white are: ventral side of scape; labrum; lateral margins of clypeus; a spot in the middle of supraclypeal area; middle of mandible; spot on supra-antennal tubercle; broad lower ½ of inner orbit; a spot on the anterior side of the lower ½ of hind orbit. Thorax fuscoferruginous, yellowish white are: narrow anterodorsal, lateral and extreme posterodorsal margins of pronotum; extreme posterodorsal margin of mesepimeron. Black are: an irregular medial spot on pronotum; seams of mesonotal middle lobe; a broad lateral spot on mesonotal lateral lobe joined medially in front of mesoscutellum; appendage; spot before propodeum; mesepisternum except narrow strip along its posterior margins; mesepimeron except its posterior border; metapleuron; mesosternum and metasternum. Abdomen fuscous, black are: propodeum except extreme narrow posteromedial margins; narrow anterior margin of tergite 2; tergite 3 entirely; anterior ½ of tergite 4; anterior ¾ of tergites 5–6; lateral small spot on tergite 9. Reddish yellow are: posteromedial spot on propodeum; tergite 2 except its anterior margins, 4–9 except their blackish parts; deflexed posterolateral margins of tergites 2, 3 and 4; sternites 1–3 entirely. Legs fuscous, yellowish white are: lateral sides of all coxae; inner sides of all trochanters and adjoining parts of all femora more or less. Fuscoferruginous are: ventral sides of all femora; pro-, meso-, and metatibia; all tarsal joints more or less. Wings hyaline except an infuscated spot below stigma covering radial cells and most part of 1st and 2nd cubital cells; costa and stigma fuscoferruginous; rest of venation piceous.   
 Structure – Length 7 mm. Antenna slightly incrassated in middle, 1.8× head width; scape twice as long as its apical width, pedicel as long as its apical width, segment 3 longer than 4 as 4:3; clypeus (Fig. 7) circularly incised up to ¼ of its medial length with triangular lateral teeth; labrum broader than long as 2: 1, with roundly pointed anterior margin; malar space equal to diameter of median ocellus; LID:IDMO:EL = 5:6:5; frontal area at the level of eyes; supra-antennal tubercles and frontal ridges insignificant; median fovea almost wanting; Postocellar furrow deep, inter- and circumocellar furrows deep and distinct; lateral furrows distinct, excurved and reaching up to the hypothetical hind margin of head; postocellar area as long as broad, with distinct medial longitudinal carina in its anterior 1/4; head slightly converging behind eyes; OOL:POL:OCL = 2.2:1.5:2.0; mesoscutellum roundly raised, appendage ecarinate; tarsal claw (Fig. 11) with subapical tooth shorter than apical one; metabasitarsus shorter than the following joints combined; IATS:MB:OATS = 2.0:5.5:1.5.   
Male genitalia: Penis valve (Fig. 1); gonoforceps (Fig. 2).  
Sculpture and pubescence – Head rugose, punctures more distinct on and around frontal area; hind orbital area with small, irregular and confluent punctures, surface sub shining; mesonotum with deep, dense and distinct punctures surface sub shining; mesoscutellum with large, dense but shallow punctures, surface dull; appendage with moderate, distinct punctures with interspaces between them, surface sub shining; mesepisternum rugose with large, dense, pit-like confluent punctures; mesosternum with dense, minute, shallow punctures, surface shining with general oily lustre; propodeum with dense, minute confluenting punctures, rest of abdomen densely micropunctated, surface dull. Body covered with a mixed golden and brownish pubescence, except for blackish parts where it appears to be silvery.  
Female – Unknown.  
Material examined – Holotype: male, India: Meghalaya, Cheerapunji, 1450 m, 30.iv.1994, collected by M. S. SAINI.  
Distribution – India (Meghalaya).  
 Diagnosis – This species runs close to A. assamensis MALAISE but can be distinguished from the latter by the mesonotal middle lobe fuscoferruginous except blackish seams (blackish except lateral margins in A. assamensis); mesoscutellum with large, dense but shallow punctures, appendage with moderate, distinct punctures with interspaces between them, surface sub shining (mesoscutellum with deep scattered punctures, appendage impunctate and polished in A. assamensis); tarsal claw without basal lobe (with a small basal lobe in A. assamensis); propodeum blackish except extreme narrow posteromedial margins (with 2 parallel stripes on lateral margins in A. assamensis); mesoscutellum entirely fuscoferruginous (mesoscutellum with yellowish spots in A. assamensis).   
Etymology – This species is named after Dr. A. TAEGER, SDEI, Müncheberg, Germany, who played a key role in developing the Electronic Catalogue of World Symphyta.
description: Published as part of Saini, M. & Ahmad, M., 2012, Four New Species Of The Genus Athlophorus Burmeister, 1847 From The Indian Himalayas (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Tenthredinidae: Allantinae) With A Key To Indian Species, pp. 337-350 in Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 58 (4) on pages 341-343, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5735964