Umanella giacometti Broad & Sääksjärvi, 2010

Broad, Gavin, Sääksjärvi, Ilari & Palacio, Edgard, 2010, A new species of Umanella Gauld (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Ecuador, ZooKeys 35 (35), pp. 77-90 : 82-90

Umanella giacometti Broad & Sääksjärvi , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A0FF698D-9560-4401-BDC9-13529E6460A8

Description. Female. Whole insect: Fig. 1. 'Fore wing length 18.5 (holotype)– 20 mm, body length (from antennal insertion to apex of metasoma) 31-34 mm, ovipositor length 41 (holotype)– 45 mm, ratio of ovipositor to fore wing length 2.22– 2.25. Occipital carina complete, joining hypostomal carina behind base of mandible, dipped mediodorsally with depression on vertex and deep groove on back of head. Epomia present for short distance across trough in pronotum. Notauli deep and long, converging but not meeting posteriorly, petering out at about half the length of mesoscutum. Epicnemial carina absent ( Fig. 2 ). Mesopleurum with posterior suture weakly impressed dorsally, strong ventrally, smooth except for some weak crenulae, and deeply impressed furrow connnecting suture to episternal scrobe. Mesepisternal sulcus complete, strong and non-crentulate. Posterior transverse carina of mesosternum absent. Propodeum lacking all carinae except pleural and submetapleural carinae, which are complete, and stubs of median longitudinal carinae, present at posterior end of propodeum. Faint, narrow groove present on dorsal, ventral half of propodeum. Propodeal spiracle about twice as long as medially wide. Whole body elongate and integument entirely smooth and shining except mandible sparsely punctate basally, puncto-striate medially. Upper tooth of mandible slightly shorter than lower tooth. Hind coxa about 1.2 as long as dorsal face of propodeum. First tergite of metasoma 4.4 × as long as apically wide, second tergite 2.8 × as long as apically wide. First tergite with swollen, apical area, posterior end impressed behind it. Sclerotized part of first sternite with low, raised bump just before level of spiracle; extends to half distance between spiracle and posterior end of tergite. Second tergite with deep, diagonal grooves cutting off anterior corners; narrow, drop-shaped median area defined, sides of raised area concave ( Fig. 3C ). Th ird and fourth tergites with deep, lateral grooves. Metasoma with strong setae laterally. All tarsal claws with acute basal lobe. Fore tibia with longitudinal patch of stronger, darker setae. Propodeum with coxal foramen narrowly separated from metasomal foramen by sclerotized bridge. Ovipositor with tip angled downwards. Lower valve of ovipositor apically slightly overlapping

Figure |. Umanella giacometti , female holotype; scale bar = 10 mm.

dorsal valve, with 13 visible teeth, regularly spaced and inclined. Dorsal valve with row of lateral denticles above teeth on each side.

Colour: metallic blue, duller towards apex of metasoma. Antennae black, except for white, sub-apical annulus on three and a half flagellomeres (23rd to 26th) to five (holotype, 23rd to 27th) flagellomeres. Maxillary palps dark brown, a little paler centrally, ventrally. Tegula metallic blue. Wing venation, including stigma, dark brown. Wing membrane slightly infuscate basally (holotype) or distinctly brown, distinctly infuscate in apical quarter. Legs with coxae, trochanters and trochantelli shiny, metallic (dark) blue. Fore leg with apical edge of trochanter creamy white with white streak extending over basal half of anterior surface of fore femur, extreme apex of trochantellus and base of femur brown; fore tibia with basal 0.6 brown (slightly paler sub-basally); fore tarsus brown except apical half of third and fourth tarsomeres creamy, fifth tarsomere black. Mid tibia black with small, dull creamy mark sub-basally and abruptly white on apical quarter (black at extreme apex) ( Fig. 4D ); mid tarsus brown to black, except fourth and apical half of third tarsomere creamy. Hind tibia with white annulus sub-basally; hind tarsus black on first, basal half of second and apical half of fifth tarsomeres, remainder creamy.

Paratype males. Whole insect: Figs 8 , 9 . Fore wing length 10–14 mm, body length (from antennal insertion to apex of genitalia) 15–21 mm. Submetapleural carina complete to about two thirds length of propodeum then abruptly weaker (barely traceable on smaller specimen) for remainder. First metasomal tergite 3.7 to 4.0 × as long as maximum width ( Fig. 5B ), second tergite 2.7 to 3.1 × as long as wide. Second and third tergites with strong diagonal, basal grooves cutting off raised, central section which is raised posteriorly (Fig. 10). First and second tergites with strong setae laterally but smooth dorsally. Sclerotized part of first tergite extending to 0.5 of distance between spiracle and hind edge. Third tergite regularly punctate and setose dorsally. Fourth tergite onwards setose dorsally with inconspicuous punctures.

Colour: head and mesosoma metallic blue. Antennae dark brown to black, white on 3–11 (22nd to 32nd) flagellomeres. Maxillary and labial palps cream coloured. Tegula white-transparent. Wing venation, including stigma, dark brown. Wing membrane clear basally, infuscate in apical quarter. Fore leg white on fore side, except apical tarsomere black or dark brown, other tarsomeres off white, basal half of first tarsomere pale brown to white. Hind side of fore leg basally white, but coxa with slight brown hint, femur with broad ventral streak on apical 0.7, light or dark brown fading into metallic blue; fore tibia brown on basal half, apex narrowly dark brown. Mid leg with coxa and trochanter white, trochantellus dark brown to black, fore side of femur dark brown to black on basal 0.15, remainder white; mid tibia almost totally white or dark brown on basal half, except for slightly paler subbasal patch, narrowly black at apex; mid tarsus dark brown to black on first and fifth tarsomeres, second and third dark brown fading to off white, fourth white. Hind leg with metallic blue coxa, shiny black or dark brown trochanter, trochantellus and femur; inner apex of hind trochantellus off-white, base of femur narrowly whitish to brown; hind tibia black or brown with narrow white annulus sub-basally, but uniformly black or brown dorsally; hind tarsus dark brown to black on first, basal 0.7 of second and apical 0.2–0.5 of fifth tarsomeres, remainder white. Metasoma with first to fifth or sixth tergites metallic blue, fading to dark brown or near black, apical tergites dark brown to shiny black; first sternite with sclerotized part metallic blue, sclerotized sections of other sternites shiny black to brown, membranous parts of sternites white.

Variation. The male in USNM/ZMUT is smaller than the two males in BMNH and is more extensively white on the antennal flagellomeres and mid tibia.

Biology. No specimens of Umanella have been reared but the holotype and three paratypes (BMNH) were collected whilst flying around a standing, dead tree trunk. The hosts may be large coleopteran larvae. Th e ovipositor shape is rather similar to that of Dolichomitus species, which are parasitoids of beetle larvae in dead wood. Three specimens have been found at fairly high (1,100m) altitude whilst one male was collected by canopy fogging at fairly low (216 m) altitude. In this respect the new species resembles Umanella caerulea , which also inhabits tropical forests of various altitudes ( Gauld et al., 1998).

Distribution. Only known from Ecuador.

Material examined. Holotype female: ‘ Ecuador, Morona- Santiago , Cord. de Cutucu 6km.e. of Macas 1,100m 30.V.1981 M. Cooper’ ( BMNH) . Paratypes: one female, same data as holotype except 26.VI.1981, one male with same data except 4.V.1981 ( BMNH), one male with same data except 26.VI.1981, one male, Ecuador, Orellana, Reserva Etnica Waorani, Onkone Gare Camp, 216.3 m, 21.VI.1994, 00°39'25.7"S, 076°27'10.8"W, fogging, terra firme forest, T.L.Erwin et al. leg. (held in trust for Ecuador at NMNH, but currently on loan to ZMUT).

Etymology. We are pleased to give the name suggested by Mrs Jean Halperin, who won a competition to name this beautiful species in celebration of the opening of the Natural History Museum’s Darwin Centre Two, where the holotype is housed. The

Figure |0. Paratype male of U. giacometti (ZMUT/USNM), first and second tergites.

name refers to the wasp’s resemblance to the slender, attenuated figures of the Swiss artist, Alberto Giacometti and is a noun in apposition.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Harry Taylor, of the Natural History Museum photo unit, for taking superb photographs of the holotype of U. giacometti . Dr Vladimir Blagoderov helped with other photography and image stacking. We are indebted to Martin Cooper for collecting four of the type series of U. giacometti , and so many other interesting Hymenoptera , and donating them to the Natural History Museum, and to Dr. Terry L. Erwin for providing us with his interesting canopy fogging samples which yielded one male of the type series of U. giacometti . We are grateful to MSc Anu Veijalainen for her help in sorting the canopy fogging samples. Umanella specimens in IAVH were collect- ed thanks to the support of NSF grant DEB 0205982 to M.J. Sharkey and B.V. Bryan. Claudia Alejandra Medina from IAVH kindly provided access to specimens under her care. And thank you to Jean Halperin for suggesting the species name, giacometti .

Figures

Figure 2. U. giacometti, female holotype, detail of head and mesosoma.

Figure 3. Second tergite of female metasoma of a U. caerulea from Costa Rica b U. caerulea from Colombia c U. giacometti; anterior to the right.

Figure 4. Mid tibia of a female of U. caerulea from Costa Rica b female of U. caerulea from Colombia (BMNH) c female of U. caerulea from Colombia (IAVH) d female of U. giacometti.

Figure 5. First tergite of male metasoma of a U. caerulea (BMNH) b U. caerulea (IAVH) c U. giacometti; anterior to the right.

Figure 8. Paratype male of U. giacometti (BMNH).

Figure 9. Paratype male of U. giacometti (ZMUT/USNM).