Orthocentrus insularis Ashmead, 1894

Veijalainen, Anu, Broad, Gavin R. & Sääksjärvi, Ilari E., 2014, Twenty seven new species of Orthocentrus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae; Orthocentrinae) with a key to the Neotropical species of the genus, Zootaxa 3768 (3), pp. 201-252 : 234-235

Orthocentrus insularis Ashmead, 1894

Figs 5 F, 10 D, 14 M.

Fore wing length 2.8–3.1 mm.

Face medially 0.9x as wide as high; face rather densely punctate, shining, punctures shallow, [specimens too dirty to see any setae on eyes] dorsal ridge of face inbetween antennal sockets without a median prominence; face profile gently curved, edge of clypeus impressed, margin straight, antennal sockets not on a distinct high shelf; malar groove a little curved; maxillary palp very long, reaching back to mid coxae. In dorsal view, head posteriorly moderately concave, temples strongly narrowed, posterior ocelli distant from eye by 1.0x ocellar diameter, anterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.5x ocellar diameter, ocellar-ocular grooves absent. Minimum distance between antennal sockets 0.8x diameter of socket; antenna distinctly longer than body, slender, with 37–41 thin, elongate flagellomeres which gradually shorten towards apex of antenna; basal flagellomere 0.2x as wide as long and 1.0x scape; scape slightly curved, in frontal view a little concave on lateral surface, convex on inner surface.

Mesosoma smooth, polished, impunctate except mesoscutum with superficial, small punctures, lacking notauli; in profile, scutellum not particularly high, convex, metapleuron slightly convex; propodeum with posterior transverse carina strong and raised, present between lateral longitudinal carinae, median longitudinal carinae complete, lateral longitudinal carinae present posterior to spiracles, spiracles not enlarged.

Legs stout, hind leg massive; coxae ventrally granulate, femora, tibiae and tarsi coriaceous-granulate except hind coxa smooth on anterior-ventral surface; hind coxa 1.1x as long as first tergite, hind femur 3.9x as long as maximum depth, hind tibia 4.3x as long as apical width; tibiae lacking spine-like setae.

Wings not particularly narrow; fore wing with areolet closed, about as wide as high, vein Rs straight; hind wing with vein cu-a intercepted, angulate, first abscissa of Cu inclivous.

First tergite somewhat elongate and apically widening, 1.8x as long as apically wide; heavily strigose with two complete, high median longitudinal carinae, with faint transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping posteriorly, not meeting centrally. Second tergite 1.2x as long as apically wide; strigose, with faint transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping anteriorly and posteriorly, not meeting centrally; second thyridia present as raised ovals. Third tergite with strigose sculpture reaching apical ¾ of tergite, sculpture towards posterior edge smoother, slightly punctate, with very vague transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite; basal and second thyridia not contrastingly coloured, basal thyridia large, narrow, oval/ rectangular, second thyridia small circular. Apical tergites slightly coriaceous.

Setae over whole body (including metasoma) except pronotum, mesopleuron, metapleuron, scattered on propodeum and dorsal sides of coxae.

Basal flagellomeres yellow, apical flagellomeres dark brown; head yellow except for black inter-ocellar area and paired brown patches on rear of vertex, pronotum and mesopleuron yellow, metapleuron pale orange, narrowly darker posteriorly; mesoscutum dark brown on lateral lobes fading to pale yellow medially, anteriorly, scutellum yellow, propodeum dark brown; legs basically creamy/pale yellow, hind tibia narrowly dark brown basally and apically. First tergite and anterior half of second dark brown, posterior half of second to basal half of fourth tergite pale orange, posterior half of fourth, base of fifth tergite brown, then orange posteriorly. Sternites white.

Female. Unknown

Comments. Similar to O. onkonegare but smaller, paler, with less developed sculpture on the metasoma and narrower temples. The base sculpture of the anterior metasomal tergites seems to be more coriaceous than in similar species but this is hard to judge due to the condition of the type series of O. insularis .

The holotype male and three paratypes (all apparently males), all in BMNH, have been examined. An additional paratype is in fact a female of an unidentified species of Mesochorus ( Ichneumonidae : Mesochorinae ) whilst the remaining specimens seem to represent one species, although all are dirty, partly obscured with dust and fungal hyphae, the holotype’s head is missing and a paratype is missing its metasoma.

Material examined. Lectotype male: ‘ 1000 feet; St. Vincent, W.I. [West Indies] H.H. Smith; W. Indies. 99- 331’, ‘ Orthocentrus insularis Ashm. ’, B.M. Type Hym 3b.1947’ ( BMNH).

Paralectotypes: 3 ♂, same data as holotype except one labelled ‘1500 feet’ (others lacking altitude) ( BMNH).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Lateral views: Orthocentrus insularis (excluding O. albihumerus which is very similar to O. breivipilus; see descriptions) and O. zebra species-groups. A: alboscutellum, B: onkonegare, C: brevipilus, D: broadi, E: zebra, F: insularis. Scale 1.0 mm.