Urosigalphus faciescarinae Arias-Penna

Carolina, Diana & B, James, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the Colombian species of Urosigalphus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 3411, pp. 1-54 : 19-21

Urosigalphus faciescarinae Arias-Penna , n. sp.

Figs. 7 A–H

Female.— Body length 3.45 mm.

Body color ( Fig. 7 A): mainly black. Flagellomeres light brown. Scape dark brown but with a slender light brown stripe at the top. Apically pedicel light brown and basally dark brown. Annellus light brown. Mandible redbrown but middle part yellow-brown. Labial and maxillary palps light yellow. Fore and mid legs yellow-brown; hind legs black except trochanter, trochantellus and small basal area of tibia yellow-brown. Fore wing ( Fig. 7 H): C+Sc+R vein of the same color throughout; basal third of M+CU and 1–1A veins darker than apical part; tegula black, but posteriorly dark brown; stigma light brown. Membrane of fore wings and microtrichiae light brown and hind wings with white membrane and brown microtrichiae.

Head ( Figs. 7 A–C). — Subquadrate. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; first three flagellomeres longer than wide (0.19:0.07; 0.23:0.07; 0.20: 0.07 mm), last five, except the last one, longer than wide (0.11:0.08; 0.11:0.08; 0.12:0.08; 0.13:0.08; 0.14: 0.08 mm); apical flagellomere longer than penultimate segment (0.17: 0.12 mm) ( Fig. 7 A); scape smaller than first flagellomere (0.17: 0.19 mm) and wider than pedicel and first flagellomere (0.1:0.07: 0.07 mm); pedicel less than half as long as scape (0.07: 0.17 mm). Torulus located at midline of the eye ( Fig. 7 B). Frons short with two longitudinal and parallel carinae touching the ventral margin of median ocellus; carinae high and more swollen close to median ocellus than in torulus, frons with irregular areolae, carina bears areolae of different sizes. Scrobes shallow, wide, not surrounded by a carina and with irregular, large areolae, scrobes do not reach the dorsal part of median ocellus. Lower face convex, ruguloses that converge medially, with faint longitudinal median groove ( Fig. 7 B); spaces between rugulose with a mix of small, irregular punctures. Fronto-clypeal suture strongly impressed, trapezoid-shaped and with sculptures. Anterior tentorial pit not embedded within a strong depression. Clypeus flat, not on same plane as lower face, shiny with strong and irregular transverse carina and spaces with small punctates; apical part reflexed, narrow, smooth, and shiny with a defined edge forming a carina that runs and surrounds the base of each mandible. Labrum with small punctures. Mandible long, stout, with transverse strigae; mandible set with two long, truncate teeth; inferior teeth as long as superior; both teeth smooth, shiny. Maxillary palps longer than labial palps. Ocelli oval ( Fig. 7 C); lateral ocelli distant from each other, separated by more than the width of lateral ocellus (0.08: 0.05 mm) and concealed under the high stemmaticum. Stemmaticum more elevated than vertex, forming a projection ( Fig. 7 B); stemmaticum concave and V-shaped, inner part of V deep and shiny; outer part of V with large and irregular areolae. Eyes without preorbital carina ( Fig. 7 B). Vertex with large, heterogeneous areolae and without carina. Occiput concave, smooth and shiny. Occipital carina complete. Temple and gena with irregular and heterogeneous punctures.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 7 A,D–E, G). — Projection of propleuron blunt. Pronotum anteriorly with a column of small, deep areolae throughout the edge that increase in size from dorsal to ventral; middle part and curvature of pronotum smooth; posteriorly with sparse, small and homogeneous punctures; dorsally with a row of elongate foveae throughout the edge; ventrally wide and with two horizontal carinae. Pronotal lobe not as same plane as pronotum, sloped toward tegula ( Fig. 7 E); point of inflection carinated; apex truncate. Mesoscutum uneven ( Fig. 7 D); lateral mesonotal lobes with small, homogeneous, sparse punctures, but laterally with a row of deep, large foveae throughout edge; anteriorly lateral mesonotal lobes sloped and posteriorly convex; median mesonotal lobe higher than lateral lobes; anteriorly median mesonotal lobe with one apical, transverse, continuous carina that runs from one end to the other, carina with the highest point in the middle part, and without longitudinal median carina ( Fig. 7 D); area of convergence of notauli rectangular, with heterogeneous, large, dense foveae, interspaces narrow. Notauli complete, strongly impressed, with large and elongate foveae; with additional distinct row of foveae throughout; notauli close to edge of transscutal articulation. Scutellum slightly convex with rounded apex, on same plane as median mesonotal lobe ( Fig. 7 E); anteriorly with areolae of different sizes, but posteriorly areolae closer to each other; posteriorly sloped with heterogeneous, deep, large areolae and on different plane than posterior scutellar depression; scutellar sulcus with four deep and uneven foveae; posterior scutellar depression with two elongate foveae that fill the whole area. Middle part of metanotum, below posterior scutellar depression, with an anterior and sharp projection that is more visible in lateral view ( Fig. 7 E). Propodeum ( Fig. 7 D) antero-posteriorly short, symmetrical; crossed by high MLC; ATC not at the same height throughout: middle part truncated, but last part higher than MLC; AMA absent; posterior wall of propodeum flat, with small areolae, interspaces wide. Metapleuron with large, deep and irregular areolae. Mesopleuron with a strong epicnemial carina ( Fig. 7 E), but without sternaulus; mesopleuron convex; shiny central area with sparse, small punctures; dorsally with a deep groove, below the tegula, and with four deep and irregular foveae arranged in a circle; ventrally with a wavy and continuous carina, dorsal edge of carina bears areolae of different sizes, ventral edge of carina with irregularly scattered foveae; anteriorly with elongate, narrow, flat area that bears small, dense punctures throughout the edge; posteriorly scrobiculate. Mesosternum ( Fig. 7 G) flat, with small and sparse punctures and a complete central row of homogeneous foveae not surrounded by carinae; each lateral part with two longitudinal and inclined carinae that intersect at the two anterior thirds of mesosternum; mesosternum near fore coxa with a high lamella with two highest points at same level below each anterior coxa, mesosternum near mid coxa with a lamella proceeds down both sides, and with a faint semicircular area above coxa.

Wings ( Figs. 7 A, H). — Fore wing ( Fig. 7 H): vein M+CU markedly curved (sinuate); vein 3RSb tubular, very distant from stigma (0.47 mm); subbasal cell longer than basal (1.1: 1.03 mm); stigma short and relatively round. Fore wing: length 2.50 mm, width 0.95 mm; hind wing: length 2.00 mm, width 0.57 mm.

Metasoma ( Figs. 7 A, D). — Carapace in lateral view teardrop-shaped ( Figs. 7 A,H); anterior part with strong substrigulae that cross more than half the length of the carapace; area between the carinae lacunose. Apex of carapace with several, small, irregular tubercles (teeth) very close to each other, the large one central (width 0.02 mm, length 0.10 mm) located above the small ones ( Fig. 7 H). In lateral view, region above the tubercles convex. Ovipositor length 1.00 mm. Carapace length 1.63 mm.

Male.— Unknown.

Biology.— Unknown.

Comments.— Lower face convex, rugulose that converge medially, clypeus with a defined edge forming a carina that surrounds the base of each mandible.

Material examined.— Holotype, female, Colombia: Meta, PNN [Parque Nacional Natural] Sumapaz, Cabaña Las Mirlas, 3º48´N 73º52´W, 710m, Malaise, 3–30.iv.2002, H. vargas leg., M. 3111, IAvH-E 64522. Deposited in IAvH-E.

Etymology.— From facies (Latin, noun, feminine) = shape, form, figure and carina (Latin, noun, feminine) = the keel of a ship. The name refers to the several semicircular carinae on the lower face.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Urosigalphus faciescarinae n. sp. (A) habitus; (B) head, frontal view; (C) head, dorsal view; (D) mesosoma, dorsal view; (E) mesosoma, lateral view; (F) carapace, lateral view; (G) mesosternum; and (H) fore wing. MLC = median longitudinal carina.