Paraphylax mussar Rousse et Villemant

Rousse, Pascal & Villemant, Claire, 2012, Ichneumons in Reunion Island: a catalogue of the local Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) species, including 15 new taxa and a key to species, Zootaxa 3278, pp. 1-57 : 29

Paraphylax mussar Rousse et Villemant , sp. nov.

( Figs 14 c–d)

Diagnosis. An overall orange species characterized by its fore wing bearing a diffuse infuscate macula below pterostigma (at least in females).

Description. FEMALE (8 specimens). Fore wing length 2.3–3.3 mm.

Head. Temples short and slightly rounded, head distinctly constricted behind eyes; vertex and temple almost smooth; ocellar triangle obtuse anteriorly; OOi = 1, IOi = 1.7; frons finely and transversally strigose; face with a strong median swelling, densely rugose and hairy; clypeus smooth with punctures at base, moderately convex, its apical margin impressed, sub-truncate, Ci = 2; mandible wide basally, upper tooth a little longer than lower; MLMi = 1.3, sub-ocular groove deep and bordered ventrally with a very finely and densely punctate stripe; antenna with 18–20 flagellomeres, gradually thickening toward apex, apical truncation of scape angled 60° from transverse, FLi1 = 5, penultimate flagellomeres 1.4x thicker than the first.

Mesosoma. Pronotum shallowly punctate; mesoscutum granulate with strong crenulate notauli converging at its apical 4/5, medial lobe laterally shallowly strigose and with a deep medio-longitudinal furrow; scutellum almost smooth with lateral carinae extending beyond the middle; mesopleuron densely punctate, more coriaceous and hairy anteriorly, speculum almost smooth, sternaulus deep and crenulate anteriorly, its posterior half smooth and shallow reaching apical margin of mesopleuron; metapleuron sparsely and finely punctate, hairy; propodeum short and abruptly sloping posteriorly, densely punctate; anterior and posterior transverse carinae strong, area superomedia almost pentagonal, as wide as long, its lateral carinae hardly distinct. Fore wing with Rs&M strongly elbowed and opposite to cu-a, 3Rs-m absent, 2Rs-m a little shorter than M between 2Rs-m and 2m-Cu.

Metasoma. Tergite I finely punctate, its apical margin smooth; sternite I almost reaching the level of spiracle; tergite II and 3 with a median densely punctate transversal stripe, the following tergites smooth; ovipositor straight, hastate, OTi = 0.7.

Color. Overall orange with apex of antenna infuscate. Wings hyaline with a diffuse infuscate macula below brown pterostigma.

MALE. Unknown.

Comments. With 35 Afrotropical and Indian species, Paraphylax is particulary diverse within the studied area. Moreover, it sometimes shows a significant sexual dimorphism. More Paraphylax species should very probably be found to occur in Reunion.

Distribution records. Reunion.

Type material. HOLOTYPE Ƥ ( MNHN EY 6441) Verbatim label data: La Réunion, St Pierre / Bassin Martin, station expérimentale de l’Armeflhor, alt. 290m, piège Malaise, 25/11–02/12 2010, leg. Cirad; complete except last segments of left flagellum. PARATYPES ( MNHN EY 6442–6444) 1Ƥ same locality, same date, leg. Cirad; 2Ƥ same locality, VI.2011, leg. Cirad; Other material 2Ƥ St Paul / Tan Rouge, alt. 800m, II.2011, leg. Cirad. 1Ƥ St Leu / Colimaçons, alt. 260m, VI.2011, leg. Cirad.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Cryptinae (females), habitus and faces. a – b: Acrolyta dindar sp. nov. c – d: Paraphylax mussar sp. nov. e – f: Phygadeuon nativel sp. nov.