Eusterinx madorae Khalaim & Kasparyan, 2018

Khalaim, Andrey I., Kasparyan, Dmitri R. & López-Ortega, Maurilio, 2018, New records and descriptions of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) from Mexico, Zootaxa 4486 (1), pp. 1-30 : 17-19

53. Eusterinx madorae Khalaim & Kasparyan , sp. nov.

( Figs 19–23 )

Remarks. Dasch (1992: 185) revised 24 Nearctic species of the genus Eusterinx , and recently A. Humala recorded E. australis Dasch , E. solida Dasch and E. townesi Dasch ( Humala et al. 2011: 198–199), and described E. longipes Humala & Ruíz-Cancino and E. tenuiventris Humala & Ruíz-Cancino (Humala & Ruíz-Cancino 2017) from Mexico, but only one species, E. solida Dasch occurring from Arizona to Argentina, was known from the tropical America hitherto. Below, we describe a first member of the Neotropical complex of Eusterinx species characterized by orange-brown, black and white colour pattern of the body, white-banded antennae and darkbanded wings, discovered from tropical Mexico.

Comparison. The new species is immediately distinguished from its North American congeners by the following features: antennal flagellum with median white band, epicnemial carina strongly expanded medioventrally into conspicuous lobe ( Figs 19, 22 ), fore wing with dark transverse and apical bands, and tricolor orange-brown, black and white metasoma ( Fig. 19 ). This is the first member of the large “Neotropical” complex of undescribed species of Eusterinx .

Description. Female. Fore wing length 11.0 mm, body length 15.0 mm.

Head, in dorsal view, abruptly and almost straightly tapered behind eyes; distance between lateral margins of occipital carina 0.45× breadth of head (measured between opposite tips of eyes). Eyes conspicuously enlarged, glabrous ( Fig. 20 ), inner eye orbits distinctly convergent ventrally. Ocelli slightly enlarged; the lateral ocellus separated from the eye by about one its own maximum diameter. Mandible rather broad at extreme base, further strongly tapered and depressed, almost flat, with dorsal and ventral sides polished, with only one tooth discernible ( Fig. 21 ). Malar space as long as basal mandibular width, with thin and sharp sulcus between upper corner of mandible and eye ( Fig. 20 ). Clypeus in profile strongly convex, in anterior view 1.9× as broad as long, apically slightly truncate ( Fig. 20 ), separated from face by broad and shallow impression. Face slightly transverse, 1.2× as broad as high (from supraclypeal suture to antennal sockets), swollen centrally and with small median longitudinal crest in its upper part. Vertex impressed along midline. Clypeus, face, vertex and genae polished, with scattered fine setiferous punctures; median swelling on face virtually impunctate. Frons polished, almost inpunctate. Flagellum with about 28 flagellomeres, distinctly tapered towards apex, very slender basally; basal flagellomere almost 7.0×, flagellomeres 2 and 3 about 6.0×, white flagellomeres 6 to 8 about 3.0×, and subapical flagellomeres 1.6–1.8× as long as broad. Occipital carina complete, quite strong. Hymostomal carina strongy raised.

Mesosoma almost entirely polished, partly with fine setiferous punctures; metapleuron centrally with transverse wrinkles. Pronotum with short secondary carina extending from hind margin of pronotum somewhat above its lower corner ( Fig. 22 ); epomia absent. Mesoscutum dorsally flattened, with carina extending along its anterolateral margin and with anterior half abruptly upcurved and subvertical ( Fig. 22 ); notaulus extending from anterolateral carina to almost posterior end of mesoscutum, with sharp carina in notaular furrow; notaular carinae distinctly convergent in anterior half of mesoscutum and subparallel in its posterior 0.3, not joining posteriorly and separated by about width of petiole. Scutellum convex in lateral view, with lateral carinae distinct in its anterior 0.2. Epicnemial carina medioventrally expanded into conspicuous lobe ( Figs 11 , 22 ), laterally gradually converging towards anterior margin of mesopleuron but not reaching it, extending to almost upper margin of mesopleuron and evanescent there. Sternaulus deep, short and oblique, adjacent to epicnemial carina ventrolaterally. Posterior transverse (postpectal) carina absent. Submetapleural carina strong, modetely raised in anterior half and weak posteriorly. Propodeal spiracle moderately large, oval ( Figs 22, 23 ). Propodeum with all carinae distinct ( Fig. 23 ); area basalis more or les quadrate, with posterior side convex; areola hexagonal; apophyses absent.

Fore wing with rhombic areolet with short petiole above; 2m-cu with a single large bulla, joining areolet in its posterior 0.8; cu-a basad of Rs&M; ramulus present. Hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu1 absent; Cu1&cu-a (nervellus) arcuate, subvertical. Legs slender; hind femur 4.9× as long as broad and 0.8× as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 0.35× as long as hind tibia; tarsal claws simple.

Metasoma ( Fig. 19 ) basally slender; tergite 2 strongly and tergite 3 weakly depressed; posterior part of metasoma more or less cylindrical, apex truncated, subgenital plate rather large ( Fig. 19 ). Tergite 1 polished, almost 4.0× as long as posteriorly broad, in profile with upper margin arcuate, with row of long setae on each lateral side and scattered setiferous punctures on postpetiole; spiracles situated on lateral convexities somewhat behind centre of first tergite; glymma lacking; petiole round in cross-section, with lateral margins parallel in dorsal view, with complete thin ventrolateral carina; postpetiole widened in dorsal view. Tergite 2 about 2.2× as long as anteriorly broad. Laterotergites on segments 2–4 separated by sharp crease. Thyridium shallow, scabrous, round or elliptical, adjacent to anterior margin of second tergite. Tergites 2 to 6 densely pubescent. Ovipositor slender, straight basally and slightly decurved in apical half, with apex very thin, needle-shaped; ovipositor projecting beyond apex of metasoma by 1.1× apical depth of metasoma or 0.35× length of hind tibia. Ovipositor sheath with very fine and sparse setae.

Head, mesosoma (including tegula) and first metasomal tergite orange-brown. Mandible orange-brown basally and dark reddish black apically. Mouthparts orange-brown, sometimes infuscate. Antenna with scape, pedicel and basal flagellomere orange-brown, flagellomeres 2 to 5 black, flagellomeres 6 to 8 white, and remainder black. Pterostigma brown. Wings hyaline; fore wing with brown transverse band (across proximal half of pterostigma) and large brown spot at distal end of wing. Legs predominantly orange-brown, fore leg paler than mid and hind legs; hind leg with coxa reddish brown, tibia and two basal tarsomeres more or less infuscate, and tarsomeres 3 to 5 pale yellowish brown. Metasomal tergites 2, 4 and 5 brownish black (extreme anterior margion of tergite 2 orangebrown), tergite 3 pale yellow (with slight brownish subbasal transverse band), and tergite 6 and subgenital plate brownish black basally and pale yellow apically ( Fig. 19 ). Ovipositor sheath pale yellowish brown in basal 0.6–0.7 and blackish in apical 0.3–0.4.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named in honour of Marta Madora Astudillo, researcher of the Biological Station Los Tuxlas and collector of the type material. We are sincerely gratitude for her hard long-term collecting work of insects for entomological researches.

Material examined. Holotype female ( UNAM), Mexico, Veracruz, San Andrés , Biological Station Los Tuxlas, N 18°34′ 55ʺ, W 95°04′ 35ʺ, 207 m, selva alta perennifolio, Malaise trap, 16.VI–24.VII.2013, coll. M. Madora.

Paratypes. Mexico, Veracruz: 3 ♀ ( BMNH, UAT, ZISP) same data as holotype.

Distribution. Mexico (Veracruz).

Figures

FIGURES 19–23. Eusterinx madorae sp. nov., holotype, female: 19—body, lateral; 20—head, front; 21—lower part of head, ventro-lateral; 22—mesosoma, lateral; 23—propodeum, dorso-postero-lateral.

FIGURES 6–13. Latosculum ortegai sp. nov., holotype, female: 6—antenna and wings, lateral; 7—head, mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral; 8—metasoma, lateral; 9—apex of lower valve of ovipositor (upper valve missing). Baryceros lascivus, female: 10—habitus, lateral. Mallochia macula, female: 11—habitus, lateral; 12—head and mesosoma, dorsal; 13—apex of ovipositor, lateral.