Trathala lachaisae Rousse, Villemant et Seyrig

Rousse, Pascal, Villemant, Claire & Seyrig, Andre, 2011, Ichneumonid wasps from Madagascar. V. Ichneumonidae Cremastinae, Zootaxa 3118, pp. 1-30 : 26

Trathala lachaisae Rousse, Villemant et Seyrig sp. nov.

( Figs. 12 e–f)

Diagnosis. Species clearly atypical with its tergite I twice shorter than tergite II, propodeal carinae greatly reduced and ovipositor subapically constricted.

Description. FEMALE. L: 5.1

Head. Rather strongly constricted behind eyes. Temples short and rounded. Occipital carina shortly but distinctly interrupted dorsally. Vertex and frons shagreened. Face and clypeus shagreened and densely but finely punctate. Clypeus transverse (Ci = 2.0). Malar space rather long (MLMi = 1.0). Ocellar triangle almost isosceles; ocelli small, lateral ones closer to each other than to eye margins (IOi = 1.3; OOi = 1.5). Antenna almost as long as body, with 48 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma . Elongate, about twice longer than high. Pronotum shagreened, smoother ventrally. Mesonotum, mesopleuron and propodeum densely but finely punctate-shagreened; speculum smooth; scutellum somewhat flat, without lateral carinae, shagreened and sparsely punctate. Propodeum elongate, carinae distinct basally and apically but otherwise evanescent. Area-basalis short but distinct, subrectangular and longer than wide. Apical part of superomedia and area petiolaris transversally striate.

Metasoma. Tergite I short and stout, 0.5x as long as tergite II, glymma distinct. Tergite II slender, about 4x longer than wide apically, basally alutaceous, apically shagreened and matt. The following tergites barely shagreened and with sparse silver median and lateral pilosity. Ovipositor very long (OTi = 3.4) and apically sinuate, with distinct constriction before the apical notch.

Color. Orange overall. Antenna and ovipositor sheath infuscate.

MALE. Unknown.

Comments. The affiliation of this species to Trathala is highly uncertain, mainly because of the metasomal structure. However Trathala lacks clear apomorphic features, and we lack material to describe any additional taxon.

Etymology. Dedicated to Mrs Marcelle Lachaise, who devoted decades in the management of the MNHN Hymenoptera collection..

Distribution records. Madagascar (Antananarivo province).

Type material. HOLOTYPE Ƥ ( MNHN EY 2499) “ Madagascar, Tananarive [Antananarivo]”, January 1931. Left antenna and hind right leg lacking.

Figures

FIGURE 12. a – b: Trathala agnielae sp. nov.; c – d: Trathala annulicornis (Tosquinet); e – f: Trathala lachaisae sp. nov. (left: habitus, right: face).