Corresponding author: Lynn S. Kimsey (
Academic editor: M. Engel
A new genus and species,
A survey of the Mekongga Mountains and Papalia west and south of Kendari in southeastern Sulawesi uncovered a spectacular new genus and species of larrine crabronid. This new species was also independently discovered among unidentified, historical apoid wasps in the Museum fuer naturkunde in Berlin. It appears to be most closely related to the Southeast Asian genera
This new species from Sulawesi is among the largest members of the
Mekongga and Papalia specimens were collected in Townes-style Malaise traps. Specimen images were taken with a Nikon D300 digital camera and assembled using the CombineZM software™. The holotype is deposited in the Museum Zoologicum Bogorense, Chibinong, Indonesia. Paratypes are deposited in the Museum fuer Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany, the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, USA; Museum Zoologicum Bogorense, and the National Museum of Natural History (Naturalis), Leiden, the Netherlands.
Males of
Females of
6 | Metasomal terga dull or weakly shining, impunctate or evenly, sparsely punctate. Body without erect pilosity, at most with thin pruinose pubescence. Wings hyaline except for cloudy areas at marginal and costal cells. Clypeus with truncate lobe, which is narrower than outer distance of antennal sockets. Male hindfemur with hook-like process or prominent bulge toward base. Body length not exceeding 12 mm. | |
– | Metasomal terga shining, lateral portions of at least terga II-V coarsely punctatorugose, tergal disks impuncate or sparsely punctate. Body completely or partly covered with erect pilosity. Wings infumate. Clypeus with truncate or broadly emarginate lobe, which is significantly broader than outer distance of antennal sockets. Male hindfemur unmodified or longitudinally compressed below. Body length 17 to 34 mm. | 6a |
6a | Body covered with dense, silvery pubescence. Propodeal dorsum finely, transversely striatorugose. Malar space narrow to virtually absent. Mandibular apex broadly bidentate in both sexes, if mandibles unusually long and sickle-shaped (major males), then apex simple and submedial tooth or inner margin lacking. Male: forefemoral venter with long, dense pubescence; hindfemur and sterna simple; apex of sternum VIII truncate; penis valve with inwards directed apical and medial process. Male body length 20–24 mm. | |
– | Body covered with dark pubescence, well-developed in females and indistinct in males. Propodeal dorsum punctate, punctures markedly dense along midline. Malar space markedly large, about 1.5–2.0 × inner distance of antennal sockets. Female mandibular apex broadly bidentate, male mandible unusually elongate, apex simple, with large submedial tooth on inner margin. Male: forefemoral venter virtually asetose; hindfemoral venter longitudinally compressed; sterna III–IV with paired submedial lobes; apex of sternum VIII with two large, finger-like processes; penis valve with longitudinal row of strong teeth ventrally. Male body length 25–34 mm |
The enormously enlarged male mandibles of
This hypothesis seems to be well founded, and we observe the same phenomenon in the newly described
Males. 1 major male: 2 mites between terga II and III
Minor male: genitalia packed with mites
Females. 1 female: 10 mites between terga II and III
1 female: 16 mites between terga II and III, 6 between III and IV
The presence of two mites on the terga and the large number in the genitalia in males are probably no indication of acarinaria in
The new genus name is an arbitrary combination of
As for the genus (
Mesosoma: pronotum, scutum, scutellum, mesopleuron with scattered small punctures, 1–2 PD apart; metanotal punctures 0.5–1.0 PD apart; propodeum with medial longitudinal carina joining carina along anterior margin, dorsomedially finely transversely rugose, with dense nearly contiguous punctures, laterally becoming increasingly sparsely punctate, posterior surface marked by small dorsomedial projection, posteriorly densely transversely cross-ridged, ridges becoming smaller and finer medially; hindfemur widened ventrally in basal half, longitudinally compressed; hindtibia with crenulate ventral ridge.
Metasoma: polished, sparsely punctate, punctures tiny, 2–4 PD apart; tergum I with short sublateral ridge extending posteriorly from base, mediad of spiracle; terga I and II with lateral arcuate carina delimiting lateral rugosopunctate area; sternum I finely, densely rugose, with blade-like medial ridge ending in apicolateral carina delimiting short triangular posterior declivity; sterna II–III with subbasal ovoid, mat, often discolored patch (discolored to reddish in some individuals); sterna III–IV with strongly projecting sublateral, digitate lobe; sternum VIII elongate, parallel-sided apically, apex bidentate (
Because of the spectacular appearance of the major male of this species, it is named after the “Garuda”, the national symbol of Indonesia; a mythical bird-like, warrior creature.
Holotype male; Indonesia: se Sulawesi, North Kolaka, Wawo, Tinukari,
This study was made possible by a grant from the U. S. International Cooperative Biodiversity Group, and the assistance of Brian Harris (Smithsonian Institution), Rosichon Ubaidillah (Museum Bogorense) and Rob de Vries (National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, Netherlands).