Ceratina (Ceratinidia) tawangensis Ghosh, Jobiraj & Subramanian, 2023

Ghosh, Dibyajyoti, Jobiraj, Thayyullathil, Girish Kumar, Puthuvayi & Subramanian, Kumarapuram Apadodharanan, 2023, Description of a new species of genus Ceratina Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) from Eastern Himalayas, India with a new country record, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 9 (1), pp. 139-154 : 142-145

Ceratina (Ceratinidia) tawangensis Ghosh, Jobiraj & Subramanian sp. nov. ( Figs 2A–2H)

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ CAD 8E62A-D45A-457A-8AD5-216DF5EE4988

Type material. (18♀) - Holotype: ♀, labeled as India: Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang district, Jang, Lhou (27°34'15.6"N, 91°56'2.4"E, altitude 2249 m), 25. V.2019, Coll. D. Ghosh, Hand net. [ ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV. 20687] . Paratypes: 2 ♀♀, labeled as India: Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang district, Jang, Lhou (27°34'15.6"N, 91°56'2.4"E, altitude 2249 m), 25. V.2019, Coll. D. Ghosh, Hand net. [ ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV. 20688, 20689] ; 5 ♀♀, labeled as India: Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang district, Kharteng (27°31'51.6"N, 91°41'20.4"E, altitude 1677 m), 29. V.2019, Coll. D. Ghosh, Hand net. [ ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV. 20690, 20691, 20692, 20693, 20694] ; 3 ♀♀, labeled as India: Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang district, near Jang forest rest house (27°35'13.2"N, 91°58'55.2"E, altitude 2133 m), 19. V.2019, Coll. D. Ghosh, Hand net. [ ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV. 20695, 20696, 20697] ; 3 ♀♀, labeled as India: Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang district, Juksam (27°34'22.8"N, 91°56'42"E, altitude 2021 m), 25. V.2019, Coll. D. Ghosh, Hand net. [ ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV. 20698, 20699, 20700] ; 4 ♀♀, labeled as India: Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang district, Kitpi (27°33'50.4"N, 91°53'34.8"E, altitude 2045 m), 17. V.2019, Coll. D. Ghosh, Hand net. [ ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV. 20701, 20702, 20703, 20704] .

Diagnosis. Body andreniform, integument black; size> 9.3 mm. Distinct yellow longitudinal marking in the clypeus, medially with a subtriangular apical bar and without any transverse band basally ( Fig. 2A); paraocular region without any vertical marking; pronotum without yellow transverse line and absence of yellow marking on scutum and scutellum ( Figs 2B, 2C); distinct yellow spot below tegula as well as in protibia extending almost 1/2 of the tibial length and inner side apex of profemur ( Figs 2B, 2E). The new species is similar to Ceratina bryanti Cockerell owing to a similar structural similarity of punctation and micro sculpture types in head ( Fig. 2A), mesosoma and metasoma and distribution of hairs (labrum, mesopleuron, legs and T4-T6) ( Fig. 2F) as well as hyaline wings ( Fig. 2H) and finely coriaceo-reticulated propodeal triangle ( Fig. 2B); but differs by an overall reduced maculation and the following characters: bigger body size (> 9 mm vs. <7 mm), lesser distance between the antennal sockets ( Fig. 2A); finely reticulated gena and genal marking glabrous (vs. simple and punctated upper part of genal mark in C. bryanti ) ( Fig. 2B); absence of punctures on the propodeum (vs. finely and densely punctate in C. bryanti in lateral view) ( Fig. 2C); absence of punctures on tibial marking and size of the marking extending 1/2 of the tibial length (vs. punctures present and marking extended 2/3 of the tibial length in C. bryanti ) ( Figs 2B, 2E); lateral longitudinal marking in paraocular area absent; clypeal marking longitudinal, extended almost to the full of clypeal length without any basal transverse extension (vs. inverted Tshaped clypeal impression in C. bryanti ) ( Fig. 2A); genal marking extended basally covering 1/3 of the eye length narrowed upwardly (vs. marking covering 2/3 of eye length and narrowed downwards in C. bryanti ) ( Fig. 2B). Yellow transverse band in pronotum absent (vs. usually unbroken transverse band in C. bryanti ); scutum without any longitudinal lines (vs. four prominent longitudinal lines in C. bryanti ); scutellum without any marking (vs. prominent large yellow marking almost covering the anterior region in C. bryanti ). Transverse band on abdominal terga narrower and less prominent than C. bryanti .

Description Female. Measurements (mm): Total body length: 9.87; forewing length: 7.49; head width: 3.21; head length: 2.65; eye length: 1.73; eye width: 0.75; ocellocular distance: 0.68; diameter of median ocellus: 0.21; clypeus length: 1.04; clypeus width: 1.6; labrum length: 0.41; labrum width: 0.91; scape length: 0.83; scape width: 0.12; F1: 0.16; F2: 0.1; F3: 0.13; F4: 0.16; F5: 0.17; F6: 0.19; F7: 0.17; F8: 0.17; F9: 0.16; F10: 0.15; metatibia length: 1.93; metatibia width: 0.3; T2 width: 2.6; T4 width: 3.47; interantennal distance: 0.52; upper interoccular distance: 2.01; median interoccular distance: 2.06; lower interoccular distance: 1.88; interocellar distance: 0.31; intertegular distance: 2.6.

Colouration & Pubescence. Integument black except for following parts: yellow maculation on head region, clypeus, mouthparts, uninterrupted pronotal lobe, outer part of fore tibia and basal area of T1, T2, T3 and T4 ( Figs 2A, 2B, 2E). Clypeus with distinct longitudinal yellow marking, 1.5 × longer than broad reaching almost upper region of epistomal suture; subtriangular marking on supraclypeus; pair of vague yellow parallel spot in lower paraocular region near tentorial pit ( Fig. 2A). Frontal area with yellow transverse spot medially. Gena with distinct elongated yellow marking extending 1/3 of eye length, slightly narrowed upward extending almost one third of length of eye. Antenna black except flagellar segments ventrally blackish brown. Tegula translucent, reddish golden; distinct yellow spot present below tegula. Protibia dark brown with distinct yellow mark extending downwards covering almost 2/3 of tibial length. Last tarsal segments honey brown. Ventral side of the front and middle leg with a small yellow marking at its very distal part. Metasomal tergal transverse yellow bands uninterrupted except T3, band of T2 and T3 broader than others laterally, T5 without any transverse band. 1 st sternum honey gold. Wing veins dark brown. Pubescence on labrum light golden yellow, erected; supraclypeal area sparsely pubescent, lighter than that of clypeus; pubescence between antennal sockets much longer and lighter. Pubescence on other areas of head white, sparse and erect. Pubescence on scutum very sparse and golden yellow; scutellum and metanotum more densely haired. Pubescence on mesopleuron around tegulae longer and denser than that of scutellum. Apical region of scutellum and at base of tegula with densely packed stub like golden brown pubescence. Propodeal pubescence golden yellow and finely branched. Sides of mesosoma (especially on mesepisternum) and legs especially metatibia and femur with relatively dense, plumose and longer whitish silvery pubescence. Pubescence on metasoma simple, gradually longer and denser towards apex; denser on apical border of T2 and T4. Longer, erected and silvery white pubescence gradually increased from S4 to S6.

Head. HW 1.2× height in frontal view ( Fig. 2A). Clypeus 1.5× as wide as long. Antennal socket in depression ( Fig. 2A). Supraclypeal area at same level with clypeus and median paraocular region; head sutures deep and distinct. Labrum wider than long, closely and deeply punctured, especially at middle. Clypeus and paraocular area coarsely punctured. Gena shiny, impunctate. Vertex sparsely punctured. Scape finely punctured, twice as long as wide. Pedicel glabrous; flagellar segments with minute uniform hairs. Genal area minutely reticulate, yellow marking impunctate.

Mesosoma . Scutum glabrous, impunctate at middle but sparsely punctured anteriorly, medially (anteromedian line with one row of punctures) and laterally along parapsidal furrow. Mid region of mesosoma shiny and impunctate. Scutellum and anterior part of metanotum sparsely punctate. Propodeal triangle coriaceo-reticulate and impunctate. Mesepisternum more or less uniformly densely punctate ( Fig. 2C).

Legs. Metatibia 6.4× as long as wide with prominent spine present at mid region (broadest part) with subsequent serrations ( Fig. 2G). Tibial spur prominent.

Wings. Hyaline, translucent, finely and uniformly haired except in radial cell ( Fig. 2H). Hind wings hyaline, translucent, and finely haired. Hamuli five in numbers.

Metasoma. Gradulus prominent and glabrous. T1 with minute, sparse punctures, almost glabrous; T2 more punctured than that of T1; T3 and T4 with distinct punctation; T5 and T6 strongly punctured than that of T3 & T4 ( Fig. 2D).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. India: Arunachal Pradesh ( Fig. 1). The species has only been found in the lower valley in Tawang district in conifer broadleaved ( Abies densa Griff. , Juniperus indica Bertol. , Larix sp. , Tsuga sp. , etc.) and broadleaved forest ( Acer sp. , Rhododendron sp. , Quercus sp. etc.) as well as with agro-pastoral ecosystem between 1677 and 2249 m of elevation. Low-altitude forested areas are mainly de facto owned by village councils and are cleared for grazing purposes ( Mishra et al., 2004). The surveyed sites are predominantly of cultivated land (forest clearings) and adjacent semi-natural habitats where rice is the principal crop and others include buckwheat, barley, maize, etc. Most of the individuals were observed and collected from non-crop flowering plants with the exception of coriander which is thoroughly used in the local livelihood.

Variations. Some of the paratypes show variations in following characters: yellow spot on lower part of paraocular region near tentorial pit absent; clypeal longitudinal mark bifurcated apically and pattern of broken transverse band observed in different tergum.

Floral association. Fragaria vesca L. ( Rosaceae ), Isodon japonicus (Burm.f.) H.Hara ( Lamiaceae ), Raphanus sp. ( Brassicaceae ), Coriandrum sativum L. ( Apiaceae ), Fagopyrum esculentum Moench. ( Polygonaceae ), Galinsoga parviflora Cav. ( Asteraceae ), Aster sp. ( Asteraceae ), Desmodium sp. ( Fabaceae ).

Etymology. The species is named after the Tawang region where all the type specimens were collected.