Nysson woodi Al-Jahdhami & Schmid-Egger, 2025

Nysson woodi Al-Jahdhami & Schmid-Egger sp. nov.

( Figs 18–20 View FIGURES 17–24 , 34 View FIGURES 33–36 )

Holotype: SAUDI ARABIA ♀ 09.iii.2024 Riyad prov., 100 km NW Riyadh, Ulya 25.281 N, 46.021 E, leg. M. Halada ( CSE) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: ♀ same data as holotype ( CSE). Oman GoogleMaps 2 ♀ 27.ii.2020 Al Suwayq, Hail al Ghafa 23.769 N, 57.342 E, leg. AJ ( AJ / CSE) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis: Nysson woodi is characterized by the color pattern. The head and the mesosoma are all black, with four white spots or a complete band on the pronotum and a white/red spot on the scutellum (lacking in holotype), and with an all red metasoma (except some black on T6) with white tergal bands. The vertex and the gena apically have a small carina along whole length.

Description of female holotype: Body length: 4.5 mm. Color: Head and mesosoma black, mandible basally yellowish, apex of clypeus and first antennal segments below dark reddish. Pronotal lobe and two spots on pronotum medio-apically yellowish-white. Tegula and wing base red, wing venation black, wings transparent. Legs red (trochanter only apically), outer surface of tibiae and forefemur with yellow spot or band. Metasoma red, terga with lateral white spots, medial red part smaller than spots, T6 black, laterally and apically red (in paratype all red). Face, mesopleuron and lateral part of propodeal dorsum with dense, silver appressed pubescence. Morphology: ACM straight, clypeus medially bulged. AS 3 somewhat longer than wide, AS 4–11 as long as wide, AS 12 1.4 × as long as wide. Frons, mesoscutum and S2 with punctures 0.5–1.5 diameters apart, interspaces shiny, scutellum and mesopleuron more coarsely punctate. Propodeal dorsum coarsely striate. Terga with sparse macro- and fine and dense micropuntation inbetween. T6 with pygidial plate surrounded by carina, with coarse punctation, interspaces shiny.

Variation in paratypes: Females from Oman are characterized by a more extended yellow color (pronotum all yellow apically, all tibiae with yellow band on whole outer surface, scutellum with red/yellow spot, pronotum and propodeum laterally red). The paratype female from Saudi Arabia is intermediate between the Omani specimens and the holotype, with a medially interrupted band on the pronotum and a red scutellum, and shorter yellow bands on all tibiae.

Male: Unknown.

Distribution: Northern Oman, Central Saudi Arabia ( Fig. 34 View FIGURES 33–36 ).

Etymology: The species is named after Thomas J. Wood from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands, a friend and specialist of bees.