Chalcis pilicauda (Cameron)

Saguiah, Pâmella Machado, Molin, Ana Dal & Tavares, Marcelo Teixeira, 2020, The South American species of Chalcis Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), Zootaxa 4885 (3), pp. 353-383 : 372-375

Chalcis pilicauda (Cameron)

Figs 14 a–f, 15a–e, 16a –c

Octosmicra pilicauda Cameron, 1909: 429 . Type data: Mendoza. Lectotype ♀ (NHMUK type no. 5-229, examined), lectotype designation by Delvare (1992: 189).

Smicra spinicoxus Cameron, 1909: 426 Type data: Mendoza. Lectotype ³ (NHMUK type no. 5-170, images examined), lecto- type designation and synonymy by Delvare (1992: 189–190).

Chalcis spinicoxus (Cameron) : De Santis (1967: 214).

Spilochalcis pilicauda (Cameron) : De Santis (1967: 213).

Chalcis pilicauda (Cameron) : Delvare (1992: 189).

Diagnosis. Both sexes. Antennal scape with inner face flattened ( Figs 14c, d); metafemur ventrally with 7–9 teeth along outer margin, the basal tooth larger and distant from second tooth ( Fig. 15b); inner face of metacoxa glabrous. Female. Tarsomeres 4 and 5 of all legs pubescent similarly to basal tarsomeres; protarsomeres 4 and 5 ventrally with distal spines about as long as the tarsomere width ( Fig. 14f); protarsal claws only slightly curved, ventrally with 3 or 4 basal denticles followed by 3 peg-like setae ( Fig. 15a). Male. Ventral plaque on distal third of antennal scape and with distinct elongate sensillum ( Fig. 16b); hypopygium with distal U-shaped notch and the medial portion of the notch concave ( Fig. 16c).

Description. FEMALE. Length 6.1–7.2 mm. Color: Body predominantly black, with the following parts yellow to orange ( Figs 14 a–c, 15b): spot on parascrobal area ( Fig. 14c), outer orbit of eye, distal 1/4 of scape, pedicel, anellus, pronotal collar posteriorly and anterolaterally (sometimes only posteriorly), median lobe of mesoscutum laterally ( Fig. 14b), anterolateral margin of lateral lobe (sometimes), tegula, mesoscutellum laterally, propodeal callus, inner face of profemur and protibia, outer and anterior faces of mesofemur, inner face of mesotibia, outer face of metafemur anteroventrally and diagonally (from dorsal base and bifurcate apically) ( Fig. 15b), inner face metafemur apically, metatibia basally ( Fig. 15c), tarsi, petiole dorsally, transverse band on Gt1 (sometimes with additional transverse band), Gt2 – Gt7+8, and hypopygium apically. Wings infuscate ( Figs 14a, b).

Head. Lower face not bulging above clypeus, with elongate umbilicate fovea enclosed by diagonal irregular carinae; parascrobal area densely foveate, interstices raised as irregular diagonal rugae, median intumescence present; malar space 0.6–0.7× eye height ( Fig. 14c); malar sulcus inconspicuous, sinuous, internal and external carinae fine and inconspicuous, almost complete; gena rugose, genal carina absent; mandibular formula 2:3; antennal scrobe from coriaceous ventrally to slightly strigulate dorsally and with transverse carina below median ocellus ( Fig. 14c); interantennal projection with median carina dorsally, carina extending to median ocellus midway. MOD:POL:APL: OOL = 0.16:0.40:0.12:0.30. Scape 4.0–4.9× as long as wide, inner face flattened ( Fig. 14d); anellus about 0.5× as long as wide; Fu1 longer than all other funicular segments, about 2× as long as wide and 1.1× as long as Fu2 length ( Fig. 14d).

Mesosoma . Mesoscutum with interstices coriaceous and dull, narrower than diameter of umbilicate foveae; mesoscutellum convex, frenal carina forming two sublateral lobes; mesopleuron with mesepisternum puncticulatecoriaceous dorsally to irregularly areolate-rugulose ventrally ( Fig. 14e); propodeum with irregular median carina, submedian carina absent, anterior and posterior costulae irregular, adpetiolar area with a narrow and irregular areola medially, anterosubmedial area areolate-rugose ( Fig. 15d); tarsomeres 4 and 5 of all legs pubescent at least laterally and with the pair of distal setae, similar to basal tarsomeres ( Fig. 14f); protarsomeres 4 and 5 ventrally without pairs of distinct peg-like spines, distal spines about as long as the tarsomere width ( Fig. 14f); protarsal claws only slightly curved, ventrally with 3 or 4 basal denticles followed by 3 peg-like setae ( Fig. 15a); mesocoxa densely pubescent posteriorly; mesotibial spur 0.6× as long as the width of the mesotibial apex; metacoxa punctate-rugose dorsally, inner face glabrous; metafemur with outer face very densely punctate and interstices weakly coriaceous, ventrally without inner basal tooth but with 7–9 teeth along outer margin, outer basal tooth the largest and distant from second tooth, teeth 3–5 similarly-sized ( Fig. 15b); metatibia with apical spine robust and longer than the apical width of metatibia ( Fig. 15c); metatarsomere 1 slightly longer than any of tarsomeres 2–5. Fore wing SMV:MV: PMV 2.28:1.15:1.08.

Metasoma. Petiole about 1.8–2.6× as long as wide, dorsal face flat and with dorsolateral carina along the length of petiole (occasionally irregular and incomplete), ventrally with submedian carina along basal three-quarters; hypopygial median projection apically with dense set of short appressed bristles ( Fig. 15e), ventrally with some bristles, the latter bristles at most as long as the width of hypopygial projection in lateral view; ovipositor sheath rounded apically, with some long setae ( Fig. 15e).

MALE. Length: 6.1 mm. Similar to female ( Fig. 16a), except: antennal scape with ventral plaque on distal third and with distinct elongate sensillum ( Fig. 16b); all tarsomeres distinctly pubescent; tarsal claws bifid and pectinate; hypopygium with concave surface and U-shaped distal, the medial portion of the notch concave ( Fig. 16c).

Material examined. Type material. Octosmicra pilicauda , ♀ ( NHMUK), ‘ Lectotype / Delvare’ ‘ P. Cameron Col. 1914-110’ ‘ Octosmicra pilicauda Cam. Type Mendoza [ Argentina]’ ‘ B.M. Type Hym. 5.229 ’ Lectotype /Del- vare, 1989’ ‘[ QR Code] NHMUK 013456440 ’.

Smicra spinicoxus , ³ ( NHMUK), ‘ Lectotype /Delvare’ ‘P. Cameron Col. 1914-110’ ‘ Smicra spinicoxis [ sic] Cam. Type’ ‘ Mendoza [ Argentina] XII’ ‘ S. spinicoxis [ sic] (1909) Cameron’ ‘B.M. Type Hym. 5.170’ ‘ Lectotype / Delvare, 1989’ ‘[QR Code] NHMUK 013456439’.

Other specimens examined ( 8♀ and 1³). Argentina. Buenos Aires. La Plata, City Bell, A ° [Arroyo] Rodriguez , X.1975, emerged from puparium of Odontomyia sp., Denizi col. (1³, MLPA) . Córdoba. Ascochinga , Fritz col. ( 1♀ NHMUK) ; Capilla del Monte , Prf. Hosseus col. ( 1♀, NHMUK) . La Rioja. Famatina , 22.II.1959, Torres-Gardella col. ( 1♀, MLPA) . Mendoza. Mendoza, 02.XII.1906, Jansen Hearup V. col. ( 1♀, NMPC) . Rio Negro [written as ‘Chile: R.N.’]. El Bolson, 01.XII.1962, A. Kovacs col., B.M. 1964–193 ( 1♀, NHMUK) . Tucuman. S[an] P[edro] Colalao, Arnau , I.1948, Foerster, J. col. ( 1♀, ZSM) . Brazil. Mato Grosso. Cáceres , 09.I.1985, C. Elias col. ( 1♀, DZUP) . Rio Grande do Sul. Arroio Grande, 32°3’22’S, 53°11’57’’W, 101 m, Malaise , 02.IV.2004, R. F. Krüger col. ( 1♀, UFES) .

Biology. Emerged from puparium of Odontomyia sp. ( Diptera , Stratiomyidae ).

Distribution. ARGENTINA ( Buenos Aires, Córdoba, La Rioja, Mendoza, Rio Negro, Tucuman) and Brazil (Mato Grosso, Rio Grande do Sul).

Remarks. See discussion about synonymic history and differential diagnosis of C. pilicauda under C. ornatifrons .