Leucospis manaica Roman, 1920

Lima, Alessandro Rodrigues & Dias, Priscila Guimarães, 2018, The New World species of Leucospis Fabricius, 1775 (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Leucospidae): an update of Bouček’s revision with description of two new species from Brazil, Zootaxa 4441 (1), pp. 1-45 : 28

Leucospis manaica Roman, 1920

( Fig. 17 )

Leucospis manaica Roman 1920: 9 –10, fig. Ia. Holotype ♀: Brazil, Manaos (NR, Stockolm); Burks 1961: 540 (compared L. xylocopae ); Bouček 1974a: 69 –71, figs 68–71; De Santis 1980: 273 (catalog); Noyes 2017 (online catalog).

Diagnosis. Occipital carina complete; POL about 1.4‒1.9× OOL; inner margin of the eyes slightly emarginate; dorsellum margined with narrow upturned carina, alveolate along margin; propodeum slightly pilose, median carina present, plicae absent; hind coxal depression uniformly punctate, with a translucent lobe dorso-laterally; hind femur 2× as long as broad, teeth excluded; fore wing ambar, with apical quarter infuscate, and apical process of stigmal vein short, about 0.5× as long as uncus; in female, tergite I slightly carinate medially, ovipositor furrows diverging anteriorly; spiniform projection at posterior margin on tergite VI absent; ovipositor reaching scutellum. Male unknown.

Distribution. Brazil (Amazonas, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina), Venezuela.

Comments. The notch separating the lower mandibular tooth is quite unusual. At first sight, it is difficult to determine if the notch is triangular or semi-circular, as observed in the CAYENNENSIS-Group. It is so difficult that for a time we supposed that the L. manaica specimens was a new species of the CAYENNENSIS-Group. In one specimen there is variation between the right and left mandible. In one of them, the notch is narrower and sharply triangular, well angulated, while in the other the notch is larger and similar to a semi-circular notch. Both Bouček (1974a) and Cooperband et al. (1999) speculated that L. manaica and L. bulbiventris Cresson, 1872 were female and male, respectively, of a single species, i.e., synonyms. In this case, by the principle of priority, the name L. bulbiventris would be the valid one. Unfortunately, none of the authors formally proposed the synonym, and since we did not have access to the type material of these species, nor male specimens, we retain these species separately in the identification key.

Biology. Unknown.

Material examined. (4♀) Brazil, Minas Gerais, São Gonçalo do Rio Abaixo, Estação Ambiental de Peti , Alojamento ( Al ), 19°53'14"S; 43°22'06"W, 18‒25.x.2002, Malaise, A.F. Kumagai leg. [ UFMG ‒IHY‒1504413, UFMG ‒IHY‒1504414], 17‒24.x.2003 [ UFMG ‒IHY‒1504415]; Belo Horizonte , UFMG Pampulha, Estação Ecológica , 19°52'30"S; 43°58'20"W, 842m, 24.xi‒1.xii.1999, Malaise, A.F. Kumagai leg. [ UFMG ‒IHY‒1504416].

Figures

FIGURE 17. Leucospis manaica ♀ A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. Red arrow shows the pilosity pattern on tergite IV. C. Forewing. D. Forewing, stigma region in detail. E. Hind wing. F. Head, frontal view. G. Head and mesossoma, dorsal view. H. Scutellum and dorsellum, postero-dorsal view. I. Hind leg, lateral view. J. Hind femur and hind tibia, lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm. UFMG–IHY–1504413