Orthocentrus varicolor, Humala, 2019

Humala, Andrei E., 2019, Mexican species of the genus Orthocentrus (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae: Orthocentrinae), Zootaxa 4709 (1), pp. 1-83 : 34-35

Orthocentrus varicolor sp. nov.

( Figs 5 F , 10 L , 14 I , 17 I , 25 )

Material examined. Holotype ♀: México, Veracruz, Est. Biol. Trop. Los Tuxtlas, C 7, MT-II, Pte- Aula- Lab. EBLTL, 17.IX–15.X.2013, leg. M. Madora ( UNAM).

Paratypes: 60 ♀ and 3 ♂: Tamaulipas, Gómez Farias, Los Cedros, MT, 19–26.XII.1998, 26.XII.1998 – 7.I.1999, 16–23.I.1999, 23–30.I.1999, 27.II–20.III.1999, 10–17.IV.1999, leg. S. Hernández; Gómez Farias, Canindo, pan traps, 1400 m, 28–30.VII.1993, 20–21.VII.1994, leg. J. B. Moolley ; Tamaulipas, Gómez Farias, Los Cedros 10– 16.XII.1998, leg. D. Kasparyan ; Los Diez Millones, Red Entomologica 19.VII.1995, leg. C. Hdz. V. ; Tamaulipas, Cd. Victoria O. R. Sn. Marcos Follaje olmo, 18.X.2007, leg. E. Ruiz Cancino ; Tamaulipas, Cd. Victoria, El Madroño ; 27–31.XII.2008, leg. A. I. Khalaim ; Tamaulipas, Ocampo, Ej. El Bejuco. S baja caducifolia, 900 m, MT, 30.VII– 12.VIII.2016, 11–25.IX.2016, leg. E. Ruíz C., M. & R. Ruíz C. ; Tamaulipas, Tula, Ejido Acahuales B. Quercus, 1400 m, MT, 30.VII–12.VIII.2016, 13–26.VIII.2016, 27.VIII–10.IX.2016, 10–28.X.2016, 13.XI–3.XII.2016, leg. E. Ruíz Cancino & J.M. Coronado ( UAT) ; Veracruz, Est. Biol. Trop. Los Tuxtlas, C 7, MT-II, Pte- Aula- Lab. EBLTL, 17.IX–15.X.2013, leg. M. Madora ( UNAM) ; Veracruz, Est. Biol. Trop. Los Tuxtlas, N 18°35′55.4′′, W 95°04′34.7′′, 155 m, MT-II, 24.VII–16.VIII.2013, leg. M. Madora , Veracruz, Est. Biol. Trop. Los Tuxtlas, N 18°34′57.8′′, W 95°04′34.6′′, 231 m, MT-I, Selva alta Perenifola , 31.III–16.IV.2014, leg. M. Madora , Veracruz, Est. Biol. Trop. Los Tuxtlas, N 18°34′55.4′′, W 95°04′34.7′′, 207 m, MT-II, C7, Pte- Aula- Lab. EBLTL, 17.IX–15.X.2013, leg. M

.

Madora, the same place, but 16–31.III.2014, leg. M. Madora; Veracruz, Est. Biol. Trop. Los Tuxtlas , N 18°34′55.5′′, W 95°04′37.1′′, 246 m, MT-III, 16.IV–1.V.2014, 1–14.V.2014, leg. M. Madora ( UNAM) ; Yucatán: Corral ( SMSC) , Sudzal Chico ( SMSP), XII.1998 – III.1999, VI–VII, XI.1999, leg. Hugo Delfín ( UAT) ; Oaxaca, Municipio Santiago Comaltepec, La Esperanza , 1600 m, N 17.62601°, W 96.36950°, MT, 10–20.VI.2008, 2–12.VIII.2008, Bosque Lluvioso de Montaña, leg. A. López García ( UNAM, ZISP, KRC) .

Description. Female. Fore wing length 3.4 mm.

Face medially 1.0 × as wide as high, smooth and polished, with shallow, sparse punctures; eyes not setose, dorsal ridge of face inbetween antennal sockets usually with a prominence; orbits divergent ventrally; frons somewhat impressed; face profile slightly rounded, edge of clypeus almost straight, slightly impressed, antennal sockets not on a distinct high shelf (Hw/Fp = 9.1); subocular sulcus distinct, sharp, nearly straight; maxillary palp reaching slightly beyond fore coxa. In dorsal view, head posteriorly slightly concave, temples very narrow, only slightly protruding posterior to eye, about 0.1 × eye width, hind ocellus separated from eye by 0.75 × ocellar diameter, anterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.7 × ocellar diameter, lacking ocellar-ocular grooves. Minimum distance between antennal sockets slightly more than half diameter of socket; antenna slender, with 23–24 flagellomeres elongate, flagellomeres which gradually slightly shortening towards apex of antenna; basal flagellomere 2.3 × as long as wide and basal flagellomere about half of the length of scape; scape with internal surface convex, outer side concave.

Mesosoma polished except for inconspicuous punctation on anterior of mesoscutum and pronotum with short striate postero-ventrally; sometimes with vague, coriaceous microsculpture dorsally on propodeum; mesoscutum anteriorly with notauli; in profile, scutellum high, metapleuron strongly convex; propodeum with posterior transverse carina complete, strong, raised as distinct projections at level of lateral longitudinal carinae; median longitudinal carinae complete, lateral longitudinal carinae complete, spiracles medium-sized.

Legs broad; coxae and femora polished, femora with inconspicuous alutaceous-coriaceous sculpture, tibiae and tarsi coriaceous-granulate; hind coxa 1.1 × as long as first tergite, hind femur 2.8 × as long as high, hind tibia 3.8 × as long as apically wide; tibiae with spine-like setae.

Wings not particularly narrow; fore wing with areolet open, vein Rs sinuous; hind wing with nervellus not intercepted, nearly straight.

First tergite elongate, 1.3 × as long as apically wide, in dorsal view, slightly wider at spiracles; coriaceous, with complete median longitudinal carinae, with transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping posteriorly, not meeting centrally. Second tergite 0.9 × as long as apically wide; coriaceous, with longitudinal striae, median longitudinal carinae of first tergite continuing onto base of second tergite, with diagonal-transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping anteriorly and posteriorly, not meeting centrally, forming a somewhat oval or diamond-shaped horizontal uplifted area in the middle; thyridia not developed. Remainder of metasoma impunctate except third tergite smoothly coriaceous in basal quarter to third, with longitudinal striae, without thyridia. Ovipositor rather strong, slightly upcurving, with well-defined notch; ovipositor sheath pointed, with sparse, long, backwards-directed setae.

Body setose except eyes, pronotum, mesopleuron and metapleuron, setae scattered on metasoma and posterior coxae.

Dark to blackish brown except face, clypeus, malar space, lower temples, frontal orbits in lower 1/3 yellow, mouthparts, tegula, sternites and fore and mid coxae, trochanters, trochantelli creamy; propleuron, anterior pronotum, apical margin of second tergite and legs largely yellow except blurred subapical band of hind coxa and hind femur in apical half, dorsal surface of hind tibia and hind tarsus distinctly brown.

Male. Similar to the female, but yellow colouration on frons and mesopleuron more abundant; antennae longer, with 21–24 flagellomeres, basal flagellomere about 4.0 × as long as wide.

Biology. Hosts unknown. Material collected from cloud forests and lower elevation sites.

Distribution. Mexico (Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatan).

Etymology. Named after the conspicuous variability of head and hind legs colour pattern.

Comments. Compared with the other species that have a complete posterior transverse carina, short notauli and hind coxa yellow to orange, subocular sulcus is nearly straight, unlike in O. brevicornis , O. luteoclypeus and O. maculae ; temples distinct, unlike in O. coronadoae ; the mesopleuron fuscous, unlike in O. rufipleuris . Most similar to O. similis but differs in narrower temples, dorsal ridge of face inbetween antennal sockets with a median blunt low prominence; hind wing with nervellus not intercepted; tergite 2 without light apical margin without thyridia; frontal orbits blurred creamy in lower half only (seldom up to the level of anterior ocellus, but not extend to occiput). Also similar to O. rectus but differs in less number of flagellomeres, metapleuron strongly convex; upper frontal orbits fuscous; thyridia lacking. The variation within this species is considerable: in size, the number of flagellomeres and proportions of basal flagellomere; sculpture of second tergite; and colour pattern. The details of colour patterns vary, mainly concerning the amount of creamy white or yellow on frontal orbits, the extent of fuscous marks on the hind coxae and femora, pronotum, mesopleuron and metasomal tergites. Specimens from Yucatan are characterized by lighter colouration and less number of flagellomeres in antenna.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Lateral views: Orthocentrus maculae species-group.A: lopezi, B: rufipleuris, C: scutellatus, D: similis, E: tergalis, F: varicolor. Scale 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 10. Faces: Orthocentrus montanus (in part) and O. maculae species-groups. A: montezuma, B: sierrae, C: tlaxcalensis, D: brevicornis, E: coronadoae, F: latus, G: lopezi, H: rufipleuris, I: scutellatus, J: similis, K: tergalis, L: varicolor. Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 14. Heads in dorsal view: Orthocentrus maculae and O. ungularis species-groups. A: brevicornis, B: coronadoae, C: latus, D: lopezi, E: rufipleuris, F: scutellatus, G: similis, H: tergalis, I: varicolor, J: elongatus, K: flavoorbitalis, L: hidalgoensis, M: longiventris, N: rhombifer, O: ungularis. Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 17. Basal tergites: Orthocentrus maculae and O. ungularis species-groups. A: brevicornis, B: coronadoae, C: latus, D: lopezi, E: rufipleuris, F: scutellatus, G: similis, H: tergalis, I: varicolor, J: elongatus, K: flavoorbitalis, L: hidalgoensis, M: longiventris, N: rhombifer, O: ungularis. Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 25. Distribution map of Orthocentrus in Mexico. O. brevicornis, O. maculae, O. tergalis, O. varicolor