Hecabolus julianoi Sormus

Castro, Clóvis Sormus De, Zaldívar-Riverón, Alejandro, Briceño-G, Rosa & Penteado-Dias, Angélica Maria, 2013, The genus Hecabolus Curtis 1834 (Braconidae: Doryctinae) in South America, with description of six new species, Zootaxa 3664 (3), pp. 377-391 : 380-382

Hecabolus julianoi Sormus de Castro & Zaldívar-Riverón sp. n.

Figs 2 A–D

Diagnosis. This is the most distinctive and largest species of Hecabolus . It can be distinguished from the other described species by having the basal sternal plate of first metasomal tergite long, 0.5–0.6 times length of tergite (less than 0.4 times in the remaining species); first three metasomal tergites entirely and fifth tergite partially sculptured, following tergites smooth; and ovipositor and sheaths considerably long, 3.2 times longer than metasoma (no more than 1.9 times in other species of Hecabolus ). Hecabolus julianoi shares with H. assis , H. costaricensis , H. mexicanus and H. robustus sp. nov. a broad hind femur, 2.0 times longer than wide; and with H. sulcatus the second tergite with a wide and shallow subparallel depression.

Description. Female. Body length 5.2 mm; fore wing length 3.6 mm; ovipositor length 7.0 mm.

Head: Head width 1.3 times median length (dorsal view), 0.8 times width of mesoscutum. Transverse diameter of eye 1.1 times as long as temple; ocelli small, arranged in equilateral triangle. POL 1.0 times Od, 0.3 times OOL. Eye glabrous, with indistinct emargination opposite antennal sockets, 1.6 times higher than broad. Height of malar space 0.5 times height of eye, 0.5 times basal width of mandible. Face convex, its width 1.1 times height of eye. Malar suture absent. Hypoclypeal depression elliptical and considerably small; 2.0 times longer than wide. Occipital carina wide, complete, ventrally joined with hypostomal carina. Hypostomal flange wide. Head below eyes roundly narrowed. Antennae thickened, more than 25 antennomeres (apical flagellomeres missing). Scapus 1.5 times longer than its maximum width, setose apically. First flagellar segment straight, 3.0 times longer than apical width, 0.8 times longer than second segment.

Mesosoma: Length 3.0 times its maximum height. Pronotum long, dorsally weakly convex. Mesoscutum moderately declivous anteriorly and roundly elevated above pronotum (lateral view), its length (dorsal view) 1.2 times maximum width. Notauli wide and scrobiculate. Prescutellar depression deep, with five carinae, finely rugose between carinae, 0.5 times as long as scutellum. Precoxal sulcus narrow, straight and shallow, well defined on anterior half, obscuring in a longitudinal slightly striate area near metapleuron. Metanotal tooth almost indistinct. Propodeum with small and blunt lateral tubercles.

Wings: Fore wing 4.0 times longer than its maximum width. Pterostigma narrow, 4.6 times longer than wide; vein r arising before middle of pterostigma; marginal cell long, its length 4.5 times maximum width; vein R1 1.7 times longer than pterostigma; vein r 1.3 times width of pterostigma; vein 3RSa slightly curved anteriorly, straight in posterior half, 12.5 times longer than r, 5.0 times longer than vein 2RS; vein 2RS 2.5 times longer than vein r and 2.5 times longer than recurrent vein m-cu; vein m-cu antefurcal to vein 2RS; (RS+M)a distinctly curved. First discal cell 2.7 times longer than wide; veins 1M and m-cu parallel. Vein cu-a straight, postfurcal to vein 1M. M+CU distinctly S-shaped posteriorly. Subdiscal cell open distally, 2cu-a vein absent; vein 2CU arising after middle of subdiscal cell. Hind wing 5.7 times longer than wide; first C+Sc+R 1.1 times longer than Sc+R; basal cell narrow, weakly widened in apical half, its length 13.0 times maximum width, 0.2 times length of wing; vein M+CU 0.4 times longer than 1M; vein m-cu unsclerotised, weakly oblique toward base of wing.

Legs: Fore tibia with a row of at least nine slender spines arranged more or less in a line. Hind coxa without basoventral tubercle, protruding forwards in ventro-anterior corner, 1.7 times longer than maximum width. Hind femur broad, 2.0 times longer than wide. Hind tibia wide apically. Hind tarsus 1.1 times as long as hind tibia. Basitarsus 0.6 times as long as second-fifth segments combined. Second tarsal segment 0.7 times as long as basitarsus, 2.0 times as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma: metasoma considerably long, 1.6 times length of mesosoma and head combined. Basal sternal plate of first tergite long, 0.5 times as long as first tergite. First tergite with small dorsope, only slightly widened from base to apex. Maximum width of first tergite 1.7 times its minimum width; length 3.1 times its apical width, 2.8 times length of propodeum. Second tergite with a wide and shallow subparallel depression. Median length of second tergite 0.8 times basal width of second tergite, median length of second tergite 2.1 times length of third tergite. Combined length of second and third tergites 0.9 times as long as their maximum width. Ovipositor and sheaths long, 3.2 times longer than metasoma, 4.2 times longer than mesosoma, about 1.6 times longer than body, 2.7 times longer than fore wing.

Sculpture and pubescence: vertex slightly striate laterally, smooth medially; frons excavated, entirely striate. Face striate-rugose, with sparse, long setae; temple smooth, gena slightly rugulose. Pronotal groove wide, deep and scrobiculate, with slightly rugose microsculpture; lateral area of pronotum slightly rugose with transversal carinae. Mesoscutal lobes entirely coriaceous. Notauli not joining, reaching the end of mesoscutum in a large longitudinally striate-rugose area. Scutellum smooth, sparsely setose. Mesopleuron porcate dorsally, smooth medially and ventrally; venter of mesopleuron smooth, slightly striate-rugose posteriorly; subalar sulcus deep and scrobiculate, wide dorsally, narrowing ventrally; mesopleural sulcus narrow, deep and scrobiculate; precoxal sulcus slightly scrobiculate on anterior half. Metapleuron rugose-areolate. Propodeum rugose-areolate, without any longitudinal carinae. Hind coxae slightly rugose dorsally, slightly costate and setose ventrally. Hind femur smooth, densely setose ventrally, sparsely setose dorsally. First three metasomal tergites longitudinally striate with rugose microsculpture; fourth tergite smooth and polished; fifth tergite punctate on basal third, smooth and polished on apical two thirds; remaining tergites smooth and polished.

Colour: Body dark brown to black, last four metasomal tergites brown, turning honey yellow to apex; scape and pedicel dark brown; flagellomeres brown, turning dark brown towards apex; eyes dark brown; fore and middle legs brown, mid femur dark brown; hind coxa and femur dark brown to black, trochanter and trochantellus honey yellow, tibia honey yellow on basal third, brown to dark brown on apical two thirds; tarsi light brown; wings hyaline; pterostigma dark brown; veins brown, ovipositor brown, tip of ovipositor strongly sclerotised; sheaths brown, turning black to apex.

Variation. Body length 3.8–5.2 mm; fore wing length 3.0– 3.6 mm; ovipositor length 5.6–7.0 mm; ovipositor 3.2–3.5 times longer than metasoma; acrosternite 0.5–0.6 times as long as length of first metasomal tergite.

Male. Smaller than female; Body length 3.0– 3.4 mm; fore wing length 2.2–2.8 mm; basal sternal plate 0.5–0.6 times longer than length of first tergite; hind wing without pterostigma.

Material examined. Holotype. Female (CNIN IB-UNAM): Brazil, Minas Gerais, Serra da Canastra, Casca D’anta, 07/XII/2010, Malaise trap, J. Fiorelini Nunes col.

Paratypes. Seven specimens, two females, five males (CNIN IB-UNAM, DCBU): two females, same data as holotype, 23/IX/2010; one male, same data as holotype, 07/XII/2010; one male, same data as holotype, 24/II/2011; three males, same data as holotype, 07/XI/2010.

Distribution. Minas Gerais state, southeast Brazil.

Biology. Unknown.

Etymology. We named this species in honour of our good friend and colleague Juliano “ Rhaconotus ” F. Nunes, who collected the type series.

Comments. We examined four specimens from USA, which have considerable morphological variation in body sculpture and size among them. These specimens do not belong to H. sulcatus but instead they resemble in general appearance specimens of H. julianoi , with some of them being considerably larger and with longer ovipositors. Further examination of additional material will reveal whether the specimens from USA represent separate species.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Hecabolus julianoi sp. nov. (female, holotype). A habitus, lateral view; B mesosoma, lateral view; C mesosoma, dorsal view; D metasoma, dorsal view.