Orasema brasiliensis (Bréthes)

Baker, Austin J. & Heraty, John M., 2020, The New World ant parasitoid genus Orasema (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae), Zootaxa 4888 (1), pp. 1-84 : 70-73

Orasema brasiliensis (Bréthes)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:709CAB4E-6CDF-4EB2-B9A8-BA2A98AD0388

( Fig. 39 )

Eucharomorpha (?) brasiliensis (Bréthes) 1927: 331 –332.

Orasema brasiliensis ; Heraty 2002: 50. Change of combination.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other Orasema by the following combination of characters: antenna with 7 funiculars ( Fig. 39D, E ); labrum with 4 digits; eyes bare ( Fig. 39B ); femora entirely yellow or at most with small light brown spot medially ( Fig. 39A ); face, mesoscutum, and mesoscutellum rugose-reticulate ( Fig. 39B, F ); supraclypeal area wider than long ( Fig. 39B ); and femora relatively short and wide (female HFL:HFW = 4.1–4.6).

Description. Female. Length 3.9–4.3 mm ( Fig. 39A ). Color. Head and mesosoma dark green. Scape brown; pedicel yellow; anellus pale brown; flagellum dark brown. Mandible brown; maxilla and labium pale brown. Coxae brown with green iridescence; femora yellow or at most with light brown spot medially; tibiae yellow. Fore wing hyaline; venation pale brown. Petiole same as mesosoma; gaster dark brown with iridescence. Head ( Fig. 39B ). Head in frontal view subtriangular; HW:HH = 1.1–1.2; face rugose-reticulate; scrobal depression shallow, laterally rounded, with transverse striae; longitudinal groove between eye and torulus absent; eyes bare, IOD:EH = 1.7–1.9; MS:EH = 1.0–1.1; malar depression weakly impressed adjacent to mouth; supraclypeal area broader than long, weakly sculptured; clypeus weakly sculptured; epistomal sulcus distinct and sharply defined; anterior tentorial pit shallow; anteclypeus distinct, broadly rounded. Labrum with 4 digits. Mandibular formula 3:2; palpal formula 3:3. Occiput imbricate, shallowly emarginate in dorsal view, dorsal margin evenly rounded; temples absent. Scape not reaching median ocellus. Pedicle small and globose. Flagellum with 7 funiculars; FL:HH = 1.3–1.4; anellus discshaped; F2L:F2W = 2.2–2.5, F2L:F3L = 1.5–1.7; following funiculars subequal in length, equal in width; clava subcylindrical ( Fig. 39D ). Mesosoma ( Fig. 39C, F ). ML:MH = 1.4–1.6. Mesoscutal midlobe rugose-reticulate, sparsely setose; lateral lobe rugose-reticulate; notauli deep. Axilla rugose-reticulate, dorsally rounded, on roughly the same plane as mesoscutellum; scutoscutellar sulcus broad, irregularly foveate, narrowly separated from transscutal articulation; mesoscutellar disc slightly longer than broad, rugose-areolate; frenal line indistinct dorsally with smooth carinae laterally; frenum rugose-reticulate; axillular sulcus indicated by a strong longitudinal carina; axillula rugose-reticulate. Propodeal disc flat, without depression or carina, areolate ( Fig. 39G ); callus reticulate to smooth, with several long setae. Propleuron convex, weakly reticulate. Prepectus triangular dorsally, weakly narrowed ventrally, rugose-reticulate. Mesepisternum reticulate laterally, smooth ventrally, broadly rounded anterior to mid coxa; postpectal carina weak. Upper and lower mesepimeron reticulate. Metepisternum laterally reticulate. HCL:HCW = 1.6–1.8, reticulate dorsally becoming smooth ventrally; HFL:HFW = 4.1–4.6, evenly covered with short, dense setae. FWL:FWW = 2.4–2.7, FWL:ML = 1.8–2.0; basal area and speculum bare, costal cell and wing disc densely setose; marginal fringe relatively long; submarginal vein with small setae; marginal vein setose; stigmal vein about twice as long as broad, perpendicular to anterior wing margin; postmarginal vein several times longer than stigmal vein. Hind wing costal cell sparsely setose. Metasoma. Petiole cylindrical, linear in profile, PTL:PTW = 1.6–2.5, PTL: HCL = 0.8–1.0, rugose-reticulate, lateral margin with incomplete longitudinal carina, ventral sulcus absent. Antecostal sulcus foveate; acrosternite posteriorly rounded; apical setae of hypopygium with one pair of setae much longer than the others. Ovipositor with subapical carina present; first (ventral) valvula with 6–8 small, narrowly separated teeth, second (dorsal) valvula with 8–10 annuli that are narrowly separated dorsally, carinae coalescing.

Male. Length 2.5–3.2 mm. HW:HH = 1.0–1.2. Scape yellow-brown; flagellum with 7 funiculars, FL:HH = 1.5–1.6; anellus disc-shaped; F2L:F2W = 1.8–2.2 ( Fig. 39E ). Femora mostly brown, tips pale; tibiae yellow. PTL: PTW = 3.3–4.9, PTL:HCL = 1.3–1.7.

Hosts. Unknown.

Plant associates. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 38 ). Argentina: TM; Brazil: SP. Collected in January, October–December.

Material examined. Syntype. BRAZIL. São Paulo: S„o Paulo, 23 ° 34’S, 46° 38’W, 5.xi.1922, Melzer [1♀, de-posited in SDEI: UCRCENT00439039]. Additional material examined. BRAZIL. São Paulo: S„o Paulo , 800m, 23 ° 38’20”S, 46 ° 36’58”W, 22.xii.1965 , V.N. Alin [1♀, UCDC: UCRCENT00416052]; 12.i.1964 [2³, AMNH: UCRCENT00238117–18]; 16.x.1965 [1♀, USNM: UCRCENT00248491].

Discussion. This species may be closely-related to O. roppai based on similar sculpture and size; however, it differs in having 7 antennal funiculars (8 in O. roppai ), bare eyes, and a wider supraclypeal area. We decided not to treat these two species in the same species group because the difference in number of funiculars is not known to occur in other groups except the xanthopus species group.

Figures

FIGURE 38. Distribution map of unplaced Orasema species.

FIGURE 39. Orasema brasiliensis. Syntype female (UCRCENT00439039): A, habitus, lateral; B, head, anterior; C, mesosoma, lateral; D, antenna; F, mesosoma, dorsal; G, propodeum, posterior. Male (UCRCENT00238118): E, antenna.