Heligmothynnus microspinus, Brown, 2005

Brown, G. R., 2005, A revision of Tachyphron Brown and description of two new genera within the Ariphron group (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae), Journal of Natural History 39 (2), pp. 197-239 : 211

Heligmothynnus microspinus sp. n.

( Figures 17, 18 , 26 , 59 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: „. Papua New Guinea: Central District: Ivimka camp, Lakekamu Basin, 7.73 ° S, 146.76 ° E, Malaise trap # 4, closed canopy primary lowland rainforest, 26–31 October 1996, R. R. Snelling, in LACM. PARATYPES: 2 „, Ivimka camp, Lakekamu Basin, 7.7 ° S, 146.8 ° E, 110 m, Malaise trap # 2, closed canopy lowland wet forest, 11–20 November 1996, R. R. Snelling, in LACM and NTM.

Distribution. Known only from lowland wet forest in the Lakekamu Basin, Central District, Papua New Guinea ( Figure 59 ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from Greek, and is a reference to the minute apical hypopygial spine.

Diagnosis. Male: apical hypopygial spine shorter than the lateral spines. Metasoma (except T1 and S1) red or predominantly red. Dorsal margin of parameres straight, not dentate ( Figure 17 ). Basiparameres (combined) relatively short and broad, and broadly emarginate apically ( Figure 18 ).

Description. Male: black; metasoma (except T1 and S1) red or at most red slightly infused with black; anterior margin of pronotum (narrowly interrupted medially), and disc of metanotum yellow; flagellum and tarsi ventrally, dark brown; setae white; wings hyaline without preapical spot on fore wing; veins dark brown to black. Clypeus closely and finely punctate, apically truncate, sagittal carina obscure especially dorsally. Frons rugosely punctate. Vertex rugosely punctate. Gena finely rugosely punctate, short and subparallel, less than quarter length of minimum eye diameter. Occipital carina visible dorsally. Genal cavity slightly visible dorsally. Pronotum, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum rugosely punctate including anterior surface of pronotum. Metanotum almost impunctate. Propodeum rugosely punctate. Mesopleura rugosely punctate, punctures smaller dorsally. T1–6 almost impunctate except posterolaterally, especially on T6; T7 closely and coarsely punctate, impunctate medially; T1 with length: width 78:56. S1 sparsely punctate; S2–8 almost impunctate except curved posterior line, punctures deeper on S5–6, S8 and absent on S7. Hypopygium ( Figure 26 ) subparallel, lateral spines short and triangular, and longer than apical subtriangular spine. Genitalia ( Figures 17, 18 ) with parameres long and narrow, subparallel basally with dorsal margin straight, down-turned and narrower apically, apices rounded, slightly divergent, ending beyond apex of aedeagus (when coiled); basiparameres in dorsal view subtriangular, apex emarginate and ending beyond level of apices of cuspides, broad in lateral view; aedeagus with basal and apical sections, basal section short, swollen and hood-like with a pair of ventral lobes that originate from inside (rather than the margin of) the basal section, apical extremely long, filamentous and coiled (maceration in KOH causes the coil to intensify and tighten such that it is more coiled and the coil diameter is smaller), much longer than length of parameres. BL: 9–13; FW: 6–10; HW: 4–7.

Figures

Figure 59. Distribution of Deuterothynnus spp. and Heligmothynnus spp. (note the coincident collecting of D. fulvicentratus with H. microspinus, and D. fulvisetatus with D. parallelus).

Figures 17–24. Heligmothynnus spp., male genitalia, lateral and dorsal views. (17, 18) H. microspinus. (19, 20) H. atratus. (21, 22) H. neoaratus. (23, 24) H. sabronensis (note: basal ring not shown). Scale bar: 0.25 mm.

Figures 25–28. Heligmothynnus spp., male hypopygia. (25) H. sabronensis. (26) H. microspinus. (27) H. atratus. (28) H. neoaratus. Scale bar: 0.25 mm.