Andesipolis townsendi Shimbori & Gessner

Mitio, Shimbori Eduardo, Souza, Souza-Gessner Carolina Da Silva, Maria, Penteado-Dias Angelica & Richard, Shaw Scott, 2017, A revision of the genus Andesipolis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Mesostoinae) and redefinition of the subfamily Mesostoinae, Zootaxa 4216 (2), pp. 101-152 : 146-148

Andesipolis townsendi Shimbori & Gessner sp. n.

( Figs 44 , 159 –163)

Female. Body length 2.6–2.9 mm; fore wing length 3.0– 3.1 mm.

Head. Smooth with fine fingerprint like microsculpturing (not polished), with scattered setae; 1.20x wider than mesoscutum. Face 1.7x broader than long, smooth and polished. Clypeus about 2x broader than long. Malar space 0.6x eye height in frontal view. In lateral view, eyes 0.8–0.9x longer than temple. Maximum width of lateral ocellus 0.3–0.4x ocell-ocular distance. Antenna about as long as fore wing, 29–30 segmented; first flagellomere about 4.5x longer than wide.

Mesosoma . 1.65–1.72x longer than high. Mesonotum 1.3–1.4x longer than width of mesoscutum. Pronotum dorsally rugose, anterior region concealed by head in both type specimens, apparently about as long as vertex; laterally rugose and mat anteriorly, scattered setae along posterior margin; pronotal sulcus fine and crenulate just anteriorly, indistinct posteriorly. Mesonotum smooth with fine fingerprint like microsculpturing; mesoscutum densely setose especially on median lobe, scutellar sulcus bare, scutellum with scattered setae concentrated at apex; notauli distinct dorsally, thin and weakly crenulate, about 0.16x length of mesonotum; mid pit narrow and deeply impressed, about 0.46x the length of mesoscutum; scutellum 1.3–1.5x longer than wide, smooth and polished; scutellar sulcus 0.26–0.36x longer than wide, with one median carina and one pair of weak lateral carinae; mesoscutellar trough costate proximally, smooth distally, posterior smooth region wide and triangular. Metanotum without median carina; laterally crenulate with scattered setae. Mesopleuron centrally bare, with scattered setae concentrated on anterior corner and ventrally; sternaulus deep and crenulate; anterior corner of mesopleuron virtually smooth. Epicnemial carina present ventrally, incomplete. Metapleuron rugose with mat surface; with long and scattered setae. Propodeum mat on basal-lateral region, rugose posteriorly; median carina distinct and connecting to irregular areola irregular, with distinct cross-bridge and two pair of transverse lateral carinae, the posterior pair difficult to trace due to rugosity. Hind coxa 1.7–1.8x longer than wide, 0.90–0.97x as long as metasomal TI. Hind basitarsus about 0.38x as long as hind tibia. Hind tarsal claws without basal lobe.

Wings. Fore wing. Stigma 4.2–4.5x longer than broad; vein r arising from middle of stigma. Vein r 0.37x longer than vein 3RSa. Vein 2RS weakly sinuate, 0.78x longer than 3RSa. Vein 3 RSa about 0.6 x 3 RSb and 2x as long as vein r-m. Vein 1 Cub 2.4–2.6x vein 1CUa. Vein (RS+M)b distinct, not pigmented. Vein 1-1AC 0.23x longer than vein 2-1 A. Hind wing. Vein M +CU 1.5–1.9x longer than 1M. Vein cu-a 0.5–0.7x as long as 1M. Vein r-m 0.45–0.61x as long as 1M.

Metasoma. TI 1.1x as long as apical width; longitudinally striate; dorsal carinae almost complete, converging but not meeting; dorsope deep and large. Metasoma beyond petiole weakly sclerotized; TII about 2x longer than TIII. Ovipositor straight, 0.6–0.9x as long as hind tibia; ovipositor sheaths 0.6x longer than hind tibia.

Color. Dark brown. Mandibles honey yellow with dark brown tips. Palpi light yellow. Mesoscutum sometimes with brown patch mid-posteriorly. Metasomal terga II–V brown, reminder apical terga honey yellow. Legs honey yellow; tarsi brown. Wings hyaline with brown veins.

Male. Unknown

Biology. Unknown

Comments. This species resembles A. nothofagus sp. n. in color pattern and also in the weakly impressed notauli and midpit on mesoscutum. The two species are distinguished by the fore wing stigma, which is globose in A. nothofagus sp. n. but more elongated in A. townsendi sp. n. and the length of hind wing vein M+CU, about as long as 1M in A. nothofagus sp. n. but 1.5–1.9x in A. townsendi sp. n. In addition, the scape and pedicel in A. townsendi sp. n. are dark brown as head and flagellum, as compared with light brown, lighter than head and flagellum, in A. nothofagus sp. n. The pronotum in A. townsendi sp. n. is rugose posteriorly, while in other species it is mostly smooth with crenulate or smooth sulcus. Other diagnostic characters are the mesoscutum densely setose; notauli and midpit deeply impressed; small eyes, distinctly smaller than temples; and mesoscutellar trough dived into two portions by oblique carina, the proximal portion smooth and triangular, and distal portion rounded and rugose.

Distribution. Known from type locality in Napo Province, Ecuador, 3,200 meters above sea level. Etymology. The species is named after Andrew Townsend, for his contributions to the study of Neotropical Braconidae .

Type material. Holotype, female (CNC). “ ECUADOR: Napo / above Papallacta / 14.ii.1983, 3200 m / Masner & Sharkey col.” Paratype, 1♀, same data as holotype.

Figures

FIGURES 43 – 46. 43, habitus, Andesipolis soaresi sp. n. 44, detail of pronotum, Andesipolis townsendi sp. n. Face: 45, Andesipolis longicollis sp. n.; 46, Andesipolis chilensis sp. n.

FIGURES 159 – 162. Andesipolis townsendi sp. n.: 159, habitus; 160, face; 161, wings; 162, head and mesonotum, dorsal; 163, propodeum and metasomal TI – II.