Cerceris karimuiensis Krombein 1969

Cerceris karimuiensis

This species is known from a single pair from Karimui in the Eastern Highlands District, Territory of New Guinea. The female is closer to misoolensis than to others of the known Melanesian species, but is readily distinguished by the more slender first abdominal segment and the color differences noted in the foregoing key.

HOLOTYPE.—♀, Karimui, northeastern New Guinea, 1080 m, 8–10 July 1963, J. Sedlacek (BPBM).

Length 9.5 mm, forewing 8.5 mm. Black, rather dull except dorsum, the following creamy: basal half of mandible, lateral lobe of clypeus, tiny spot on supraclypeal area, narrow streak on interantennal lamella, side of face narrowing laterally above and terminating just above top of lamella, tiny spot on vertex behind eye, scape beneath, band on pronotal dorsum narrowly interrupted at midline, band on postscutellum, small mesopleural spot below tegula, small posterolateral spot on propodeum, side narrowly and broad apical band on 1st tergum, basal fifth of 2nd tergum and a narrower band across apex, narrow, short posterolateral streak on 3rd tergum, narrow apical bands on 4th and 5th terga, 1st and 2nd sterna entirely except narrow transverse area at apex of 2nd, small lateral spot on 3rd sternum, smaller lateral spot on 4th sternum, streak on basal two-thirds of outer surface of fore and mid tibiae, and fore and mid basitarsi. The following ferruginous: flagellum beneath, tegula, narrow transverse streak at apex of 2nd sternum, apex of 5th sternum, 6th abdominal segment, small area at apex of fore and mid femora, fore tibia beneath, and fore tarsus beyond basal joint. Vestiture sparse, short, and silvery. Wings clear, the marginal cell and apex anteriorly of forewing infumated, stigma dark brown, the veins a little lighter.

Sculpture and body ratios similar to those listed for cyclops with the following exceptions: head (Figure 8), apical margin of median lobe of clypeus quinquedentate, the teeth small, narrow, blunt, subequal in size, the inner 3 close together and separated by a short distance from the outer pair; laminae of clypeal process closer together; propodeal enclosure with close rugae which are oblique anterolateral and arcuate elsewhere; 1st abdominal segment 1.3 times longer than broad.

ALLOTYPE♂♂, Karimui, south of Goroka, northeastern New Guinea, 1000 m, 5 June 1961, J. L. and M. Gressitt (BPBM).

Length 7 mm, forewing 6.5 mm. Coloration similar to female with the following exceptions: clypeus entirely pale except extreme base of median section; supraclypeal area with a narrow streak extending onto interantennal lamella; pronotal band extending onto lateral lobe; scutellum with a pair of small lateral spots; anterior mark on 2nd tergum reduced to a small lateral spot; 6th tergum with a narrow apical band; 1st sternum with sides narrowly reddish; 5th and 6th sterna with tiny posterolateral spot; hind femur white on basal half outwardly; hind basitarsus white.

Characters peculiar to the male are: clypeus feebly and evenly convex, median lobe weakly tridentate, the lateral fourth of apical margin with a fimbria of waxy-appearing, curled hairs; 1st and 2nd flagellar segments subequal in length; 5th and 6th sterna without sub-basal fimbriae.