Theronia ferruginaterga, Pham & Broad & Wägele, 2013

Pham, Nhi Thi, Broad, Gavin R. & Wägele, Wolfgang J., 2013, A review of the Theronia genus-group (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) from Vietnam with descriptions of five new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 47 (23 - 24), pp. 1501-1538 : 1525-1528

Theronia ferruginaterga sp. nov.

( Figure 12 )

Material examined

Holotype (♀). Kon Tum, Chu Mom Ray NP, 700–900 m a.s.l., 26 September to 5 October 2006, Malaise trap, Q. P. Mai and M. T. Nguyen leg. ( RMNH).

Paratypes 2 (♀). 1♀ Hoa Binh, Mai Chau, Pa Co , 1100 m a.s.l., 21 April 2002, hand net, T. V. Hoang leg. ( IEBR) ; 1♀ Thua Thien-Hue, Bach Ma NP, 1300–1400 m a.s.l., 14 August 2005, hand net, T. V. Hoang leg. ( IEBR) .

Diagnosis

Pleural part of posterior transverse carina of propodeum entirely absent; mesoscutum, propodeum and metasomal tergites largely marked with ferruginous; ovipositor 1.6 × as long as hind tibia.

Description of holotype

Body length 13.0 mm, fore wing 12.8 mm, ovipositor 5.5 mm. Head. Antenna with first flagellomere 1.5 × length of second; diameter of lateral ocellus 0.9 × ocellar– ocular distance; frons pubescent dorsally, without carina between antennal sockets; inner margins of eyes strongly concave above antennal sockets, convergent ventrally; face 0.85 × as high as wide, with coarse punctures, pubescent, upper margin moderately deeply concave between antennal sockets; clypeus about 0.4 × as high as wide, flat, pubescent basally, apical margin thin, emarginate; malar space about 0.1 × basal width of mandible; occipital carina complete, meeting hypostomal carina about 0.55 × basal mandible width from base of mandible.

Mesosoma

Epomia about half length of basal mandible width; pronotum impunctate and polished laterally, punctate and pubescent along dorsal margin and posterior corner; mesoscutum densely pubescent, about 1.25 × as long as width at anterior level of tegulae, notaulus weakly present on anterior 0.3 of mesoscutum, extending to level of centre of tegula; scutellum strongly convex, pubescent, lateral carina strong on basal half; mesopleuron with small punctures, pubescent, sternaulus moderately impressed anteriorly; metapleuron polished, with fine punctures, pubescent dorsally, posterior part of juxtacoxal carina present; propodeum polished, impunctate dorsally except scattered hairs basally, anterior transverse carina entirely absent, remaining carinae strong, area superomedia open posteriorly, 0.75 × as long as wide, pleural part of posterior transverse carina entirely absent, pleural area with small punctures, pubescent, propodeal spiracle elongate, about 3.7 × as long as wide. Hind leg with femur 3.0 × as long as wide, length about 0.8 × tibia, basitarsus length 0.32 × tibia, 0.32 × tarsus, 2.0 × second tarsomere, fifth tarsomere longer than third. Fore wing vein Rs & M basad of cu-a, vein 2 rs-m about 0.65 × length of 3 rs-m, hind wing with posterior part of vein M + Cu straight, first abscissa of vein Cu 1 0.4× as long as vein cu-a.

Metasoma

Tergites with very small punctures, pubescent, first tergite 1.9 × as long as apical width, medially with shallow hollow, median longitudinal carina ending before level of spiracle, lateral carina weakly extending to spiracle; second tergite 0.75 × as long as apical width, 0.7 × as long as first tergite, 1.2 × longer than third tergite, basal and apical oblique grooves moderately deep; ovipositor straight, length of ovipositor from tip of hypopygium 1.6 × length of hind tibia, pointed tip, lower valve with nine teeth, upper valve with three low serrations.

Colour

Antenna reddish brown ventrally, upper side darker; frons to hind vertex marked reddish brown; mesoscutum with three reddish stripes and black mark in front of scutellum; mesopleuron with black mark on groove below subalar prominence joined with oblique black spot; propodeum reddish basally; fore leg with posterior faces of femur and tibia reddish brown, mid femur with broad posterior and narrow ventral reddish brown stripes, mid tibia posteriorly and tarsus reddish brown, hind coxa marked with reddish on anterior and posterior faces, hind trochantellus, upper and ventral face of hind femur, hind tibia and tarsus reddish; wings brownish yellow, veins blackish, pterostigma reddish brown; tergites with reddish markings.

Male. Unknown

Variation

Paratypes with area superomedia more elongate than in holotype (0.9–1.2 × as long as wide); the paratype from Hoa Binh Province has the median stripe on the mesoscutum and the basal part of the propodeum somewhat darker.

Comparison

This new species has a similar colour pattern to T. flava Gupta and T. flavopuncta Gupta. It differs from both in the absence of the pleural part of the posterior transverse carina, its punctate, pubescent vertex and the presence of a black mark on the mesopleuron.

Etymology

This species is named after the ferruginous metasomal tergites.

Distribution

Currently known from Pa Co (Hoa Binh Province), Bach Ma NP (Thua Thien-Hue Province) and Chu Yang Sin NP (Dak Lak Province) ( Figure 5 ) .

Ecological notes

The specimens were collected in evergreen forest at elevations of 700–1400 m a.s.l.

Figures

Figure 5. Map showing the type localities of Epitheronia vinhanensis sp. nov (Ɨ); Nomosphecia carinicurvata sp. nov. (•); Theronia ferruginaterga sp. nov. (I); Theronia longihastata sp. nov (♣) and Theronia tahuythinhi sp. nov. (-).

Figure 12. Theronia ferruginaterga sp. nov. (holotype female). (A) Lateral view; (B) lateral view of head and mesosoma; (C) dorsal view of metasomal tergites; (D) ovipositor tip; (E) face; (F) dorsal view of head and mesoscutum; (G) dorsal view of scutellum, metascutellum, and propodeum.