Methocha kandyensis Krombein 1982

Methocha (Dryinopsis) kandyensis

This species of the Hill Country, known only from two males from Kandy and nearby Peradeniya, is the most easily recognized of the Ceylonese Dryinopsis males. The coloration of the legs is unique in that the basal fourth of mid and hind tibiae, and tarsi except apical segment, are testaceous as in Methocha (M.) ubiquita, new species, rather than having legs mostly light red as in M. (D.) taprobane, new species, and M. (D.) anomala, new species, or mostly black or dark brown as in M. (D) ceylonica, new species. Surprisingly, the genitalia are so similar to those of M. (D.) taprobane that the two species cannot be discriminated on that basis. Putative host larvae include some seven taxa of Cicindelidae as noted in the discussion under “Subfamily Methochinae.”

ETYMOLOGY.—The specific name is based on Kandy, capital of the last native kingdom.

HOLOTYPE.—, Sri Lanka, Central Province, Kandy District, Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Jan 1971, Piyadasa and Somapala (USNM Type 100288).

MALE.—Length 7.3 mm, forewing 5.2 mm. Black, the following testaceous: palpi, middle third of mandible, narrow hind margin of pronotum, tegula, basal fourth of mid and hind tibiae, and all tarsi except apical segment; tip of mandible light red. Vestiture glittering white, relatively dense, short and suberect on head and thorax, sparser and subappressed on abdomen. Wings clear, stigma dark brown, veins lighter brown.

Head (Figure 29, drawn from paratype) width 1.3 times height from apex of clypeus to posterior ocellus, interocular distance at anterior ocellus 1.2 times least interocular distance; malar space evanescent; clypeal process broader than in M. (D.) taprobane, in profile blunter, heavier, not beaklike; ocellocular line 1.1 times postocellar line; second and third flagellar segments subequal in length and 1.2 times as long as first.

Pronotal disk without a strong anterior ridge, this area with a few fine transverse carinae behind which are fine punctures separated by the diameter of a puncture; scutum with small punctures, on median third anteriorly separated by half the width of a puncture, laterad of this and to parapsidal furrow the punctures confluent in transverse rows, area laterad of parapsidal furrow as on median section; scutellar disk with small punctures separated by half the diameter of a puncture, declivous lateral areas with smaller confluent punctures; mesopleuron with continuous crenulate groove above and anteriorly, disk with punctures slightly larger than in M. (D.) taprobane, mostly separated by 1 to 2 times the diameter of a puncture; propodeum without a median ridge, dorsal surface rounding gradually into posterior, dorsal surface with several median longitudinal rugulae, area laterad of these with small rugulose reticulations, posteriorly with larger rugulose reticulations, posterior surface finely and irregularly rugulose, lateral surface with a few coarse oblique rugulae on anterior half and very fine rugulose reticulations on posterior half.

Abdominal dorsum with fine punctures separated by one-and-a-half times to twice the diameter of a puncture; genitalia indistinguishable from those of M. (D.) taprobane (Figure 38).

FEMALE.—Unknown.

PARATYPE.—1, same data as holotype but Kandy, Udawattakele Sanctuary, 1800 ft, in Malaise trap, 13–14 Aug 1973, G. Ekis et al. (USNM). The paratype is deposited in the National Museums of Sri Lanka (Colombo).

It is 8.1 mm long and is very similar in all details to the holotype except that there are two relatively strong transverse rugulae separating the dorsal and posterior surfaces of the propodeum.