Urosigalphus margo Arias-Penna

Carolina, Diana & B, James, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the Colombian species of Urosigalphus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 3411, pp. 1-54 : 29-31

Urosigalphus margo Arias-Penna , n. sp.

Figs. 12 A–G

Female.— Body length 3.8 mm.

Body color ( Fig. 12 A): mainly black. Flagellomeres, scape, pedicel dark brown. Annellus, mandible light brown. Mandibular teeth red-brown. Labial and maxillary palps yellow. All legs yellow-brown except basally hind tibia and hind tarsus brown. Fore wing ( Fig. 12 G): basally C+Sc+R, M+CU and 1–1A veins lighter than apically; tegula black, but posteriorly dark brown; stigma dark brown. Membrane of fore and hind wings light brown and with brown microtrichiae.

Head ( Figs. 12 A–B, E). — Subtriangular. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; first three flagellomeres longer than wide (0.25:0.07; 0.24:0.07; 0.23: 0.07 mm); last five, except the last one, longer than wide (0.18:0.07; 0.20:0.07; 0.19:0.07; 0.18:0.07; 0.18: 0.07 mm); apical flagellomere longer than penultimate segment (0.24: 0.18 mm); scape shorter than first flagellomere (0.18: 0.25 mm) and wider than pedicel and first flagellomere (0.10:0.08: 0.07 mm); pedicel less than half as long as scape (0.07: 0.18 mm). Torulus located above midline of the eye ( Fig. 12 B). Frons very short with a shallow longitudinal median groove, dorsally wider than ventrally and surrounded by lateral carinae of different heights; lateral carinae with elevation next to torulus like a semicircular crest; carinae tilted when approaching lateral region of ventral margin of median ocellus, but not touching them; groove running from dorsal third of lower face to ventral margin of median ocellus; groove with additional longitudinal median carina lower than laterals; area next to groove with strigate patterns that spread until dorsal third of lower face. Lower face ( Fig. 12 B) flat or nearly so, without protuberance with small, dense, irregular punctures with wavy interspaces although laterally with diagonal strigae. Fronto-clypeal suture strongly impressed, rounded with sculpture. Anterior tentorial pit embedded within a strong depression. Clypeus flat on same plane as lower face with scarce, small punctures; apical part reflexed, narrow, smooth, shiny with a defined edge, but without carina, edge conspicuous next to the base of mandible. Labrum with scarce, sparse punctures; interspaces smooth, shiny. Mandible long, slender; medially with transverse strigae; mandible set with two teeth, superior teeth longer than inferior; teeth slender with sharp apex. Maxillary palps longer than labial ( Fig. 12 B). Scrobes shallow, wide, not surrounded by a carina, interspaces irregular with semicircular patterns, scrobes reach the ventral part of lateral ocelli. Ocelli oval, not surrounded by carina; lateral ocelli distant from each other, separated by the width of lateral ocellus (0.07: 0.06 mm). Stemmaticum more elevated than vertex ( Fig. 12 E) with a conspicuous lamella elevated behind the median ocellus; frontal view of lamella flat ( Fig. 12 B); lamella higher than wide (0.19: 0.10 mm) with parallel sides, apex rounded, with small, scarce punctures concentrated on second apical third. Eyes without preorbital carina. Vertex with large, irregular areolae with wavy, shiny interspaces, but medial part, near occiput, with small, smooth, shiny area; vertex without longitudinal median carina. Occiput concave, smooth, shiny. Occipital carina present laterally and dorsally. Gena with small, homogeneous, sparse punctures: temple with wavy interspaces and irregular punctures.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 12 A–D). — Projection of propleuron blunt. Pronotum ( Fig. 12 C) convex; anteriorly and curvature of pronotum with large, irregular punctures, central area with scarce punctures; dorsally with a small area with small punctures; posteriorly scrobiculate. Pronotal lobe ( Fig. 12 C) sloped toward tegula; point of inflection carinate; apex rounded. Mesoscutum uneven; lateral mesonotal lobes with small, homogenous, sparse punctates; anteriorly sloped, posteriorly convex ( Fig. 12 D); edge of lateral mesonotal lobes with foveae of the same size throughout; median mesonotal lobe flat, but more elevated than lateral lobes; anteriorly with two carinae: one longitudinal median and one antero transverse; continuous longitudinal median carina more than half as long as mesonotal lobe and posteriorly ends next to rounded areola; longitudinal carina intercepts the other continuous, wavy antero transverse carina with an elevation in the middle part and runs from one end to the other; transverse carina higher than longitudinal; antero laterally median mesonotal lobe with two additional wavy transverse carinae, but disconnected in the middle part ( Fig. 12 D); area of convergence of notauli with several, irregular foveae, forming a inverted triangle. Notauli strongly impressed with large, irregular foveae throughout, notauli near transscutal articulation and without additional row of foveae throughout. Scutellum triangular, medially on same plane as mesoscutum; with three large depressions that cover all the space: two anteriorly, the edges of which meet and rise centrally and another posteriorly; posteriorly scutellum on same vertical plane as posterior scutellar depression; scutellar sulcus with four deep, uneven foveae; posterior scutellar depression with two elongate, large foveae that fill most of the smooth area. Middle part of metanotum, below posterior scutellar depression, with a strong projection throughout ( Fig. 12 C). Propodeum ( Fig. 12 D) antero-posteriorly short, symmetrical; crossed by MLC of homogeneous height throughout ( Fig. 12 C); ATC high rises after an strong invagination and later reaching the same length as MLC; AMA absent; posterior wall of propodeum flat with small areolae, interspaces wide. Metapleuron with large, irregular areolae. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 12 C) with epicnemial carina, without sternaulus; mesopleuron convex; shiny central area with some sparse, small punctures; dorsally with a large, deep, transverse depression below tegula and other irregular, large depressions forming a semicircular area; ventrally with L-shaped dent that bears large, deep punctures; anteriorly with elongate, narrow, flat area that bears small, dense punctures throughout the edge; posteriorly scrobiculate. Mesosternum flat ( Fig. 12 B) with small, sparse punctures and with a complete central row of foveae not surrounded by carinae, each lateral part crossed by two high, parallel carinae with oblique sides; mesosternum near fore coxa forming high transverse lamella with two elevations below each fore coxa; mesosternum near mid coxa with a carinated semicircular area intercepted by parallel, oblique lateral carinae.

Wings ( Figs. 12 A, G). — Fore wing ( Fig. 12 G): vein M+CU markedly curved (sinuate); vein 3RSb tubular, distant from stigma (0.55 mm); subbasal cell longer than basal (1.12: 1.08 mm), stigma short, relatively round. Fore wing: length 2.80 mm, width 0.88 mm; hind wing: length 2.10 mm, width 0.63 mm.

Metasoma ( Figs. 12 A, F). — Carapace in lateral view elongate, strongly fusiform; anteriorly with strong substrigulae that cross more than half the length of the carapace; area between the carinae lacunose. Apex of carapace with three tubercles ( Fig. 12 A): two large, lateral ones, on same plane ( Fig. 12 F); the third, small one located medially, above them; in lateral view, region between the two large tubercles and small one (0.10 mm) shiny, straight, with scarce punctures; all tubercles with blunt apex. The large tubercles with curved margins (length 0.25 mm, width 0.10 mm) and separated by a distance equal to width of the base of the tubercle (0.05: 0.05 mm); small tubercle wider than long (0.08: 0.04 mm) and separated from the two large ones by the same width (0.08 mm). Carapace length 1.86 mm.

Female. — Unknown.

Biology.— Unknown.

Material examined.— Holotype, female, Colombia: Magdalena, PNN [Parque Nacional Natural] Tayrona, Cerro San Lucas, 11º19´N 73º59´W, 550m, Malaise 1, 11–16.i.2003, C. Sarmiento leg., M.3425, IAvH-E 34315. Deposited in IAvH-E.

Etymology.— From margo (Latin, noun, masculine) = a border, edge. The name refers to the distinctive curved edge of both tubercles on the apex of the carapace.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Urosigalphus margo n. sp. (A) habitus; (B) head, frontal view and mesosternum; (C) mesosoma, lateral view; (D) mesosoma, dorsal view; (E) head, lateral view; (F) tubercles, apex of carapace, dorsal view; and (G) fore wing.