Urosigalphus singularis Arias-Penna

Carolina, Diana & B, James, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the Colombian species of Urosigalphus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 3411, pp. 1-54 : 43-44

Urosigalphus singularis Arias-Penna , n. sp.

Figs. 19A–H

Female.— Body length 3.85 mm.

Body color (Fig. 19A): mainly black. Flagellomeres dark brown. Scape as well as pedicel dark brown, but with a slender light brown stripe in the apex. Annellus hyaline. Labrum apically red-brown, but edge dark brown (Fig. 19B). Mandible yellow-orange. Labial and maxillary palps yellow-brown. Fore and mid legs yellow-brown; hind legs yellow-brown, but tibia and tarsus brown. Fore wing (Fig. 19H): basally M+CU and 1–1A veins darker than apically; tegula yellow-brown with a dark brown spot. Stigma dark brown. Membrane of both fore and hind wings light brown; microtrichiae of fore wings brown, but hind wings hyaline.

Head (Figs. 19A–C). — Subquadrate. Antenna with 14 flagellomeres; first three flagellomeres longer than wide (0.21:0.09; 0.17:0.09; 0.16: 0.09 mm); last five, except the last one, longer than wide (0.09:007; 0.09:007; 0.09:007; 0.09:007; 0.10:007 mm); apical segment of antenna longer than penultimate segment (0.15: 0.07 mm); scape smaller than first flagellomere (0.18: 0.25 mm) and as wide as first flagellomere (0.10: 0.09 mm), but wider than pedicel (0.10: 0.07 mm); pedicel more than half as long as scape (0.12: 0.18 mm). Torulus located above midline of the eye. Frons (Fig. 19B) short, with a deep, longitudinal median and carinate groove, wider dorsally than ventrally, groove rises from middle of low face; carina bow dorsally, surrounding the scrobes, another Y-shaped carina inside the groove, but does not touch the ventral margin of median ocellus. Scrobes (Fg. 19C) very deep, wide, smooth, shiny and surrounded by a carina, scrobes reaching the dorsal part of median ocellus. Lower face (Fig. 19B) flat, long, with dense, homogeneous and small punctures, but interspaces wavy mainly laterally. Fronto-clypeal suture strongly impressed, rounded, smooth. Anterior tentorial pit embedded within a large depression. Clypeus flat, at same level as lower face, with scarce and small punctures, interspaces smooth; apical part not reflexed, smooth, shiny, without edge or carina. Labrum with small and sparse punctures. Mandible long, slender, basally with transverse strigae; mandible set (Fig. 19B) with one tooth; tooth red-brown short, stout. Maxillary palps longer than labial. Ocelli oval, distant from each other, separated by the width of lateral ocellus (0.06: 0.06 mm). Stemmaticum (Figs. 19B–C) higher than vertex, elevated into a broad, conspicuous projection, with a high carina forming an m, lateral ocelli behind stemmaticum and with a longitudinal and short carina between them; stemmaticum smooth. Eyes with preorbital carina (Fig. 19C). Vertex rectangular, smooth, shiny, but laterally with small, sparse punctures, vertex with a wavy hyper-occipital carina. Occiput concave, smooth and shiny. Occipital carina complete. Temple crossed by preorbital carina of eye. Gena scrobiculate.

Mesosoma (Figs. 19A, E–G). — Projection of propleuron blunt. Pronotum (Fig. 19H) shiny, anteriorly with large, deep, heterogeneous areolae including curvature of pronotum; dorsally with elongate and homogeneous areolae. Pronotal lobe (Fig. 19F) sloped toward tegula; point of inflection carinate; apex round. Mesoscutum uneven; lateral mesonotal lobes flat with small, homogeneous and sparse punctures; anteriorly slightly sloped, posteriorly convex; edge with elongate and deep foveae throughout; median mesonotal lobe with three carinae: two transverse and one longitudinal median; two transverse, continuous, wavy carinae running from one end to other, one of them located anteriorly and the other in second posterior third, laterally median lobe with short, wavy carinae; longitudinal median and continuous carina with antero-median elevation; carina is less than half as long as median mesonotal lobe and intercepts both transverse carinae; area of convergence of notauli (Fig. 19E) with heterogeneous areolation and without a defined shape. Notauli anteriorly not as well defined as posteriorly, notauli near edge of transscutal articulation and without additional row of foveae throughout. Scutellum (Fig. 19E) triangular, convex, medially slightly higher than mesoscutum, with four rounded, large, carinated areolae that fill the whole space; posteriorly on different vertical plane than posterior scutellar depression; scutellar sulcus with three deep and 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 conspicuous in lateral view (Fig. 19F). Propodeum antero-posteriorly short, symmetrical; MLC short, projected, conspicuous in lateral view (Fig. 19F); ATC high and strong, but not straight throughout; AMA triangle-shaped (Fig. 19E); LLC inclined; posterior wall of propodeum flat, with irregular, deep areolae, interspaces narrow. Metapleuron (Fig. 19F) with homogeneous areolae, but posteriorly with irregular areolae along edge. Mesopleuron (Fig. 19F) with epicnemial carina, but without postpectal carina and sternaulus; mesopleuron convex; shiny central area with homogeneous, small punctures; dorsally with four deep areolae with semicircular disposition below tegula; ventrally with heterogeneous areolae; anteriorly with a deep dent that bears large depressions; posteriorly with heterogeneous areolae. Mesosternum (Fig. 19G) convex with an incomplete central row of foveae not surrounded by lateral carina; lateral part narrow with small, sparse punctures and delimited by two strong, longitudinal carinae at each side; lateral parts delimited by two oblique carinae forming an irregular area on second posterior third of mesosternum; mesosternum near fore coxa with high, short transverse lamella; mesosternum near mid coxa with a semicircular carina and above with a group of irregular, large areolae.

Wings (Figs. 19A, H). — Fore wing (Fig. 19H): vein M+CU markedly curved (sinuate); vein 3RSb tubular, distant from stigma (0.50 mm); subbasal cell longer than basal (1.20: 1.10 mm); stigma short, relatively round. Fore wing: length 2.95 mm, width 1.08 mm; hind wing: length 1.95 mm, width 0.60 mm.

Metasoma (Fig. 19A, D). — Carapace in lateral view teardrop-shaped (Fig. 19A); anteriorly with strong substrigulate sculpture (Fig. 19E) that cross more than half the length of the carapace; area between the carinae lacunose. Apex of carapace (Fig. 19A) with three tubercles: two small located ventrally and at each side (Fig. 19D), third tubercle the largest and located above the small ones; in lateral view, region above tubercles convex; small tubercles equal in height and width (0.05: 0.09 mm), separated by a groove and more than half the width of the base of the tubercle (0.09: 0.05 mm); large tubercle wider than high (0.15: 0.10 mm); space between small tubercles and the large one smooth and shiny. Ovipositor (Fig. 19A) length 1.58 mm. Carapace length 1.82 mm.

Male.— Unknown.

Biology.— Unknown.

Comments.— Striking disposition of the carinae in the median mesonotal lobe, (laterally with short transverse and wavy carinae). Vertex with a medial carina. Preorbital carina present. Scutellar sulcus with three foveae. Mesosternum with an incomplete central row of foveae.

Material examined.— Holotype, female, Colombia: Meta, PNN [Parque Nacional Natural] Sierra de La Macarena, Cabaña Cerrillo, 3º21´N 73º56´W, 460m, Malaise, 10.xi.–21.xii.2002, A. Herrera & W. Villalba leg., M. 2982, IAvH-E 64536. Deposited in IAvH-E.

Etymology.— From singularis (Latin, adjective) = unique, extraordinary. The name refers to the so far unique characteristics found in this species.