Zonopimpla pereirai Valera & Díaz, 2010

Valera, Neicy & Díaz, Francisco, 2010, Nine new Zonopimpla Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) and key to species from Venezuela, Zootaxa 2438, pp. 37-51 : 42-43

Zonopimpla pereirai Valera & Díaz , sp. nov.

( Figs 9, 15)

Female: Mandibles strongly tapered, upper tooth longer, stouter than lower tooth, upper tooth 1.25 times length, 2 the width of lower tooth; malar space 0.6 times basal mandibular width; lower face polished, with sparce setiferous punctures, 1.1 times as wide as medially high from supraclypeal suture to level of insertion of antenna. Head in dorsal view with genae evenly rounded behind eye; posterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.3 times its own maximum diameter; ocelli forming an equilateral triangle. Pronotum smooth, shining. Mesoscutum smooth, shining, with isolated fine hairs, anteriorly evenly rounded, notauli weakly impressed; mesopleuron polished, very finely and sparsely punctuate, with scattered hairs; epicnemial carina not reaching to level of lower corner of pronotum; metapleuron weakly convex, smooth, polished and glabrous; submetapleural carina complete. Propodeum in profile evenly declivous, smooth, with fine and sparse hairs on anterior and lateral margins; pleural carina present. Fore wing length 5.0 mm; vein 3rs-m complete, enclosing an obliquely rhombic areolet; abscissa of Cu1 between 1 m-cu and Cu1b 1.25 times as long as Cu1b; hind wing with abscissa of Cu1 between M and cu-a straight, 1.6 times as long as cu-a. Metasoma moderately stout; tergite 1 about 1.3 times as long as posteriorly broad, with anteriorly smooth, broadly concave, central area defined laterally by carinae on anterior 0.2 of tergite, posterior part of tergite smooth and shining, with scattered fine hairs; tergite 1 in profile very weakly convex, lateral carina present posteriorly as vestige; tergite 2 with convex central area polished, very sparsely punctuate and with sparse fine hairs in lateral margins; tergites 3–5 with evenly biconvex central area. Ovipositor length 3.1 mm, projecting beyond apex of metasoma by 1.7 times the length of hind tibia; subgenital plate centrally membranous, ovipositor shaft upward curved, stout and slightly compressed laterally, apex of lower valve not expanded dorsolaterally, not enclosing upper valve, with distinct subvertical teeth; apex of upper valve slightly flattened, without nodus.

Color: Head yellow with interocellar area and antennae brown; palps yellow. Mesosoma yellow; fore and middle legs yellow. Hind legs black, excepting apex of coxae, trochanter, trochantellus and apex of femur white. Tegula similar in color mesosoma. Wings hyaline, pterostigma brown. Metasoma black with longitudinal white stripes on lateral and hind margins of all tergites. Tergite 2 with white pentagonal spot located on the rear center; tergites 2–5 with subtriangular white spots with base on hind margin. Ovipositor orange, sheath dark brown.

Male: Unknown.

Etimology: This species is named after Dr. Carlos Pereira, in memoriam to this prominent Venezuelan entomologist.

Comments: Z. pereirai could be distinguished by showing black and white combination in metasoma, mainly in tergite 2. This species resembles the Mesoamerican species Z. carolinae . In Z. pereirai , head and mesosoma are yellow in color; meanwhile in Z. carolinae those are orange. Epicnemial carina extends beyond lower angle of pronotum in Z. carolinae , and in Z. pereirai this carina not reaching lower angle of pronotum. Besides, color patterns of propodeum, and size of ovipositor are distinct in these two species.

Material examined: Holotype female, Venezuela, Lara state, Yacambú National Park, El Blanquito, 1450 m, VI-1985 (Díaz) ( UCOB).