Vipio carinatus, Quicke & Shaw & Inayatullah & Butcher, 2020

Quicke, Donald L. J., Shaw, Scott R., Inayatullah, Mian & Butcher, Buntika A., 2020, The genus Vipio Latreille (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) in the Neotropical Region, ZooKeys 925, pp. 89-140 : 89

Vipio carinatus sp. nov. Figures 5 , 6

Type material.

Holotype ♀, Bolivia: Sara (no date), (Steinbach) (MCZC). Paratypes: Bolivia: Santa Cruz, 1 ♀, 28.i-ii.1964 (Z. Golbach) (IFML); 1 ♂, (no date) (J. Steinbach) (MCZC). Argentina: 1 ♂, Chaco, Colonia, Benítez, 10.xii.1948 (R. Golbach) (IFML).

Diagnosis.

Ovipositor shorter than fore wing, propodeum with an anteriorly blunt but complete mid-longitudinal carina, claw with pointed basal lobe, ovipositor approximately half length of fore wing, body except head, predominantly yellow.

Description.

Holotype ♀ length of body 4.6-5.0 mm, of fore wing 4.6-5.0 mm and of ovipositor (part exserted beyond apex of abdomen) 2.5 mm.

Head. Antenna robust, 1.1 × body length, with 42 flagellomeres; first flagellomere 1.4 × longer than second, 1.1 × longer than wide; second flagellomere 1.2 × longer than wide; flagellomeres beyond the fifth 1.1-1.2 × longer than wide; median flagellomeres slightly shorter than wide; terminal flagellomere sharply pointed apically; head transverse; HL 0.79 × HH; clypeal guard setae consist of one long and one short seta near each anterior tentorial pit; clypeus rugulose; face rugulose, with a median and slightly raised triangular area above the clypeus; remainder of head smooth and shiny; HW/HH 0.77; FH/FW 0.55; EH/HH 0.65; EH/FW 0.92; EW/EH = 0.75; ITD 1.85 × TOD; MS 0.37-0.42 × EH (Fig. 5B ); LMC 0.5 × HH; third segment of maxillary palpus 6 × longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.71 × height; pronotal furrow crenulate dorsally and dorso-laterally; notauli smooth; propodeum slightly rugulose with an anteriorly blunt median longitudinal carina and one short longitudinal carina lateral to the median longitudinal carina posteriorly.

Wings. Fore wing: length of fore wing 1.0 × body length; PL/LRC 0.89; PW/PL 0.28; length of vein 1M 0.67 × length of (RS+M)a; length of vein 3RSb 1.0 × combined length of r-rs and 3RSa; vein 3RSa reaching anterior wing margin 0.61 × distance between apex of pterostigma and wing tip. Hind wing: uniformly setose; apex of C+SC+R with 1 basal hamule.

Legs. Claw with pointed basal lobe.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite 1.2 × longer than wide, raised median area oval, slightly rugulose, with a blunt and irregular dorso-lateral carinae which are more pronounced anteriorly, surrounding area with short transverse carinae, dorso-lateral carina present; T II-IV longitudinally striate (Fig. 6C ); T II 1.8 × wider than medially long, basal areas smooth and shiny, oblique furrow impressed; T III 1.7 × wider than medially long; T V-VII smooth and shiny; hypopygium ending at same level as tergites; ovipositor 0.47-0.5 × body length.

Colour. Predominantly yellow to orange-yellow, head and antenna black, except maxillary palp, face laterally, and basal half of mandible blackish red, legs blackish red except fore tibia and tarsi yellow (Fig. 5A ). Wings brown with dark brown venation, pterostigma entirely dark brown (Fig. 6A ).

Variation.

Female paratype as in holotype, except EH/HH 0.68; FH/FW 0.61; EH/FW 1.0; ITD 1.6 × TOD; mesosoma red. Male paratypes (Fig. 6D ) as in female, except length of body 6.2-6.5 mm; length of fore wing/body length 0.74-0.82; HL 0.8-0.82 × HH; EH/HH 0.69-0.71; EW/EH 0.70-0.73; EH/FW 1.0-1.04; ITD 1.6-1.9 × TOD; MS 0.28-0.30 × EH. Face yellowish white with a black spot above clypeus; carinae on propodeum more pronounced than in female.

Etymology.

Named for the presence of distinctive carinae on the propodeum which are diagnostic.

Comments.

Based on the presence of a raised area on face, strongly striate metasoma, and short hypopygium, this species is most closely related to V. rugator (Say). The presence of carinae on the propodeum and the long ovipositor (ovipositor length/body length 0.47-0.5) distinguish V. carinatus from V. rugator , which lacks the carinae on the propodeum and has a shorter ovipositor (ovipositor length/body length 0.29-0.37).

Figures

Figure 5. Montaged light micrographs of Vipio carinatis. A Holotype, habitus lateral view B face, oblique view C head, lateral view D head, dorsal view E mesoscutum, oblique dorsal view.

Figure 6. Montaged light micrographs of Vipio carinatus. A Wings B propodeum C metasomal tergites I-III, oblique dorsal view D paratype male, oblique dorsal habitus E holotype specimen labels.