Leptometopa vanharteni

Diagnostic description: 

The colour pattern immediately separates this species from all other described species of the genus. The widespread Palaearctic species Leptometopa niveipennis (Strobl, 1900) also has hairs on the mesopleuron, but it (unlike L. vanharteni) lacks a pteropleural bristle. (Deeming 2017)

Morphology: 

A yellow species, black on occiput apart from upper margin, on entire postnotum and also on five markings each on tergites 2–5, the most median three of these more or less triangular, the two outer ones linear, sometimes these markings connected; less intense infuscate markings also present on ocellar prominence, on mesosternum between fore coxae, on mesothoracic spiracle, on a small spot on upper pteropleuron, and more weakly on mesonotum and scutellum; frons with a silken sheen; all bristles and hairs black. Length 1.9 mm, of wing 1.7 mm. Head with facial carina flat, deeply and roundedly excised to produce two triangular plates almost touching, the upper one the longer, the antennae situated in the fovaea thus formed; internal vertical bristle as long as the postocellar, the external vertical only two thirds of its length; ocellar bristles rather fine, short and proclinate; the large outwardly-directed superior orbital bristle with a minute hair behind it close to the internal vertical; the two reclinate inferior orbitals widely separated; a row of 4–5 short interfrontals on either side of the frontal triangle, this not clearly differentiated from the frons, but appearing to extend to lunule. Thorax with two strong notopleural bristles, the more posterior situated considerably higher on thorax than the anterior, the humeral somewhat weaker, one dorsocentral, one strong postalar preceded by a shorter supraalar, two pairs scutellar marginal, one strong upper sternopleural and one strong pteropleural, both pwardly-directed; a few weak hairs on hinder part of mesopleuron; fore coxa with a weak anteroventral hair at mid length; hind tibia of male greatly flattened, triangular in shape, that of the female unmodified. (Deeming 2017)

Distribution: 

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith