Polysphincta pichincha Padua , Saeaeksjaervi & Spasojevic, 2021

Padua, Diego G., Saeaeksjaervi, Ilari E., Spasojevic, Tamara, Kaunisto, Kari M., Monteiro, Ricardo F. & Oliveira, Marcio L., 2021, A review of the spider-attacking Polysphincta dizardi species-group (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae), with descriptions of seven new species from South America, ZooKeys 1041, pp. 137-165 : 137

Polysphincta pichincha Padua, Saeaeksjaervi & Spasojevic sp. nov. Fig. 7A-E

Diagnosis.

Polysphincta pichincha sp. nov. can be distinguished from other species of the P. dizardi species-group by the combination of the following characters: (1) epomia absent (Fig. 7B ); (2) malar space 0.4 times as long as proximal mandibular width (Fig. 7B ); (3) fore wing vein 1 cu-a more or less interstitial relative to M&RS (Fig. 7A ); (4) mesosoma entirely orange (Fig. 7A ); (5) wings yellowish hyaline (Fig. 7A ); (6) hind leg orange with trochanter, apex distal and proximal of femur, tibia, except longitudinal spot pale in subdistal region of inner and outer margin and tarsus brownish (Fig. 7A ); (7) metasoma orange, with posterior margins of tergites II-IV narrowly black, tergites V+ black (Fig. 7A, C ); (8) ovipositor slender, 1.2 times as long as hind tibia.

Description.

Female. Body [13.5] mm. Head. Clypeus weakly convex, posterior margin thin and flat centrally; malar space [0.4] times as long as proximal mandibular width; lower face about [1.0] times as broad as high, weakly convex centrally, polished, with fine sparse setiferous punctures; head in dorsal view with margin of gena flat behind eyes, and its margin about [0.5] times length of eye; ocelli moderately large, lateral ones separated from compound eyes by [0.85] times their own maximum diameter. Mesosoma. Pronotum without epomia; shelf-like projection, in dorsal view, more or less bilobed, broader than long, and, in lateral view, slender and with anterolateral corners weakly decurved; mesoscutum slender, in dorsal view, smooth and polished, with notauli weakly impressed anteriorly; scutellum convex, not laterally carinate; mesopleuron highly polished, virtually impunctate; epicnemial carina reaching almost level of lower corner of pronotum; epicnemium with vestigial vertical carina near lower corner of pronotum; metapleuron convex, smooth and polished, with few sparse, fine bristles evenly spaced, without discernible submetapleural carina. Propodeum mediodorsally smooth and polished, with longitudinal carinae present only posteriorly and laterally with scattered fine bristles. Fore wing length [10.0] mm; 1 cu-a more or less interstitial relative to M&RS; base of 1 m-cu&M separated from CU by more than length of 2 cu-a; hind wing with distal abscissa of CU present and complete; first abscissa of RS subequal to rs-m. Tarsal claw with proximal lobe quadrangular, with claw apex slightly overtaking the distal margin of lobe. Metasoma. Tergite I about [1.8] times as long as posteriorly broad, dorsally with lateromedian longitudinal carinae only discernible at extreme anterior part; sternite I with weak swelling near hind rim, and with weak median longitudinal ridge anteriorly; tergite II about [1.6] times as long as posteriorly broad, highly polished, at most with only fine setiferous punctures laterally; tergite III [1.4] times as long as posteriorly broad, highly polished, at most with only fine setiferous punctures laterally; subgenital plate subquadrate. Ovipositor slightly slender, about [1.2] times as long as hind tibia [without apex].

Color.

Head black, except posterior margin of clypeus whitish; antennae brown; mouthparts pale, except apex of mandible brownish. Mesosoma orange. Metasoma orange, with posterior margins of tergites II-IV narrowly black, tergites V+ black. Legs orange, the mid leg with tarsus brownish, hind leg with trochanter, apex distal and proximal of femur, tibia, except longitudinal spot pale in subdistal region of inner and outer margin and tarsus brownish. Wings yellowish hyaline, pterostigma yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Type material.

Holotype ♀. Ecuador, Pichincha, Nambillo Valley near Mindo, 1450 m, 26.VI.1987 (M. Cooper leg.), #2005-152, BMNH.

Distribution.

Ecuador (Fig. 11 ).

Biological note.

Host unknown.

Etymology.

The specific name (in apposition) refers to type locality of this species, Pichincha province, Ecuador.

Remarks.

Polysphincta pichincha sp. nov. closely resembles A. sinearanea Pádua, 2018 and P. inca sp. nov. mainly by coloration with body orange and the last tergites black. It differs from P. sinearanea by having epomia absent (present in P. sinearanea ), and from P. inca sp. nov. by having malar space 0.4 times as long as proximal mandibular width (malar space >0.6 times as long as proximal mandibular width in P. inca sp. nov.).

Figures

Figure 7. Polysphincta pichincha sp. nov., ♀, holotype A habitus, lateral view B head and pronotum, lateral view C habitus, dorsal view D face, anterior view E head and shelf-like projection, dorsal view.

Figure 11. Distribution of Polysphincta dizardi group in the Neotropical Region.