Malgachemenes levigatus, Selis, 2025

Malgachemenes levigatus sp. nov.

( Figs 50 View FIGURE 50 , 65M View FIGURE 65 )

Diagnosis. Belonging to the group of mostly black Malgachemenes with short mesosoma, wide T1 and short propodeum, in which it is recognized by an evenly rounded outer margin of the tegula ( Fig. 50D View FIGURE 50 ), a long apical lamella of T1 ( Fig. 50C View FIGURE 50 ), a long and reflexed apical lamella of T2 which laterally extends into lamellar flaps ( Fig. 50E View FIGURE 50 ), and a finely and sparsely punctate metasoma ( Fig. 50C View FIGURE 50 ).

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♂ labelled “ CASENT / 2046380 // MADAGASCAR: Mahajanga / Prov. PN Tsingy de Bemaraha / 3.4 km 93°E Bekopaka, / Tombeau Vazimba , 50m, 6–10 / Nov 2001, 19°8'31"S 44°49'41"E / col Fisher, Griswold et al. // CASLOT 011070 / malaise in tropical dry forest / BLF4233 // Malgachemenes levigatus / HOLOTYPUS ♂ / Det. Marco Selis 2024 [red label]” ( CAS, code CASTYPE21763). GoogleMaps

Description. Male holotype ( Fig. 50B View FIGURE 50 ). Body length 6.5 mm; fore wing length 5.5 mm.

Head 1.15× as wide as high. Clypeus in frontal view 1.1× as long as wide with free apical part much shorter than basal part, apical margin emarginate and 0.3× as wide a clypeus, apical teeth acute and projecting and very shortly and weakly carinate; clypeus in lateral view barely and evenly convex. Vertex 2× as long as ocellocular distance, weakly convex and posteriorly sloping. Gena 0.5× as wide as eye at bottom ocular sinus; occipital carina complete, somewhat angled in the middle of gena; area below occipital carina on vertex forming a very short vertical face, shorter than one ocellar diameter. F1 1.7× as long as wide and 1.2× as long as F2, F2–F9 longer than wide but becoming progressively shorter, F11 small, somewhat claw-shaped but apically rounded and slightly exceeding middle of F9. Mesosoma 1.4× as long as wide, in lateral view almost forming an evenly convex surface from pronotum to propodeum. Pronotum with weakly converging sides; pronotal carina complete, very shortly lamellate on dorsal portion, fine and oblique on lateral portions, shortly interrupted by pronotal fovea, somewhat bent but not angled on humeri; pretegular carina somewhat indicated by a fold of the cuticle. Scutellum not much wider than long, weakly and evenly convex, anterior margin finely crenulate; axillary fossa small and elliptical, about half as large as anterior ocellus. Metanotum evenly sloping from scutellum to propodeum and evenly convex. Tegula short and almost as long as wide, outer margin broadly rounded, posterior lobe very short and obtuse, not equaling parategula; parategula digitiform and weakly curved. Mesepisternum smoothly passing into pronotum above; epicnemial carina absent except for a very short and blunt stretch in lower half. Propodeum short, in dorsal view shorter than metanotum and with evenly curved sides, in lateral view very weakly convex and falling almost vertically; dorsal faces of propodeum strongly sloping mediolaterally and meeting behind metanotum only for a very short and vertical stretch; lateral faces of propodeum shallowly depressed; posterior face of propodeum shallowly depressed in the inferior two thirds and forming two pits above propodeal orifice; mid line with shallow and very fine fovea on dorsal half; submarginal carina of propodeum barely projecting and completely fused with the narrow propodeal valvula. T 1 in dorsal view shortly bell-shaped, slightly shorter than apically wide, anterior margin evenly rounded; T 1 in lateral view more or less evenly and strongly convex, not markedly divided in two parts; apical margin of T1 with a long hyaline lamella, almost as long as two ocellar diameters. T 2 in dorsal view short with strongly convex sides, apically wider than basally; T 2 in lateral view strongly convex and with obliquely cut-off posterior margin, therefore appearing longer than S2; apical margin of T2 with an almost vertical hyaline lamella sharply separated from the rest of the surface and forming rounded lobes on extreme sides. T3–T5 with rounded lamellar flaps on extreme sides, becoming progressively smaller. S2 somewhat depressed posteriorly, in lateral view regularly and weakly convex, much less convex than T2. S3–S4 with posterolateral corners depressed and forming small pits that are anteriorly bordered by a sharp margin.

Head and mesosoma with deep and irregular punctures, interspaces shiny and variable in width but mostly wider than puncture diameter; clypeus densely micropunctate with scattered shallow punctures; interantennal space and ocular sinus impunctate; mesepisternum and lateral faces of propodeum with deeper and smaller punctures, interspaces as wide as several puncture diameter; tegula smooth and shiny with barely visible micropunctures; dorsal faces of propodeum with punctures becoming denser and deeper medially; posterior face of propodeum with short transverse striae in the middle. T1–T2 very finely shagreened and silky shiny, T1 with scattered shallow oblique punctures, T2 largely impunctate with few oblique punctures on margins; T3–T7 micropunctate and shagreened, T3–T5 with very dense and fine punctures; S1 with sparse punctures; S2 with scattered deep punctures on whole surface; S3–S5 much more sparsely punctured than respective tergite. Head and mesosoma with very short and sparse pale pubescence, mostly originating from punctures; metasoma with dust-like and dense brownish pubescence.

Black with the following parts suffused dark-red: scape, gena, narrow margins of pronotum, tegula, posterior margin of scutellum and metanotum, lateral half of dorsal faces of propodeum, most of sides of mesosoma with brighter marking on upper plate of mesepisternum, most of metasoma except base of segments. Following markings ivory-yellowish: clypeus, mandible except inner margin, interantennal space, inner eye margin from clypeus to upper margin of ocular sinus, fine and irregular longitudinal line on frons, narrow and broadly interrupted line on anterior margin of pronotum, parategula, narrow and regular apical band on T1–T2, posterior corners of S1, large elliptical spots covering lateral thirds of S2, spots on all coxae, outer face of all tibiae. Apical margin of T3–T6 and S3–S5 suffused with orange. Wings hyaline with brownish tinge, slightly darker along anterior margin.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Madagascar: Mahajanga ( Fig. 65M View FIGURE 65 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective “ levigatus , - a, - um ” (= smooth), referring to the smooth and shiny appearance of this species.