Foreword:
Acta Scientrium Ngensis was founded on Macau, Macaology studying
is our righteousness.
Index Pteridoflora hongkongense et macaoense was included in the updated
checklist species of ferns of Hong Kong & Macau (2007), after our investigation
project of pteridology of Macau. In 2011, the Geological Survey for the entire
territory of Macau (geographical boundaries of the Portuguese Era) was
carried out, we summarized our researching and published our special topic in
geology of Macao, Aetas Geologica Macaoense.
Until recently, this new wingless flat wasp species is only found in Colina de Ilha
Verde, Macau, and decided to investigate this area and wish to have some new
finding, we believe that this is undoubtedly beneficial for insect investigation, so we decided to do
some our own small, and this is also the authors
wish!
Key words: Colina
de Ilha Verde, MACAU, Eleganesia, a genus new to Macau,
Subfamily: Pristocerinae, Family: Bethylidae, Eleganesia macavensis Ng et al., 2022.,
sp.nov.
Considerable Methodology of collecting: Eleganesia is subterranean
wasp and rarely found due to their cryptic habitat, They may be found in litter soil near
ground level, In general, there are three collecting methods:
(1)
Wrinkle extractor - Soil
samples are collected from habitat area, placing in the inner net bag then
covered with outer bag which the collecting bottle with water is attached to the
hole, hanging up for 7 ~ 15 days, waiting the tiny creatures drops from the soil
bag into collecting bottle. (2) Subterranean traps,
this method seems to be not suitable for this species.
(3) Hand Collecting, directly but depends on
probability, although it's not the best way, the female caste is collected by
this way.
Living specimen of female
(Eleganesia macavensis Ng et al., 2022., sp. nov.),
06th Oct., 2018.
Classification:
● Class: Insecta
● Subclass: Pterygota
● Superorder: Endopterygota
● Order: Hymenoptera
● Family: Bethylidae
●
Subfamily: Pristocerinae
●
Genus: Eleganesia Alencar et Azevedo, 2018
●
Macao elegant flat wasp Eleganesia macavensis Ng et al., 2022.,
sp.nov.
Typical thoracal structure of the genus
Eleganesia[2]
(Redrawn by Owen)
Based on the scarcity of the references for
classification of this subfamily, we can only identified the Macau
specimen as an unknown species in the genus Apenesia. In fact, the
morphological characteristics of head, thorax, abdomen structure and
size ratio are quite fit for this genus. However, no updated references
about the genus Eleganesia were applied to the regions of Macao
and adjacent areas until the second half of 2021. The latest data shows
that the properties of some species in the genus Apenesia have been
revised, so that the specimens collected in Macao can also be reviewed.
After a seials of careful comparison, it shows that its thoracic
structure (see the figure) is more similar to that of the genus
Eleganesia (2018), and is more distantly related to the genus
Apenesia, many species of the genus Apenesia found in Taiwan
or Ryukyu have been revised as within the genus Eleganesia.
Therefore, we decided to classify this specimens collected from Colina
de Ilha Verde, Macau in 2018 as a new species of the genus Eleganesia.
Description
Eleganesia macavensis Ng et al., 2022.,
sp.nov.
(Drawn by Owen) At: Apical tooth of mandible, Ma: Mandible (a. upper view,
b. lower view), Pro: Propodeum, Scut: Scutellum
/ Mesoscutellum, Prop: Metapectal propodeal complex
NGIN-731154 Type specimen of the new species
I. Dorsal view; II. Side view; III. Ventral view
● Description of various
parts of Eleganesia macavensis Ng et al., 2022., sp. nov.female
The real time video record of the
discovery of this new species in Colina de Ilha Verde, Macau, 06th
Oct., 2018.
Etymology:
This
tiny new species is named after its locality,
Macav,
the ancient Portuguese name of Macau,
and no suitable Chinese translation name for this new genus, so
the author suggests to
add the descriptive Chinese name, it means "Elegant ant-like
wasp"
(Elegant
flat wasp). Specimen ID: NGIN-713154,
Tyrus, female,
Identification record:
cf. Apenesia sp. 'Macaunica' Ng et al., 2018
(unpublished) Locality: Colina de Ilha Verde,
MACAU, alt. 55m Geographic coordinates: ca.22°12'43"N, ca.113°32'17"E, Climate condition:
27°C, Sunny / Clear, Date of collected: 06 X 2018, Method of
Collecting: Hand selection. Preservation
State: Natural death in the feeding tube, persevered by 80% ethanol-glycerol
buffered mixture solution, Depository: Acta Scientrium Ngensis
(Natural History Section), HONG KONG.
Sampling and discovering the new species from the
site (the cave has been refilled and restored to its original
state after done)
Habitat: Highly
weathered Granito de Macau / Macau Granite (Jmo),
forms a black soil rich in humus, loose texture, the following small
organisms has been easily found under Wrinkle extractor method:
Campodea staphylinus Westwood, 1842, Campodeidae, Monomorium
pharaonis (L.), 1758, Formicidae, Brachyponera
obscurans (Walker), 1859, Formicidae,
Meristolohmannia macaoensis Ermilov, 2018,
Lohmanniidae, Scheloribates praeincisus (Berlese),
1910, Scheloribatidae, Dimiodiogalumna
ilhaverdeensis Ermilov, 2018, Galumnidae,
Epidamaeus sp.,
Damaeidae & tiny geophilomorpha。
TL=1.1mm, h (max.)=0.40mm, Se IV: h=0.38, Se V:
(h=0.35mm), Se VI: (h=0.31mm), Se VII:( h=0.25mm) Ap: (w=0.06mm)
This new species differs from other known species
in that the apical tooth of mandible (At) is significantly longer, and are very pointed, and the
exoskeleton is less chitinized, so the whole body is translucent amber.
scutellum / mesoscutellum (Scut) is wider with ridges at the top, and metapectal propodeal complex (Prop) is
larger and wider than
other known species.
Total Length: 2.1mm,
antennal club to scape: 0.6mm, 12 flagella segments, Length of head: 0.4mm,
wide: 0.2mm, mesosoma (D): 0.6mm, gaster (G): 1.1mm, redish brown color /
amber color (living specimen), the size for naked eye is clearly recognize, with
eyespots (Es),
Pronotum, Scutellum and
metathoracic plates are clearly differentiated, gaster
enlargement, the speed of
movement in the soil is slow, was found alone in the underground about 10 cm
under the soil.
Acknowledgement
In early 2019, the author has consulted two
entomology professors from Hong Kong and Japan on the this sole specimen, Dr.
Benoit Guénard from the School of Biological Sciences, University of
Hong Kong has pointed out that it belongs to Bethylidae and not formicidae,
and Professor Mamoru Terayama from the Department of Biology,
University of Tokyo presumed that bethylid wasp female may belong to the
genus Eleganesia or Epynesia and both are not known in female during 2019, due
to insufficient reference materials and none of new specimens to be found for
advanced researching, the project can only be put on hold. The confirmation of
this species for the genus is also based on a paper on the revision of the known
species of Eleganesia found in Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands [2].
The author hereby expresses great respect to Dr.
Benoit Guénard & Professor Mamoru Terayama, and is deeply grateful for their
valuable academic insights!
References
[1] C. O. Azevedo, I. D. C. Alencar, M. S. Ramos, D. N. Barbosa, W. D. Colombo,
J. M. Vargas, and J. Lim. 2018. Global guide of the flat wasps (Hymenoptera,
Bethylidae). Zootaxa 4489:1-294
[2] Hauchuan Liao, Mamoru Terayama, Katsuyuki Eguchi, Revision of
Taiwanese and Ryukyuan species of Eleganesia Alencar & Azevedo, 2018
(Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), Zoologischer Anzeiger, Volume 294, 2021, Pages
62-79.
[3] I. D. Alencar, Sistemática de Apenesia:
abrindo a caixa de Pandora dos Pristocerinae, 13 January 2017,
Doutorado em Biologia Animal.
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