Probles (Euporizon) lunai Khalaim, 2019

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2019, Mexican species of the genus Probles Förster (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae), Zootaxa 4619 (2), pp. 201-230 : 214-216

6. Probles (Euporizon) lunai Khalaim , sp. nov.

( Figs 32–39 )

Material examined. Holotype female ( UAT), Mexico, Tamaulipas, Km 21 La Peña—Joya Larga [road north from La Peña], pine forest, 16.IX.2000, coll. C. Covarrubias-Dimas.

Paratypes. MEXICO. Chiapas: 1 ♀ ( TAMU) 4 km W of San Cristóbal [de las Casas], San Felipe [Ecatepec], Oak-grass woodlands, 24–28.VIII.1990, coll. R. Jones. Tamaulipas: 1 ♀ ( UAT) NE of Miquihuana, Rancho Obed Hernández , 2500 m, pine forest, Malaise trap, 10–24.IX.2011, coll. E. Ruíz-Cancino & J. Treviño-Carreon.

Description. Female. Body length 2.9 mm. Fore wing length 2.7 mm.

Head, in dorsal view, strongly and roundly constricted and rounded posterior to eyes ( Fig. 35 ); gena 0.65× as long as eye width. Eyes glabrous. Clypeus in front view ( Fig. 33 ) lenticular, with ventrolateral margins not or slightly impressed, about 3.0× as broad as long, very weakly convex, smooth in lower half and scabrous with very fine and sparse punctures in upper half, separated from face by distinct furrow. Palp formula 4+3. Mandible moderately slender, weakly tapered in basal half and with upper and lower margins subparallel in apical half; upper tooth somewhat longer than the lower. Malar space 0.9–1.0× as long as basal mandibular width. Antennal flagellum ( Fig. 34 ) basally very slender, filiform, with 22 flagellomeres in holotype and 20 flagellomeres in paratypes; second flagellomere about 2.5× and subapical flagellomeres 1.3–1.5× as long as broad. Face with weak median prominence. Face and frons granulate, impunctate, dull. Vertex shallowly granulate anteriorly and medially to smooth posteriorly and laterally, without distinct punctures. Gena smooth, shining, with very fine and sparse punctures. Occipital carina complete. Hypostomal carina absent.

Mesoscutum finely granulate, impunctate and dull, with lateral lobes centrally almost smooth and weakly shining. Notaulus with distinct wrinkle on anterolateral side of mesoscutum ( Fig. 32 ). Scutellum with lateral longitudinal carinae present at its front 0.1–0.15. Mesopleuron predominantly smooth and shining, very finely granulate peripherally and below foveate groove, impunctate in paratypes and with very fine and sparse punctures in upper part in holotype. Epicnemial carina joining front margin of mesopleuron. Foveate groove moderately broad, situated in central 0.8 of mesopleuron, S-curved, with distinct transverse wrinkles ( Fig. 36 ). Propodeal spiracle separated from pleural carina by 0.5–1.0× diameter of spiracle. Propodeum granulate, impunctate, dull (almost smooth in paratype from Chiapas). Propodeum with broad basal area which is partly indistinct (because of irregular wrinkles) in holotype and paratype from Tamaulipas ( Fig. 37 ), and well delineated in paratype from Chiapas ( Fig. 38 ); basal area 0.8–1.0× as long as apical area; apical area flat, widely rounded anteriorly ( Figs 37, 38 ); apical longitudinal carinae complete, reaching transverse carina anteriorly.

Fore wing with second recurrent vein (2m-cu) distinctly postfurcal; vein 2m-cu weakly pigmented in front 0.5– 0.6 and distinct posteriorly. Intercubitus (2rs-m) short to almost absent, somewhat thickened, shorter than abscissa of cubitus between intercubitus and second recurrent vein (abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu). First abscissa of radius (Rs+2r) straight, distinctly longer than width of pterostigma. First and second abscissae of radius (Rs+2 r and Rs ) meeting at right or slightly acute angle. Metacarpus (R1) not reaching apex of fore wing ( Fig. 32 ). Second abscissa of postnervulus present, thus brachial cell is closed posteriorly. Hind wing with nervellus (cu1&cu-a) weakly reclivous. Legs slender. Tarsal claws not pectinate.

First tergite 4.0× as long as posteriorly broad, with petiole striate laterally and (in holotype) dorsally, postpetiole smooth; tergite in cross-section centrally round or somewhat trapeziform, with upper margin weakly convex in basal 0.6–0.7 and somewhat stronger convex in apical 0.3–0.4; postpetiole wider than petiole in dorsal view. Glymma moderately deep, situated in posterior 0.6 of tergite and joining by furrow to ventral part of postpetiole. Second tergite 1.7× as long as anteriorly broad. Thyridial depression twice as long as broad, with posterior end rounded. Ovipositor long and slender, weakly and evenly upcurved ( Fig. 32 ), with shallow dorsal subapical depression ( Fig. 39 ); sheath 2.0–2.8× (2.2× in holotype) as long as first tergite.

Head and mesosoma dark reddish brown to brownish black; tegula and lower 0.6 of clypeus yellow. Palpi and mandible (teeth red) yellow. Scape and pedicel of antenna pale brown in holotype and yellow in both paratypes; flagellum brown, yellowish ventrally in paratype from Chiapas. Wings hyaline. Pterostigma pale brown. Legs brownish yellow, hind coxa darkened with brown in females from Tamaulipas and entirely yellow in female from Chiapas. First metasomal segment brown or dark brown. Metasoma posterior to first tergite predominantly brown, in holotype metasoma behind second tergite dark brown to brownish black.

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Female from Chiapas is distinctly paler than females from Tamaulipas, with head and mesosoma orange-brown rather than brownish black and flagellum yellow to pale brown ventrally. Propodeal spiracle in female from Chiapas is separated from pleural carina by one diameter of spiracle, propodeum with basal longitudinal carinae distinct ( Fig. 38 ) and ovipositor sheath 2.8× as long as first tergite (2.0–2.2× in females from Tamaulipas).

Etymology. The species is named in honour of our colleague, professor of UAT, Juan Fidencio Luna Salas.

Distribution. Mexico (Tamaulipas, Chiapas) (Fig. 1).

Comparison. The new species differs from all other species of Probles occurring in Mexico by the combination of smooth gena, propodeum with long and broad basal area ( Figs 37, 38 ), and long and weakly upcurved ovipositor with shallow dorsal subapical depression ( Figs 32, 39 ).

Figures

FIGURES 32–39. Probles lunai sp. nov., holotype (32, 35, 37, 39) and paratypes (Chiapas: 33, 38; Tamaulipas: 34, 36), females: 32—habitus, lateral; 33—head, front; 34—head with antennae, front; 35—head, dorsal; 36—head and mesosoma, ventro-lateral; 37, 38—propodeum, dorsal; 39—apex of ovipositor, lateral.