Pimpla tequila Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino, 2021

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2021, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: genera Apechthis Förster, Itoplectis Förster and Pimpla Fabricius, Zootaxa 5071 (4), pp. 451-491 : 482-484

17. Pimpla tequila Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino , sp. nov.

( Fig. 22 )

Material examined. Holotype female ( UAT), Mexico, Jalisco, 10 km S of Tequila, Volcán de Tequila , 20°47.4’N, 103°51.0’W, 2750–2850 m, 7.ii.2009, coll. A.I. Khalaim.

Paratypes. MEXICO. Tamaulipas: 1 ♀ ( UAT) Palmillas, Ejido Llano de Azúa , 1620 m, Malaise trap, 5–18.ii.2017, coll. E. Ruíz C. & J.M. Coronado B. Morelos: 1 ♀ ( UAT) Tepoztlán , 2.ix.1951, coll. C. Bolivar. HONDURAS. 1 ♀ ( FSCA) El Paraíso, Yuscarón, Cerro Moncerrat , 25.v.1993, coll. R. Ortega.

Description. Female. Fore wing length 8.8 mm.

Head strongly and almost straightly narrowed behind eyes in dorsal view. Posterior ocellus separated from eye by 0.6× its own diameter. Mandible with upper tooth somewhat longer than the lower tooth. Clypeus in profile proximally rather strongly convex, apically concave; in frontal view almost twice as broad as long, with lower margin weakly concave. Malar space 0.3–0.5× as long as basal mandibular width. Face convex, densely and distinctly punctate (punctures shallower in lower part). Frons transversely striate medially, finely and densely punctate laterally.

Mesoscutum weakly shining, with shallow dense punctures. Scutellum weakly convex, almost smooth, with shallow sparse punctures, smooth between punctures. Mesopleuron densely and evenly punctate, smooth and shining between punctures, punctures more sharp and deep dorsally and anteriorly. Epicnemial carina reaching about the level of centre of pronotum. Metapleuron weakly convex, with shallow dense punctures, smooth and shining between punctures, with very fine inconspicuous striae posteriorly. Submetapleural carina anteriorly strongly raised, rounded, posteriorly indistinct. Pleural carina mostly indistinct. Propodeum dorsally with very fine transverse striae, dull, dorsolaterally and laterally dull and uneven, with medium-sized indistinct punctures, posteriorly smooth and finely punctate; dorsoposterior corners not swollen.

Fore wing with vein RS almost straight, weakly curved distally. Vein 1cu-a (nervulus) antefurcal. Discosubmarginal cell moderately hirsute, with setae sparser proximally.

First tergite of metasoma short, 0.9× as long as posteriorly broad, in lateral view with dorsal surface convex in posterior 0.6, the summit of the swelling rather sharply angled at 130°. Tergite 1 dorsally polished in basal 0.6, coarsely punctate reticulate posteriorly. Tergites 2–5 dorsally coarsely punctate reticulate with posterior margins narrowly smooth. Second tergite with weak and inconspicuous basolateral grooves, following tergites without basolateral grooves.Tergite 6 punctate reticulate anteriorly to densely punctate posteriorly. Tergite 7 densely punctate anteriorly, with scattered punctures posteriorly. Laterotergites extremely narrow, those of segments 4 and 5 about 0.2× as broad as long. Ovipositor robust and straight, with distinct subapical teeth ventrally (all teeth subvertical), its sheath as long as hind tibia.

Head with antenna, mandible and mouth parts black. Mesosoma and tegula black. Wings slightly infumate. Veins dark brown to brownish black. Pterostigma brownish black with small pale marks basally and apically. All coxae and trochanters black; fore trochanter white marked anteriorly. Fore femur and tibia dark red to blackish, white striped anteriorly. Fore and mid tarsi reddish brown, infuscate, the distal tarsomere apically blackish. Mid and hind femora dark red, mid femur anteriorly with small apical yellowish mark. Mid leg with tibia and tarsus reddish brown, slightly infuscate, tibia blackish on its anterior side, the distal tarsomere blackish. Hind tibia reddish brown, slightly infuscate, basally blackish. Hind tarsus and claws black. Metasoma dark red. Ovipositor sheath black.

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Female from Morelos is distinctly larger than the holotype, with fore wing 11.4 mm long, and is lighter, in particular it has tegula yellow in its anterior 0.4, pterostigma dark brown, hind leg with apical trochanter, mid and hind tibiae, and hind tarsomeres 1–3 entirely reddish brown.

Etymology. The species is named after the type locality [Volcán de] Tequila, and a traditional Mexican tipple.

Distribution. Mexico (Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Morelos), Honduras.

Comparison. The new species differs from its Central American and Mexican congeners with reddish brown metasoma by the combination of mesopleuron and metapleuron with shallow and dense punctures (without striae); short malar space; black coxae and reddish brown mid and hind femora; whitish marks on anterior surface of fore trochanter and on outer side of mid femur apically; and coarse longitudinally punctate-reticulate sculpture of tergites 2–5.

Figures

FIGURES 21–23. Pimpla spp., holotypes, females, habitus, lateral: 21—P. oaxacana sp. nov.; 22—P. tequila sp. nov.; 23—P. xalapana sp. nov.