Astiphromma himalayaensis, Riedel, 2019

Riedel, Matthias, 2019, Contribution to the Mesochorinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of Nepal, Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (2), pp. 1163-1174 : 1165-1166

Astiphromma himalayaensis nov.sp. ( figs 7-12 )

Holotype: (♀) Nepal: Mahakali, D: Darchula, Bachtal S Taisain , 18.VI.2017, LFH 17 -08, leg. A. Weigel, 2910 m, mountain mixed forest, 3 rd tent place, N 29°51´52´´ E 80°40´17´´ ( Erfurt ).

Description: ♀: Body length 8 mm. Flagellum with 40 flagellomeres; 1 st flagellomere length 6.0x width and 0.65x eye length; 2 nd flagellomere length 3.3x width; preapical flagellomeres 2x longer than wide. Temple strongly and roundly narrowed behind eye, dorsally c. 0.4x as long as eye. Ocelli large, distance of lateral ocellus to eye 0.8x ocellar diameter. Occipital carina complete. Face coarsely punctate and finely granulate, width 1.05x length of face+clypeus and 0.73x eye length; inner eye margins slightly divergent ventrally. Clypeus with dense punctures. Malar space 0.4x as long as width of mandibular bases. Mandible stout, with two equal teeth. Genal carina reaching hypostomal carina away from mandibular base, both carinae low.

Mesosoma covered with pale hairs. Mesoscutum with dense fine punctures. Mesopleuron with dense and fine punctures dorsally and with fine rather scattered setiferous punctures ventrally, speculum smooth. Metapleuron with superficial and moderately dense punctures. Scutellum with lateral carina in basal 0.2 and with strong apical tubercle. Propodeum completely carinate. Area basalis rectangular, 1.5x longer than wide. Area superomedia short, 1.1x longer than wide and 0.7x as long as area petiolaris; costula reaching area superomedia in its frontal 0.3. Area petiolaris large, 0.9x as long as wide. Hind femur 5.6x longer than wide; hind metatarsus 0.47x as long as hind tibia; all claws large, with 3 long teeth.

Areolet slightly wider than long, sessile; 2 nd recurrent vein slightly proximal to its middle. Nervulus postfurcal (by 2x its width). Nervellus of hind wing interstitial, intercepted at 0.8 of its length; discoidella distinctly developed.

1 st tergite 2.8x longer than wide, with deep glymma and with some fine transverse ridges in front of glymma; dorsal carina distinct, ventrally of tergal spiracle. Postpetiolus with weak central rim. 2 nd tergite about as long as wide; thyridium indistinct. Ovipositor sheath entirely pilose, 7.9x as long as wide and 1.05x as long as hind metatarsus, moderately narrowed in apical 0.4.

Colour: Reddish. Palps, mandible except teeth, clypeus, facial orbit, malar space and gena cream-yellowish. Ventral and hind edges of pronotum, tegula, wing base and fore and mid coxae and trochanters cream-yellowish. Tergites red; 2 nd to 4 th sternites creamyellow medially and apically; 5 th sternite with cream-yellow apical margin. Pterostigma hyaline-ochreous.

♂ unknown.

Remark: This new species belongs to the dorsale- group of Astiphromma (e.g. with strong apical scutellar tubercle and dorsal carina of 1 st tergite ventrad of spiracle, Bgroup sensu NAKANISHI 1969) which are known as hyperparasitoids of Tachinidae ( RIEDEL 2015).

In the key of the World Astiphromma species of B-group ( LEE 1992), this taxon runs to A. indianensis LEE. It can be differentiated by its very short area superomedia (as in A. taiwanensis LEE), postfurcal nervulus, basal carination of scutellum, and cream-yellow colour of fore and mid coxae and trochanters.

Figures

Figs 7-12: Astiphromma himalayaensis nov.sp. ♀: (7) face, (8) propodeum, (9) head from dorsal, (10) hind claw, (11) mesopleuron, (12) ovipositor sheath.