Acrotaphus venezuelanus Pádua, 2020

Pádua, Diego G., Sääksjärvi, Ilari E., Monteiro, Ricardo F. & Oliveira, Marcio L., 2020, Review of the New World genus Acrotaphus Townes, 1960 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae), with descriptions of fifteen new species, Zootaxa 4719 (1), pp. 1-62 : 54-56

Acrotaphus venezuelanus Pádua sp. n.

( Figs 201–209 )

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from all other species of Acrotaphus by the combination of the following characters: 1) margin of gena behind eyes convex in dorsal view; 2) posterior ocelli separated from eyes by 0.4–0.6× its diameter in dorsal view; 3) mesosoma orange, except pronotum entirely black or only anterior part black; 4) metasoma orange with tergite V except anterior region orange and tergites VI+ black; 5) ovipositor slender, 1.25–1.4× as long as hind tibia.

Description. Female. Body [9.0] 9.0– 9.5 mm. Head. Lower face [0.9] 0.9–1.0× as broad as high (from supraclypeal suture to base of antenna), flat, with scattered punctures which bear long conspicuous bristles; head in dorsal view with margin of the gena convex behind the eyes; margin of the gena [0.5] 0.5–0.75× length of of eye in dorsal view; posterior ocelli separated from eyes by [0.4] 0.4–0.6× its diameter in dorsal view. Mesosoma. Pronotum moderately long, smooth and polished, with distance from tegula to head greater than [0.5]× distance from tegula to hind margin of propodeum; mesoscutum smooth and polished, with notaulus weakly marked; scutellum in dorsal view triangular; mesopleuron polished, with fine bristles anteriorly and ventrally; epicnemial carina present ventrally, extending until reaching the level of the lower corner of the pronotum laterally; metapleuron polished, with sparse, fine bristles evenly spaced and with a strongly longitudinal groove in lower part, below spiracle; propodeum smooth dorsally, laterally with scattered fine bristles. Fore wing [8.0] 7.5– 0.8 mm; cu-a opposite to the base of Rs&M; 2 rs-m [0.5]× as long as abscissa of M between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu; hind wing with abscissa of Cu 1 between M and cu-a [0.8] 0.8–0.9× length of cu-a. Tarsal claw with basal lobe quadrangular, with claw apex slightly overtaking the posterior margin of lobe. Metasoma. Tergite I [1.6] 1.4–1.6× as long as posteriorly broad; tergite II [1.4] 1.1–1.4× as long as posteriorly broad; tergite III [1.3] 1.2–1.3× as long as posteriorly broad; tergites IV–V [1.3] 1.0–1.3× as long as posteriorly broad; ovipositor slender, [1.4] 1.25–1.4× as long as hind tibia; lower valve with slightly swelling in the base and mid region.

Coloration. Head black, except apical margin of clypeus slightly yellowish, mouthparts orange, except apex of mandible black; antenna dark brown. Mesosoma orange, except anterior region of pronotum black. Metasoma orange with tergite V black except anterior margin orange and tergites VI+ black. Anterior and mid leg orange, hind leg black, except base of coxa and trochantellus orange. Wings yellowish; fore wing with apex distal to 2 rs-m black, and with a black median band extending backwards from anterior margin, just proximal to the pterostigma, right through the 1 st subdiscal cell; pterostigma yellowish. Ovipositor brownish, except apex pallid and sheath dark brown.

Male. ( Figs 204–205 ). Similar to female in structure and coloration, except body 0.6–8.0 mm; lower face 1.0× as broad as high (from supraclypeal suture to base of antenna); head in dorsal view with margin of the gena slightly convex behind the eyes; margin of gena 0.55–0.6× length of eye in dorsal view; posterior ocelli separated from eyes by 0.5–0.6× its diameter in dorsal view; fore wing 6.0–7.0 mm; tergite I 1.4× as long as posteriorly broad; tergite II 1.3× as long as posteriorly broad; tergite III 1.2× as long as posteriorly broad; sternite IX ( Fig 207 ) longer than high, with lateral and anterior margins strongly sclerotised, lateral and posterior margin very slightly concave in central part, with few bristles widely spaced posteriorly. Genital capsule ( Figs 208–209 ): Paramere truncated apically, slightly narrower than the parameral lamina, with bristles except in posterior margin; volsellar lamina with spaced bristles laterally and apically, except in the median and posterior region and with a set of about five bristles in anterolateral region, just below the base of digitus; cuspis robust with about five teeth aligned in the mid part until apex and with some small bristles in basal region and spaced laterally in apical region; digitus with teeth on apex, rounded distally and angular ventrally, with the margins of the apical region narrower than base; aedeagus with small teeth on apex and its apex slightly curved downward in lateral view.

Variation. One female has margin of gena behind eyes more or less flat in dorsal view and the males even having similar characteristics to females. We do not have total certainty of this association, so we are not treating them as paratypes, although we think they are conspecific.

Type material: Holotype: ♀, VENEZUELA, Lara, Sanare , 1350 m., 08.x.1968 (J.M. Osorio col.), UCLA . Paratype: Peru : Dept. [=Department] of Loreto , Iquitos area, Allpahuayo, 30°58’00’’S / 73°25’16’’W, 11–17.vii.2011, Malaise trap (Gómez & Sääksjärvi leg.), ♀, ZMUT .

Other material examined: Ecuador: Dept. [=Department] Orellana, Onkonegare , 00°39’25,7’’S / 76°27’10,8 ’’W, a.s.l.: 216 m., 09.x.1994, Fogging, Lot #916 ( T. L. Erwin leg.), ♂, ZMUT ; idem, but 06.vii.1995, Lot #1126, ♂ [with last tergites extracted], ZMUT ; idem, but Yasuni , 00°37’55’’S / 76°08’39’’W, a.s.l.: 220– 250 m., 24.x.1998, Lot #1920, ♂, ZMUT . Peru: Dept. of Loreto, Allpahuayo , 18.vii.2000, Malaise trap (I.E. Sääksjärvi leg.), I1 (11), ♀, MUSM .

Distribution. Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela ( Fig 210 ).

Biological notes. Host unknown.

Etymology. The specific name refers to type locality, Venezuela.

Comments. Acrotaphus venezuelanus sp. n. closely resembles A. bodoquenaensis sp. n. mainly by having the margin of gena convex behind eyes in dorsal view, mid coxa, mesopleuron and metapleuron orange. It differs from it by having mesosoma orange, except pronotum entirely black or only anterior part black (pronotum entirely orange, in A. bodoquenaensis sp. n.).

Figures

FIGURES 201–210. Acrotaphus venezuelanus sp. n.: 201, habitus ♀ (holotype); 202, head, dorsal view ♀ (holotype); 203, face, frontal view ♀ (holotype); 204, habitus ♂; 205, head dorsal view ♂; 206, tarsal claw ♀ (holotype), scale bar =0.2 mm; 207, sternite IX, ♂, scale bar =0.005 mm; 208, genital capsule, lateral view, ♂, scale bar =0.005 mm; 209, genital capsule, ventral view, ♂, scale bar =0.005 mm. 210. Distribution of Acrotaphus venezuelanus sp. n. in the Neotropical region.