Hylophasma aterrima Kasparyan & Khalaim, 2024

Kasparyan, Dmitry R. & Khalaim, Andrey I., 2024, Two new species of Glodianus Cameron and Hylophasma Townes (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae) from Mexico, Zootaxa 5437 (4), pp. 571-581 : 577-579

2. Hylophasma aterrima Kasparyan & Khalaim , sp. nov.

( Figs 12–17 )

Material examined. Holotype female ( UNAM), Mexico, State of Veracruz, Xalapa, Unidad de Servicios Bibliotecarios y de Información ( USBI), Malaise trap, 19°30’N, 96°55’W, 1279 m, March 2018, coll. M. López-Ortega.

Paratypes. MEXICO: 5 ♂ ( UNAM) same data as holotype, but 13.iv.2016. 1 ♂ ( ZISP) same data, but 7 August 2015 .

Description. Female. Body length 4.8 mm, fore wing length 4.1 mm.

Antenna with 24 flagellomeres; flagellum distinctly thickened in apical 0.4, about ten subapical flagellomeres 1.5–1.8× as broad as basal flagellomeres ( Fig. 12 ). Head polished, with sparse fine setiferous punctures; frons highly polished, with very fine and shallow granulation on eye orbits ( Fig. 14 ); median part of frons, posterior half of vertex and gena almost impunctate ( Figs 13, 14 ). Clypeus evenly convex in profile, with lower margin evenly truncated, laterally with small sharp lobe ( Fig. 13 ). Lower tooth of mandible slightly shorter than the upper tooth; lower margin of mandible with distinct sharp flange extending to base of teeth ( Fig. 13 ). Malar space finely granulate, about 0.6× as long as basal mandibular width. Lower part of gena convex, without concavity before base of mandible ( Fig. 13 ). Occipital carina joining to hypostomal carina very close to base of mandible; portion of hypostomal carina between this junction and mandible shorter than width of palpi.

Mesosoma polished with fine setiferous punctures ( Fig. 15 ); pronotum and median part of mesopleuron almost impunctate; puncture on anterior part of mesoscutum denser ( Fig. 14 ); notaulus deep and sharp, extending to posterior 0.7 of mesoscutum ( Fig. 14 ). Scuto-scutellar groove with 6–8 short transverse rugae ( Fig. 14 ). Mesopleuron between subtegular ridge and mesopleural fovea somewhat impressed and with five short carinae. Sternaulus short and sharp, almost reaching midlength of mesopleuron ( Fig. 15 ). Metapleuron with fine and short setae (denser than on mesopleuron). Juxtacoxal carina absent. Propodeum predominantly polished, pleural and all apical areas densely and finely punctato-rugose; lateromedian and lateral longitudinal carinae of propodeum absent; pleural carina behind anterior transverse carina obliterated; posterior transverse carina almost straight medially, without projections (apophyses or crests) laterally.

Fore wing with areolet fore wing of medium size, as high as portion of vein 2m-cu above bulla; vein 1cu-a (nervulus) slightly reclivous; postnervulus intercepted at upper 0.35. Hind wing with nervellus intercepted at lower 0.4; posterior section of AA (brachiella) entirely absent. Proportion of length of tarsomeres 1–5 of hind tarsus 5.5: 2.1: 1.5: 0.8: 1.4.

First metasomal segment slender, about 4.0× as long as wide posteriorly, without longitudinal carinae, ridges, basolateral tooth or flange. Second tergite strongly widened towards apex, 2.5× wider posteriorly than at base. Ovipositor sheath about 1.1× as long as hind tibia ( Fig. 12 ); upper valve behind nodus 1.8× as long as hind tarsomere 2.

Body predominantly black ( Fig. 12 ). Antenna with scape and pedicel blackish dorsally and yellowish brown ventrally; flagellum black, flagellomeres 7–11 white dorsally. Head black; lower half of clypeus and mandibles (except for teeth) reddish brown; palpi yellowish white. Mesosoma black; propleuron, entire anterior margin and extreme dorso-posterior corner of pronotum, upper part of mesepimeron and posteroventral part of mesopleuron yellowish to pale reddish ( Fig. 15 ); dorsal mark on collar and tegula whitish. Metasoma brownish black to black, tergites 2–6 in posterior 0.2–0.3 brown (brown marks wider medially and narrower laterally). Legs predominantly reddish yellow; fore and mid coxae and fore trochanter and trochantellus white; hind coxa with brown mark dorsally, hind trochanter and trochantellus marked with brown, all femora narrowly brownish dorsally, hind tibia entirely brown, hind and partly mid tarsi darkened with brown ( Fig. 12 ).

Male ( Fig. 16 ). Fore wing length 4.1–5.1 mm. Antenna with 28–29 flagellomeres ( Fig. 17 ), flagellum about 1.2× as long as fore wing; flagellomeres 12–14 with linear tyloid along their entire length. First tergite very long and slender, 5.6× as long as wide posteriorly. Paler than female; scape and pedicel ventrally white; flagellomeres 9–14 almost completely white, slightly brownish ventrally; clypeus, mandible (except teeth), propleuron, anterior margin of pronotum, mid trochanter and trochantellus, fore and mid femora in ventro-basal halves, and hind coxa ventrally white; mesepimeron almost entirely dull whitish; parameres whitish. Posterior pale markings on tergites 2–5 medially expanded towards centre of tergite. Otherwise similar to female.

Etymology. The new species is named from the Latin aterrimus (black, dark) after its predominantly dark body.

Distribution. Mexico (Veracruz).

Comparison. The new species belongs to the debilis species-group as it has occipital carina complete, not interrupted ventrally. Within this species-group it resembles H. nigriceps but differs from this species by its predominantly black mesosoma with scarce pale markings, polished frons (distinctly granulate in H. nigriceps ), shorter sternaulus, metapleuron without juxtacoxal carina (present in H. nigriceps ), and hind wing without posterior section of AA (brachiella) (present in H. nigriceps ).

Hylophasma aterrima sp. nov. also differs from the Nearctic H. debils Townes by the ovipositor with upper valve behind nodus 1.8× as long as hind tarsomere 2, while in H. debilis this proportion is 1.2× (see Fig. 237 in Townes 1970).

Figures

FIGURES 12–17. Hylophasma aterrima sp. nov., ♀, holotype (12–15) and ♂, paratype (16, 17): 12, 16—habitus, lateral; 13—head, front; 14—head and anterior part of mesosoma, dorsal; 15—head, mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral; 17— antenna.