Melanocryptus dnopheros, Aguiar & Santos, 2015

Aguiar, Alexandre P. & Santos, Bernardo F., 2015, Revision of Melanocryptus Cameron (Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), with description of seven new species, American Museum Novitates 2015 (3836), pp. 1-56 : 31-32

Melanocryptus dnopheros , sp. nov.

Figures 20 , 35–36 , 58 , 93–96, 122

DESCRIPTION: Female holotype. Forewing 11.60 mm. Body entirely matte, only apex of T1 smooth, polished. Supraclypeal area (fig. 93) distinctly convex centrally, from base of toruli to clypeal suture, distinct from area along eye margin; dorsally with short midlongitudinal elevation just below level of toruli; supraantennal area with fine sculpturing, matte, coronal suture faint, inconspicuous. Antenna with 26 flagellomeres. Malar space 0.74 mandible basal width. Occipital carina laterocentrally without emargination; apically fusing with hypostomal carina far from base of mandible. Pronotum dorsomedial margin not raised, aligned with anterior margin mesoscutum; epomia short, somewhat inconspicuous; sculpturing fine but well marked, entire pronotum matte, laterocentrally with stout, somewhat parallel, longitudinal strigation, which extends along ventroposterior margin as short subcrenulation. Mesoscutum matte, covered with fine sculpturing resembling goose pimples. Notaulus narrow but distinctly impressed, straight, slightly converging posteriorly, ending at center of mesoscutum. Axillary trough of mesonotum anterior wall polished, basally with transverse, crenulated channel, remainder distinctly transversely striated (figs. 35–36). Scutellar carina distinctly advancing until about midlength of scutellum (fig. 35), which is very triangular in dorsal view, not protuberant (fig. 36). Subalar ridge narrow, longitudinal. Epicnemial carina reaching 0.72 of distance to subalar ridge, nearly straight. Sternaulus deep, closely crenulate, weakly curved upward, not continued posteriorly by shallow depression toward mesopleural fovea; mesepisternum intensely transversely rugulose, matte. Forewing (fig. 20) crossvein 1cu-a perfectly opposite 1M+Rs, its posterior apex straight, not even minimally curved; vein 2Cua 0.78 length of crossvein 2cu-a. Hind wing (fig. 20) vein Cua 1.27× length of crossvein cu-a.

Transverse furrow at base of propodeum sunken, wide, crenulate, narrowing moderately toward the sides (fig. 58). Propodeum area anterior to anterior transverse carina allutaceous, matte; area posterior to it entirely finely rugose; anterior transverse carina complete, bow shaped; posteriorly with lateral, low, scale-shaped apophyses, and a central, anterior bump or elevation (fig. 58). Propodeal spiracle elongate, 2.46× longer than wide. Line of meeting along propodeum and metapleuron quite sharply defined, but respective pleural carina incompletely formed by confluent rugosities (fig. 94). Metapleuron densely transversely rugulose, matte (fig. 94). T1 spiracle approximately at middle (basal 0.45); dorsolateral carina complete from base of petiole to apex of postpetiole; ventrolateral carina distinct; sternite ending distinctly beyond level of spiracle (fig. 96). T1 (fig. 95) alutaceous, except apex polished; T2–8 with finely alutaceous combined with goose-pimple sculpturing associated with pilosity. Ovipositor blade shaped, 2.18× taller than wide at midlength, length 1.19 length of hind tibia, straight; ventral valve ridges with subapical irregularity (similar to fig. 62).

Pilosity. All body pilosity yellowish brown. Supraclypeal area sparsely pilose, nearly glabrous. Short, moderately visible pilosity on most of mesosoma. T1 glabrous; remaining tergites with conspicuous and somewhat abundant pilosity.

Color. Entirely black to dark brown. Forewing dark amber infuscate, with wide central and basal lighter areas. Hind wing light amber infuscate, darkened along apical and posterior margins.

MALE: Unknown.

VARIATION: Unknown.

BIOLOGY: Unknown.

COMMENTS: Most similar to M. violaceipennis Cameron , including body and wings darkened, but distinct from that species by many features, as follows: forewing distinctly patterned, showing sharp contrast between light and dark areas (vs. more uniformly infuscate in M. violaceipennis ; fig. 20 vs. 21); S1 ending distinctly apicad spiracle, and petiole laterally with delicate dorsolateral and ventrolateral carinae (vs. distinctly basad, and stout carinae; fig. 96 vs. 114); propodeum sculpture fine (vs. coarse; fig. 58 vs. 59); pleural carina faint (vs. conspicuous and complete); petiolar tergite mostly matte, polished only at apex (vs. mostly smooth and polished; fig. 95 vs. 113); supraclypeal area medially more distinctly raised (vs. weakly so; fig. 93 vs. 112); scutellum elongate and triangular, sculpturing evident, coarser, and carina clearly advancing over it (vs. more wide and round, with delicate sculpturing, scutellar carinae weakly advancing over it; fig. 36 vs. 39); foretibia entirely black (vs. ventrally pale); epicnemial carina nearly straight (vs. quite sinuous or somewhat W-shaped); face entirely black (vs. bearing yellow marks on eye margin above and below level of toruli; fig. 93 vs. 112); forewing crossvein 1cu-a perfectly opposite vein 1M+Rs, its apex straight (vs. 1cu-a distinctly basad 1M+Rs, its apex distinctly curved toward wing base; fig. 20 vs. 21); and hind wing vein Cua 1.30× length of crossvein cu-a (vs. twice the length; fig. 20 vs. 21).

Also similar to M. tupan , from which it can be differentiated by the wing color pattern (fig. 12 vs. 20), pilosity, and several other features (see Comments for M. tupan ).

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet derives from the Greek dnopheros , “dark, gloomy, murky”; in reference to the darkened body and wings of the new species.

DISTRIBUTION: Ecuador (fig. 122).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: 1 female. Holotype ♀ ECUADOR: Napo, Baeza, 2000 m, Feb [ruary] [19]79, [WRM] Mason ( AEIC). Pinned. Right foreleg beyond coxa missing, otherwise complete, in good condition.

Figures

FIGURES 10–21. Right wings. 10, Melanocryptus niger, female from Bolivia. 11, M. niger, female from Colombia. 12, M. tupan, female from southern Brazil. 13, M. tupan, male from southeastern Brazil. 14, M. aurantius, female holotype. 15, M. whartoni, male from French Guiana. 16, M. cyaneus, female from Venezuela. 17, M. tesselatus, female holotype. 18, M. delos, female. 19, M. hadroglyptus, female holotype. 20, M. dnopheros, female holotype. 21, M. violaceipennis, female from Suriname.

FIGURES 31–41. Mesoscutum and scutellum in dorsolateral view, left side, to show structure of axillary through. All females, except last one. 31, Melanocryptus tesselatus, holotype. 32, M. aurantius, holotype. 33, M. cyaneus. 34, M. delos, holotype. 35–36, M. dnopheros, holotype: dorsal and dorsolateral views. 37, M. hadroglyptus, holotype (flipped horizontally). 38, M. niger. 39, M. violaceipennis (flipped horizontally). 40–41, M. tupan: female from southern Brazil and male from southeastern Brazil.

FIGURES 55–60. Propodeum, dorsal. All females, except last one. 55, M. cyaneus. 56, M. niger. 57, M. tupan, female from southern Brazil. 58, M. dnopheros, holotype. 59, M. violaceipennis. 60, M. tupan, male from southeastern Brazil.