Siobla vardalae Niu & Wei, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Niu, Gengyun
name: Wei, Meicai
name: Taeger, Andreas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Tenthredinidae
Siobla
Siobla vardalae

description: Siobla vardalae Niu & Wei, sp. nov.
(Figs 1 e, 1f, 5e, 5f, 9h, 11e, 14e, 15e, 16b, 16f, 16j, 16n) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1F6118D0-F462-4513-8C49-3ABD9E7B4C0D
Description. Holotype: Ƥ. Length, 14 mm (Figs 1 e, 5e). Body strongly metallic blue, head copper red, labrum and basal 1/3 of mandible blue, clypeus copper green, palpi dirty brown; antenna blue, dorsum of 6th to 8th antennomeres white; dorsal stripe on fore femur, anterior of fore tibia, most of fore and middle tarsi and most of apical 3 hind tarsomeres dirty white, apex of each pale tarsomere dark brown with feeble metallic luster. Forewing strongly infuscated with feeble metallic luster, stigma and veins black, cell C blackish brown, base of stigma with a pale brown spot; hind wing sub-infuscated hyaline. Hairs on dorsum of head pale brown, hairs on thorax pale.
Punctures on head large and dense, interspaces between punctures on temple narrow (Fig. 17 e); mesoscutum densely punctured, interspaces between punctures on top of scutum shiny, anterior slope of mesoscutellum very sparsely punctured, posterior slope densely and coarsely punctured, metascutellum densely punctured without interspaces; upper half of mesepisternum densely and coarsely punctured, punctures on lower half fine and uniform, shiny; mesepimeron microsculptured, punctures on upper margin dense and fine, punctures on metapleuron fine, metepimeron shiny, dorsum densely punctured (Fig. 16b); 1st abdominal tergite shiny, middle furrow and lateral sides microsculptured, other tergites with transverse microsculpture (Fig. 16j).
Hairs on dorsum of head curved, 2 × transverse diameter of median ocellus. Clypeus truncate; malar space equal to transverse diameter of median ocellus; lower interocular distance 1.1 × eye height; anterior margin of supraantennal tubercle elevated, frontal ridge fine; middle fovea furrow like, lateral fovea deep; interocellar and postocellar furrows obvious; postocellar area weakly elevated, as high as top of ocelli, about 1.5 × broader than long, longitudinal middle carina obtuse; lateral furrows broad and deep, slightly curved outwards, slightly divergent posteriorly; head behind eyes equal to eye in length in dorsal view, convex at base and narrowing posteriorly. Antenna 0.9 × abdomen and 1.2 × head and thorax combined in length. Mesoscutellum acutely elevated, posterior slope, shorter than anterior slope, with a narrow and sharp middle carina; posttergite with an obtuse middle carina; mesepisternum angularly elevated, ventral thorn absent. Apex of hind tibia distinctly enlarged; metabasitarsus 5 × as long as broad, 0.9 × length of remaining 4 tarsomeres combined; hind inner tibial spur 0.4 × length of metabasitarsus. Hind wing with petiole of anal cell shorter than half length of cu-a. Ovipositor sheath as long as middle tibia, apical sheath and basal sheath subequal in length; lancet as in Fig. 9 h; apical and 4th to 7th serrulae as in Fig. 11 e.
Male: Length, 10–11.5 mm (Figs 1 f, 5f). Similar to female in structure and color, but wings infuscated, hairs on dorsum of head and lateral of thorax curved; malar space equal to transverse diameter of median ocellus; head behind eyes distinctly narrowing posteriorly (Fig. 17 f); postocellar area with an obvious middle longitudinal carina; metepimeron as Fig. 16f; microsculpture on basal two abdominal tergites as Fig. 16n; subgenital plate as long as broad, apex round, genitalia as in Figs 14 e, 15e.
Variation. The females vary in length from 11.5 to 13.5mm. In most of the females from Myanmar, the base of hind basitarsus and hind 4th tarsomere also dirty white; in two specimens from Yunnan Province, the hind 3rd tarsomere without pale mark. There is considerable variation in sculpture on the first abdominal tergite in male. The wings of male vary from deep gray hyaline to infuscated. Antennae of the males may become completely black.
Etymology. This species is named after the last name of Hege Vårdal, the curator of Hymenoptera Collection, Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, Sweden.
Specimens examined. Holotype: Ƥ, Mt. Gaoligong (24º49.700´N, 98º46.062´E), (Yunnan, China), 2500–3200 m, 7 July 2005, Liu Shouzhu leg., CSCSHT 0 0 810045 (CSCS). Paratypes: Yunnan: 3Ƥ, Yaojiaping, Lushui, Yunnan, 25.975°N, 98.710°E, alt. 2550 m, 3 June 2009, Zhong Yihai leg.; 233, Pianma, Lushui, Yunnan, 25.976°N, 98.717°E, alt. 2550 m, 4 June 2009, Zhong Yihai, Xiao Wei leg.; 333, Mt. Yulongxue, Lijiang, Yunnan, 27°07.842´N, 100°13.976´E, alt. 2945 m, 6 June 2009, Li Zejian leg.; 3Ƥ 333,Yunnan, Pianma env., N25.973, E98.708, 2500 m, 0 3.06.2009, leg. S.M. Blank, A.D. Liston & A. Taeger (SDEI); 13, same data, but 04.06.2009; 1633, Yunnan, Pianma env., N25.980, E98.678, 2900 m, 0 4.06.2009, leg. S.M. Blank, A.D. Liston & A. Taeger (SDEI); 1Ƥ, Yunnan, Gongshan 10km NW, N27.797, E98.585, 2150 m, 0 6.06.2009, leg. S.M. Blank, A.D. Liston & A. Taeger (SDEI); 1Ƥ, Yunnan, Gongshan 18km NW, N27.798, E98.503, 3000 m, 11.06.2009, leg. S.M. Blank, A.D. Liston & A. Taeger (SDEI).; MYANMAR: 13, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 23/4 R. MALAISE; Siobla szechuanica Mal. Malaise det. 1937, (NHRS);13, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 11/5 R. MALAISE; [red:] Paratypus, (NHRS);13, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 12/5 R. MALAISE; 633, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 13/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 1Ƥ, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 15/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS);233, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 16/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 13, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 17/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 1Ƥ, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 18/5 R. MALAISE; [red:] Paratypus; Siobla szechuanica Malaise Malaise det. 1936, (NHRS); 233, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 18/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 1Ƥ, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 20/5 R. MALAISE; [red:] Paratypus; Siobla szechuanica Malaise Malaise det. 1935, (NHRS); 233, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 20/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 433, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 22/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 333, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 24/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 1Ƥ, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 29/5 R. MALAISE, (NHRS);1Ƥ, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 1/6 R. MAL- AISE; [red:] Paratypus, (NHRS); 2Ƥ 13, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 1/6 R. MALAISE (NHRS);13, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 1/6 R. MALAISE; Siobla szechuanica Malaise Malaise det. 1935 (NHRS);333, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 2/6 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 1Ƥ, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 5/6 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 2Ƥ, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 9/6 R. MALAISE, (NHRS); 1Ƥ 13, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 10/6 R. MALAISE, (NHRS);1Ƥ, N.E. BURMA Kambaiti, 7000ft. 11/6 R. MALAISE, (NHRS);1Ƥ, N. E. BURMA, Kambaiti 7000ft, 9/6 R. MALAISE; Siobla szechuanica, Malaise det. 1935 (SDEI); 13, N. E. BURMA, Kambaiti 7000ft, 12/5 R. MALAISE (SDEI).
Distribution. China (Yunnan); Myanmar.
Remarks. This new species is close to S. maculipennis. See the above key for differences between the two species. The new species also similar to S. glabrotemporalis, see remarks there. The new species is also similar to S. szechuanica, but differs from the latter by the following: forewing strongly and uniformly infuscated with metallic luster; temple densely punctured; postocellar elevated, as high as top of ocelli, 1.5 × broader than long; mesoscutellum strongly elevated with an acute peak; metapleuron densely punctured; metabasitarsus 5 × as long as broad, hind inner tibial spur 0.4 × length of metabasitarsus. In S. szechuanica: forewing sub-infuscated hyaline, without metallic luster; temple sparsely punctured with large shiny interspaces; postocellar area flat, obviously lower than top of ocelli, 1.3 × broader than long; mesoscutellum roundly elevated; metapleuron impunctate; metabasitarsus 3.8 × as long as broad, hind inner tibial spur longer than 0.5 × length of metabasitarsus.
description: Published as part of Niu, Gengyun, Wei, Meicai & Taeger, Andreas, 2012, Revision of the Siobla metallica group (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), pp. 1-49 in Zootaxa 3196 on pages 22-23, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.280105