Odontepyris escus Alencar et Azevedo

Alencar, Isabel D. C. C. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2011, Revision of Malagasy Odontepyris Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), Zootaxa 2935, pp. 26-40 : 36-39

Odontepyris escus Alencar et Azevedo , sp. nov.

( Figs 28–32 )

Diagnosis. Head with vertex crest almost straight. Pronotal collar short, almost absent. Scutellar pit suboval, deep; scutellar groove wide, shallow, trabeculate, with distinct carina medially, complete, posterior margin of groove convex medially. Propodeal disc with anterior median elevation semi-circular not outlined; median carina complete; discal carina present, incomplete, converging posterad. Mesopleuron with dentate process indistinct; gibbous lateral and inferiorly to mesopleural pit. Second metasomal sternum puncticulate; hypopygium wholly flat, puncticulate.

Description. Holotype. FEMALE ( Fig. 28 ). Length 4 mm. LFW 2.3 mm.

Color. Head, clypeus and mesosoma black; metasoma dark castaneous nearly black; mandible rufo-castaneous; palpi castaneous; antenna rufo-castaneous to dark castaneous distad; legs castaneous to dark castaneous distad; tegula castaneous; wings hyaline; costa, subcosta, prostigma and stigma dark castaneous, radius castaneous, other veins light castaneous.

Head ( Fig. 29 ). Head as long as wide, subtriangular in profile. Mandible evenly wide, with four sub-equal, small apical teeth. Clypeus coriaceous-puncticulate; median lobe long, triangular with apex angulate, base distinctly wider than apex; median carina complete extending back onto frons, high, and convex in profile; emargination between median and lateral lobes angled; lateral lobe inconspicuous, angulate; without basal pit. Malar space not carinate, with suture between mandible and eye. Antenna length 1.1 mm; first five antennal segments in ratio of 6:2:3:3:3; flagellomeres thick, equally sized; segment III 1.5 × longer than thick; flagellar pubescence dense, subappressed, and short, with few outstanding erect setae; placoid sensillae present in upper surface; papillary sensillae present from distal half of third flagellomere to antenna apex. Torulus not projected. Eye gibbous, glabrous. Frons weakly coriaceous-punctate. WH equal LH. WF 0.6 × WH. WF 1.2 × HE. OOL equal WOT. Ocelli small; anterior ocellus not surpassing imaginary top eye line; frontal angle of ocellar triangle acute; posterior ocellus almost reaching vertex crest. Distance from posterior ocelli to vertex crest 0.6 × DAO. Vertex crest almost straight. Temple profile convergent posterad in dorsal view, with corner convex, not projected posterolaterad. Occipital carina absent. Maxillary palpus narrow and long. Labial palpus wide and short.

Mesosoma ( Figs 30, 31 ). Pronotal collar strongly short, evenly narrow. Pronotal disc coriaceous-puncticulate, long; anterior margin arched; anterior corner rounded; lateral margin not papillate (without warts); posterior margin slightly convex medially. Mesoscutum with parapsidal furrow complete, conspicuous only at third posteriorly; lateral of mesoscutum not elevate posteriorly; lateral margin of mesoscutum not carinate; area between parapsidal furrows regularly puncticulate. Scutellum coriaceous-punctate, long, convex in profile, posterior margin convex medially; scutellar pit distinctly present, suboval, deep; scutellar groove present, wide, shallow, trabeculate, with distinct carina medially, complete, posterior margin of groove convex medially. Mesoaxillar oval, polished and shining inside. Metanotum very narrow medially, median region elevate, coriaceous-puncticulate, with foveae oval laterally, metaxillar pit foveolate anterolaterally. Propodeal disc wider than long; anterior carina narrow, followed by row of regular foveae medially; discal carina present, incomplete, converging posterad; lateral carina present, followed by depressed area narrow, and foveolate; sublateral carina absent; transverse posterior carina angled medially followed by narrow depressed foveolate area, corner of carina not projected; space between median and discal carinae flat, imbricate; space between lateral and discal carinae elevate, imbricate. Lateral of propodeum predominantly imbricate, costulate dorsally, carinate and foveolate ventrally, foveolate posteriorly, anterior region with three pits equally deep, pits equally sized. Propodeal declivity imbricate, with median carina incomplete, present in anterior third; lateral carina conspicuous; lower carina wide, arched, followed by depressed foveolate area. Mesopleuron with subtegular groove large anteriorly, circular, foveolate, uniformly narrow posterad; dentate process obsolescent; gibbous lateral and inferiorly to mesopleural pit, coriaceous and opaque in above pit, weakly coriaceous, shining and puncticulate below pit; anterior area of mesopleuron puncticulate; mesopleural fovea large, subcircular; mesopleural pit shallow; inferior margin of lower fovea undistinguished.

Wings ( Fig. 32 ). Fore wing with discoidal cell absent; Rs+M absent; M 0.5 × Rs; prostigma not continuous to stigma, and wide; posterior stigmal margin truncate, vertical; radial vein slightly arched. Hind wing with five hamuli, distal hamulus discontinuous from basal ones; wing 2 × as long as wide.

Legs. Fore femur expanded; claws bifid.

Metasoma. Weakly coriaceous, shining and puncticulate; setae long; second sternum puncticulate; hypopygium wholly flat, puncticulate.

MALE unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE Ƥ, MADAGASCAR: Antsiranana Forêt d'Ampondrabe, 26.3 km 10° NNE Daraina, 175 m, 12°58'12"S, 49°42'00"E, 10.xii.2003, B.L.Fisher, YPT, tropical dry forest, BLF9975, CASENT 2089298. PARATYPE: 1 Ƥ, Antsiranana Forêt d'Ampondrabe, 30.0 km 72° ENE Daraina, 30 m, 13°05'00"S, 49°54'30"E, 27.xi.2003, B.L.Fisher, MT in littoral rainforest, BLF9428, CASENT 2087744.

Comments. This new species is similar to O. cynpus sp. nov. because both species have the arched anterior margin of pronotal disc, the basal vein with short stub (Rs+M) and the propodeal disc with discal carina incomplete. However O. escus sp. nov. has the head as long as wide, the vertex crest almost straight, the prostigma large and the propodeal disc with the space between median and discal carinae flat and imbricate, whereas O. cynpus sp. nov. has the head wider than long, the vertex crest strongly concave, the prostigma narrow and the propodeal disc with the space between the median and discal carinae depressed, imbricate and rugulose.

Figures

FIGURES 28 – 32. Odontepyris escus sp. nov., holotype. 28. Habitus; 29. Head, dorsal view; 30. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 31. Mesosoma, lateral view; 32. Fore wing (scales bar 0.5 mm).