Enicospilus (Allocamptus) izquierdoae, Johansson, 2021

Johansson, Niklas, 2021, Contribution to the subfamily Ophioninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Southern Europe with the description of one new genus and 15 new species, Zootaxa 5023 (3), pp. 301-334 : 302-304

Enicospilus (Allocamptus) izquierdoae sp. nov.

Figs 1A–B, D, F–G

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8655E814-D517-4C67-82FC-05E4902EAC68

Holotype: SPAIN: ♀, Canary Isl. , El Hierro, Montana Colorada, 27,73596˚N, 18,03929˚E, 1010 m. a. s., 30 Aug. 2012, F. Pühringer & N. Pöll leg. ( OÖLM).

Paratypes: SPAIN: 1♂, Canary Isl. , Teneriffa, Puerte de la Cruz, 6 Dec. 2007, R & W Zarre leg. ( OÖLM) ; 1♀, 1♂, Canary Isl. , El Hierro, La Mareta, S. Mirador de Jinama, 27,75471˚N, 17,97996˚E, 1280 m. a. s., 1 Sep. 2012, F. Pühringer & N. Pöll leg. ( MSz) ; 2♂♂, Canary Isl. , Isla de Palma , Cumbre Nueva , LUX, Lomo de los Mestres, 28,65262˚N, 17,81713˚E, 1010 m. a. s., 21 Aug. 2012, N. Pöll leg. ( MSz) .

Etymology: The species epithet izquierdoae (feminine name in genitive case) refers to the Spanish hymenopterist Isabel Izquierdo Moya who initially recognized this species.

Diagnosis: A member of the subgenus Allocamptus Förster, 1869 . Most similar to the African species Enicospilus oweni Gauld and Mitchell, 1978 , but with the face darker and the hind claws more densely pectinate. Distinguished from the European species Enicospilus inflexus ( Ratzeburg, 1844) and E. undulatus (Gravenhorst, 1829) by the narrower face and temples.

Description: Fore wing length 17–18 mm. Body length 20–22 mm. Number of flagellomeres 57–59. Temples strongly narrowed, in lateral view about 0.2–0.3 x the width of compound eye ( Fig. 1D ). Face narrow ( Fig. 1B ). Lateral ocelli touching inner margin of compound eye. Clypeus flat, anterior margin weakly convex. Malar space narrow, about 0.1 × the width of the mandibular base. Mandible strongly twisted with upper tooth about two × as long as lower tooth. First flagellomere slender, about 4.5 × as long as apically wide. Mid- and preapical flagellomeres about 1.8–2.0 × as long as wide. Mesopleuron densely punctate, never striate, punctures with interstices about 0.1–0.5 × the diameter of punctures. Pleurosternal angles strong, right angled. Mesoscutum mostly polished with notauli weakly indicated anteriorly, punctate centrally, punctures becoming denser and more distinct laterally. Scutellum polished with scarce punctures and lateral carinae along its entire length. Propodeum with anterior transverse carina distinct. Posterior to carina covered with irregular arcuate carinae, anterior to carinae smooth, opaque. Fore wing without alar sclerites. Radius sinuate before junction with pterostigma. Hind femur slender, about 10.0 × longer than wide ( Fig. 1A ). Inner spur of hind tibia about 0.4 × as long as hind metatarsus. Hind claws pectinate throughout their entire length ( Fig. 1F ). In some specimens worn ( Fig. 1G ).

Colouration: Uniformly testaceous ( Fig. 1A ). Inner and outer orbits widely pale ( Figs 1B, D ). Mandibular teeth black. Ovipositor sheath testaceous, concolourous with the metasomal segments. Fore wing veins and pterostigma testaceous.

DNA Barcode: The DNA barcode sequences of three specimens of Enicospilus izquierdoae sp. nov. are available at the BOLD systems database: sample id. NJP667/668/684, sequence id. LNU2503-21/2504-21/2520-21. The species shows a minimum sequence divergence of 2.58% from its closest neighbor ( E. inflexus ).

Remarks: Izquierdo (1981) notes that the relatively small Allocamptus species occurring on the Canary Islands is more similar to the African species of the subgenus, but concludes that the narrow head is part of the intraspecific variation of E. inflexus . I have studied several smaller specimens determined as Enicospilus inflexus , some of them reared from Erigaster lanestris in MZH, NHRS and NHMW and they have narrower face and temples ( Figs 1C, E ) than the considerable larger specimens reared from Lasiocampa quercus . As they also appear to differ in some other respects, this may indicate that the true Enicospilus inflexus , type reared from Erigaster lanestris ( Ratzeburg 1844) , may be a species distinct from the large parasitoid of Lasiocampa quercus commonly treated under the same name. The rather short original description of Ophion arcuatus Brullé, 1846 and the labels stated that the specimen originated from China ( Brullé 1846 p. 146). Townes (1961), who puts the species in synonymy with Enicospilus undulatus , doubts the locality of origin and states that the holotype is likely to have been collected in France, which is listed as type locality (p. 175). I have studied the type of Enicospilus arcuatus ( Brullé, 1846) in MNHN and the specimen appear to be conspecific with the parasitoid commonly reared from Lasiocampa quercus , supporting Townes hypothesis of European origin. Despite the early work by Kriechbaumer (1901), presenting convincing evidence for the separation of E. inflexus and E. undulatus , it was not until a short note by Gauld (1974) that the two species were formally regarded as separate species. This means that the synonymisation of E. arcuatus with E. undulatus made by Townes did not account for the existence of two separate species. Therefore, Enicospilus arcuatus syn. nov. is removed from synonymy with E. undulatus and regarded as a synonym of E. inflexus . It shall hereby be noted that if the species parasitizing Eriogaster lanestris and Lasiocampa quercus should be shown to be separate species, the correct name for the parasitoid of Lasiocampa quercus should be Enicospilus arcuatus . The type of E. hannibalis ( Kohl, 1905) collected in Tunisia ( Kohl 1905) in NHMW was studied and is conspecific with the species parasiting Lasiocampa quercus . Therefore Enicospilus hannibalis syn. nov. is a synonym of Enicospilus inflexus .

Figures

FIGURE 1. A) Enicospilus izquierdoae sp. nov. holotype female (OÖLM), habitus lateral view.; B) Enicospilus izquierdoae sp. nov., head, anterior view; C) Enicospilus inflexus (Ratzeburg, 1844), head, anterior view; D) Enicospilus izquierdoae sp. nov., head, lateral view; E) Enicospilus inflexus (Ratzeburg, 1844), head, latera view; F–G) Enicospilus izquierdoae sp. nov. hind tarsal claws.