Zatypota flamma Fritzén, 2014

Fritzén, Niclas R., 2014, Two new species of the Polysphincta genus-group (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) reared from their spider (Araneae) hosts in Europe, Zootaxa 3894 (1), pp. 117-130 : 124-127

Zatypota flamma Fritzén , sp. n.

Figs 11–14 .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. HUNGARY: Holotype ♀ ( ZMUT), Sopron, Brennbergbánya, 47° 39.04'N; 16° 29.36'E, SW-slope of forest with Abies alba , Quercus sp. and Fagus sylvatica , beaten from tree branch, ex juv. Parasteatoda ? lunata coll. 18.vi.2010, coc. 24.vi.2010, em. ~ 6.vii.2010 (I. Österblad).

Diagnosis. Zatypota flamma sp. n. can be distinguished from all Palaearctic and North and Central American species of Zatypota by the combination of the following characters: 1) mesoscutum, propodeum and metasomal tergites smooth and highly polished without any trace of microsculpture, 2) ovipositor straight, 3) palp formula 4:3, 4) malar space without subocular sulcus but with a coriaceous band, 5) middle part of the face brownish but cheeks and orbital stripes yellow, the latter reaching the hind margin of the posterior ocelli but not continuing beyond them, and 6) more or less straight submetapleural carina without any projection anteriorly.

Description. Holotype ♀, length of body 3.7 mm, of fore wing 3.2 mm.

Head. Malar space 1.1x basal mandibular width, without subocular sulcus but with band of coriaceous sculpture. Mandible with upper tooth straight and longer than lower tooth. Face as wide as medially high, polished, with sparse setae. Antenna with 21 flagellomeres, length-to-width ratio of first flagellomere 4.9, of second 3.3. Palpal formula 4:3. Head, in dorsal view, with gena strongly receding but rounded, in lateral view with vertex rather flat; posterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.1x its own maximum diameter; occipital carina strong and mediodorsally complete.

Mesosoma . Pronotum laterally glabrous, highly polished and smooth; mediodorsally with longitudinal crest (partly hidden by head and not properly seen); epomia more or less straight and continuing across pronotal collar. Mesoscutum glabrous, smooth and highly polished; notauli strongly impressed. Mesopleuron smooth and highly polished, ventrally and anteriodorsally with few setae; epicnemial carina extending dorsally beyond ventral corner of pronotum. Mesosternum pubescent. Metapleuron convex, evenly hirsute, polished, anterior part smooth, posterior part with weak rugosities. Propodeum polished, area spiracularis and area lateralis hirsute and weakly rugulose, elsewhere smooth and glabrous except for anterior part with some setae; D-shaped area petiolaris enclosed by strong carinae, lateromedian longitudinal carinae complete anteriorly of D-shaped area petiolaris but medially weak, lateral longitudinal carinae reaching forwards almost to spiracle; pleural carina moderately strong and complete. Fore wing with 2 rs -m short, about as long as broad, radius distally slightly bent towards front edge of fore wing, base of 1 m -cu separated from Cu 1 a at distance slightly less than length of Cu 1 b. Hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu 1 entirely absent. Length of hind femur 4.2x its width. Hind tibia with inner surface without any trace of longitudinal furrow.

Metasoma. Tergite 1 of metasoma 1.3x as long as posteriorly broad, polished, with lateromedian carinae extending 0.4 of length of segment; tergite 2 0.7x as long as posteriorly broad; tergites 2–5 each with clearly defined and smooth and polished raised rhombic to triangular central area, surrounding furrows polished but with strong trans-striae on tergites 2–4. Ovipositor 0.6x as long as hind tibia, projecting beyond apex of metasoma by 0.4x length of hind tibia, more or less straight, with distinct swelling at about middle (base of ovipositor hidden).

Colour. Head blackish brown; clypeus, cheeks, mandibles yellowish; facial to vertical orbits yellowish, broadening inwards below antennal sockets, reaching hind margin of posterior ocelli where turning inwards almost touching ocelli; palps whitish; antenna brownish with scape ventrally pallid. Mesosoma blackish brown apart from collar of pronotum yellowish, posterior part of pronotum fuscous, rest of pronotum fulvous, anterior part of propleuron fuscous, lower corner of propleuron fulvous, anteriolateral parts of mesoscutum yellowish, anterior part of middle lobe and area between lateral lobes fuscous, rest of mesoscutum fulvous, mesopleuron fuscous, mesepimeron, tegula, subalar prominence, scutellum and postscutellum yellowish. Metasoma fuscous; central area on tergite 2 fulvous, of tergites 3–5 yellowish. Front and middle legs fulvous, with coxae, trochanters and trochantelli whitish, tibia of middle leg with proximal tip brown; hind leg fulvous with middle part of femur slightly darker, proximal and distal third of tibia fuscous, middle part whitish. Wings hyaline; pterostigma brown but diaphanous.

Type locality. A forest with Abies alba , Quercus sp. and Fagus sylvatica in Sopron, Brennbergbánya in North- West Hungary N 47° 39.04' E 16° 29.36' near the Austrian border, altitude ca 420 m.

Distribution. So far only known from the type locality.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the colouration of the species.

Natural history. Koinobiont ectoparasitoid of Parasteatoda ? lunata (Clerck) (Theridiidae) , the larva situated dorsolaterally on the anterior part of the host’s abdomen ( Figs 13–14 ). Based on the holotype, the species seems to be arboreal in mixed forests. The cocoon is brownish, subcylindrical and densely spun ( Fig. 12 ) with a distinct caudal orifice. Based on the cocoon remains, the adult parasitoid emerges from it by nicely chewing off a circular cap from the apex of it. The cocoon resembles the ones of Z. picticollis (Thomson, 1888) , Z. albicoxa (Walker, 1876) , Sinarachna pallipes (Holmgren, 1860) and S. nigricornis (Holmgren, 1860) in Europe.

Remarks. The male of Z. flamma sp. n. is unknown.

Among the European species of Zatypota the combination of straight ovipositor as well as glabrous, smooth and polished mesoscutum and smooth and polished gastral tergites is found only in Z. picticollis ( Zwakhals 2006) and Zatypota kerstinae Fritzén, 2010 . Zatypota picticollis has a malar space with distinct subocular sulcus, orbits similarly coloured as the head and the palpal formula is 5:3. In Z. kerstinae , the orbital stripes hardly extend to the hind margin of the anterior ocellus. Furthermore, the cheeks are blackish brown in Z. kerstinae . Zatypota albicoxa (Walker) , which the new species also superficially resembles and with which it also shares host species, is generally a larger species, has a very different ovipositor (thin and evenly tapered with no distinct middle swelling and with an upcurved apex), orbital stripes not reaching the front margin of the posterior ocelli, cheeks similarly coloured as the rest of the head, palpal formula 5:3 (or when seemingly reduced to 4:3 with the distal palpomere of the maxillary palp long and undivided), and radius of fore wing distally bent away from the front the edge of the fore wing.

Among the East-Palearctic species not occuring in Europe (see Matsumoto & Takasuka 2010), the combination of straight ovipositor, smooth and polished mesoscutum and smooth and polished metasomal tergites, malar space with a coriaceous band and orbital stripes reaching the posterior ocelli is found only in Z. maculata and Z. elegans . The submetapleural carina of Z. maculata has a small projection at the anterior end and the propodeum and tergite 1 are dorsally and laterally finely coriaceous. The frontal orbital whitish stripe in Z. maculata and Z. elegans extends backwards far behind the posterior ocelli. The antenna is also longer in Z. maculata (24–28 flagellomeres) than in Z. flamma (21 flagellomeres). Viewed from in front the shape of the head of Z. maculata is also distinctly more triangular than in Z. flamma sp. n. The face and clypeus of Z. elegans is characteristic in being entirely white. Additionally the face is as long as wide in Z. flamma while it is distinctly longer (1.3–1.4x) than wide in Z. elegans .

The North and Central American species resembling Z. flamma sp. n. in having long orbital stripes are Z. crassipes Townes, 1960 and Z. alborhombarta (Davis, 1895) , Z. fonsecai Gauld, 1991 and Z. solanoi Gauld, 1991 ( Townes & Townes 1960; Gauld 1991). From the latter three species, Z. flamma sp. n. is easily distinguished by the lack of a strong subocular sulcus. Townes & Townes (1960) do not say whether Z. crassipes has a strong subocular sulcus or a coriaceous band as in the new species. However, it differs from Z. flamma sp. n. at least in the black colour of the median rhombic area of T2–5 and in having longer orbital stripes, continuing back behind hind ocelli.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Zatypota flamma sp. n.: Holotype in lateral view (slightly straightened) and head in anterior view.

FIGURES 12–14. Holotype of Zatypota flamma sp. n.: 11—the cocoon and 12–13—the larva on its host Parasteatoda?lunata. Scale bars 1 mm.