Hymenoepimecis atlantica, Pádua, 2022

Pádua, Diego G., 2022, First record of the Darwin wasp Hymenoepimecis Viereck, 1912 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) from Argentina and Bolivia, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 5169 (1), pp. 49-60 : 50-51

Hymenoepimecis atlantica sp. n.

( Figs 1A–H )

Zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:376CD25A-240A-43BB-8227-48DF2ABC699C

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other Hymenoepimecis species by the combination of the following characteristics: 1) body orange, except head black, hind leg black, and metasoma with black marks on posterior margins of tergites II–V, tergites VI+ black; 2) fore wings hyaline yellowish, with apex blackish and with a blackish preapical band; 3) head in dorsal view with genae slightly convex behind eyes; 4) face smooth and without a carina; 5) occipital carina projected, curved upwards in the mediodorsal part; 6) pronotum with the pocket-like structure not reduced longitudinally; 7) epicnemial carina absent; 8) sternite I with a rounded swelling posteriorly; 9) female with tarsal claw with more or less square lobe, and with apex overtaking the lobe (tarsal claw single in males); 10) submetapleural carina absent; 11) female with ovipositor about 1.3 × as long as the hind tibia.

Description. Female ( Figs 1A, B, C, F, G, H ). Body [14.3] 14.3–14.85 mm; Head. Face [0.55] 0.50–0.55 × as broad as high, smooth, slightly convex, with few spaced bristles; head in dorsal view with genae slightly convex behind eyes; ocelli inserted at an elevation, posterior ocelli separated from eyes by [1.0] × its own maximum diameter; occipital carina projected, curved upwards in the mediodorsal part. Mesosoma. Pronotum long, smooth and polished, with distance from tegula to head greater than [0.62] × distance from tegula to hind margin of propodeum with an anteriorly, and opening pocket-like structure not reduced longitudinally; mesoscutum smooth and polished; scutellum, in profile, convex; mesopleuron smooth and polished, with anterodorsal part bearing sparse, fine setiferous punctures; epicnemial carina absent; metapleuron smooth and polished, with a few sparse, fine setiferous punctures; submetapleural carina absent. Fore wing length [10.9] 10.9–11.2 mm; 1 cu-a interstitial to the base of M&RS; 2 rs-m [0.40] 0.40–0.47 × as long as abscissa of M between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu, the abscissa of CU meeting 1 m-cu&M [1.3] 1.3–1.4 × as long as CU and 2 cu-a; hind wing with abscissa of CU meeting cu-a equidistant between M+CU and AA. Hind leg with tibia + tarsus [0.63] × the fore wing length; tarsal claw overtaking the lobe more or less quadrangular, with apex slightly overtaking the lobe. Metasoma. Slender; tergite I [1.35] 1.25–1.45 × as long as posteriorly broad, centrally quite strongly convex with lateral carinae only present at extreme anterior end flaking the anterior concavity; sternite I with a low, rounded swelling posteriorly; tergite II [1.15] 1.15–1.20 × as long as posteriorly broad; tergite III [1.0] × as long as posteriorly broad. Ovipositor shelf [1.3] 1.2–1.3 × as long as the hind tibia.

Coloration. Head black with an apical margin of clypeus and mouthparts (except apex mandible black) whitish; antenna brownish. Mesosoma orange. Anterior and median legs orange, the hind leg blackish. Fore wings hyaline yellowish, with apex blackish and with a blackish preapical band; pterostigma with basal half black and apical half yellow; hind wings with a blackish band in median part. Metasoma orange with black marks on posterior margins of tergites II–V, tergites VI+ black; ovipositor brownish with base and apex whitish brown, sheath blackish brown.

Male ( Fig. 1B, E ). Similar to the female in coloration and structure, but with tarsal claw simple; body 9.7–14.2 mm; fore wing 7.7–10.45 mm; antenna entirely brown.

Variation. Some male specimens presented metasoma orange with black marks on posterior margins of tergites II–IV, tergites V+ black, and a single male specimen from Santa Leopoldina municipality, state of Espírito Santo presented hind legs black, except coxae and trochanteres and trochantellus orange.

Distribution. Brazil (Espírito Santo state) ( Fig. 7A ).

Biological notes. Host unknown.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the Atlantic Forest, the main biome in the state of Espírito Santo, where the type material was collected.

Type material. Holotype, ♀: BRAZIL, ES [= Espírito Santo], Vila Valério, Sítio Benincá , 18°58’S, 40°27’W, 14– 28.IX.2011, Malaise [trap] (C.O. Azevedo and team leg.), #119359, UFES . Paratypes: idem holotype label, 10♂♂, #119341, #119317, #119342, #119363, #119364, #119316, #119360, #119318, #119356, #119361, UFES ; idem, but Dom. [= Domingos] Martins, Mata Pico do Eldorado, 20°22’17’’S, 40°39’29’’W, 03–10.XII.2004, Malaise [trap] B4 (M. T. Tavares and team leg.) 3♂♂, #104671, #104654, #104686, UFES ; idem, but 26.XI-03.XII.2004, Malaise T7 , 1♂, #63713, UFES; idem, but Sta. [= Santa] Leopoldina, Meia Légua, Malaise [trap], 31.III-06.IV.2007, Pt. [= Ponto] T01 (F. Rampinelli and team leg.) , 2♂♂, #48055, #48057, UFES ; idem, but Guarapari , P. [= Parque] E. [= Estadual] Paulo César Vinha, Restinga (mata 4), 20°36’S, 40°25’W, 4 m., 09-16.XI.2006, Malaise [trap] (B. Araujo & M. Santos leg.), 1♂, #89235, UFES ; idem, but Timbui , Hotel Fazenda Monte Sião, 05-24.IX.2014, Malaise [trap] (P. Barcelos-Silva leg.), 1♀, INPA .

Comments. Hymenoepimecis atlantica sp. n. closely resembles H. duckensis Pádua & Onody, 2015 , H. ecuatoriana Pádua & Sääksjärvi, 2020 , H. longilobus Pádua & Sääksjärvi, 2020 , and H. neotropica ( Brues & Richardson, 1913) mainly by having fore wings yellowish with two black bands and hind legs entirely black. It differs from H. neotropica and H. longilobus by having all tarsal claws with more or less quadrangular lobe (tarsal claw with a preapical tooth in H. neotropica , and tarsal claw with a longitudinally elongated lobe in H. longilobus ). It differs from H. duckensis and H. ecuatoriana by having pronotum entirely orange and metasoma with black marks on posterior margins of tergites II–V, tergites VI+ black (pronotum predominantly black and metasoma orange with tergites VI+ black in H. duckensis , and pronotum orange and metasoma orange with tergites VI+ black in H. ecuatoriana ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hymenoepimecis atlantica sp. n.. (A) Habitus, holotype (♀); (B) Habitus, paratype (♂); (C) Face, frontal view, holotype (♀); (D) Head, dorsal view, holotype (♀); (E) Head, dorsal view, paratype (♂); (F) Head and anterior part of mesosoma, lateral view, holotype (♀); (G) Tarsal claw, lateral view, holotype (♀); (H) Sternite I, lateral view, paratype (♂), arrow shows the rounded swelling posteriorly.

FIGURE 7. Geographical distribution of the Hymenoepimecis species. (A) H. atlantica sp. n.; (B) H. castilloi Pádua & Sääksjärvi, 2020; (C) Hymenoepimecis japi Sobczak, Loffredo, Penteado-Dias & Gonzaga, 2009; (D) H. ribeiroi Pádua & Sobczak, 2015; (E) H. uberensis Pádua & Onody, 2015; (F) H. veranii Loffredo & Penteado-Dias, 2009.