Cosmoconus (Alpicosmos) caucasicus RIEDEL, 2023

Riedel, Pénigot, Schwarz, Diller, Johansson & Japoshvili, G., 2023, Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of the Kintrishi National Park, Sakartvelo (Georgia), with descriptions of six new species, Linzer biologische Beiträge 55 (1), pp. 61-153 : 140-141

Cosmoconus (Alpicosmos) caucasicus RIEDEL nov.sp. ( Figs 8-10 )

H o l o t y p e: (♁) SW Georgia, Kintrishi NP, 1634m asl, 41.44535308°N 41.05384144°E, MT 12, 15-29.vi.2018, leg. G. Japoshvili (Tbilisi).

D e s c r i p t i o n: ♁: Body length 12.5 mm. Fore wing 8.5 mm long. Flagellum with 34 flagellomeres; 1 st flagellomere 3.7× longer than wide. Head covered with brownish setae. Temple slightly and roundly narrowed behind eye, dorsally 1.2× wider than eye, with rather dense fine punctures. OED 1.5× and OOD 1.1× ocellar diameter. Frons densely rugose-punctate, moderately impressed medially and with a small blunt tubercle between antennal sockets, without distinct horn or median ridge. Antennal sockets not modified. Face 1.6× wider than long, densely rugose-punctate. Clypeus with strong transverse central ridge, with scattered punctures basally and a row of larger punctures subapically. Mandible rather long, with two equally sized teeth. Malar space granulated, 0.7× as long as width of mandibular base. Genal carina reaching hypostomal carina far from mandibular base, hypostomal carina moderately elevated (about as wide as subdistal maxillary palpomere).

Mesosoma covered with brownish setae. Mesoscutum and mesopleuron densely punctate. Scutellum moderately elevated, almost pyramidal-shaped, with lateral carina in basal half. Propodeum with strong carina and large semi-oval spiracle. Area basalis and area superomedia confluent; anterior transverse carina (costula) present. Hind femur 3.9× longer than wide. 2 nd hind tarsomere 1.15× longer than 5 th hind tarsomere. Claws simple. 1 st tergite 2.5× longer than wide, with dense but fine punctures and distinct dorso-lateral carina. 2 nd tergite 0.9× as long as wide.

Color: black. Flagellum black, ventrally ochreous in basal half and brownish in distal half. Mandible centrally reddish. Apical half of clypeus reddish-yellow. Apical margin of postpetiolus and 2 nd to 4 th tergites entirely yellowish. Coxae and trochanters black. Legs otherwise yellowish; fore femur in basal half, mid femur in basal 2/3 and hind femur entirely black; hind tibia black in apical 0.3. Wings with yellowish suffusion; pterostigma yellowish.

♀ unknown.

Taxonomical remark: This new ♁ is characterized by: distinct frontal horn absent, but small median tubercle between antennal grooves present; temple rather wide and only slightly and roundly narrowed behind eye; malar space rather long (0.7× mandibular width).

It belongs to the subgenus Alpicosmos KASPARYAN, 1999 with the type species C. genalis STROBL. It differs from C. genalis by its wider face, longer malar space, lack of median frontal ridge, and black face. In the key of Palaearctic Cosmoconus ( KASPARYAN 1973b) , it runs to couplet 24 (23) C. tibeticus KASPARYAN , but differs by its larger size, unmodified antennal sockets and presence of anterior transversal carina (costula) of propodeum.

Figures

Figs. 8-10: Cosmoconus (Alpicosmos) caucasicus RIEDEL nov.sp. HT: (8) habitus, (9) head from frontal, (10) head from dorsal.