Seticornuta muqui, Alvarado, 2022

Alvarado, Mabel, 2022, Darwin wasps of the genus Seticornuta Morley, 1913 (Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae) in the Neotropical region, with a key to species, European Journal of Taxonomy 839, pp. 149-175 : 165-166

Seticornuta muqui sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:89DC4237-A8C6-4065-BED2-57EC655B8856

Figs 6 , 10H , 11B

Diagnosis

This species can be recognized by this combination of features: pronotum and mesoscutum black, and metapleuron three-sided with the dorsal margin evenly down-curved. It is quite similar to S. cortesi but it can be differentiated by the ventrally tawny metafemur (vs entirely black) and tergite II tawny (vs black centrally and laterally yellow).

Etymology

The specific epithet ‘muqui’ is in reference to the mythological creature from the central Andes, that is believed to be a miner. It is treated as a noun in apposition.

Material examined

Holotype

PERU • ♀; “ PERU, AP. Mina Las Bambas , Sector Saqrapeña 14°4′37.24″S / 72°18′33″W 4265m 24.iv– 03.v.2017 L. Figueroa ”; MUSM.

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 5.1 mm. Fore wing length 3.6 mm.

HEAD. Face+clypeus 1.0 × as wide as long;labrum not exposed when mandibles closed; malar space 0.7 × as long as basal mandibular width; lateral ocellus separated from compound eye by 1.7 × ocellar diameter; distance between ocelli 2.0 × maximum ocellar diameter; head posteriorly behind ocellar triangle flat; gena, on lateral view, 1.1 × as long as compound eyes; occipital carina incomplete, present only dorsally; antenna with 27 flagellomeres, ratio of length from second to fourth flagellomeres: 1.4:1.3:1.3, subapical flagellomere 1.5 × as long as centrally wide.

MESOSOMA. Epicnemial carina complete; metapleuron with dorsal margin evenly declivous, polished, glabrous; submetapleural carina smooth, anteriorly expanded into a conspicuous lobular lobe. Propodeum with lateromedian longitudinal carina strong, slightly closer subbasally; lateral longitudinal carina strong, absent anterior to spiracle; posterior transverse carina absent. Fore wing with Cu1a between Cu1b and 2m-cu 1.5 × as long as Cu1 between Rs&M and 1m-cu. Hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu1 faint but discernible, distal abscissa of M absent.

METASOMA. Metasoma with tergite I 1.3 × as long as posteriorly wide, lateromedian carinae extending 0.2 × length of tergite; tergite II 0.9 × as long as posteriorly wide; laterotergite II 0.4 × as long as wide, subrectangular; laterotergite III 0.6 × as long as wide, subrectangular.

COLOR. Head and mesosoma black, distal yellow spot on profemur; protibia anteroventrally and femur ventrally tawny; wings hyaline; metasoma black, tergite I laterally and posteriorly, tergite II, tergites III–IV anteriorly, laterally and posteriorly, tergite V laterally tawny.

Male

Unknown.

Remarks

Seticornuta muqui sp. nov. occurs in Puna grasslands. It is the first species of Seticornuta to be found in Peru and is the species found at the highest elevation ( Fig. 11B ). The individual described here was captured in areas where Las Bambas copper mine has a restoration program for the endemic shrub Nototriche armeriifolia A.W. Hill ( Malvaceae Juss. ); this area was surveyed three times a year (2017– 2021) with a protocol that included pan traps, Malaise traps and pitfall traps. During this time only the one specimen of S. muqui sp. nov. was collected, suggesting that this species occurs at a low density.

Figures

Fig. 6. Details of Seticornuta muqui sp. nov., ♀, holotype (MUSM). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Facial view. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 10. Seticornuta spp. A–B. S. cortesi Porter, 1998, head. A. Facial view, head ventrally. B. Facial view, head dorsally. C. S. cuckoo sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC), metapleuron. D. S. nigroflava sp. nov., ♀, holotype (SEMC), metapleuron. E. S. carinata sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC), metapleuron. F. S. quilmes sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USNM). G. S. rufa sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC), metapleuron. H. S. muqui sp. nov., ♀, holotype (MUSM). I. S. curupira sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC), metapleuron. J. S. anchanchu sp. nov., metapleuron. K. S. flava sp. nov., ♀, holotype (NHMUK), metapleuron.

Fig. 11. Geographic distribution of species of Seticornuta Morley, 1913 in the Neotropical region.