Temelucha rea, Vas, 2016

Vas, Zoltan, 2016, A new species of Temelucha Foerster from Malta with an updated and revised identification key to the Western Palaearctic Temelucha species (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cremastinae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 48, pp. 67-84 : 69-71

Temelucha rea sp. n.

Material examined.

Holotype: female, Malta, Mellieha, Il-Prajjet , 14.viii.2014, leg. M. Zammit. Paratype: female, same locality, collecting date, and collector. The holotype and the paratype are deposited in the HNHM Hymenoptera Collection ( HNHM Id. No. 23011, 23012, respectively) .

Diagnosis.

The new species belongs to the morphological group of Temelucha species with the following characters in combination: mainly yellow head and thorax, at least the basal part of the hind coxa dark, the second discal cell more than 1.5 × as long as the first sub-discal cell, and the second recurrent vein (2 m-cu) postfurcal. Within this group it most resembles Temelucha decorata (Gravenhorst, 1829) due to its colour pattern; however, it is significantly smaller than Temelucha decorata . Another such small species within this group is Temelucha picticollis ( Hellén, 1949); however, Temelucha picticollis differs from the newly described species by its black propodeum, the absence of notauli, and colour pattern.

Description.

Female (holotype) (Figs 1-4 ). Body length 4.7 mm, fore wing length 2.7 mm, ovipositor sheath 2.0 mm.

Head. Antenna with 26 flagellomeres. First flagellomere 3.3 × as long as wide. Gena short, strongly constricted behind eyes. Occipital carina dorsomedially incomplete. Occiput smooth and shiny. Vertex, frons, gena and malar space finely coriaceous. Middle of face punctate, punctures separated from each other by usually less than a puncture diameter. Clypeus with fewer punctures, convex in profile, and with curved apical margin. Inner eye orbits parallel. Ocellus diameter slightly smaller than distance between lateral ocellus and eye. Malar space about 0.75 × as long as basal width of mandible. Mandibular teeth of equal length.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma densely punctate; distance between punctures on mesonotum and mesopleuron generally smaller than puncture diameter. Pronotum less densely punctate and with fine wrinkles. Epomia distinct. Notaulus distinct, reaching middle of mecoscutum. Scutellum punctate with lateral carinae not reaching its middle. Sternaulus indistinct. Speculum shiny and almost impunctate. Epicnemial carina present, reaching above middle of hind edge of pronotum. Posterior transverse carina of mesosternum complete. Metanotum (including postscutellum) with longitudinal wrinkles and a few punctures. Metapleuron densely punctate. Legs slender, hind femur about 5 × as long as wide. Tarsal claws small and thin, only slightly longer than aro lium. Propodeum long, only very weakly convex in profile with its apical edge reaching middle of hind coxa. Pleural carina complete, its distance from circular propodeal spiracle about equal to diameter of spiracle. Spiracle connected to pleural carina by a raised ridge. Lateromedian and lateral longitudinal carinae and basal transverse carina complete. Median section of apical transverse carina indistinct. Pleural areas strongly punctate. Lateral areas with dense punctures and sparse transverse wrinkles. Area basalis very small with almost parallel lateral carinae on its basal half. Area superomedia and area petiolaris indistinctly separated; both areas narrow, almost parallel-sided and with dense transverse striation, except basal part of area superomedia, which is almost triangular-shaped and less striate, rather shiny with a few punctures.

Wings. Wing membrane with dense short hairs. Fore wing with vein cu-a interstitial. Vein 2 m-cu postfurcal with a wide bulla. Distal abscissa of Rs almost completely straight. Second discal cell about 2 × as long as first sub-discal cell (measured at front margins). Pterostigma slightly shorter than front margin of marginal cell. Hind wing with vein cu-a + abscissa of Cu 1 between M and cu-a almost straight, not intercepted. Distal abscissa of Cu 1 spectral.

Metasoma. First metasomal segment slightly longer (about 1.15 ×) than second segment. Ventral margins of first tergite touching each other ventrally. Lateromedian carinae of first tergite relatively weak. Second tergite with longitudinal striation characteristic of many Cremastinae . Third tergite coriaceous. Following tergites mainly punctate. Metasoma strongly laterally compressed, especially from third tergite on. Ovipositor sheath twice as long as hind tibia (or as long as fore wing from base to middle of marginal cell). Ovipositor straight, laterally compressed with distinct subapical notch. Apex smooth and straight, with subapical part somewhat widened in profile.

Colour. Head yellow except following parts. Upper face with brownish patch in midline. Black parts are: mandible teeth, middle of frons, ocellar area, posterior half of gena and occiput. Maxillary and labial palpi yellowish brown. Antennal flagellomeres dark brown with lighter apical bands on first few basal flagellomeres. Scapus and pedicellus mainly dark brown with some yellowish brown colouration on ventral side. Wings hyaline, venation and pterostigma brownish. Pronotum reddish with wide yellowish edges and hind corner. Mesoscutum yellow with an anteromedian black patch and two posterolateral brownish patches. Hind edge of mesoscutum and scutellar groove black. Scutellum entirely yellow. Mesopleuron mainly reddish and yellowish with black patches on ventral parts. Metanotum dark brown, its center somewhat lighter reddish brown. Metapleuron reddish and yellowish, its anterior ventral corner black. Propodeum almost entirely pale reddish, only basally black, medially reaching only basal part of area superomedia.

Fore and mid legs: coxae yellow with brownish patches basally; trochanters and trochantelli yellow; femora, tibiae and tarsomeres pale reddish except brown apical tarsomeres. Hind leg: coxa basally black; trochanter and trochantellus brown with yellowish apical parts; femur brown, basally and apically yellowish brown; tibia yellowish brown in middle, basally and apically brown; tarsomeres brown with yellowish brown base of first tarsomere; apical tarsomere dark brown.

First tergite reddish brown laterally as well as dorsally in middle and in most apical part. Basal part of tergite and basal part of postpetiolus almost black dorsally. Second tergite reddish brown with irregular brown patches in middle. Following tergites dark brown (almost black) basally, reddish brown apically with yellowish brown lateral and posterolateral edges. Ovipositor sheath dark brown (almost black); ovipositor reddish brown with paler apex.

Variation.

The paratype female (Figs 5-8 ) is identical to the holotype in all the characteristics described above except that it is darker than the holotype. The brownish patch in the midline of the upper face is larger and black; pronotum more reddish; the posterolateral dark patches of the mesoscutum are black; mesopleuron with less yellowish and more reddish colouration and almost black around the speculum; metanotum almost black; propodeum darker, the basal half black, apical half pale reddish; hind tibia darker brown in the middle; the first and second tergites are darker, the light edges of the apical tergites are slightly darker.

Male.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Currently known only from Malta.

Ecological note.

Adult wasps emerged on 14.viii.2014 from flowers of Limbarda crithmoides (Linnaeus) collected on 8.ix.2014. Several adult moths of Eublemma parva ( Hübner) ( Lepidoptera: Noctuidae ) also emerged from the flowers; most probably it is the host species.

Etymology.

Arbitrary combination of letters, feminine gender.

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Holotype of Temelucha rea sp. n., female. 1 lateral view 2 dorsal view 3 frontal view 4 anteroventral view.

Figures 5 - 8. Paratype of Temelucha rea sp. n., female. 5 lateral view 6 dorsal view 7 frontal view 8 anteroventral view.