Crossocerus (Panjal) dutti, Saini & Dey, 2022

Saini, V. & Dey, D., 2022, Panjal, a new subgenus of the genus Crossocerus (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), with description of a new species from Pakistan, Zoosystematica Rossica (China) 31 (1), pp. 87-97 : 89-93

Crossocerus (Panjal) dutti sp. nov.

( Figs 1−17)

Holotype. Female, Pakistan, Punjab, Murree Hills [now Pir Panjal Mountain Ranges], 7500 ft, V.1920, G. R. Dutt leg. ( NPC – IARI).

Description. Female. BL = 7.74 mm; FWL = 5.71 mm; PPL = 0.43 mm.

Colour pattern and pubescence. Body brownish black except following parts: scape ventrally yellow; pronotal lobe, tergum III at posterior margin, terga IV–V, and pygidial plate black; head, mesonotum, scutellum and mesopleuron with bluish tinge; mandible basally and apically, and tegula dark brown; inner half of mandible reddish brown; wing veins, lateral side of terga I−III and all legs brown; body covered with short silvery setae; wings hyaline ( Figs 1–3).

Head shiny, nearly quadrilateral, finely sparsely punctate dorsally, 0.6 times as long as wide. Orbital fovea indistinct, elliptical, slightly curved inside, close to compound eye. Area near ocelli impressed ( Fig. 8). Inner margins of compound eyes convergent ventrally. Frontal furrow broad and shiny, round ventrally ( Fig. 4). Scapal basin shiny, slightly concave; inner orbit of compound eyes near scapal basin with sparse silvery pubescence. Clypeus broad, with silvery pubescence, without median longitudinal carina; median apical margin of clypeus with prominent protruding tridentate lobe and lateral tooth; lateral tooth emarginate and more distinctly produced anteriorly ( Figs 4 and 5). Vertex with a fine longitudinal furrow starting from anterior ocellus and not reaching occipital carina. Gena shiny, setiferous, depressed near outer orbit of compound eyes ( Fig. 6). Occipital carina distinct, conspicuously protruding, not reaching hypostomal carina, ending without dentation ( Fig. 7). Mandible tridentate apically, with a distinct tooth at inner margin; inner apical tooth of mandible small and obtuse ( Fig. 4). Antennal sockets contiguous. Scape ecarinate. POD 0.51 times as long as OOD; antennomere III 2.3 times as long as broad at apex ( Fig. 9); relative lengths of scape: pedicel: flagellomeres I: II: III: IV: V: VI: VII: VIII: IX: X as 49: 0.9: 18: 12: 10: 10: 11: 0.9: 0.9: 10: 11: 14.

Mesosoma shiny. Pronotum shallowly notched medially (notch not reaching pronotal fore margin), with transverse furrow and carina in front of posterior margin, anterior margin roundly curved, anterolateral angles bluntly produced, anterior and posterior angles with transverse carina laterally ( Fig. 10), propleural and prosternal teeth distinct ( Figs 11 and 12). Scutum shiny, finely and sparsely punctate, with well-defined notaulus, parapsidal and admedian lines. Scutellum shiny, sparsely punctate, prescutellar sulcus without distinct foveae. Metanotum shiny, finely punctate dorsally ( Figs 10 and 14). Mesopleuron finely sparsely punctate dorsally; epicnemial sulcus with distinct large foveae; precoxal tubercle conspicuous; mesopleural suture with small foveae. Mesosternum with elongate silvery pubescence; metapleuron smooth and shiny; omaulus distinctly bordered, continuous with acetabular carina ( Fig. 13). Propodeum shiny, enclosure well limited posteriorly, its anterior margin with a distinct transverse carina and well-defined foveae, dorsal surface anteriorly with fine longitudinal ridges; longitudinal furrow of dorsal surface impressed anteriorly; dorsal and posterior surfaces separated by furrow; posterior surface dorsally with fine transverse ridges, with longitudinal furrow broad anteriorly and convergent towards apex; lateral propodeal carina starting from propodeal apex not reaching mid-length of propodeum; dorsolateral surface of propodeum with elongate silvery pubescence; lateral surface of propodeum shiny and finely punctate; preapical depression delimited anteriorly with elliptic carina ( Fig. 14). Fore femur distinctly hollowed on outer surface, its upper and lower margins acutely edged. Hind femur flattened beneath. Hind tibia slightly swollen apically, with short spines dorsally ( Figs 1–3).

Metasoma. Gaster subsessile. Tergum I longer than wide, nodose apically ( Fig. 16). Tergum II without basal transverse constriction. All terga dorsally with short pubescence ( Fig. 15), shiny, impunctate except posterior margin of tergum V. Pygidial plate as isosceles triangle, shiny, broader basally, narrow apically, slightly concave dorsally, with large punctures dorsally ( Fig. 17).

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the collector of the holotype Mr G.R. Dutt, in-charge of economic records and insect collections at NPCIARI, New Delhi, from 1906 to 1932.

A checklist of the genus Crossocerus of the Indian Subcontinent