Clistopyga caramba Castillo & Sääksjärvi, 2015

Sääksjärvi, Ilari E., Castillo, Carol, Bordera, Santiago, Broad, Gavin R., Rinne, Veikko & Fritzén, Niclas R., 2015, Clistopyga caramba sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae; Pimplinae), an astonishing example of mimicry in spider-attacking parasitoid wasps, Zootaxa 4013 (2), pp. 287-292 : 288-289

Clistopyga caramba Castillo & Sääksjärvi , new species

( Figs 1 , 2 A–D)

Diagnosis. Clistopyga caramba sp. nov. is a very distinctive species that can easily be distinguished from all other Clistopyga species by the combination of the following characters: 1) occipital carina complete, strong and raised in a flange-like protuberance, 2) submetapleural carina complete and strongly raised, 3) metasomal tergites I–IV white, V–VI brown and 4) metasomal tergites V–VI extremely modified (resembling an ant in lateral view).

Description. Female. Body length 8.4 mm. Fore wing length 5.0 mm.

Head. In dorsal view, strongly constricted behind eyes. Gena smooth with fine and sparse setiferous punctures, in dorsal view approx. 0.4 × as long as eye, in frontal view slightly rounded and strongly constricted below eyes. Frons smooth and shiny, with sparse fine punctures. Posterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.2 × its maximum diameter. Distance between posterior ocelli subequal to maximum diameter of posterior ocellus. Occipital carina complete, strongly raised and forming a flange dorsomedially. Occiput in dorsal view straight, in profile steeply angled, but swept back so occipital carina is on a posteriorly directed ridge. Face shiny, with isolated setiferous punctures. Clypeal suture rounded. Clypeus slightly convex, 1.3 × as broad as medially long, with apical margin truncate. Malar space with deep and narrow sulcus between eye and mandible, 1.0 × as long as basal mandibular width. Antenna with 32 flagellomeres, first flagellomere about 4.0 × as long as wide.

Mesosoma . Pronotum mostly smooth and shiny, very finely punctate in upper part. Epomia absent. Mesoscutum smooth and shiny, with very sparse setiferous punctures on median and lateral lobes. Notauli very strongly impressed anteriorly reaching middle of mesoscutum. Mesopleuron shiny, smooth, except for fine scattered punctures ventrally. Epicnemial carina very weak, not reaching level of lower corner of pronotum. Metapleuron shiny, smooth, with scattered setiferous punctures, 1.8 × as long as deep. Submetapleural carina complete, strongly raised. Propodeum smooth and shiny, at most with scattered setiferous punctures; in dorsal view 1.1 × as long as medially wide. Propodeal spiracle contiguous with groove separating propodeum and metapleuron, groove barely interrupted by spiracle. Hind leg with femur about 0.9 × as long as tibia. Fore wing with vein Cu-a opposite Rs & M. Vein 2 rs-m about half length of abscissa of M between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu. Abscissa of Cu 1 between 1 m-cu and Cu 1 a about 1.7 × as long as Cu 1 b. Hind wing with vein Cu-a virtually confluent with abscissa of M + Cu between M and Cu 1. Distal abscissa of Cu 1 almost absent, very weakly pigmented.

Metasoma ( Figs. 2 A–D). Tergite I 1.9 × as long as posteriorly broad, shiny, with numerous setiferous punctures dorsally and laterally; spiracle near its basal 0.3. Lateromedian longitudinal carina strong, reaching about 0.2 length of tergite, lateral longitudinal carina absent. Sternite I extending about 0.6 of length of tergite. Tergite II 1.2 × as long as posteriorly broad, central area, granulate, densely and coarsely punctate. Tergites III–IV, granulate, coarsely punctate, tergites V–VI shiny, with coarse punctures separated by their own diameter; tergite V is bigger and strongly convex, tergite VI very modified, anterior half with a deep concavity with swellings on anterior corners ( Figs. 2 A–C). Ovipositor 1.5 × as long as hind tibia, distally very slender, more or less evenly tapered, distinctly up-curved at distal 0.3 ( Fig. 2 A), not denticulate in basal 0.35, lower valve finely coriaceous. Ovipositor sheath about 1.2 × as long as hind tibia, basally without denticles on ventral side, with numerous oblique setae which are slightly longer than basal width of sheath ( Fig. 2 D).

Colouration ( Fig. 1 ). Head black and white, clypeus, facial, frontal and lower genal orbits, two central blotches on face, a transverse blotch under antennal sockets, lower part of frons, and mouthparts except apex of mandibles, white, antenna brownish. Mesosoma predominantly orange, pale yellow blotches on mid lobe of mesoscutum and upper part of pronotum, white subtegular ridge, dorsal hind border of propodeum black. Metasoma brown and white, tergites I–IV white, tergites I–II with a vaguely defined blotch and hind margins brownish, tergites V–VI brown; anterior two pairs of legs orange with mid femur and trochanter dorsally stained brown; hind leg black with coxa dorsally, trochantellus, femur centrally and apically, tibia centrally, white; distal apices of hind tarsal segments blackish. Wings hyaline, pterostigma blackish brown. Ovipositor light orange. Ovipositor sheath dark brown.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific name caramba refers to the Spanish exclamation ”¡Ay, caramba !”, used to express astonishment. This word well describes our feelings when we saw this species for the first time.

Biology. The only known specimen of C. caramba sp. nov. was collected in the tropical Andean-Amazonian interface in Peru, in the lower Urubamba region. The type locality corresponds with the lower parts of the Peruvian Yungas ecoregion. According to the Navarro et al. (2007) classification, the type location belongs to the Bamboo forest of the South-western Amazonian moist forest. The host of the species is unknown. See the discussion for two hypotheses on the possible biology of the species.

Material examined. Holotype female, pinned. PERU, CU, La Convención, Echarate, San Martin Norte, 11˚45'19'' S, 72˚42'26'' W, 430 m, 10–14.XI.2010, B. Medina and Z. Bravo leg. ( UNSM).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of Clistopyga caramba sp. nov., holotype female, lateral view.

FIGURE 2. Posterior metasomal tergites and ovipositor of Clistopyga caramba sp. nov., holotype, female: A — lateral view; B — dorsal view; C — latero-dorsal view; D — latero-posterior view.