Phycitiplex tricinctus Porter, 2008

Porter, Charles C., 2008, New Phycitiplex Porter (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Subandean Desert in northwest Argentina, Insecta Mundi 2008 (56), pp. 1-13 : 5-7

Phycitiplex tricinctus Porter , new species

( Fig. 2 )

Description. Female Holotype. Color: scape reddish with a little white on apex and flagellum black with a white band above on segments 6 (near apex) to 10; head and mesosoma black with some reddish on mandible and clypeus and with white as follows: large blotch on mandible, most of clypeus except apically, blotch on middle of face, broad orbital band throughout except for a slight break in malar space, broad anterior margin of pronotum, humeral margin of pronotum, tegula, most of scutellum, most of subalarum, large blotch in lower front quadrant of mesopleural disc, small spot on upper end of mesepimeron, upper division of metapleuron, and a broad band on each side of hind face of propodeum from cristae (inclusive) to hind margin; gaster light red with a wide white apical band covering about 0.8 of postpetiole, and broad white subapical bands on tergites 2 and 3; fore and mid legs: coxae mostly white, variegated with dull red and black, trochanter white with darker staining, femur red, tibia and tarsus duller red with dusky apicad on tarsomeres 1-4 and throughout on 5, hind leg red with a large white blotch above on base of coxa, tibia duller red with some dusky toward apex; tarsus mostly dusky; wings hyaline.

Length of forewing: 4.5 mm. Flagellum long, slender, cylindric, its first segment 4.7 times as long as deep at apex. Clypeus strongly raised, in profile bluntly subpyramidal or nasute with apical face shorter than basal and strongly declivous. Malar space 0.66 times as long as basal width of mandible. Wing venation: areolet large with intercubiti very strongly converging above, second abscissa of radius 0.4 times as long as first intercubitus. First gastric tergite: postpetiole short and broad, 2.0 times as wide at apex as long from spiracle to apex, dorsal carinae obsolete, surface smooth and polished with weak microaciculation that fades out apicad and with a few, widely scattered, shallow, medium sized punctures. Second gastric tergite: rather mat with abundant, quite small, shallow but well defined subadjacent to adjacent punctures emitting short, mostly a little overlapping setae. Ovipositor: straight, slender, strongly compressed; 0.32 times as long as forewing; nodus weakly defined by presence of a minute notch, profile of dorsal valve between notch and apex evenly tapering, slightly convex, tip 0.18 times as high at notch as long from notch to apex.

Variation. Color: scape sometimes wholly black; white blotch on mesopleuron sometimes quite small; front trochanter may be extensively blackish; mid coxa sometimes red and white only; hind femur sometimes more or less dusky. Length of forewing 4.1-5.7 mm. Flagellum: first segment 4.7-6.3 times as long as deep at apex. Malar space 0.50-0.70 times as long as basal width of mandible. Wing venation: second abscissa of radius 0.3-0.4 times as long as first intercubitus. First gastric tergite with postpetiole 1.8-2.2 times as wide at apex as long from spiracle to apex. Ovipositor: sheathed portion 0.29-0.31 times as long as forewing; tip 0.16-0.24 times as high at notch as long from notch to apex.

Type material. Holotype female, ARGENTINA, La Rioja Province, Sierra de Velasco, Santa Vera Cruz , 1700 m, 31-I-2004, P. Fidalgo, Malaise trap [ IMLA] . Paratypes: 3 females, same locality as holotype, 13- I-2005, 31-I-2004, 5-II-2005 [ FSCA, IMLA] .

Relationships. This species may be recognized by its straight ovipositor, unusually broad postpetiole, sharply defined punctures on the second gastric tergite, and in having a white apical band on tergites 1- 3 only. Otherwise it is similar to other members of the P. charieis species cluster.

Figures

Figure 2. Phycitiplex tricinctus, female, paratype.Santa Vera Cruz, La Rioja, Argentina. Lateral view of entire insect.