Neotheronia zaldivari Khalaim, 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 : 425-426

24. Neotheronia zaldivari Khalaim , sp. nov.

( Figs 18, 19 )

Material examined. Holotype female ( EMEC), Mexico, Sinaloa, 8 mi W of El Palmito , 6400 ft. (= 1950 m), 8–12.viii.1972, coll. J. Powel, D. Veirs & C.D. MacNeill.

Paratype. MEXICO. Jalisco: 1 ♂ ( EMEC) La Floresta, Lago de Chapala , 1510 m, 4.ix.1977, coll. E. Schlinger.

Description. Female. Fore wing length 12.0 mm.

Mandible moderately long, weakly tapered, more or less equally bidentate. Clypeus in anterior view 2.6× as long as wide, with lower margin very slightly concave, with a strong median transverse convex ridge ( Fig. 18 ). Face 1.2× as broad as long, weakly convex. Lateral ocellus separated from eye by 1.3× its own maximum diameter. Occipital carina mediodorsally arched. Occiput without mediodorsal notch.

Pronotum with upper end of epomia short, about half as long as basal mandibular width; lower portion of epomia distinct, long. Notauli short, only weakly impressed anteriorly. Subalar prominence roundly convex. Epicnemial carina with upper reaching to almost level of lower corner of pronotum, remote from pleural margin. Scutellum, in profile, convex, laterally carinate on extreme anterior end. Submetapleural carina narrow, broadened anteriorly. Pleural carina evanescent, virtually absent. Propodeum in profile moderately long; transverse carina near the centre, slightly raised mediodorsally, laterally distinct; median longitudinal carinae entirely absent; lateral longitudinal carinae absent in front of tharsverse carina and distinct behind it. Pleural carina only present at extreme anterior end, its course discernible as a shallow grove. Flange of hind margin of propodeum just lateral to insertion of metasoma in the form of a low rounded prominence.

Fore wing with areolet moderately large, shortly truncated above, emitting vein 2m-cu far distal to centre. Hind leg with outer surface of tibia without enlarged bristles. Third segment of hind tarsus 1.8× as long as broad.

Metasoma with first tergite 2.1× as long as posteriorly broad, lateromedian longitudinal carinae present only anteriorly. First tergite in profile dorsally evenly convex, first sternite with a strongy developed medioventral keel anteriorly. Second tergite with gastroceli moderately large, shallow. Ovipositor straight, slender, subcylindrical, projecting beyond hind margin of subgenital plate by 1.4× length of hind tibia; apex of lower valve with about 8 distinct oblique teeth, apex of upper valve smooth.

A generally yellow species with a few blackish and brownish markings. Head yellow; teeth of mandible black; vertex posteromedially very weakly infuscate with brown. Antenna black; scape and pedicel ventrally yellow and dorsally yellow marked; first flagellomere ventrally yellowish. Mesosoma yellow; mesoscutum with three longitudinal brown stripes; scutoscutellar groove and groove between propodeum and postscutellum black; mesopleuron with anterior margin and lower part of hind margin slightly brownish. Tegula yellow. Wings distinctly infumate with brown; fore wing with blackish spot near distal end of marginal cell. Pterostigma brownish black. Legs yellow; mid leg with basitarsus brownish and tarsomeres 2–4 dark brown to black; hind leg ( Fig. 19 ) with both trochanters, apical 0.2 of femur, extreme base and apex of tibia, and entire tarsus dark brown to black. First tergite blackish at extreme base. Tergites 2–4 with narrow transverse black band basally. Ovipositor sheath black.

Male. Similar to female.

Etymology. The species is named in honour of the well-known Mexican entomologist and my friend, expert in molecular taxonomy of Braconidae, Alejandro Zaldívar Riverón (UNAM) .

Comparison. The new species belongs to the concolor species-complex as it lacks median notch in the occiput and has a strong transverse ridge across the clypeus ( Fig. 18 ). Within this species-complex, N. zaldivari sp. nov. is most similar to N. concolor but differs from this species in colour pattern of hind leg ( Fig. 19 ).

Distribution. Mexico (Sinaloa, Jalisco).

Figures

FIGURES 16–19. Neotheronia juanitae sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 16—apex of metasoma with ovipositor, lateral; 17—hind leg, lateral. Neotheronia zaldivari sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 18—head, antero-lateral; 19—mid and hind legs, lateral.