Tuleara elongata, Selis, 2025

Tuleara elongata sp. nov.

( Figs 54 View FIGURE 54 , 66B View FIGURE 66 )

Diagnosis. Readily distinguished from the other species of Tuleara by its elongate appearance with subquadrate head and dorsoventrally depressed mesosoma ( Figs 54A, B View FIGURE 54 ), and a sloping and strongly convex metanotum ( Fig. 54E View FIGURE 54 ).

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀ labelled “ CASENT / 2218468 // MADAGASCAR: Toliara Prov / Parc National de Zombitse / 19.8 km 84°E Sakaraha / elev 770m 5–9 Feb 2003 / 22°50'36"S 044°42'36"E // coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. / California Acad. of Sciences / malaise trap, in tropical dry / forest, coll. code: BLF7506 // Tuleara elongata / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis 2024 [red label]” ( CAS, code CASTYPE21766). GoogleMaps

Description. Female holotype ( Fig. 54B View FIGURE 54 ). Body length 7.3 mm; fore wing length 6.7 mm.

Head as wide as high. Clypeus in frontal view 1.05× as wide as long, apical margin barely emarginate and 0.4× as wide as clypeus, apical teeth right-angled and slightly pointing out with rounded apex; clypeus in lateral view barely convex, smoothly passing into frons. Vertex 1.9× as long as ocellocular distance, convex and slightly bulging in lateral view; cephalic foveae fused and forming a median deep pit, placed somewhat closer to ocellar triangle than to occipital carina. Gena as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, strongly convex and partially visible in frontal view too; occipital carina complete, fine and weak on vertex, slightly stronger on gena, bent at about mid height of gena and lower part weakly sinuate. Flagellum weakly thickened towards apex, F1 1.4× as long as wide and 1.3× as long as F2, F2–F9 subquadrate. Mesosoma 1.5× as long as wide and subcylindrical, dorsoventrally depressed in lateral view. Pronotum with weakly convex and slightly converging sides, subparallel; pronotal carina complete and forming a very short hyaline lamella on dorsal portion which is shorter on mid-line, evenly rounded on humeri and somewhat projecting anteriorly; pretegular carina absent. Scutellum wider than long, widely flattened, anterior margin crenulate; axillary fossa small and elliptical, about half as large as ocellus. Metanotum weakly sloping, evenly convex. Tegula longer than wide, outer margin evenly convex, posterior lobe slightly obtuse with pointed apex and not equaling parategula; parategula digitiform and basally angled. Mesepisternum smoothly passing into pronotum above; epicnemial carina present and strong on dorsal half, absent below. Propodeum short, in lateral view convex and sloping; dorsal faces of propodeum weakly sloping, widely separated behind metanotum; lateral faces of propodeum barely depressed, margin with dorsal faces distinct but not carinate; posterior face of propodeum shallowly depressed, forming two pits above propodeal orifice, mid-line shallowly carinate with depressed narrow subtriangular sclerite basally; submarginal carina of propodeum produced in a subtriangular lobe with rounded apex, valvula free and rectangular; dorsal carinae indicated by two short lateral portions that appear as oblique shallow bulges. T 1 in dorsal view nearly semicircular, wider than long, with subparallel sides and evenly rounded anterior margin; T 1 in lateral view strongly convex and divided in two distinct faces; apical margin of T1 with short hyaline border, almost disappearing medially. T 2 in dorsal view slightly longer than wide and with weakly convex sides slightly compressed posteriorly, about as wide as T1; preapical area of T2 deeply depressed and coarsely punctatecostulate, strongly separated from preceding surface of tergite, followed by strongly reflexed but short translucent lamella, lamella slightly longer than ocellar diameter in the middle and becoming shorter laterally. Apical margin of T3–T4 translucent and weakly lobate in the middle. S2 evenly convex in lateral view, basally with shallow indication of longitudinal furrow, apical margin lamellate and hyaline with basal pigmented costulations.

Head and mesosoma with deep and dense punctures, interspaces much narrower than puncture diameter and mostly reduced to ridges on mesosoma; clypeus very shiny with scattered deep punctures in basal half and sparse micropunctures; tegula largely smooth and shiny, very sparsely micropunctate and with some deep punctures along inner margin; posterior face of propodeum with oblique striation in lower half. T1 with large oblique punctures, shallower medially and deeper laterally, posterior half of disc with a patch of scattered fine deep punctures; T2 with deep and dense oblique punctures, extreme base with a more sparsely punctate narrow area, preapical depressed area with very coarse oblique punctures and interspaces forming irregular longitudinal costulations; T3–T4 coarsely punctate similar to apical area of T2, but punctures smaller; T5 with scattered oblique punctures; S1 irregularly punctate; S2 with deep oblique punctures, larger basolaterally and becoming smaller apicomedially, preapical area with large coarse punctures forming longitudinal costulation; S3–S5 similar to respective tergites but punctures finer. Covered in short metallic pubescence, mostly silvery and sparse but brassy and denser on frons, mesoscutum and T2; short erect setae on frons, mesosoma and sternites, slightly longer on frons, apically curved on mesepisternum; propodeum with fine white setae above valvula.

Dark red with blackish areas on mesoscutum and metasoma; following parts ferruginous yellow: basal third of mandible, clypeus with lighter margins, interantennal space, lower half of eye margins, T5–T6; T1–T4 and S2–S3 with pale yellow apical band, very narrow on T1; S4–S6 dark orange; legs brownish-red. Wings hyaline with orange tinge basally and grayish apically.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Madagascar: Toliara ( Fig. 66B View FIGURE 66 ).

Etymology. The species epithet refers to the elongate appearance of this species. It is an adjective.