Zonopimpla munifica Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino, 2023

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2023, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: Camptotypus genus-group, Zootaxa 5330 (1), pp. 47-72 : 60-63

5. Zonopimpla munifica Khalaim & Ruíz-Cancino , sp. nov.

( Figs 28–34 )

Material examined. Holotype female ( UAT), Mexico, Chiapas, 50 km ESE of Comitán, National Park Lagos de Montebello , 16°06.223’N, 91°44.072’W, 5–6.iii.2013, coll. A.I. Khalaim.

Description. Female. Mandible moderately stout, with upper tooth distinctly longer than lower tooth ( Fig. 29 ). Malar space about 0.3× as long as basal mandibular width. Head smooth; face with fine but sharp, moderately dense brown punctures ( Fig. 29 ); frons impunctate, vertex and gena with very fine and sparse punctures. Face 1.15× as wide as long ( Fig. 29 ). Head in dorsal view with genae strongly and roundly constricted behind eyes ( Fig. 30 ). Posterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.1× its own maximum diameter ( Fig. 30 ).

Mesosoma polished, with very fine and sparse punctures on anterior part of mesoscutum, lower part of mesopleuron, lateral sides and dorsal part of propodeum, remainder impunctate. Epomia distinct ( Fig. 32 ). Notaulus weakly impressed. Epicnemial carina fine, present ventrally and laterally, reaching the level of lower corner of pronotum. Epicnemium without secondary carina. Metapleuron distinctly convex. Submetapleural carina complete, quite strong ( Fig. 32 ). Propodeum in profile rounded anteriorly and nearly straight posteriorly ( Fig. 32 ). Pleural carina present, complete ( Fig. 32 ).

Fore wing length almost 5.3 mm. Fore wing with areolet unusually small, strongly oblique, subrectangular. Hind wing with nervellus intercepted in lower 0.4, distal section of CU absent.

Metasoma depressed. First tergite almost 1.35× as long as posteriorly broad; lateromedian carinae strong in anterior 0.8 of tergite and vanishing posteriorly ( Fig. 33 ); dorsolateral carinae more or less complete. Second tergite polished, with distinct punctures centrally, with oblique anterolateral grooves and with swelling centrally ( Fig. 33 ). Tergites 3–4 similar, with a pair of lateral swellings and with anterolateral grooves weaker; posterior white bands of tergites 6 and 7 medially reduced ( Fig. 28 ). Ovipositor 2.3× length of hind tibia; ovipositor sheath 1.8× as long as hind tibia. Ovipositor straight ( Fig. 28 ), weakly compressed laterally, without nodus, apex of lower valve not expanded dorsally, with about eight teeth, without scabrous area proximal to teeth ( Fig. 34 ).

Head predominantly brownish orange; clypeus yellowish orange; face white, with median longitudinal fuscous stripe ( Fig. 29 ); frontal and dorsal eye orbits white ( Figs 29, 30 ); mandible white in basal half, orange in apical half with teeth black ( Fig. 29 ). Antenna brownish black, scape yellowish ventrally. Mesosoma predominantly brownish orange; lower posterior corner of mesopleuron and mesepimeron whitish; metapleuron entirely white; propodeum predominantly brownish black except lateral margins ( Figs 31, 32 ); postscutellum yellowish, posteriorly white ( Fig. 31 ); postscutellum yellow ( Fig. 31 ). Legs almost entirely white; hind femur, tibia and apices of tarsomeres with weak fuscous markings ( Fig. 28 ). Metasoma predominantly brownish black to black; tergites 1–6 with white median bands on posterior margins ( Fig. 33 ); tergites 2–8 with laterally or posterolaterally white ( Fig. 28 ); ovipositor sheath black. Wings hyaline, pterostigma brown.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the Latin “munificus” (bountiful, generous, munificent).

Distribution. Mexico (Chiapas).

Comparison. In the key to the Costa Rican species of Zonopimpla ( Gauld et al. 1998: 30) , the new species runs to couplet 9 but does not correspond in this couplet neither with Z. carolinae Gauld nor Z. humbertoi Gauld et al. as it has hind leg completely white ( Fig. 28 ) (in Z. carolinae and Z. humbertoi the hind leg is black with scarse white markings), wings hyaline ( Fig. 28 ) (darkened in Z. humbertoi ) and apex of lower valve of the ovipositor simple ( Fig. 34 ) (in Z. humbertoi the lower valve is expanded dorsolaterally to partially enclose the upper valve).

Like Z. nutabilis sp. nov. and Z. puebla sp. nov., the new species has orange and white head, predominantly orange and white mesosoma with darkened propodeum, black and white metasoma, and white legs ( Fig. 28 ), but unlike these species Z. munifica sp. nov. has face with a blackish median longitudinal stripe ( Fig. 29 ), mesopleuron orange ( Fig. 32 ), fore wing with areolet very small, first tergite with lateromedian carinae and almost reaching posterior end of tergite ( Fig. 33 ), and second tergite with distinct punctures centrally ( Fig. 33 ). See also the key to species.

Figures

FIGURES 28–32. Zonopimpla munifica sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 28—habitus, lateral; 29—head, front; 30—headand mesoscutum, dorsal; 31—head and mesosoma, dorsal; 32—head, mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral.

FIGURES 33–34. Zonopimpla munifica sp. nov., holotype, ♀: 33—base of metasoma, dorsal; 34—apex of ovipositor, lateral.