Probles (Euporizon) picus Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino, 2019

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2019, Mexican species of the genus Probles Förster (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Tersilochinae), Zootaxa 4619 (2), pp. 201-230 : 221-223

9. Probles (Euporizon) picus Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino , sp. nov.

( Figs 56–61 )

Material examined. Holotype female ( UAT), Mexico, Tamaulipas, 6 km NE of Miquihuana , 23°36.125’N, 99°42.45’W, 2200–2600 m, 24.X.2016, coll. A.I. Khalaim.

Description. Female. Body length 2.4 mm. Fore wing length 2.0 mm.

Head, in dorsal view, roundly constricted posterior to eyes ( Fig. 58 ); gena almost 0.8× as long as eye width. Eyes glabrous. Clypeus rather long, 2.3× as long as broad, lenticular, weakly convex in lateral view, smooth, with fine punctures in upper 0.6, separated from face by broad and shallow furrow. Palp formula 4+3. Mandible moderately slender, weakly tapered in basal half, with upper tooth distinctly longer than the lower. Malar space 0.9× as long as basal mandibular width. Antennal flagellum ( Fig. 57 ) slender basally, slightly clavate, with 14 flagellomeres; subbasal flagellomeres about 1.8× and subapical flagellomeres 1.2–1.3× as long as broad. Face with weak, somewhat elongated median prominence, with very fine inconspicuous punctures on almost smooth background (median prominence impunctate), weakly shining. Frons with fine and dense punctures, smooth between punctures. Vertex smooth, weakly shining, with very fine and sparse punctures. Gena smooth, shining, almost impunctate. Occipital carina complete, mediodorsally somewhat impressed ( Fig. 57 ). Hypostomal carina absent.

Mesoscutum scabrous to almost smooth, impunctate and weakly shining in front part and on lateral lobes; with very fine but sharp punctures on smooth background on central lobe in posterior half. Notaulus virtually absent, its path indicated by fine granulation and vestigial wrinkle ( Fig. 57 ). Scutellum with lateral longitudinal carinae distinct in its front 0.3. Mesopleuron almost entirely smooth and shining, with very fine (partly indistinct) punctures. Fove- ate groove ( Fig. 59 ) weakly oblique, almost straight, situated in centre of mesopleuron, very thin, not especially deep, with transverse wrinkles. Propodeal spiracle small, separated from pleural carina by 2.5× diameter of spiracle ( Fig. 59 ). Propodeum with dorsolateral area smooth, with very fine inconspicuous punctures; propodeum mediodorsally with a pair of very close longitudinal carinae (or wrinkles) which are present posteriorly and indistinct anteriorly ( Fig. 60 ); basal part 0.6× as long as apical area; apical area flat, rounded anteriorly, slightly uneven, shining ( Fig. 60 ); apical longitudinal carinae fine, complete, reaching transverse carina anteriorly.

Fore wing with second recurrent vein (2m-cu) weakly postfurcal. Intercubitus (2rs-m) and abscissa of cubitus between intercubitus and second recurrent vein (abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu) short and thick. First abscissa of radius (Rs+2r) slightly arcuate, distinctly longer than width of pterostigma. First and second abscissae of radius (Rs+2 r and Rs ) meeting at slightly acute angle (about 85°). Metacarpus (R1) not reaching apex of fore wing. Second abscissa of postnervulus present, thus brachial cell is closed posteriorly. Hind wing with nervellus (cu1&cu- a) distinctly reclivous. Legs slender; hind femur almost 5.0× as long as broad. Tarsal claws slender, weakly curved, not pectinate.

First tergite 4.0× as long as posteriorly broad, smooth, with petiole finely striate laterally before glymma; tergite in cross-section centrally round, postpetiole weakly widened in dorsal view. Glymma small, elongated, situated in centre of tergite, not connected by furrow with ventral part of postpetiole but with vestige of this furrow in posterior lower part of glymma ( Fig. 61 ). Second tergite 1.8× as long as anteriorly broad. Thyridial depression shallow, about twice as long as broad. Ovipositor slender, weakly bent upwards, evenly tapered apically, without dorsal subapical depression ( Fig. 61 ); sheath 1.2× as long as first tergite.

Head and mesosoma black with slight brownish tinge. Lower 0.3 of clypeus, palpi, mandible (teeth dark red) and tegula brownish yellow. Antenna gradually darkening from dark brown basally to black apically; scape and pedicel yellow-brown ventrally. Wings hyaline. Pterostigma brown. Legs brownish yellow, hind coxa extensively darkened with brown. First metasomal segment dark brown; second segment dorsally yellowish brown in front half, darkening to dark brown in posterior part, ventrally predominantly yellow-brown; following tergites uniformly brownish black.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named from the Latin picus (woodpecker).

Distribution. Mexico (Tamaulipas) (Fig. 1).

Comparison. It is a very small species with body length 2.4 mm and fore wing 2.0 mm which is easily distinguished from all other Mexican species of Probles by its slender and evenly tapered apically ovipositor with neither dorsal subapical notch nor teeth ( Fig. 61 ). It is also characterized by predominantly smooth head and mesosoma, short and narrow foveate groove of mesopleuron ( Fig. 59 ), and first metasomal tergite with small glymma which is not connected with the ventral part of postpetiole ( Fig. 61 ). In the shape of the ovipositor P. picus sp. nov. resembles Stethantyx crassa Horstmann , but may be distinguished from that species by fewer number of flagellomeres ( Fig. 57 ), longer distance between propodeal spiracle and pleural carina ( Fig. 59 ), and longer second metasomal tergite. Among Nearctic Tersilochinae , similar ovipositor is also known in Diaparsis nigella Horstmann , but in this species the ovipositor is much longer (sheath 2.8× as long as first tergite) and the second metasomal tergite is much shorter.

Figures

FIGURES 56–61. Probles picus sp. nov., holotype, female: 56—habitus, lateral; 57—head with antenna, lateral; 58—head and mesoscutum, dorsal; 59—head and mesosoma, lateral; 60—propodeum, postero-dorso-lateral; 61—metasoma with ovipositor, lateral.