Leucospis arabica Gadallah and Soliman 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gadallah, Neveen S.
name: Soliman, Ahmed M.
name: Abu El-Ghiet, Usama M.
name: Elsheikh, Tarek Y.
name: Al Dhafer, Hathal M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Leucospidae
Leucospis
Leucospis arabica

description: Leucospis arabica Gadallah and Soliman sp. nov.   
(Figures 3–7)  
 Type material   
Holotype ♀: Saudi Arabia, Jazan, Farasan Islands, Sajid (16.7627°N, 41.9988°E, alt. 25 m), sweep net, 5 March 2017, leg. Usama Abu El-Ghiet and Tarek Elsheikh [KSMA].  
Paratype 1 ♂: Egypt, Sinai Peninsula, South Sinai, Wadi Khoshb (27.85°N, 34.2163°E, alt. 43 m), sweep net, leg. Medhat Ibrahim [EFC].  
 Diagnosis   
Body generally black, pale markings are ivory white, tarsi pale yellow (Figure 3 (a,b)); pronotum with transverse apical pale strip between preapical and marginal carinae, the strip continuing obliquely on lateral panel of pronotum; fore wing hyaline, strongly infuscate below PMV and at apex (Figure 3 (b)); free clypeal margin with a median spine shorter than lateral lobes (e.g. Figure 6 (b)); pronotum with preapical and marginal carinae very weak, discal carina absent (Figure 4 (b)); postscutellum carinate along posterior margin, carina weakly curved medially (Figures 4 (b) and 5(a)); propodeum short, scarcely longer than postscutellum; ventral margin of hind femur with large basal, triangular tooth, about as long as middle sharp teeth (Figure 4 (c)); ovipositor sheath hardly reaching base of GT1 (Figures 3 (a) and 5(c)).  
 Description   
 Female (holotype) (Figures 3–5). Body length 8.0 mm.   
 Colouration (Figure 3 (a–b)). Body black, with the following parts ivory white: scape ventrally (partly); a transverse yellow strip visible posteriorly between preapical and marginal carinae, continuing to lateral panel of pronotum as an oblique marking above the ventral depression of the panel, and a broad horseshoe-shaped marking on sides and hind margin between preapical and marginal carinae; posterior third of mesoscutellum; whole of metapleuron; apico-ventral patch on hind coxa; a broad preapical transverse strip on GT1, as well as another one on GT5, both interrupted medially by the ovipositorial furrow; apices of fore and middle femora, and a subtriangular patch baso-ventrally and apico-dorsally on hind femur, all tibiae (except black along the ventral side of fore and hind tibiae). Tarsi are pale yellow; apical margin of clypeus and mandible (except teeth) are red/brown (chestnut); fore and middle femora mostly dark brown to black. Fore wing strongly infuscate below PMV and at apex, otherwise hyaline.   
 Head (Figure 4 (a–b)). Densely punctured, slightly wider than pronotum at its posterior margin (1.1 ×), with dense erect to suberect pale setae; head width 1.4 × its height; eye with dense setation; POL 2.3 × OOL and 3 × MOD (mid ocellus diameter); scrobe 1.25 × as wide as parascrobal area, transversely carinate at the bottom; occipital carina distinct dorsally, between posterior ocelli; malar space 0.18 × height of eye (about as long as width of F2); flagellum with erect short black setae; F1 conical, widened apically, as long as its maximal width, and about 0.8 × as long as F2; F2–6 equal in length; clava 2 × as long as wide, scarcely longer than F6 + F7 combined; mandible broadly tridentate; clypeal free margin emarginate, with sharp median tooth shorter than lateral lobes.   
 Mesosoma (Figures 4 (b–c) and 5(a–b)). Mesosoma moderately punctured, with dense short pale setae; discal carina absent; preapical and marginal carinae weakly developed, not high or angulate; postscutellum carinate posteriorly, the carina curved medially; propodeum weakly convex, with surface densely punctured, scarcely longer than postscutellum; hind coxa densely punctured, carinate and subserrate postero-dorsally; hind femur slender, 1.8× as long as broad, densely punctured and finely setose, with eight ventral teeth, basal tooth longer and more robust than any of the following teeth; hind tibia with apico-ventral spine longer than spur. Fore wing with dense black setation particularly towards apical margin; STV with peculiarly bifurcate uncus.   
 Gaster/metasoma (Figures 3 (b) and 5(c)). Moderately densely punctured, with dense pale setae. GT1 as long as wide, narrower than GT 4 in dorsal view; ovipositorial furrow deep on GT1 and abruptly narrowed anteriorly, ending near base of GT1; GT4 with posterior margin entire (not emarginate), about 2.5 × as long as ovipositor sheath medially; ovipositor sheaths long, nearly reaching anterior margin of GT1.   
 Male (paratype) (Figures 6 and 7). Body length: 7.8 mm. Resembles the female except paler bands and markings with faint yellow tint (Figure 6 (a)); basal and apical markings on hind femur are joined through a longitudinal yellow strip running on the upper side (Figure 6 (a)); GT1 anteriorly with brown tint (Figure 7 (b)).   
 Distribution   
So far known from Farasan Islands (Saudi Arabia) and the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt).
description: Published as part of Gadallah, Neveen S., Soliman, Ahmed M., Abu El-Ghiet, Usama M., Elsheikh, Tarek Y. & Al Dhafer, Hathal M., 2018, The family Leucospidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the South of Saudi Arabia, with the first report of the genus Micrapion and description of Leucospis arabica sp. nov., pp. 2071-2096 in Journal of Natural History 52 (31 - 32) on pages 2079-2084, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2018.1510557, http://zenodo.org/record/5177122