Camera thoracica ( Szépligeti, 1916 )

Pádua, Diego G., Silva-Santos, Isamara, Santos, Bernardo F., Faustino- Magalhães, Mayara D., Souza, Maria N. A. & Kloss, Thiago G., 2024, The Darwin wasp Camera thoracica (Szépligeti, 1916) (Ichneumonidae) as a natural enemy of the dreaded Brazilian wandering spider Phoneutria nigriventer (Keyserling, 1891) (Ctenidae), Zootaxa 5403 (4), pp. 459-468 : 462-466

Camera thoracica ( Szépligeti, 1916)

( Figs 3 , 4 , 5 )

Christolia? thoracica : Szépligeti 1916: 289. Holotype ♀, Brazil, São Paulo ( HNHM).

Camera thoracica ( Szépligeti, 1916) : Townes & Townes 1962: 432.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other Camera species by the combination of the following characters: 1) head and mesosoma black; 2) metasoma reddish brown; 3) legs mostly ferruginous, with hind tarsomeres 1 apically, 2–3 entirely, and 4 basally white; 4) wings hyaline; 5) propodeum 1.2× as long as wide; 6) propodeum with anterior transverse carina medially slightly arched forwards; 7) tergite 1 about 3.7× as long as maximum width; 8) female with ovipositor 0.8× as long as hind tibia.

Comments. Additional characters based on material examined (female): Fore wing 7.8 mm. Head. Densely pilose; mandible stout, apex 0.5× as wide as base; malar space 1.0× as long as basal width of mandible. Clypeus densely punctate, with its apex glabrous, 1.5× as wide as high, in front view more or less trapezoidal, width at apex 1.5× of basal width, distinctly convex, apically abruptly truncate; apical margin medially straight, laterally not projecting. First flagellomere 5.3× as long as wide; apex of apical flagellomeres uniformly tapered; area between antennae with small, rounded tubercle. Supra-clypeal area convex, distinctly rugose-punctate. Supra-antennal area distinctly rugose-punctate, medially with a distinct longitudinal depression. Vertex finely punctate. Occipital carina sharp, meeting hypostomal carina. Mesosoma. Mostly mat, uniformly, and densely pilose. Pronotum densely punctate, ventrally striate; epomia distinct, diverging from the pronotal collar, dorsally straight, almost reaching dorsal margin of pronotum. Mesoscutum almost flattened, subcircular, 1.1× as long as wide, densely punctate; notaulus distinct over more than 0.4 of mesoscutum length, with transverse striae, weakly impressed in its extension; scutellum shiny, punctate; scuto-scutellar groove deep, anteriorly mostly smooth, posteriorly with longitudinal striae. Mesopleuron ranging from densely punctate to rugose-punctate; subalar ridge distinctly projecting, narrow; epicnemial carina reaching about 0.7 of distance to subalar ridge; sternaulus incomplete and weak, reaching 0.5 of distance to mid coxa. Transverse sulcus at base of propodeum deep, about 0.5× as long as anterior area of propodeum, medially smooth; metapleuron densely punctate, juxtacoxal carina absent. Fourth tarsomere is not bilobed. Propodeum 1.2× as long as wide; anterior margin medially concave, with distinct anterolateral projections; anterior area moderately punctate, shiny, and rugose, medially with distinct longitudinal carina; spiracle elliptic, spiracle 2.3× as wide as long; anterior transverse carina medially slightly arched forwards. Posterior area of propodeum rugulose; posterior transverse carina complete, medially distinctly arched forwards, raised laterally; median longitudinal carina of propodeum presents between anterior and posterior transverse carinae. Wings. Fore wing vein 1-Rs+M and crossvein 1m-cu curved; bulla of 1-Rs+M placed almost on its midlength; fore wing crossvein 1cu-a arising together with 1M+Rs; vein 2Cu-a 1.0× as long as crossvein 2cu-a; crossvein 2m-cu almost straight, reclivous, bulla placed on midlength; areolet of moderate size, 1.3 as long as pterostigma, pentagonal, 1.0× as long as wide, bulla on vein 3r-m placed on midlength; crossveins 2r-m and 3r-m subparallel, about same length; vein 3-M distinctly shorter than 2-M. Hind wing vein 1-M forms a right angle with vein Cua; vein Cub weakly convex, forming a right angle with vein Cua. Metasoma. First tergite moderately short, almost as long as tergite 2, about 3.7× as long as maximum width; in cross-section approximately depressed, mostly striate, sparsely pilose; apex 1.4× as wide as base; spiracle at posterior 0.4 of its length, distinctly prominent; ventrolateral and median dorsal carinae absent; dorsolateral carinae absent. Tergite 2 short, 1.2× as long as maximum width, in dorsal view trapezoidal, posterior width 2.2× anterior width, mostly strongly punctate, apically finely punctate; thyridium slightly longer than wide; tergites 3–8 finely pilose and punctate. Ovipositor 0.8× as long as hind tibia, slender, straight, distinctly compressed, nodus slight but distinct; lower valve without conspicuous teeth.

Color. Head: black; palpi ferruginous; antenna black, flagellomeres 6 apically, 7–11 entirely, and 12 basally white. Mesosoma: black; legs mostly ferruginous; fore and mid legs basally slightly dark ferruginous, generally lighter towards apex except for tarsomeres 3–5 of mid leg dark brown; hind leg with coxa, trochanters, hind tibia, and femur dark ferruginous; hind tarsomeres 1 apically, 2–3 entirely, and 4 basally white. Metasoma: reddish brown, except the base of tergite 1 marked with ferruginous; ovipositor ferruginous and ovipositor sheath black; wings hyaline, apically infumate.

Male. Fore wing 5.3–5.5 mm long. Generally similar to female except vertex more sparsely punctate; antenna with 29 flagellomeres; first flagellomere shorter, about 3.1× as long as wide; antenna black, flagellomeres 10 apically, 11–16 entirely, and 17 basally white; tergite 1 apically narrower, its maximum width about 1.2× minimum width; fore 3–5 tarsomeres dark brown; mid legs basally ferruginous, generally lighter towards apex; hind coxa, trochanters and femur ferruginous. One male with apex of the fore leg dark brown. Sternite 1 ferruginous.

Cocoon. Spindle-shaped, brown, hard, thick walled ( Fig. 2E ).

Larva. Like figure 2F.

Biological note. The female of P. nigriventer was collected during the parental care period; however, it was not possible to observe the moment, date of oviposition, or the parasitism strategy used by the female wasp. In the laboratory, seven males and one female emerged from the egg sac after 27 days ( Figs 2C, D ). After the adult emergence, we opened the egg sac and observed that the egg mass was completely consumed by the larvae of C. thoracica (there are seven pupae that emerged as adults and two pupae with non-emerged adults).

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Brasilien [= Brazil], S. paulo [= São Paulo] [without other informations], HNHM (digital image sent by Zoltán Vas ).

Other specimens. BRAZIL, Minas Gerais, Congonhas , emerged from Phoneutria nigriventer egg sac, egg sac collected in 23.IX.2013, adults’ emergence in 20.X.2013 (Resende, F.C. leg.), 1♀ and 5♂♂, UFMG ; idem, but 2♂♂, INPA .

Distribution. Brazil (São Paulo and Minas Gerais).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Phoneutria spp. (Ctenidae), pupae and larva of Camera thoracica (Szépligeti, 1916) (Ichneumonidae) in Phoneutria nigriventer (Keyserling, 1891) egg sac: A) An example of Phoneutria in their characteristic display when threatened—Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais (photographed by Bruna Pinto Pereira); B) moment when the spider P. nigriventer and your egg sac has been found (photographed by Flavia Cappuccio Resende); C) P. nigriventer egg sac (red arrows showing the holes where Darwin wasps C. thoracica exited after emergence); D) individual of C. thoracica starting to emerge from the egg sac; E) C. thoracica cocoon (scale bar = 2 mm); F) C. thoracica larva.

FIGURE 3. Holotype of Camera thoracica (Szépligeti, 1916), female: A) habitus, lateral view; B) propodeum and tergites 1–2, dorsal view; C) face, frontal view; D) habitus, dorsal view. Hungarian Natural History Museum©.

FIGURE 4. Female of Camera thoracica (Szépligeti, 1916): A) habitus; B) mesosoma, lateral view; C) mesoscutum, dorsal view; D) propodeum, dorsal view; E) head, lateral view; F) wings; G) ovipositor.

FIGURE 5. Male of Camera thoracica (Szépligeti, 1916): A) habitus; B) head and mesosoma, lateral view; C) mesoscutum, dorsal view; D) propodeum, dorsal view; E) head, lateral view; F) wings.