Aphanistes silviae, Alvarado, 2018

Alvarado, M., 2018, Nocturnal Aphanistes (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Anomaloninae) in the Neotropical region, with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 4369 (2), pp. 221-236 : 231-234

Aphanistes silviae sp. n.

(Figs 24–29, 35, 45–47, 48)

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following combination of features: ovipositor with a dorsal notch and not pre-apically swollen and predominantly reddish-brown species. This species looks like A. cachil sp. n., but A. silviae sp. n. has the hind tarsomeres 2–4 whitish cream while A. cachil sp. n. has the hind tarsomeres 2–4 testaceous.

Description. Female: fore wing length 12.8–14.5 mm.

Head. Clypeus (Fig. 28) convex, apically slightly concave and produced into a very distinct point that extends well beyond mandibles when closed, beak-like in appearance; mandibles short and stout, wide at base, tapering slightly, upper tooth longer than lower tooth; malar space very narrow, about 0.2× as long as basal mandibular width; frons strigulate with median longitudinal ridge reduced to a short carina from the base of median ocellus to between the toruli (Fig. 35); ocelli large, lateral ocellus separated from compound eye by about 0.5× its maximum diameter, distance between ocelli 0.6× their own maximum diameter; distance between lateral ocelli and occipital carina 0.1× their own maximum diameters; occipital carina mediodorsally complete; occiput smooth with punctures separated by 4–5× puncture width except without setae at ocelli level; gena smooth with punctures separated by 0.5–1.0× puncture width (Fig. 26); antenna with 42 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Pronotum imbricate with punctures separated by 0.5–1.5× puncture width (scatter centrally), except strigose on ventral half and upwards along anterior and posterior margin. Mesoscutum with notauli barely impressed; smooth with punctures separated by 0.3–0.5× puncture width, medial lobe in distal third areolate. Mesoscutellar groove with similar texture as mesoscutum. Mesoscutellum slightly concave, areolate, without distinct lateral carina. Mesopleuron (Fig. 25) without a transverse concavity; smooth with punctures separated by 2–3× puncture width; next to mesopleural suture (lower half in lateral view) with deeper punctures separated by 0.3–0.5× puncture width, and between subalar prominence and speculum strigose; epicnemial carina present, extending to about 0.3× distance to upper margin; sternaulus barely impressed, extending about 0.3 basal of mesopleuron; metapleuron convex, reticulate, without a median longitudinal carina that is centrally produced into a shelf-like prominence. Propodeum reticulate as on metapleuron; carinae untraceable, except pleural carina discernible. Legs very slender, hind coxa dorsally 2.5× as long as deep; hind trochantellus dorsally longer than broad apically, 3.0× as long as deep. Fore wing with Cu1 between 1m-cu and Cu1a 0.8× as long as Cu1b; 2+3rs-m 2.1× as long as abscissa of M between 3rs-m and 2m-cu; 2+3rs-m joining M at approximately an angle of 140o. Hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu1 sclerotized throughout; distal abscissa of 1A sclerotized throughout.

Metasoma. Metasoma very slender; tergum II about 10× as long as posteriorly high (in lateral view); terga II to VIII finely punctate, with fairly long setae on entirely surface. Ovipositor about 0.6× as long as hind tibia; with a dorsal notch, not pre-apically swollen (Fig. 27).

Color. Predominantly reddish-brown (Fig. 24), except: face and malar space yellowish; antenna, hind tibia grading apically (about 0.6 of its longitude), basal 0.8 of hind basitarsus length, tergum II dorsally, and valvae (but distal third testaceous) dark brown; distal fifth of hind basitarsus length and hind tarsomeres 2–4 whitish cream.

Male: Similar to female except: antenna with 44 flagellomeres; fore wing with abscissa of M between 2+3rs-m and 2m-cu 0.6× length of 2+3rs-m; lateral ocelli separated from compound eyes by 0.9× their own maximum diameters.

Male terminalia. Metasomal tergum VIII fused to metasomal tergum IX, not divided medially. Sternum VIII with distal end homogenously convex. Genitalia with parameres not fused, separated from gonobase (Fig. 45); in lateral view (Fig. 47), 0.5× as wide as long (wide measured at the level of the basi-dorsal most point, and, length from that point to the most distal end), distal margin more or less straight with a notch on the dorsal most section. Volsella (in ventral view) with digitus tubular, distally softly turned inwards; cuspis tubular, semicircular-shaped; apodeme of volsella distally turned to the side (Fig. 46). Aedeagus apically downturned; apodeme of aedaegus reaching to the middle of the foramen genitale. Gonobase complete (forming a ring); in ventral view, centrally, with triangular expansions anterior and posteriorly.

Remarks. The paratype varies from the holotype on the following: malar space very narrow, about 0.1× as long as basal mandibular width; distance between ocelli 0.8× their own maximum diameter; antenna with 43 flagellomeres; fore wing with 2+3rs-m 2.2× as long as abscissa of M between 3rs-m and 2m-cu; and, hind trochantellus dorsally longer than broad apically, 2.4× as long as deep.

PLATE 5 FIGURES 24–29. Morphology of Aphanistes silviae , sp. nov. 24. Habitus in lateral view (scale bar = 5 mm) 25. Mesosoma in lateral view 26. Head in lateral view 27. Ovipositor in lateral view 28. Facial view 29. Propodeum.

PLATE 6 FIGURES 30–47. Details of head in dorsolateral view. 30. Aphanistes augustoi , sp. nov. 31. Aphanistes cachil , sp. nov. 32. Aphanistes crepuscularis Hopper, 1981 33. Aphanistes paolae , sp. nov. 34. Aphanistes ruthae , sp. nov. 35. Aphanistes silviae , new species. Figures 36–38. Male genitalia of A. cachil . 36. Dorsal view 37. Ventral view 38. Lateral view. Figures 39–41. Male genitalia of A. paolae . 39. Dorsal view 40. Ventral view 41. Lateral view. Figures 42–44. Male genitalia of A. ruthae . 42. Dorsal view 43. Ventral view 44. Lateral view. Figures 45–47. Male genitalia of A. silviae . 45. Dorsal view 46. Ventral view 47 Lateral view.

As the male specimens of A. silviae sp. n. would not fit in the characterization of the species-groups unless it is related with its female, it was compared with all the Aphanistes species occurring in the Neotropical region (except for A. colladoi Gauld & Bradshaw, 1997 ) but the differences mentioned here will allow it to be distinguished from all the species in the region. Aphanistes silviae sp. n. differs in having the meso- and metasoma reddish brown, while the other species have the meso- and metathorax black or mesosoma black (black with margins of the sclerites reddish brown in A. didii Gauld & Bradshaw, 1997 ) and metasoma dark reddish brown.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a matronym honoring the author’s sister, Silvia del Pilar Alvarado Gutiérrez.

Holotype: ♀, “ PERÚ: AM [Amazonas], Abra—Patricia [Protected Area], 13.xi.2012 0 5o 41’36’’S/ 77o48’41.9’’W, 2362 m, light trap, J. Suárez & P. Sánchez” ( MUSM).

Paratypes (1♂, 1♀): ♂, ♀, same data as holotype except date 14.xi.2012 (both in MUSM) .