Rhacalysia ampla, Oliveira & Penteado-Dias, 2020

Oliveira, Francielle Dias de & Penteado-Dias, Angelica Maria, 2020, An update of the genera Idiasta Foerster and Rhacalysia Cameron (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae) and the descriptions of new species from the Neotropical Region, ZooKeys 976, pp. 109-130 : 109

Rhacalysia ampla sp. nov. Figures 8-11 , 12-18

Type material.

Holotype pinned, female (DCBU 361839) Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Teresópolis, Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, 22°26'57"S, 43°00'13"W, alt. 1236 m, XI.2015, dense ombrophilous forest, Malaise trap, R. F. Monteiro col. Paratypes, females (3), (DCBU 358123) 22°26'57"S, 43°00'13"W, alt. 1236 m, III.2015, Malaise trap, R. F. Monteiro col.; (DCBU 360613) 22°27'03"S, 43°00'54"W, alt. 1649 m, IV.2015, Malaise trap, R. F. Monteiro col.; (DCBU 404793) 22°27'03"S, 43°00'54"W, alt. 1649 m, I.2015, Malaise trap, R. F. Monteiro col.

Diagnosis.

Rhacalysia ampla can be differentiated from other species of genus by the notauli incomplete, precoxal sulcus sculptured only in anterior fourth, fore wing with m-cu interstitial, CU1a arising below middle of subdiscal cell, and hind wing with three hamuli.

Description.

Female (Fig. 8 ). Length. Body 3.1-4.0 mm; fore wing 3.4-4.4 mm; hind wing 2.8-3.45 mm.

Head. 1.5-1.85 × as wide as long; 1.7 × as wide as face, 1.5-1.6 × as wide as mesosoma, ca. 2.2 × as wide as apex of first metasomal tergite; slightly wider at eyes than temples in dorsal view. Eye glabrous, 1.0-1.1 × as high as wide, 2.9-3.0 × as wide as temples in lateral view (Fig. 9 ). Occiput, vertex, and temples smooth, with some sparse setae. Frons occasionally with weak pit mesally. Face 2.1-2.2 × as wide as high, setose; low mid ridge dorsally, rugulose above clypeus (Fig. 10 ). Epistomal sulcus deep, crenulate. Clypeus protruding, smooth to rugulose, setose (setae as long as wide clypeus), 1.6-2.0 × as wide as high; lateral margin of clypeus does not contact with paraclypeal fovea. Malar space short, 1/13 eye height. Paraclypeal fovea enlarged to form broad groove extending to eye (Fig. 10 ).

Mandible 3-dentate (Figs 9 , 11 ), 1.7-1.9 × as long as apical width, apex 1.2-1.3 × as wide as base; setose, slightly rugose antero-medially; diagonal ridge well developed on apical half of mandible, relatively displaced to ventral margin, and ventral carina present in basal half; teeth 1 and 2 connected by flange, indistinct incision; tooth 3 wider than tooth 1; tooth 2 wider and longer than others. Antenna 1.7 × as long as body, with 38 flagellar segments (holotype). First flagellar segment 3.5-3.8 × as long as wide; second flagellar segment 6.3-6.9 × as long as wide, 1.7-2.0 × length of first segment; third flagellar segment 5.4-5.9 × as long as wide, 1.5-1.8 × length of first segment. Maxillary palp 1.9-2.0 × as long as head height.

Mesosoma. 1.3-1.4 × as long as high, 1.9-1.95 × as long as wide, 2.0-2.4 × as high as head. Pronotum in dorsal view with distinct pronope, crenulate laterally; smooth in lateral view. Notauli deep, narrow, crenulate anteriorly, absent posteriorly (Fig. 12 ). Mesoscutum 1.05-1.1 × as wide as long, scattered setae present along notauli. Scutellar sulcus 2.2-2.7 × as wide as long, with well-developed mid ridge and smooth lateral areas. Mesoscutal pit deep, slightly elongate, occupying 1/6 to 1/5 extent of mesoscutum (Fig. 12 ). Scutellar disc smooth, setiferous; parascutellar area smooth to rugose posteriorly, with setae near scutellar sulcus. Metanotum setiferous anteriorly, in dorsal view smooth to rugulose medially and very weakly crenulate near posterior margin of depressed lateral fields; mid ridge well-developed anteriorly, absent posteriorly, lateral ridges absent (Fig. 14 ); metanotum in lateral view without high median flange. Mesopleuron with some setae in posterior area below, antero-basal margin crenulate towards anterior subalar area; posterior margin crenulate. Precoxal sulcus deep, crenulate weakly on anterior fourth of mesopleuron, mostly smooth (Fig. 13 ). Propodeum smooth, except for some rugae inside areola; anterior half with median carina, posterior half with pentagonal areola ca. as long as wide (Fig. 14 ). Metapleuron rugose posteriorly and setose.

Fore wing. 0.9-1.1 × as long as body. Pterostigma 3.6-3.75 × as long as wide, 1.9-2.2 × as wide as vein r length; r 0.2-0.3 × as long as 2-SR, arising distad midpoint of pterostigma; submarginal cell 2.5-2.7 × as long as high; 2-SR 2.5-2.7 × as long as r-m, 1.1-1.3 × as long as 3-SR; 3-SR 3.1-3.5 × as long as r, 2.1-2.3 × as long as r-m; SR1 3.5-4.0 × as long as 3-SR; 2-CU1 1.3-1.4 × as long as m-cu, this interstitial; cu-a postfurcal by distance ca. equal to its length; subdiscal cell closed, expanded distally, CU1a arising below middle of subdiscal cell (Fig. 15 ).

Hind wing. With three hamuli, 1.3-1.4 × as long as wide; vein 1-M 1.2 × as long as M+CU, 1.3-1.6 × as long as 1r-m; m-cu antefurcal, strongly nebulous for most of its length, tubular basally near its insertion, nearly reaching wing margin (Fig. 16 ).

Legs. Hind femur 5.7-6.1 × as long as wide. Hind tibia 11.4-12.1 × as long as its maximum subapical width, 1.0-1.1 × as long as hind tarsus. First segment of hind tarsus 1.5-1.7 × as long as second segment.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite ca. as long as apical width; apex 2.0-2.1 × as wide as base; smooth surface, dorsal carinae strongly convergent, uniting in basal third, continuing as distinct median carina but not reaching to apex; dorsope deep (Fig. 17 ). Ovipositor 1.0-1.25 × as long as hind tibia, 1.1-1.4 × as long as mesosoma; strongly curved upwards (Fig. 8 ). Ovipositor sheath setose (Fig. 18 ).

Color. Mostly dark brown. Mandibles light brown to yellow, darker at base. Clypeus, scape, pedicel, scutellum, and metanotum brown to light brown. Flagellar segment 17-20 whitish (holotype). Mesonotum brown to reddish brown. Propodeum and metapleuron yellowish to dark orange. First metasomal tergite orange to yellowish orange, base of terga 2 sometimes orange, other tergites brown. Tegula, ovipositor, and most of legs yellow. Trochanter and tronchantellus pale yellow, telotarsus darkened; hind leg with distal tibia and tarsus brown. Wings hyaline; venation and pterostigma light brown to brown.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

The species name refers to the form of the paraclypeal fovea.

Distribution.

Brazil, State of Rio de Janeiro, Teresópolis, dense ombrophilous forest.

Comments.

Rhacalysia ampla is similar morphologically to R. delicata , with which it shares many characteristics. Members Rhacalysia ampla can be differing by the precoxal sulcus weakly sculptured only in the anterior fourth of mesopleuron (Fig. 13 ) (sculpture shallow but long in R. delicata ), vein CU1a of fore wing arising below middle of subdiscal cell (Fig. 15 ) (at middle in R. delicata ), and the following quantitative ratios: eye ca. 3.0 × as wide as temples (2.2 × in R. delicata ); mesosoma 2.0-2.4 × as high as head (1.7 × in R. delicata ); pterostigma 1.9-2.2 × as wide as vein r length (3.0 × in R. delicata ); hind femur 5.7-6.1 × as long as wide (5.0 × in R. delicata ); and ovipositor 1.0-1.2 × as long as hind tibia (2.0 × in R. delicata ).

Figures

Figures 8 - 11. Rhacalysia ampla sp. nov. (females, paratypes) 8 habitus, lateral view 9 head, lateral view 10 head, anterior view 11 head, lateral view showing mandible.

Figures 12 - 18. Rhacalysia ampla sp. nov. (females, paratypes) 12 mesoscutum and scutellar sulcus, dorsal view 13 mesosoma, lateral view 14 metanotum and propodeum, dorsal view 15 fore wing 16 hind wing 17 first metasomal tergite, dorsal view 18 ovipositor sheaths.