Prototilla telteca Torréns, Fidalgo, Roig-Alsina & Brothers, 2012

Torréns, Javier, Fidalgo, Patricio, Roig-Alsina, Arturo & Brothers, Denis J., 2012, New species of Prototilla Schuster, 1949 from Argentina and diagnoses of the genus based on male and female (Hymenoptera: Bradynobaenidae: Typhoctinae: Eotillini), Zootaxa 3427, pp. 17-32 : 25-28

Prototilla telteca Torréns, Fidalgo, Roig-Alsina & Brothers , sp. nov.

( Figs 17, 18 , 23, 24 )

Diagnosis. Female. General body color dark brown to black, except antennae, legs and apex of metasoma lighter ( Figs 17, 18 ). Metapleuron smooth ( Fig. 23 ). Posterior face of propodeum flat mesally and undelimited laterally. Male. Unknown.

Description. Female. Length 4.0– 4.5 mm. General body coloration dark brown to black; antenna dark brown, with basal 3/4 of F1 black; coxae, femora, tibiae and apical segments of metasoma slightly lighter than rest of body; mandible and tarsi light brown ( Figs 17, 18 , 24 ).

Head 1.2–1.5 × as broad as high and 1.2–1.3 × as broad as mesosoma; with dense scale-like setae covering frons from base of mandible to half eye height, a few scattered scale-like setae reaching top of eye and behind head; plumose setae distributed throughout head; vertex with spaced punctation and thick dark plumose setae medially ( Fig. 24 ). Eyes separated by 1.6–1.8 × their height, malar space 0.4–0.6 × eye height. Clypeus short and broad, slightly convex; mandible arched, simple, with small preapical denticle on inner edge; palpal formula 6-4. Postgenal bridge approximately as long as diameter of foramen magnum, with smooth transverse striae across its surface. Antenna 12-segmented; radicle as long as broad; scape with scattered scale-like and plumose setae on dorsal and inner surfaces, with long plumose setae on ventral surface near insertion of pedicel, scape 1.9–2.6 × as long as broad and 1.4–2.0 × as long as pedicel; pedicel 1.7–2.2 × as long as broad and slightly longer than F1; flagellomeres cylindrical, F1 0.5–0.7 × length of scape and 0.8–1.0 × as long as F2; remaining flagellomeres approximately same length except F7–F9 gradually decreasing in length, F10 elongated with rounded apex.

Mesosoma elongate, 1.6–2.1 × as long as broad ( Figs 17, 18 , 23 ). Pronotum 1.4–1.7 × as broad as long (width taken across humeral tubercles), forming a collar anteriorly; humeral tubercle poorly developed; dorsum with wellmarked and contiguous punctation, a dense longitudinal band of scale-like setae laterally and scattered plumose setae throughout, setae longer laterad; lateral face weakly rugose with a few plumose setae near insertion of fore coxa. Mesonotum smooth, short and transverse, appearing as a constriction at midlength of mesosoma. Metanotum and propodeum fused, dorsal surface with scattered and well-marked punctation, becoming smooth medially, with dense longitudinal band of scale-like setae laterally and scattered plumose setae which longer laterad; vertical surfaces smooth with few scattered punctures bearing small plumose setae, transverse striae near propodeal foramen; a pair of small antero-lateral denticles on each side, each bearing a long seta. Propleuron smoothish, microsculpture difficult to observe, with plumose setae laterally and anteriorly, long plumose setae near insertion of fore coxa; mesopleuron weakly rugose to smooth with a longitudinal carina at level of ventral limit of pronotum, scale-like setae above mid coxa and a few plumose setae on carina and at insertion of mid coxa; metapleuralpropodeal suture indistinguishable, metapleuron and propodeum fused, surface completely smooth ( Fig. 23 ), a longitudinal band of scale-like setae above hind coxa continuous with that on mesopleuron, reaching propodeal foramen.

Legs slender; fore coxa with a group of long plumose setae on upper outer surface and distributed at random near insertion of trochanter and on inner surface, shorter plumose setae on outer surface, very few small scale-like setae on outer and posterior surfaces and near insertion of trochanter; mid and hind coxae, trochanters, femora and tibiae covered with scale-like and plumose setae, except no scale-like setae on ventral surfaces; spur formula 1-2-2.

Metasoma 2.0–3.0 × as long as broad ( Figs 17, 18 ); with well-marked contiguous punctation on T1 and T2, except vertical surface of T1 smooth; T3–T5 with punctation less marked and dispersed; T6 completely alutaceous. T1 with dense group of scale-like setae laterally on dorsal surface, scattered long plumose setae except medially on vertical surface, and short plumose setae on dorsal surface; T2 with dense group of scale-like setae posterolaterally, scattered long plumose setae laterally and short plumose setae across surface; T3–T5 with scattered plumose setae; T6 with pair of long setae laterally on anterior margin; sterna with sculpture and distribution of setae similar to that of corresponding terga, except S1 and S2 with very few scattered scale-like setae on posterior margins.

Male. Unknown.

Variation. In some specimens the mandibular preapical denticle is represented by an incision or a small elevation; the sculpture of the mesosomal pleura and the lateral face of the pronotum is sometimes very weak, giving a smooth appearance; the scale-like and plumose setae on the head, mesosoma and metasoma show variation in density but not in disposition.

Discussion. The association between males and females is very difficult to make because of extreme sexual dimorphism. However, some morphological and coloration aspects suggest that these females may be those of P. nigra sp. nov. Molecular studies will be undertaken which may clarify this situation.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the place where the specimens were collected ( Telteca Reserve, Lavalle, Mendoza); it is a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Argentina: Mendoza.

Material examined. Holotype Ƥ: ARGENTINA: Mendoza, Lavalle, Reserva Telteca [32°23'6"S 68°3'0"W], 15-XII-1994 - 14/III/14 -III-1995, G. Flores and S. Roig, pit-fall (IADIZA). Paratypes, 9Ƥ: Mendoza, Lavalle, Reserva Telteca , 15/XII/1994 – 03/II/1995, G. Flores and S. Roig; (1Ƥ, MACN); same location, 15/XII/1994 - 14/III/ 1995, G. Flores and S. Roig, pit-fall (4Ƥ, IADIZA); same location, 1-24/XI/1995, Flores and Roig (2Ƥ, MACN); same location, 25/IX-5/XI/1996, Flores and Roig (1Ƥ, DJBC); same location, 25/XII/1995 - 14/II/1996, Flores and Roig (1Ƥ, DJBC).

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 22. Prototilla spp. 17, 18, P. telteca sp. nov., paratype Ƥ (Lavalle, Mendoza): 17, habitus (lateral); 18, habitus (dorsal). 19, 20, P. striata sp. nov., paratype Ƥ (Lavalle, Mendoza): 19, habitus (lateral); 20, habitus (dorsal). 21, 22, P. typhoctoides, paratype Ƥ (Guanaco Muerto, Córdoba): 21, habitus (lateral); 22, habitus (dorsal; anterolateral angles of pronotum indicated).

FIGURES 23 – 28. Prototilla spp. 23, 24, P. t e l t e c a sp. nov., paratype Ƥ (Lavalle, Mendoza): 23, mesosoma (lateral); 24, head (anterior). 25, 26, P. striata sp. nov., paratype Ƥ (Lavalle, Mendoza): 25, mesosoma (lateral; longitudinal carina of mesopleuron indicated); 26, head (anterior). 27, 28, P. typhoctoides, paratype Ƥ (Guanaco Muerto, Córdoba): 27, mesosoma (lateral; longitudinal carina of mesopleuron indicated); 28, head (anterior).