Sicophion yana, Alvarado, M., 2016

Alvarado, M., 2016, A remarkable new species of Sicophion Gauld, 1979 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Peru, with a key to the species, Zootaxa 4138 (1), pp. 195-200 : 196-199

Sicophion yana sp. nov

(Figs. 1–14)

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from its congeners by the predominantly black body, with males and females of similar coloration. Sicophion yana in general looks quite similar to the female of S. pleuralis , but S. pleuralis has the anterior transverse carina long (reaching to the level of the spiracles), while in S. yana the carina is only present centrally.

Holotype: ♀, “ PERÚ: CA [Cajamarca department] Contumaza, Bosque de Cachil, 7º23’36.9”S / 78º46’51.2”W 2680m trampa de luz 22.iv.2015 J. Grados leg.” ( MUSM).

Paratype: 5♀♀, ♂: 3♀♀same data as holotype except date 19.iv.2015 ( MUSM); and 2♀♀F and ♂ same data as holotype except dated 18.iv.2015 (2♀♀ SEMC, ♂ MUSM).

Description. Female: Head. Face (Fig. 5) 0.7–0.8× as wide as long (lower face+clypeus); weakly convex; softly imbricate with punctures separated by 2.5–3× a puncture width. Clypeus convex; smooth with punctures separated by 2–4× a puncture width; apical edge centrally straight and slightly convex laterally. Compound eyes 0.7–0.8× as wide as face. Malar space 0.2× as long as basal width of mandible. Gena, in lateral view, 0.3× as wide as compound eyes, softly smooth with punctures separated by 3–4× a puncture width. Frons smooth and shiny, softly striate between antennae and median ocellus. Vertex with texture as gena. Lateral ocellus separated from compound eye at most by 0.1× ocellar diameter; distance between ocelli 0.3–0.4× ocellar diameter (Fig. 4). Occipital carina dorsally faint (at the level of lateral ocelli); present ventrally reaching to hypostomal carina before the mandible, separated by 0.5× the basal width of mandible (Fig. 6). Antenna with 52–57 flagellomeres. Ratio of length/width from first to seventh flagellomeres: 8.9–9.0:3.8:3.4–3.7:3.4–3.6:3.4–3.6: 3.4–3.6: 3.2–3.5. Ratio of length/width of pre-apical flagellomeres: 1.5–1.7×.

Mesosoma. Pronotum softly imbricate with punctures separated by 3–6× a puncture width; epomia absent. Mesoscutum smooth with shallow punctures separated by 2–4× a puncture width; notaulus absent. Mesoscutellum evenly convex, with texture as that of mesoscutum; lateral carina absent. Mesopleuron (Fig. 3) smooth, except imbricate and softly striate on subalar prominence and imbricate on the lower half next to mesopleural carina, with punctures separated by 1.5–2.5× a puncture width. Epicnemial carina curved but not reaching to anterior margin of mesopleuron; epicnemium imbricate with punctures separated by 2–3× a puncture width. Metapleuron smooth with shallow punctures separated by 5–8× a puncture width. Fore wing (Fig. 1–2) with CI=0.8–1.0; ICI=1.0–1.3; SDI=1.4–1.6; ramulus absent; fenestra anteriorly reaching to basal third of vein Rs&M and basal fifth of vein rrs+Rs (=Rs+2r of Gauld & Lanfranco 1987, Gauld 1979, 1985, 1988); marginal cell homogeneously cover by setae; sub-basal cell glabrous. Hind wing with 7–8 hamuli on R1 distally; length of vein m-cu 0.2× as long as vein cu-a. Propodeum (Fig. 8) softly imbricate with punctures separated by 5– 8 x a puncture width; anterior transverse carina present only centrally; posterior transverse carina present, reaching to pleural carinae, more less convex (centrally with an indent); lateromedian longitudinal carinae absent; lateral longitudinal carinae only present behind posterior transverse carina; pleural carina present.

Metasoma. Tergum I 5.8–6.1× as long as apical width. Tergum II with spiracle located at 0.6× length of tergite; in lateral view, 3.8× as long as posterior width; laterotergum II pendant; thyridium oval, separated from anterior margin by 3.4× its length.

Color. Head and mesosoma black (Figs. 1–3) except following: lower third of gena testaceous brown, flagellomeres, apical third of trochanter, trochantellus, basal half of profemur, basal fifth of meso- and metafemur, tibiae and tarsomeres testaceous. Metasoma (Fig. 1–2) testaceous grading to brownish black, tergum I testaceous with a spot brownish spot distally, and, sterna I–V centrally brownish (rest of sterna testaceous). Wings infuscate; veins brownish and pterostigma testaceous.

PLATE 1 Figures 1–2. Photographs of Sicophion yana Alvarado , new species, in lateral habitus (scale bars = 5 mm). 1. Female 2. Male.

PLATE 2 Figures 3–9. Details of Sicophion yana Alvarado , new species (female, figures 3–6 and 8, and, male figures 7 and 9). 3. Mesosoma in lateral view 4. Head in dorsal view 5. Head in ventral view 6. Head in posterior-ventrolateral view 7. Head in posterior-ventrolateral view 8. Propodeum 9. Propodeum.

PLATE 3 Figures 10–14. Male genitalia of Sicophion yana Alvarado , new species. 10. Dorsal view 11. Ventral view 12. Lateral view 13. Metasomal tergum VIII–IX 14. Sternum VIII.

Male: Differs from the female in having the gena, in lateral view, 0.4× as wide as compound eyes; occipital carina dorsally and ventrally absent, ventrally never reaching to hypostomal carina (Fig. 7); ratio of length/width of first flagellomere: 4.3× and pre-apical flagellomeres: 2.3×; hind wing with 6 hamuli on R1; anterior transverse carina of propodeum complete and posterior transverse carina present laterally as weak crests and centrally as small tubercles; lateromedian longitudinal carinae present but faint between transverse carinae and well defined after posterior transverse carina (Fig. 9); and, first flagellomere with basal half brownish grading to testaceous.

Male terminalia. Metasomal tergum VIII fused to metasomal tergum IX, not divided medially (Fig. 13). Sternum VIII (Fig. 14) 0.6× as wide as long; distal end centrally slightly concave and laterally convex. Genitalia with parameres not fused dorso-basally, separated from gonobase (Fig. 11); in lateral view (Fig. 12), 0.5× as wide as long (wide measured at the level of the basi-dorsal most point, and, length from that point to the most distal end). Volsella (in ventral view) with digitus tubular, distally softly turned to side, with setae; cuspis tubular, centrally slightly concave, distally thickened; apodeme of volsella distally turned to the side. Aedeagus stem gradually thinner to apex, upturned; apodeme of aedaegus reaching to the middle of the foramen genitale, distal section turned to side. Gonobase complete (forming a ring); in dorsal view, centrally thinner with a sulcus. Foramen genitale in dorsal view with the shape of an inverted V.

Comments. The individuals were collected using light traps. Two surveys were done in Cachil Forest during November 2014 and April 2015, but the wasps were collected only in April.

Etymology. The specific epithet yana means ‘black’ in the Quechua language. It is treated as a noun in apposition.