Habropoda tainanicola Strand, 1913

Habropoda tainanicola Strand, 1913 View in CoL

Habropoda tainanicola Strand, 1913: 51–52 View in CoL .

Diagnosis. In both sexes, body robust; clypeus convex in profile; labrum with broad medio-apical emargination. In females, clypeus black, without yellow maculation; pygidial plate elongate, tongue-shaped, distinctly longer than its greatest width at base, downcurved and gradually narrowed towards end, sides almost straight and apex simply rounded, the setal colour of mesosoma dorsally and metasomal terga nearly always partly grey-brown to black except metasomal terga III–VI with orangish or rufous setae. In males, apical portion of sternum VII situated beyond the two heavily sclerotised transverse lateral ridges, at first parallel-sided, then much expanded and terminating in a pair of divergent flaps separated by a broad shallow median emargination; sternum VII with broad medio-apical emargination, discal portion with dense setae; sternum VIII with slight medio-apical emargination. Male gonostylus with dorsal process spatular, long — nearly twice as long as ventral process — with long setae; ventral process longer than broad, with short setae.

Remarks. This is the first record of H. tainanicola for Vietnam. The species has been separated into two subspecies: H. tainanicola tainanicola Strand, 1913 from Taiwan and H. t. maiella Lieftinck, 1974 from southeastern China. The Vietnamese material is easily distinguished from both of these. Accordingly, we here recognise a third subspecies, with the most obvious character-state differences outlined in table 1.