Orthocentrus sierrae, Humala, 2019

Humala, Andrei E., 2019, Mexican species of the genus Orthocentrus (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae: Orthocentrinae), Zootaxa 4709 (1), pp. 1-83 : 40-41

Orthocentrus sierrae sp. nov.

( Figs 4 B , 10 B , 13 N , 16 N , 22 )

Material examined. Holotype ♀: México: Hidalgo, Huasca de Ocampo , rancho Sta. Elena, 2480 m, MT, 29.XI– 26.XII.2005, leg. Meléndez & Hdz. ( UNAM).

Description. Female. Fore wing length 3.2 mm.

Face medially 1.2 × as wide as high; face polished, finely punctate, pustulate with some horizontal striae; eyes not setose, dorsal ridge of face inbetween antennal sockets without a median prominence; face profile nearly straight, edge of clypeus straight, antennal sockets not on a high shelf (Hw/Fp = 7.6); subocular sulcus distinct, strongly bent towards occiput; maxillary palp reaching beyond fore coxa. In dorsal view, head posteriorly deeply concave, temples wide, about 0.5 × eye width, posterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.1 × ocellar diameter, anterior ocellus separated from eye by 2.2 × ocellar diameter, lacking ocellar-ocular grooves. Minimum distance between antennal sockets about 0.6 × diameter of socket; antenna with 24 flagellomeres which gradually shortening towards apex; basal flagellomere 1.4 × as long as wide and about half of scape length; scape in frontal view a little concave on lateral surface, convex on inner surface.

Mesosoma smooth and polished except for few striae postero-ventrally on pronotum, sometimes with weak microsculpture on propodeum; mesoscutum anteriorly with short notauli; in profile, scutellum not particularly high, metapleuron slightly convex; propodeum with posterior transverse carina incomplete, median longitudinal carinae weak, lateral longitudinal carinae present as a short stubs posterior to spiracles, spiracles medium-sized.

Legs moderately stout; coxae and femora polished, femora with coriaceous microsculpture especially on posterior side, tibiae and tarsi coriaceous-granulate; hind coxa as long as first tergite, hind femur 3.3 × as long as high, hind tibia 4.0 × as long as apically wide; tibiae with spine-like setae, hind claws enlarged.

Wings not particularly narrow; fore wing with areolet narrowly sessile (almost petiolate), vein Rs slightly upcurved; hind wing with nervellus intercepted at lower third.

First tergite slightly widening apically, 1.9 × as long as apically wide, in dorsal view, slightly wide at spiracles; coriaceous, without median longitudinal carinae, with irregular logitudinal striae and shallow impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping posteriorly, not meeting centrally. Second tergite 0.8 × as long as apically wide; coriaceous, with irregular logitudinal striae; spiracles protruding; transverse groove originating at about middle of tergite, sloping posteriorly near the apical margin; basal thyridia nearly circular, contrastingly coloured, second thryridia oval, contrastingly coloured. Remainder of metasoma unsculptured, polished, lacking thyridia; third tergite with coriaceous microsculpture basally. Ovipositor thin, nearly straight, without dorsal notch; ovipositor sheath with sparse, long backwards-directed setae.

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

Brown; mesoscutum reddish-brown; face yellowish-brown, infuscate dorso-medially; mouthparts, malar area posterior to subocular sulcus and up to level of ventral edge of eye, clypeus and inner orbits broadly yellow from antennal sockets to level of posterior ocelli, antenna ventrally, fore and mid coxae, propleuron, pronotum with broad stripe along dorsal margin and ventrally, subalar prominence, tegula, all trochanters and trochantelli light yellow; remainder of fore and mid legs light brown, hind legs mostly brown except coxa apically, trochanters and trochantelli, femur, tibia and tarsus basally yellowish; mesosternum and mesepimeron reddish-brown; posterior margins of first, second and third tergites and basal margin of third tergite orange.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Hosts unknown. Collected on altitude 2460 m.

Distribution. Mexico (Hidalgo).

Etymology. Named after ‘sierra’—Mountain chain in Spanish.

Comments. Compared with the other species that have a complete posterior transverse carina, short notauli, and closed areolet, head slightly transverse, light brown apical bands on tergites 1–3 and frontal orbits entirely yellow up to occiput, unlike in O. malaris and O. tlaxcalensis ; mesoscutum reddish-brown, unlike in O. montanus and O. khalaimi ; flagellum shorter and stouter, basal flagellomere 1.4 × as long as wide, notaular lines not developed and spiracles of second tergite protruding, unlike in O. montezuma .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Lateral views: Orthocentrus montanus (in part) and O. maculae (in part) species-groups.A: montezuma, B: sierrae, C: tlaxcalensis, D: brevicornis, E: coronadoae, F: latus. 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 13. Heads in dorsal view: Orthocentrus shieldsi and O. montanus species-groups. A: areolatus, B: dorsofuscus, C: fuscipes, D: kasparyani, E: lostuxtlasi, F: microphthalmus, G: ocampo, H: vulgaris, I: zaldivari, J: khalaimi, K: malaris, L: montanus, M: montezuma, N: sierrae, O: tlaxcalensis. Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 16. Basal tergites: Orthocentrus shieldsi and O. montanus species-groups. A: areolatus, B: dorsofuscus, C: fuscipes, D: kasparyani, E: lostuxtlasi, F: microphthalmus, G: ocampo, H: vulgaris, I: zaldivari, J: khalaimi, K: malaris, L: montanus, M: montezuma, N: sierrae, O: tlaxcalensis. Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 22. Distribution map of Orthocentrus in Mexico. O. khalaimi, O. montanus, O. montezuma, O. sierrae