Meggoleus fuscatus Alvarado

Alvarado, Mabel, 2012, Discovery of the genus Meggoleus Townes, 1971 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Tersilochinae) in Peru, with the description of two new species, ZooKeys 163, pp. 83-90 : 85-86

Meggoleus fuscatus Alvarado sp. n. Figs 36

Holotype.

♀ (Fig. 3), PERU: JU [ Junín], Chanchamayo, S.N. Pampa Hermosa, 10°59'52.7"S, 75°25'34.3"W, 1757 m. 23-31.v.2011, Malaise [trap]. M. Alvarado (MUSM).

Paratypes.

4♀♀, same data as holotype (MUSM); 2♀♀, same data as holotype, but Pan trap (SEMC); 1♀, same locality and collector as holotype, but 75°25'35.9"W, 10°59'51.8"S, 1940 m, 23-31.v.2011, Pan trap. M. Alvarado (MUSM); 1♀, same locality and collector as holotype, but 10°59'48.9"S, 75°25'35.3"W, 1593 m, 23-31.v.2011, Pan trap (MUSM).

Comparison.

Meggoleus fuscatus can be distinguished from other Peruvian species by the long foveate groove almost reaching the epicnemial carina anteriorly (Fig. 6) and darker body coloration (Figs 3, 6).

Description.

♀: Body length 3.9 mm (without ovipositor); fore wing length 3.6 mm. Lateral ocellus separated from eye by ca. 2.5 –2.7× ocellar diameter. Flagellum of antenna filiform, short, with 15 flagellomeres; flagellomeres elongate, first flagellomere 3-4x as long as centrally broad; penultimate flagellomere 1.6 –1.7× as long as centrally broad; all flagellomeres covered by short hairs, in addition to apical long bristles. Malar space as long as basal mandibular width. Clypeus broad, usually smooth on lower part, granulate and punctate on upper part. Mandible punctate basally, upper tooth much longer than lower tooth. Face, frons, vertex and occiput finely granulate and usually finely punctate (punctures sometimes indistinct because of granulation). Temple finely and sparsely punctate, smooth between punctures; temporal orbits smooth without setae. Mesoscutum entirely granulate, indistinctly punctate; notaulus weak; mesopleuron almost smooth and punctate; epicnemial carina reaching to subalar prominence; foveate groove elongate, almost reaching to epicnemial carina, oblique, with some transverse wrinkles; metapleuron finely punctate. Propodeum with basal keel distinct, 0.75 –1.0× as long as apical area; spiracle round and large, separated from pleural carina; apical area elongate, acute anteriorly, with apical longitudinal carinae reaching transverse carina anteriorly, alutaceous and coarsely punctate; dorsolateral areas usually smooth with fine, sparse punctures. Fore wing with vein 2m-cu unpigmented anteriorly. Tibial spurs weakly curved; pretarsal claws long, not pectinate. Metasoma with tergite I moderately slender, 3.9 –4.3× as long as posteriorly broad, in dorsal view polished with a row of setae in lateral part of tergite, over lateromedian longitudinal carina, extending from base of segment to dorsad spiracle, and with some sparse setae on posterior area; tergite 2 smooth, 2.1 –2.3× as long as basal broad; thyridial depression distinctly elongate, about 1.5 times as long as wide; tergites 3-6 similarly sculptured; spiracle of tergite 1 large, separation between spiracles at most 1.9 –2.0× spiracle diameter (maximum diameter measured between external margins of carina round spiracle); ovipositor short, upcurved, with shallow dorsal depression near apex, without teeth.

Head black except palpi, clypeus, and mandible yellowish, and malar space, scape, and pedicel reddish. Mesosoma predominantly black, sometimes partly with reddish tinge, particularly on pronotum and mesopleuron; legs yellowish except dorsum of metafemur, mesotibia, metatibia, and meso- and metatarsomeres brown. Wing membranes hyaline and weakly infuscate; pterostigma dark brown. Metasoma with segment 1 and dorsum of tergites 2-4 dark brown; remainder of metasoma yellowish.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is the Latin term fuscatus, meaning “darkened”, in reference to the darker body coloration of the species, compared to the other Neotropical species.