Polysphincta inca 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 inca Padua, Saeaeksjaervi & Spasojevic sp. nov. Fig. 4A-F

Diagnosis.

Polysphincta inca 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. 4B ); (2) malar space 0.6-0.7 times as long as proximal mandibular width (Fig. 4B ); (3) fore wing vein 1 cu-a interstitial relative to M&RS (Fig. 4A ); (4) mesosoma orange, except posterior carinae of propodeum darkish brown (Fig. 4A ); (5) wings yellowish hyaline with apex weakly blackish (Fig. 4A ); (6) hind leg entirely darkish brown or darkish brown, with median region of tibia pale (Fig. 4A ); (7) metasoma orange, with posterior margins (or only laterally) of tergites II-V narrowly black, tergites VI+ black (Fig. 4A, C ); (8) ovipositor slender, 1.1-1.3 times as long as hind tibia.

Description.

Female. Body [13.0] 12.0-14.0 mm. Head. Clypeus weakly convex, posterior margin thin and flat centrally; malar space [0.7] 0.6-0.7 times as long as proximal mandibular width; lower face about [1.2] 1.0-1.4 times as broad as high, weakly convex centrally, polished, with fine sparse setiferous punctures; head in dorsal view with margin of gena flat behind the eyes, and its margin about [0.6] 0.4-0.6 times length of eye; ocelli moderately large, the lateral ones separated from compound eyes by [1.1] 1.0-1.3 times their own maximum diameter. Mesosoma. Pronotum without epomia; shelf-like projection, in dorsal view, more or less bilobed, subquadrangular, and in lateral view, slender with anterolateral corners weakly decurved; mesoscutum more or less 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] 10.0-11.0 mm; 1 cu-a interstitial relative to M&RS; base of 1 m-cu&M separated from CU by about length of 2 cu-a; hind wing with distal abscissa of CU present and complete but weakly pigmented; 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 [1.4] 1.4-1.8 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 [1.4] 1.4-1.7 times as long as posteriorly broad, highly polished, at most with only fine setiferous punctures laterally; tergite III about [1.3] 1.3-1.4 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] 1.1-1.3 times as long as hind tibia, posteriorly evenly tapered to sharp point.

Color.

Head black except 0.8 distal of clypeus yellowish; antennae brown; mouthparts pale, except apex of mandible brownish. Mesosoma orange, except posterior carinae of propodeum darkish brown. Metasoma orange, with posterior margins of tergites II-V narrowly black, tergites VI+ black. Fore leg orange, mid leg orange with tarsus brownish, hind leg darkish brown, with median region of tibia pale. Wings yellowish hyaline with apex weakly blackish, pterostigma yellow. Ovipositor darkish brown, with posterior and anterior parts pale.

Variation.

Some specimens present hind leg entirely darkish brown; metasoma orange with posterior margins of tergites II-V narrowly black only laterally and tergite VI orange with posterior margin black.

Male. Unknown.

Type material.

Holotype ♀. Peru, CU [= Cusco], Cosñipata valley, Rocotal 13°07'00"S, 71°34'20"W, 2075 m., 23.X.2007, Malaise trap (C. Castillo leg.), MUSM. Paratypes: idem holotype, but San Pedro, 13°03'22"S, 71°32'55"W, 1520 m., 1♀, ZMUT. Ecuador: R. Biol. San Francisco, 03°58'30"S, 79°04'25"W, 2000 m., 13.II-03.III.2009, Malaise trap (M. Pollet & A. Braekeleer leg.), EC/2009-36/MP&ADB-017 [code?], 2♀♀, RBINS.

Distribution.

Ecuador and Peru (Fig. 12 ).

Biological note.

Host unknown.

Etymology.

This species is named in honour of the Andean Inca empire.

Remarks.

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

Figures

Figure 4. Polysphincta inca sp. nov., ♀, holotype A habitus, lateral view B head and pronotum, lateral view C habitus, dorsal view D face, anterior view E head, dorsal view F shelf-like projection, dorsal view.

Figure 12. Distribution of Polysphincta dizardi group in the Neotropical Region.