Neotheronia altacima Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino, 2021

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2021, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: genera Neotheronia Krieger, Nomosphecia Gupta and Xanthopimpla Saussure, Zootaxa 4950 (3), pp. 401-440 : 405-406

1. Neotheronia altacima Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino , sp. nov.

( Figs 20, 21 )

Material examined. Holotype female (UAT), Mexico, Tamaulipas, Gómez Farías, Alta Cimas , 900 m, Malaise trap, 2–9.ix.2000, coll. D.R. Kasparyan.

Paratypes. MEXICO. Tamaulipas: 2 ♀ (UAT) same locality and trap as holotype, 24.iv–1.v, 31.vii–7.viii.1999, coll. S. Hernández A. 1 ♂ (UAT) same locality, 1.xi.1990, coll. E. Ruíz C. 1 ♂ (UAT) Gómez Farías, Los Cedros , same trap and collector, 13–20.ii.1999 . 2 ♂ ( ZISP) Gómez Farías, Los Cedros , 300 m, Malaise trap, 13.iii.2003, coll. D.R. Kasparyan. 1 ♀ (UAT) Gómez Farías, Canindo, Trampas de agua, 5–7.x.1994, coll. M. Lavin. 1 ♀ (UAT) Cd. Victoria, Cañon Libertad , 400 m, bosque de pino y encino, 12.i.1988, coll. F. Meza V.

Description. Female. Fore wing length 10.4 mm.

Mandible moderately long, weakly tapered, more or less equally bidentate. Clypeus in anterior view 2.6× as long as wide, in lower half somewhat impressed, with lower margin somewhat concave, without median transverse ridge. Face 1.3× as broad as long, weakly convex. Lateral ocellus separated from eye by 1.5× its own maximum diameter. Occipital carina mediodorsally rather strongly dipped ( Fig. 20 ). Occiput with mediodorsal notch ( Fig. 20 ).

Pronotum with upper end of epomia strong, half as long as basal mandibular width; lower portion of epomia (that parallel with the anterior margin of the pronotum) distinct. Notauli anteriorly impressed. Subalar prominence rather angularly convex. Epicnemial carina strongly concave above lower corner, with upper end far from anterior margin of mesopleuron. Scutellum, in profile, weakly convex, laterally carinate on anterior 0.2. Submetapleural carina strongly raised, broadened anteriorly. Pleural carina complete, weakly bowed, thin. Propodeum in profile moderately long, abruptly declivous posteriorly; transverse carina near the centre, mediodorsally strong; median longitudinal carinae absent, only discernible as tubercles anteriorly; lateral longitudinal carinae absent in front of transverse carina and present behind transverse carina ( Fig. 21 ). Flange on hind margin of propodeum strongly raised laterally and moderately raised dorsally.

Fore wing with areolet moderately large, emitting vein 2m-cu well distal to centre, with upper corner slightly truncated. Hind leg with outer surface of tibia bearing very fine scattered bristles. Third segment of hind tarsus about 2.5× as long as broad.

Metasoma with first tergite 2.2× as long as posteriorly broad, lateromedian longitudinal carinae present only anteriorly, but with a slightly angulate ridge extending back to about level of spiracle. First tergite, in profile, dorsally abruptly rounded in basal 0.4. Second tergite with gastroceli moderately large, oval, separated medially by a distance which is somewhat longer than gastroceli broad. Ovipositor straight, subcylindrical, projecting beyond hind margin of subgenital plate by 1.55× length of hind tibia; apex of lower valve with 7 oblique teeth, apex of upper valve smooth.

A generally yellow species with black markings. Head yellow; teeth of mandible black; stripe from lateral ocellus to eye and hind margin of vertex blackish ( Fig. 20 ). Antenna black; scape and pedicel ventrally yellow. Mesosoma yellow. Pronotum with black stripe along hind margin on its upper 0.6. Mesoscutum with three longitudinal blackish stripes. Scutoscutellar groove black. Propodeum with anterior margin narrowly black, and with median subtriangular stripe extending from hind margin of propodeum to transverse carina ( Fig. 21 ). Tegula yellow. Wings slightly infumate; forewing with a vaguely defined brownish spot near distal end of marginal cell. Pterostigma black with small whitish spot basally. Legs yellow; hind tarsus mostly black, yellowish basally. First tergite brownish or black marked subbasally. Tergites 2 and 3 with transverse subproximal black band. Tergites 4–7 with transverse median black spot anteriorly. Ovipositor sheath blackish.

Male. Similar to female.

Variation. Some specimens have areas of black coloration partly reduced or paler, but important diagnostical characters of coloration used in the key and diagnosis are always distinct.

Etymology. The species is named after the locality Alta Cimas where the holotype and several paratype specimens were collected.

Distribution. Mexico (Tamaulipas).

Comparison. The new species belongs to the lineata species-group by having a black stripe joining the lateral ocellus to the eye, and a strong median notch in the occiput. It is similar to N. lineata and N. tacubaya , but distinct in having black pterostigma and flagellum, entirely yellow mesopleuron without black markings, and hind tarsus extensively blackish (more or less entirely yellow in two other species). It also differs from N. lineata by the propodeum without lateral and median longitudinal carinae in front of transverse carina, and from N. tacubaya by the propodeum with subtriangular median black mark extending from insertion of metasoma to transverse carina, without a transverse black mark along anterior margin of transverse carina.

Figures

FIGURES 20–24. Neotheronia altacima sp. nov., ♀: 20—head, dorso-postero-lateral; 21—propodeum, dorsal. Neotheronia bonita sp. nov., ♀: 22—propodeum, dorsal; 23—hind tarsus, lateral. Neotheronia charli, ♀: 24—propodeum, dorsal.