Phycitiplex obscurior Porter, 2008

Porter, Charles C., 2008, New Phycitiplex Porter (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Subandean Desert in northwest Argentina, Insecta Mundi 2008 (56), pp. 1-13 : 4

Phycitiplex obscurior Porter , new species

( Fig. 1 )

Description. Female Holotype. Color: antenna blackish with a white band above on flagellar segments 6-9; head and mesosoma black with reddish on mandible and around clypeus, a narrow white band on facial and frontal orbits, a broad white band toward apex on vertical orbit and continued below to lower half of hind orbit, a tiny white spot in malar space, anterior margin of pronotum white only on collar, a little white anteriorly on humeral margin of pronotum, white spot on base of tegula, subalarum slightly tinged with whitish, and basal 0.6 of scutellum pure white; gaster red on first tergite, duller red on second tergite, mostly blackish on third tergite, fourth tergite black with a very broad white apical band, following tergites black with abbreviated white bands ventro-laterally on fifth and sixth; fore and mid leg with coxa black with a little white toward apex, trochanter black and white, trochantellus pale orange and whitish, femur and tibia light orange, the tarsus dull orange suffused with dusky; hind leg orange red on coxa, with trochanter black and white, trochantellus pale orange and whitish, femur and tibia light orange, and tarsus dull orange with weak blackish staining toward apices of segments 1-4 and blackish throughout on 5; wings hyaline with slight brownish staining.

Length of forewing 4.6 mm. Flagellum long, slender, cylindric, first segment 5.0 times as long as deep at apex. Clypeus strongly nasute, basal face convexly raised in profile, the slightly shorter apical face steeply declivous and a little concave. Malar space 0.50 times as long as basal width of mandible. Fore tibia stout but not inflated. Pronotum: submarginal groove narrow but percurrent and foveolate; mesoscutum with notauli fine and sharp basally and shallower rearward but traceable 0.8 times the length of mesoscutum, surface shining with very many rather large subadjacent to adjacent or a little confluent strong, sharp punctures. Wing venation: areolet large with intercubiti strongly convergent above, second abscissa of radius 0.4 times as long as first intercubitus; second recurrent a little reclivous on lower half and slightly outcurved above. Propodeum: spiracle 3.0 times as long as wide; whole propodeum in profile strongly and smoothly sloping from base to apex, the apical face being confluent with the slightly shorter basal face; basal trans-carina fine and sharp throughout; apical trans-carina absent medially but developed laterally into low although sharp edged broadly crescentic cristae. First gastric tergite: petiole slender basad but toward apex widened into the short and broad postpetiole which is 1.2 times as wide at apex as long from spiracle to apex; surface of postpetiole shining with delicate microaciculation which fades out toward apex and with a few widely scattered small to moderately large, inconspicuous punctures which are most conspicuous apically. Second gastric tergite: dully shining with very fine micro-reticulation, and a few sparse, inconspicuous punctures toward apex which emit short, mostly well spaced setae. Ovipositor: sheathed portion 0.65 times as long as forewing; nodus scarcely defined, its position indicated by a tiny notch; tip 0.20 times as high at notch as long from notch to apex.

Variation. Color: may be back with no red areas and reduced white markings: no white on humeral margin of pronotum; scutellum black except tinged with brownish white on each side near base; no white on sixth gastric tergite; fore and mid legs light brownish; hind leg with coxa and trochanter black, trochantellus brownish, femur black with dull brownish orange laterally below and near base and apex. Length of forewing 4.1-4.8 mm. First flagellomere 4.8 times as long as deep at apex. Malar space up to 0.60 times as long as basal width of mandible. Wing venation: second abscissa of radius up to 0.6 as long as first intercubitus. Propodeum: spiracle 2.5 times as long as wide. First gastric tergite: postpetiole 1.3 times as wide at apex as long from spiracle to apex. Ovipositor 0.68-0.72 times as long as forewing, its tip 0.16-0.18 times as high as notch as long from notch to apex.

Type material. Holotype female, ARGENTINA, La Rioja Province, Sierra de Velasco, Santa Vera Cruz , 1700 m, X-2001, P. Fidalgo, Malaise trap [ IMLA] . Paratypes: 2 females, same data as holotype [ FSCA, IMLA] .

Relationships. This species is related to the partially sympatric northwest and central Argentine P. doddi and to P. eremnus from central Chile. It differs from both these species in its longer notauli (0.7-0.8 times the length of mesoscutum) and additionally from P. doddi by its mostly black legs. Other distinguishing features are noted in the key and in the respective species descriptions.

Figures

Figure 1. Phycitiplex obscurior, female, paratype. Santa Vera Cruz, La Rioja, Argentina. Lateral view of entire insect.