Lusius hunanensis, Han & Chen & Dong, 2024

Lusius hunanensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6A8B4748-3662-44BB-B36C-A2FD0935BF4E

Figs 1–2 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2

Material examined. Holotype: female, Hunan, Mangshan National Forest Park, 31.VIII.2022, Yuanyuan Han, No 202319505 . Paratypes: 1 female, Hunan, Mangshan National Forest Park, 31.VIII.2022, Yellow pan trap, No 202319506 ; 6 males, Hunan, Mangshan National Forest Park, 31.VIII.2022, Yuanyuan Han, No202319544, 202319518, 202319512, 202319535, 202319534, 202319485 .

Description. Female ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ) holotype. Body length 8.8 mm, fore wing length 4.8 mm.

Head. Face ( Fig. 2E View FIGURE 2 ) quadrate, 1.2× wider than long, sparsely punctate, punctures becoming sparser laterally. Clypeus nearly smooth, truncated laterally, rounded medially. Malar space with subocular sulcus deep, ca. 1.3× longer than base of mandible. Frons smooth, with a longitudinal median carina. Vertex nearly smooth with very sparse punctures. Interocellar distance ( Fig. 2F View FIGURE 2 ) 0.7× ocello-ocular distance and 2.0× distance between median and lateral ocelli; distance between lateral ocelli and eyes ca. 1.8× longer than diameter of ocellus. Antenna with 37 flagellomeres. Occipital carina evenly arched, reaching hypostomal carina at mandible base. Temple smooth, distinctly swollen beyond eyes, ca. 1.2× longer than eyes.

Mesosoma. Pronotum polished, with very sparse punctures; epomia short but distinct. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 2G View FIGURE 2 ) very sparsely punctate, notauli distinct, reaching to anterior 0.8, with short transverse striae. Scutellum convex, mostly smooth, with sparse punctures. Mesopleurum ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ) strongly and rather densely punctate, speculum polished and impunctate; sternaulus absent; epicnemial short, not reaching midpoint of mesopleuron. Metapleuron with short striate-rugosity along pleural carina, and punctures becoming sparse on lower half. Propodeum ( Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 ) weakly rugose with transverse striation; anterior transverse and posterior transverse carinae faint.

Wing. Fore wing ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ) areolet absent; portion of vein M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu as long as 2rs-m. Marginal cell long, vein RS ca. 2.0× longer than vein 2r&RS. Vein 1cu-a slightly distad of M&RS. External angles of second discal cell acute (70°). Hind wing with CU&cu-a strongly reclivous, not intercepted.

Legs. Hind femur 4.3× longer than wide. Inner spur of hind tibia ca. 0.27× as long as first tarsomere of hind tarsus. Tarsal claws with two basal teeth.

Metasoma. First metasomal segment ( Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 ) smooth and polished, 3.2× longer than basal width of postpetiole; postpetiole 0.9× as long as its basal width. Second tergite strongly mat, punctate posteriorly, 2.5× longer than wide at apex, 1.4× longer than third segment. Third tergite ca. 1.4× longer than its apical width. Ovipositor ca. 2.0× longer than apical depth of metasoma, without a subapical notch.

Colour. Head generally pale yellow except ocellar region black and vertex medially light brownish. Scape and pedicel yellowish-brown; 1 st to 10 th flagellomeres basally gradually brownish, 10 th to 15 th flagellomeres white, the rest of antenna blackish-brown. Mandible except teeth yellow, teeth blackish-brown. Tegula yellow. Mesoscutum light brown with pale yellow stripe following notaulus. Scuto-scutellar groove black. Propodeum basal-laterally light brownish. Legs yellowish-brown except coxa whitish. Second tergite with a blackish-brown spot laterally and third tergite with a light brown spot laterally.

Distribution. China (Hunan).

Comparative diagnosis. This species is similar to L. macilentus Tosquinet, 1903 , but differs by clypeus rounded medially, antenna with first flagellomere 1.3× longer than second flagellomere, frons yellow, pronotum whole yellow, mesosternum without a black spot on each side, hind trochanter and trochantelli whitish yellow, postpetiole yellow, and only tergites 2 and 3 have a small spot laterally.

Distribution. China (Hunan).

Entymology. Name derived from the name of type locality of species.

Remarks. The genus Lusius show great variation in clypeus: (1) truncated in L. macilentus and L. mayfoi ( Tosquinet 1903; Saunders & Ward 2017); (2) broadly rounded in L. tenuissimus ( Heinrich 1938; Rousse et al. 2013; Dal Pos et al. 2023); (3) strongly pointed apico-laterally in L. flummox and L. castanoi ( Rousse et al. 2013; Dal Pos et al. 2023; Nascimento et al. 2024); (4) round medially in L. hunanensis (this study). Kusigemati (1986) and Graf (2000) used “emarginated” or “not emarginated”, “thin” or “thick” to describe clypeus, which indicated more variation may present in this genus. And our new species, L. hunanensis , is unusual among species of the genus in that its clypeus is rounded medially.