Phradis belovi Khalaim, 2020

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruiz-Cancino, Enrique, 2020, Contribution to the taxonomy of Mexican Tersilochinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), with descriptions of five new species, ZooKeys 974, pp. 1-21 : 1

Phradis belovi Khalaim sp. nov. Figures 15-20

Differential diagnosis.

Phradis belovi sp. nov. may easily be recognized by the postfurcal second recurrent vein (2m-cu) in the fore wing, narrow and sharp foveate groove on the mesopleuron (Fig. 19 ), and propodeum with longitudinal furrow mediodorsally and polished dorsolateral areas. It differs from two other Mexican species of Phradis by features given in the key above. In the key to Nearctic species of Phradis ( Horstmann 2013a: 68), P. belovi sp. nov. runs to P. nitidipleuris Horstmann in couplet 17, but differs from this species by the propodeum mediodorsally with longitudinal furrow (short and broad, irregularly wrinkled basal area in P. nitidipleuris , see fig. 77 in Horstmann 2013a: 82), longer metacarpus in the fore wing (Fig. 15 and Khalaim 2019: 413, fig. 52), and its narrow and sharp foveate groove on the mesopleuron (Fig. 19 ) (broad, with irregular wrinkles in P. nitidipleuris , see Khalaim 2019: 413, fig. 5).

Description.

Female. Body length 4.3 mm. Fore wing length 3.3 mm.

Head, in dorsal view, rounded posterior to eyes (Fig. 18 ); gena 0.65 × as long as eye width. Eyes glabrous. Clypeus relatively large, lenticular, 2.6 × as broad as long (Fig. 17 ), weakly convex in lateral view, separated from face by thin and sharp furrow, with flattened area in lower part centrally; smooth, with fine punctures on slightly scabrous background in upper 0.4. Mandible robust, not constricted (i.e. with upper and lower margins subparallel in front view); upper tooth somewhat longer than the lower. Malar space approximately as long as basal mandibular width. Antennal flagellum filiform, with 17 flagellomeres (Fig. 16 ); flagellomeres 2 and 3 ca. 2.5 × as long as broad, subapical flagellomeres slightly elongate; flagellomeres 4-7 bearing long and thin subapical finger-shaped structures on outer surface (hardly discernible in light microscope). Face with slightly elongated convexity centrally. Face, frons, and vertex with very fine and dense punctures; gena impunctate anteriorly, with fine and sparse punctures in posterior half. Face and frons subpolished, weakly shining. Vertex and gena polished. Occipital carina complete, weakly and evenly arcuate in dorsal view (Fig. 18 ), somewhat flattened mediodorsally.

Mesoscutum very finely and densely punctate on very finely and shallowly granulate background, weakly shining, except for central lobe which is dull, with somewhat denser granulation and mostly without distinct punctures. Notaulus very shallow, with short wrinkle or tubercle distant from anterolateral margin of mesoscutum. Scutellum with lateral longitudinal carinae at basal 0.1. Epicnemial carina with upper end at level of centre of pronotum, not reaching front margin of mesopleuron (Fig. 19 ). Foveate groove situated in center of mesopleuron, very narrow and sharp, anteriorly upcurved (Fig. 19 ). Mesopleuron smooth and shining, finely punctate. Propodeal spiracle small, round, separated from pleural carina by 1.5 × diameter of spiracle. Propodeum with dorsal part convex in lateral view (Fig. 19 ), with narrow median longitudinal furrow which is ca. 0.7 × as long as apical area. Dorsolateral area polished, impunctate. Apical area flat, widely rounded anteriorly; apical longitudinal carinae almost reaching transverse carina anteriorly, indistinct next to transverse carina because of irregular wrinkles.

Fore wing with second recurrent vein (2m-cu) distinctly postfurcal, weakly pigmented in anterior 0.6. First abscissa of radius (Rs+2r) straight, distinctly longer than width of pterostigma. First and second abscissae of radius (Rs+2r and Rs) meeting at right angle. Intercubitus (2rs-m) slightly thickened, twice as long as abscissa of cubitus between intercubitus and second recurrent vein (abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu). Metacarpus (R1) reaching ca. 0.7 the distance from distal corner of radial cell to the tip of wing. Second abscissa of postnervulus (Cu&2cu-a) present but short, thus brachial cell is partly open posteriorly. Hind wing with nervellus (cu1&cu-a) straight, weakly reclivous. Legs slender. Tarsal claws slender, not pectinate.

First tergite ca. 4.1 × as long as posteriorly broad, smooth, without glymma but with sharp oblique groove (Fig. 19 ), with upper margin in lateral view straight in basal half and arcuate in apical half; petiole round in cross-section centrally. First tergite, in dorsal view, weakly and rather evenly widened from base towards apex, thus postpetiole is weakly separated from petiole. Second tergite 2.5 × as long as anteriorly broad. Thyridial depression distinct, ca. 2.5 × as long as broad, with posterior end somewhat pointed. Ovipositor weakly and evenly bent upwards over its total length, with weak dorsal subapical depression (Fig. 20 ); sheath twice as long as first tergite.

Head, mesosoma and first tergite of metasoma black; clypeus brown in lower 0.4 and dark brown in upper 0.4, with narrow transverse brownish yellow band. Palpi, mandible (teeth dark red) and tegula brownish yellow. Scape and pedicel of antenna yellow-brown, flagellum pale brown basally to black apically. Pterostigma brown. Legs brownish yellow; fore and mid coxae browish, hind coxa dark brown. Metasoma posterior to first tergite predominantly dark brown, tergites 2 and 3 laterally brown (Fig. 15 ).

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

The species is named after my friend, the well-known entomologist Vassili Belov (TAMU).

Material examined.

Holotype female (TAMU), Mexico, Nuevo León, "3 mi. south Pacheco", taken at light, 3.VII.1974, coll. Clark, Murraw, Asche & Schaffner.

Distribution.

Northeast Mexico (Nuevo León).

Figures

Figures 15 - 20. Phradis belovi sp. nov., holotype female 15 habitus, lateral view 16 head with antennae lateral view 17 head, front view 18 head and mesoscutum, dorsal view 19 head, mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral view 20 apex of ovipositor, lateral view.