Austrostelis mexicana Griswold, 2025

Austrostelis mexicana Griswold , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

( Figs. 3, 4 View Figures 1–5 , 8, 9 View Figures 6–10 , 13, 14 View Figures 11–15 , 18, 19, 22)

DIAGNOSIS: The combination of rounded axillae ( Figs. 13, 14 View Figures 11–15 ); black basal and apical bands on the terga (Figs. 18, 19); and frons, vertex, and scutum ( Figs. 13, 14 View Figures 11–15 ) with punctation confluent, is distinctive. In addition, the female mandible is largely black ( Fig. 8 View Figures 6–10 ).

DESCRIPTION: Female. Body length, 7.1 mm; intertegular distance, 1.70 mm. Body black with yellow markings on head, mesosoma, and extensively on metasoma dorsally ( Figs. 3 View Figures 1–5 , 8 View Figures 6–10 , 13 View Figures 11–15 ). Forewing smoky apically, yellowish smoky in marginal cell, stigma dark amber, veins surrounding marginal cell dark. Labrum long, extending full length of fossa, completely covering mouthparts in repose. Mandible 4-toothed, third tooth weak, strongly obtuse, gap dorsal to it no deeper than one ventral to it.

Clypeus with coarse, contiguous punctures. Subantennal suture weakly convex. Juxtantennal carina with convex flare dorsally. Flagellum black except yellow on F1, brown on distal half of F10; penultimate segment longer than broad. Pronotal collar extending medially as narrow groove nearly to the level of the parapsidal suture. Scutum with surface shiny but not polished; punctation contiguous, punctures irregular. Scutellum with apical margin very broadly, evenly convex, carinate except medially; laterally, at margin with axilla, exceeding the axillar length. Axilla slightly rounded laterally, not angulate ( Fig. 13 View Figures 11–15 ). Mesepisternum with punctation dense, punctures medially no larger than those on scutum laterally. Metapleuron with row of punctures along anterior margin, disc without punctures on ventral half; posterior margin distinctly angulate near middle. Forewing unicolored, venation dark; marginal cell darkly cloudy in contrast to surrounding areas ( Fig. 3 View Figures 1–5 ). T2 with lateral margin in dorsal view only slightly convex; subapical band finely, densely punctate, much finer than on disc, apical impunctate margin narrow (Fig. 18). T3–T6 with rather dense, suberect golden pubescence. T6 with small preapical pit medially, without transverse preapical striae.

Male. Body length, 7.1 mm; intertegular distance, 1.82 mm. As female except: Mandible apically reduced, 3-toothed, mostly yellow ( Fig. 9 View Figures 6–10 ). Labrum with apical margin angled medially. Additional flagellomere. T2 shape as in female but punctation of subapical zone more coarsely punctate, only slightly finer than on disc (Fig. 19). T7 apical margin slightly convex with hint of emargination medially. S2 short, disc raised into rounded transverse ridge, apical zone translucent, not pigmented ( Fig. 22 View Figures 21, 22 ). S3 apical margin distinctly incurved on middle two-thirds, laterally distinctly angled anteriorly, fringe on margin dense, straight medially becoming long laterally, curled toward midline. S4, S5 with similarly configured but shorter fringes. S5, S6 with small apicolateral acute angle.

ETYMOLOGY: Name recognizes the country of origin of this species.

DISTRIBUTION: Central to southern Mexico.

TYPE MATERIAL: Holotype female: “ Mex [ico]. Chis. Acacovaqua. 15°15.37 N. 032°23 26 W 2005/VII/ 11 M.Rincón, R.Ayala, R. Vandame, M.Guzman” ( HOLO101 ) GoogleMaps . Paratype males: MEXICO: 1 male, San Luis Potosi Tlamaya (nr. Xilitla ) 900 m alt., 24 Aug. 1988, D. Yanega on Hyptis ; 1 male, Veracruz, Loma Ventura, El Mirador, 1170 m, 24-09-06, 19 1234.3N 96 54 08.3W En Bidens pilosa, M. Bonet , 0000006158 . Holotype deposited in ECOSUR ; paratypes in SEMC and CNIN .

COMMENTS: The female runs to couplet 5 in Parizotto et al. (2018), where it fails both sets of characters: scape and F1 are reddish but scutellum is largely yellow as are T3– T6. In the key to males ( Parizotto et al., 2018), the male runs to A. flava in couplet 5. The inclusion of images of the holotype of A. flava in Parizotto et al. (2018) suggests that A. mexicana differs in narrower impunctate tergal margins and T2 with basal third black.