Leurus discus Gauld & Sithole, 2002

Moleiro, Henrique Pereira, Onody, Helena Carolina, Camacho, Gabriela Procópio, Penteado-Dias, Angélica Maria, Alvarado, Mabel, Ballón-Estacio, Ricardo Javier & Santos, Alvaro Doria dos, 2023, Contributions to the taxonomy of the Brazilian Leurus Townes, 1946 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Metopiinae), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 63, pp. 1-13 : 7-11

Leurus discus Gauld & Sithole, 2002

( Figs. 15-21 ; 29; 32 ; 37)

Material examined: 01 ♂ ( MZSP 95642 ) Alagoas, Satuba, APA do Catolé , 09°33′29.1″S, 35°47′42.1″W, Malaise, 25-26.vii.2012, Nihei, Dias, Alcantara & Costa cols. (*) ; 01 ♀ ( MZSP 23119 ), São Paulo, Ubatuba , Parque Estadual Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba, 23°18′21.6″S, 44°48′25.2″W, Malaise,ponto 01, 400 m, 02-05.ii.2006, E.F. Santos, C.P.Scott-Santos cols.(*) ; 01 ♀ ( MZSP23117 ),same data as MZSP 23119 except point 03, 600 m, 20-23.i.2006 ; 3♂ ( MZSP 91987 , 91988 , 91989 ), same data as MZSP 23119 except 23°19′08.4″S, 44°49′04.8″W 200 m, 21-24. ii.2007 ( MZSP 91987 and 91988 specimens dissected) .

Diagnosis: Body coloration predominantly black ( Fig. 20 ); face black ( Fig. 15 ); antenna with 32-33 flagellomeres; tibia of hind legs orange-yellow; mandible black with reddish brown teeth ( Figs. 16, 17 ); anterior wing with vein 3rs-m present and well developed, with areolet present; propodeum with transverse posterior carina forming a 60° angle to the lateromedial longitudinal carina ( Fig. 18 ); metasomal tergite I with short lateromedial longitudinal carina reaching less than 0.50× of segment length ( Fig. 19 ); metasomal segment II with inconspicuous laterotergites ( Fig. 21 ).

Description of male genitalia ( Fig. 29 ): Genital capsule length 0.80 mm and width 0.40 mm; basal ring, dorsally interrupted; paramere in dorsal view basally, concave and not fused; concave at the middle of the inner margins; paramere, in ventral view, with margin straight pre-apically; pilosity concentrated in the region of the apical margin of the paramere, with dense and long setae; apodeme of aedeagus shorter than aedeagus; tubular aedeagus with slightly dilated apical region, with two dilated lobes; aedeagus about ½ of the total length of the genital capsule; hypopygium with lateral margins converging distally;longer than wide; distal end continuous, with dense setae centrally; smooth surface ( Fig. 32 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 37): Paraná and São Paulo states ( Araujo, 2011). New record: Alagoas state.

Comments: The specimens examined showed variation in leg coloration, ranging from yellow to brownish.

Leurus gracius Gauld & Sithole, 2002 Serpentina , 19°10746″S, 43°29874″W, Malaise, Área

( Figs. 22-28 , 30, 33 , 38) 4, Mata , 17-27.iv.2011, R.R. Silva & E.Z. Albuquerque cols. (specimen dissected) (*) ; 01 ♂ ( USUC), Rio de Material examined: 01 ♂ ( MZSP 91990 ), Brazil: Janeiro, Parque Nacional da Tijuca, Floresta da Tijuca, Minas Gerais, ConceiÇão do Mato Dentro , Serra da iv.1966, Alvarenga & Seabra (*) ; 01 ♀ ( MZSP 23074 ) ,

São Paulo, Salesópolis, EstaÇão Biológica de Boracéia , 23°37′35.8″S, 45°56′43.8″W, Malaise, 30.iii-02.iv.2001, S.T.P. Amarante et al., cols. (*) ; 01 ♂ ( MZSP 23093 ), same data as MZSP 23119 except 23°39′18.2″S, 45°53′18.0″W, Malaise, 22.ii.2005, J.C. de Souza, A.P. Aguiar cols .; 01 ♀ ( MZSP 23103 ), Ubatuba, Parque Estadual Serra do Mar , 23°17′49.2″S, 44°47′31.2″W, Malaise ponto 02, 800 m, 11-14.i.2006 (*) ; 1♀ ( DCBU), Itapeva, Est. Ecológica de Itapeva , 24°04′08.7″S, 49°03′53.1″W, Cerrado, Malaise 01, 14.iv.2008, A.M. Penteado-Dias col (*) .

Diagnosis: Body predominantly black; antenna with 32-34 flagellomeres reddish brown; legs with orange or yellow coloration; anterior wing with vein 3rs-m present and well developed, with areolet present; posterior region of the tegula brown; tergite I of the metasoma with a developed lateromedial longitudinal carina, extending posteriorly about 0.70× of the segment length; segment II of metasoma with broad laterotergites about 0.50× wider than long.

Description: Female

Head: Face slightly convex; clypeus uniformly convex, not apically flattened ( Fig. 22 ); mandible flange with distal end angled with two teeth ( Figs. 23, 24 ); malar space (0.15-0.20 mm) with 0,80× base of the mandible; palp formula 5:3; antenna with 34 flagellomeres, with homogeneous pilosity; eye emarginated; face with erect, sparse setae with greater concentration at the base of the antenna.

Mesosoma: In lateral view, pronotum and metapleuron shinny; in dorsal view, pronotum finely punctuated; mesopleuron finely punctuated; propodeum with lateromedial longitudinal carina strong, parallel, converging to merge with posterior transverse carina ( Fig. 25 ); posterior transverse carina complete; submetapleural carina small, expanding anteriorly into a long, rounded lobe; fore wing 7.80-8.00 mm; areolet present and well developed; hind wing with distal vein abscissa Cu1 very weak, almost spectral, joining cu-a; pilosity sparse, greater concentration on dorsum of metasoma, lateral of propodeum and anterior region of mesopleuron.

Metasoma: Tergite I narrow anteriorly and with lateromedial longitudinal carina extending to about 0.50-0.60× of segment length ( Fig. 26 ); tergite II with close punctures; tergite II with laterotergites broadly, weakly sclerotized, about 0.50× as broad than long ( Fig. 28 ); tergites III to ending with progressively broader but weakly sclerotized laterotergites; ovipositor short, about 0.80 mm, which is equivalent to 0.50× of the length of the posterior femur; ovipositor sheaths 0.87× of the length of the ovipositor; ovipositor without a notch.

Coloration: Body predominantly black with yellow or hyaline pilosity ( Fig. 27 ); palps yellowish; mandible black with reddish brown teeth; scapus and pedicel and the first flagellomeres yellowish brown ranging to dark brown from mid to apex; tegula yellowish; posterior region of the scutellum with dark brown coloration; legs yellowish brown; wings slightly tinged with yellow, with brownish pterostigma and veins; metasomal tergites black; laterotergites and sternites reddish brown; ovipositor orangish brown.

Description of male genitalia ( Fig. 30 ): Genital capsule length 0.80 mm and width 0.40 mm; basal ring, dorsally interrupted; paramere in dorsal view basally, concave and not fused; concave at the middle of the inner margins; paramere, in ventral view, with margin straight pre-apically; pilosity concentrated in the region of the apical margin of the paramere, with dense setae; apodeme of aedeagus shorter than aedeagus; tubular aedeagus with slightly dilated apical region, with two dilated lobes; aedeagus about ⅔ of the total length of the genital capsule; hypopygium with lateral margins converging distally; longer than wide; distal end emarginated, with dense and sparse setae in the central region; smooth surface ( Fig. 33 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 38): São Paulo, Espírito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro states ( Araujo, 2011). New record: Minas Gerais state.

Comments: L. gracius differs from L. fascialis by having the propodeum with lateromedial longitudinal carina, in addition to having the pronotum of exclusively black coloration; it differs from L. discus especially by having metasoma tergite II with laterotergites broadly, weakly sclerotized, about 0.50× as broad than long, in addition to having tergite I of the metasoma with lateromedial longitudinal carina extending to about 0.50-0.60× the length of the segment. The female differs from the male in having 34 flagellomeres on the antenna (vs. 32 flagellomeres) and as well as having a shorter lateromedial longitudinal carina of the first metasomal segment, about 0.50-0.60× the length of the segment (vs. 0.70× the length of tergite I). Color variation was observed in the legs of specimens collected from the same locality, ranging from yellow to orange.

Figures

Figures 15-21.Leurusdiscus,Male.(15)Face infrontal view.(16,17)Detail of themandible,withthe presence ofthe ventral lobe,infrontal view.(18) Lateromedial longitudinal carina of propodeum in dorsal view.(19) Lateromedial longitudinal carina in the first metasomal tergite indorsal view.(20)Habitus.(21) Metasoma in ventral view.Scale bars:200 μm (15),100 μm (16),100 μm (17), 200 μm (18), 200 μm (19),2.0 mm (20) and 500 μm (21).

Figures29-34. Males.Genital capsules and hypopygiumof Leurus indorsal view.(29)Genital capsuleof L.discus,(30) Genital capsuleof L.gracius and (31) Genital capsule of L.caeruliventris.(32) Hypopygium of L. discus, (33) Hypopygium of L.gracius and (34) Hypopygium of L.caeruliventris.Scale bars:200 μm.

Figures22-28.Leurusgracius,Male.(22)Faceinfrontalview.(23,24)Detail ofthe mandible,withthepresence ofthe ventrallobe,infrontalview.(25)Lateromedial longitudinal carina of propodeum in dorsal view.(26) Lateromedial longitudinal carina inthe first metasomal tergite in dorsal view.(27) Habitus.(28) Metasoma in ventral view.Scale bars:200 μm (22), 100 μm (23), 100 μm (24), 200 μm (25),200 μm (26), 2.0 mm (27), and 2.0 mm (28).