Heterospilus ptericoptophagus ( Blanchard, 1962 ) Martínez & Diez, 2024

Martínez, Juan José & Diez, Fernando, 2024, Taxonomic notes on some neglected doryctine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Argentina described by J. Brèthes and E. Blanchard, Zootaxa 5406 (1), pp. 190-200 : 197-198

Heterospilus ptericoptophagus ( Blanchard, 1962) comb. nov.

( Figs. 15–18 )

Hormiopius ptericoptophagus Blanchard 1962: 46 (syntypes ♀, IMYZA, examined); De Santis & Esquivel 1966: 155, catalog of Argentine species; De Santis 1967: 49 catalog of Argentine species; Yu et al. 2016, catalog of World species.

Diagnosis: It is hard to provide a comprehensive diagnosis given the large numberof undescribed species in the Neotropical Región, and particularly in South America. Currently eleven described species from South America are characterized by their striate vertex, amongst them, only two are comparable in terms of the general body color, Heterospilus concolor (Szépligeti) , from Bolivia and Heterospilus paradoxus (Enderlein) , from Brazil. Heterospilus ptericoptophagus can be distinguished from H. concolor by the sculpture of the head (largely smooth in concolor , coriaceous in ptericoptophagus ). Heterospilus ptericoptophagus is easily separated from paradoxus by its shorter antennae, with 24 antennomeres (more than 33 in paradoxus ).

Female.- Body size 3.9 mm (fig 15), fore wing 2.9 mm. Head: transverse in dorsal view, 1.8 × wider than its median length, and 1.4 × wider than high ( Fig. 16 ); occipital carina complete and reaching hypostomal carina; POL 1.2 × OD, 0.3 × OOL; frons and vertex strigate, gena and face coriaceous; eye 1.2 × as long as wide; eye width 1.7 × longer than temple in dorsal view; malar space 0.4 × eye height, malar space about as long as width of hypoclypeal depression; antenna with 24 antennomeres, first flagellomere 4.9 × longer than is median width, 1.2 × longer than second flagellomeret. Mesosoma: moderately slender 1.7 × longer than high and 1.8 × longer than wide; pronotum largely coriaceous, pronotal collar short but visible in dorsal view, pronotal furrow wide and shallowly scrobiculate; mesoscutum in dorsal view, 0.9 × as long as wide ( Fig. 17 ); notauli distinct and scrobiculate, obscured in a posterior rugose median area; scutellum coriaceous; mesopleuron coriaceous, turning almost smooth ventrally, subalar furrow scrobiculate, precoxal sulcus shallow and barely sculptured, 0.6 × the length of mesopleuron; metapleuron rugose areolate; propodeum rugose areolate, basal areas coriaceous and distinctly delimited by carinae. Legs: fore tibia with a row of 8̶9 spines along anterior margin; hind coxa with distinct basoventral tooth, hind femur 4.0 × longer than wide; hind tibia 8.8 × longer than wide. Wings: fore wing 2.8 × longer than wide. Pterostigma 2.5 × longer than wide and 0.7 × as long as R. Vein r 0.6 × as long as 3RSa, 0.2 × as long as 3RSb, and 0.8 × as long as r-m. Vein 2RS nebulous, gradually turning spectral near RS+M ( Fig. 18 ). Hind wing 4.8 × longer than wide. Vein M + CU 0.9 × as long as 1 M. Metasoma: First tergite wider than long, 0.8 × as long as it is apically wide, striate over most of its dorsal surface, median dorsal area delimited by a pair of dorsolateral carinae. Second and third tergites entirely striate, third tergite turning smooth apicaly. Fourth tergite striate basally turning smooth apically. Remaining tergites largely smooth. Ovipositor 0.7 × as long as metasoma. Color: Mostly brownish honey yellow; apical antennomeres, ocellar triangle and ovipositor sheaths distinctly darkened brown to dark brown, lower area of mesopleuron lateral areas surface of propodeum, metapleuron and dorsal suface of metasoma usually darkened, brownish; wings hyaline, veins brown.

Male.– Unknown.

Biology.- This species was reared from sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas ; Convolvulaceae ) stems infested by Ptericoptus sp. ( Coleoptera : Cerambycidae ) ( Blanchard 1962). According to Di Iorio & Farina (2006), in Corrientes, where the type series was obtained, Ptericoptus meridionalis Breuning is the common long horned beetle of sweet potato.

Material examined.- Lectotype (upper female, here designated) and paralectotype (lower female).Both specimens on the same pin with the following labels: [En guía de batata parasitada por larvas de Ptericoptus sp. Adultos de microhimenópteros conseguidos de pupa el 24-8-61, El Sombrerito, Corrientes, Trujillo col.]; [ Hormiopius ptericoptophagus (cotipos), det. E. E. Blanchard]; [314]; [COTYPUS] (IMYZA).

Figures

FIGURES 15–18. Heterospilus ptericoptophagus (Blanchard) comb. nov. 15, habitus of the lectotype female of Hormiopius ptericoptophagus in lateral view; 16, head in anterior view; 17, mesosoma in dorsal view; 18, fore wing, arrow indicates the nebulous vein 2RS. Scale bars: fig 15, 1mm; figs 16–18, 0.5mm.