Urosigalphus colordissimilis Arias-Penna

Carolina, Diana & B, James, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the Colombian species of Urosigalphus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 3411, pp. 1-54 : 17-19

Urosigalphus colordissimilis Arias-Penna , n. sp.

Figs. 6 A–G

Female.— Body length 3.0 mm.

Body color ( Fig. 6 A): mainly black. Flagellomeres dark brown. Scape, pedicel ( Figs. 6 B–C), annellus, labrum and mandible yellow-brown. Labial and maxillary palps light yellow. Fore and mid legs yellow; hind legs brown but throchanter, trochantellus, and apex of tibia yellow-brown. Fore wing ( Fig. 6 G): basally C+Sc+R vein darker than apically, tegula dark brown with a central brown spot; stigma light brown. Membrane of both fore and hind wings light brown and brown microtrichiae.

Head ( Figs. 6 A–C).—Subtriangular. Antenna with 14 flagellomeres; first three flagellomeres longer than wide (0.18:0.05; 0.17:0.05; 0.15: 0.05 mm); last five, except the last one, as long as wide (0.07:0.07; 0.08:0.07; 0.08:0.07; 0.08:0.07; 0.09: 0.07 mm); apical flagellomere longer than penultimate segment (0.07:016 mm) ( Fig. 6 A); scape smaller than first flagellomere (0.16: 0.18 mm), and wider than pedicel and first flagellomere (0.08:0.06: 0.05 mm); pedicel half as long as scape (0.08: 0.16 mm). Torulus located at midline of the eye ( Fig. 6 B). Frons with a longitudinal median carina, which arises from ventral margin of toruli ( Fig. 6 C), crosses the frons and does not reach the ventral margin of median ocellus; longitudinal median carina higher dorsally than ventrally; frons also with a large and shiny depression below median ocellus which is crossed by longitudinal median carina; each side of longitudinal median carina with several transverse carinae alternatingly distributed, two of them closer to deep depression and surround it partially ( Fig. 6 C); laterally frons with dense and small punctures of different sizes which decrease in size and more separated when closer to vertex. Scrobes deep, width, not surrounded by a carina, smooth, shiny; scrobes reach the vertex. Lower face strongly convex ( Fig. 6 B), with a central, weak protuberance below longitudinal median carina; lower face with small and dense punctures distributed homogeneously; interspaces shiny and smooth. Fronto-clypeal suture strongly impressed, round, with small and dense punctures. Anterior tentorial pit not embedded within a strong depression. Clypeus convex at different level than lower face; clypeus with small and sparse punctures, interspaces width smooth and shiny; medioapical margin of clypeus slightly concave, apical part reflexed narrow, smooth with a defined edge but without carina. Labrum with small and dense punctures. Mandible long and slender, with carinate-rugose; mandible set with two smooth, shiny teeth; superior teeth longer than inferior, teeth long and slender, with sharp apex. Maxillary palps much longer than labial. Ocelli round (circular); lateral ocelli without carina, distant from each other, separated by more than diameter of lateral ocellus (0.008: 0.005 mm); stemmaticum slightly higher than vertex ( Fig. 6 B), forming a projection like a plateau, highest point with a weak crack; mostly smooth, but some small and sparse punctures; interspaces wide and shiny. Eyes without preorbital carina. Vertex with sparse and very small punctures, without longitudinal median carina, pubescence long and scarce; area close to occiput sloped. Occiput concave, smooth and shiny. Occipital carina present laterally, absent dorsally. Temple and gena with small and sparse punctures distributed homogeneously; interspaces wide, smooth and shiny.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 6 D–F). — Projection of propleuron blunt. Pronotum ( Fig. 6 E), antero-dorso ventrally with small, homogeneous and sparse punctures although curvature of pronotum with deep and semicircular foveae; central area smooth and shiny ( Fig. 6 A); dorsally with small and dense punctures. Pronotal lobe sloped toward tegula with a deep depression; point of inflection carinated; apex rounded. Mesoscutum uneven ( Fig. 6 D) with small, sparse punctures; wavy interspaces in anterior median mesonotal lobe; lateral mesonotal lobes anteriorly sloped and posteriorly convex and lateral edges with foveae of similar sizes throughout; median mesonotal lobe much higher than lateral lobes with a longitudinal median ( Fig. 6 D) wave and discontinuous carina more than half as long as mesonotal lobe; this carina posteriorly ends with one fovea; area of convergence of notauli with large, deep and irregular areolae of different sizes. Notauli complete, strongly impressed with elongate foveae along entire length; notauli near edge of transscutal articulation and without additional row of foveae throughout. Scutellum slightly convex, triangular, on same plane as mesoscutum ( Fig. 6 A) and with large, deep and irregular foveae but near scutellar sulcus shiny and with scarce small punctures; posteriorly on same vertical plane as posterior scutellar depression; scutellar sulcus with four deep and heterogeneous foveae; posterior scutellar depression with two elongate and large foveae that fill great part of smooth area; middle part of metanotum below posterior scutellar depression with a conspicuous projection in lateral view ( Fig. 6 E). Propodeum anteroposteriorly short ( Fig. 6 D), asymmetrical; MLC short without anterior projection (spine); ATC with a strong invagination and later reaching the same length as MLC; AMA irregular-shaped ( Fig. 6 D); LLC inclined; posterior wall of propodeum flat and with dense, large areolae with well delimited edge, interspaces narrow. Metapleuron with large, dense, irregular areolae. Mesopleuron lacks epicnemial carina and sternaulus ( Fig. 6 E); mesopleuron convex; shiny central area with small, sparse punctures; dorsally with a semicircular dent which forms a prominent edge that bears foveae and a deep transverse groove below the tegula; ventrally with a dent that forms a prominent edge and bears deep, large foveae throughout, edge inclined; anteriorly with elongate, narrow, flat area that bears small, dense punctures throughout the edge; posteriorly scrobiculate. Mesosternum flat with small and sparse punctures, with a complete central row of foveae of similar size and shape although the first anterior fovea, the largest of all, foveae surrounded by carinae; lateral parts with high carinae that bear small and homogeneous foveae throughout; mesosternum next to fore coxa with a sharp edge of the same height throughout that intercepts the lateral carina; mesosternum next to mid coxa with a carinated, triangle-shaped area above each mid coxa ( Fig. 6 F), lateral carina also intercepts it in the vertex of the triangle.

Wings ( Figs. 6 A,G). — Fore wing ( Fig. 6 G): vein M+CU markedly curved (sinuate); vein 3RSb tubular, distant from stigma (0.43 mm); subbasal cell as long as basal (0.93: 0.93 mm); stigma short and relatively round. Fore wing: length 2.25 mm, width 0.75 mm; hind wing: length 1.85 mm, width 0.50 mm.

Metasoma ( Figs. 6 A). — Carapace in lateral view teardrop-shaped ( Fig. 6 A); anteriorly with strong substrigulae that cross more than half the length of the carapace; area between the carinae lacunose. Apex of carapace without tubercles (teeth), great part smooth but with some small punctures. Ovipositor length 1.38 mm. Carapace length 1.4 mm.

Male.— Unknown.

Biology.— Unknown.

Comments.— The scrobes are so deep that stemmaticum looks more elevated than vertex, so stemmaticum is at the same height as vertex.

Material examined.— Holotype, female, Colombia: Amazonas PNN [Parque Nacional Natural] Amacayacu, Matamata m2, 3º41´S 70º15`W, 150m, Malaise, 20–26.iii.2000, A. Parente leg., M.96, IAvH-E 34311. Deposited in IAvH-E.

Etymology.— From color (Latin, noun, masculine) = color, tint, hue and dissimilis (Latin, adjective) = unlike, dissimilar, different. The name refers to the difference in coloration of the scape and pedicel with respect to the flagellomeres.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Urosigalphus colordissimilis n. sp. (A) habitus; (B) head, frontal view; (C) head, dorsal view; (D) mesosoma, dorsal view; (E) mesosoma, lateral view; (F) mesosternum; and (G) fore wing.