Xanthomicrogaster sayjuhu Martínez, 2018

Martínez, Juan José & Riverón, Alejandro Zaldívar, 2018, Two new species of Xanthomicrogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Argentina, with a key to species of the genus, Zootaxa 4370 (3), pp. 295-300 : 296-299

Xanthomicrogaster sayjuhu Martínez sp. nov. ( Figs. 7–12 )

Body length (excluding ovipositor and sheaths) 3.0 mm (3.0– 3.1 mm) ( Fig. 7 ). Fore wing length 3.4 mm (3.4–3.5 mm). Colour. General body yellow, with outer surface of scape and pedicel, flagellum, lateral areas of mesoscutum, lower area of mesopleuron, mesosternum, lateral areas of propodeum and ovipositor sheaths dark brown to black; hind trochantellus, apex of hind tibia and hind tarsus also darkened, brown. Wings hyaline, veins brown, pterostigma brown marginally and turning lighter towards the center. Head. Face ( Fig. 8 ) wider than high, almost smooth and shiny, only with scattered punctures at the base of each seta. Malar space slightly shorter than width of mandible base, with distinct malar suture. Vertex smooth, except for hair punctures, ocelli forming an obtuse angle, OD 0.5 × POL and 0.5 × OOL. First flagellomere 3 × longer than apically wide and as long as second, about two × longer than 14th flagellomere. Mesosoma 1.3 × longer than wide and 1.3 × longer than high. Pronotum smooth, pronotal furrow shallow and smooth. Mesoscutum punctuate ( Fig. 9 ), smooth and shiny inbetween punctures. Scutoscutellar scrobe formed by 8–10 sometimes partially confluent pits. Scutellum triangular, largely smooth, except for hair punctures which are distinctly less impressed than those of the mesoscutum. Propodeum largely smooth, with a distinct median longitudinal carina. Hind tibiae on outer surface with scattered spines. Hind femur 4.1 × longer than its maximum width, 0.9 × the length of hind tibia and 1.7–1.8 × longer than hind basitarsus. Wings ( Figs. 11–12 ). Fore wing with pterostigma 2.6–2.8 × longer than wide. Vein R 1.2 × the length of pterostigma, and 2.9-3.1 × longer than r. Metasoma. Tergite I 0.8 × as long as broad, with a distinct median furrow, distinctly sculptured, rugose to rugose areolate. Second tergite rectangular, parallel sided, rugose ( Fig. 10 ), with anterior and posterior margins distinctly scrobiculate, third tergite largely smooth and shiny except for some scattered shallow punctures. Remaining tergites smooth and shiny. Ovipositor sheaths about 0.6 × as long as metasoma and 0.6 × as long as hind tibia.

Male: Unknown

Comments: This species is morphologically similar to X. maculatus Penteado-Dias, Shimabukuro & van Achterberg from the states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, Brazil (Penteado-Dias et al. 2002). Unfortunately, it was not possible to study the type material of species from Brazil, neither by loan of specimens nor photographs. The specimens from Argentina differ from those of X. maculatus by the complete absence of black markings on the median lobe of the mesoscutum and on the metasomal tergites. The original description of X. maculatus is fairly short and consists of the description of the colour pattern and some details of the sculpture of the propodeum and metasomal terga, which do not allow further comparisons. The figures in Penteado-Dias et al. (2002) show some variation in the colour pattern between two paratypes, but they do not match the pattern described here for X. sayjuhu .

Etymology: This new species is named with the guaraní words say’ju (yellow) and hû (black), in reference to the colour pattern of this species.

Material examined: Holotype female, Argentina, Misiones, Parque Nacional Iguazú , xii.2007 - i.2008, Taylor col., malaise trap. Paratypes: Two females, same data as holotype .

Figures

FIGURES 7–12. Xanthomicrogaster sayjuhu sp. nov. 7, habitus of female in lateral view; 8, head in anterior view; 9, head and mesosoma in dorsalview;10, metasoma in dorsal view; 11, fore wing; 12, hindwing.Figures 7–10, holotype; 11–12, paratype.