Enicospilus vitry Rousse et Villemant

Rousse, Pascal & Villemant, Claire, 2012, Ichneumons in Reunion Island: a catalogue of the local Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) species, including 15 new taxa and a key to species, Zootaxa 3278, pp. 1-57 : 40-42

Enicospilus vitry Rousse et Villemant , sp. nov.

( Figs 16 and 18 a–b)

Diagnosis. Species easily characterized due to the presence on the fore wing of a single proximal sclerite shaped as an equilateral triangle, combined with the coloration pattern with dark brown markings on meso- and metasoma.

Description. FEMALE (holotype). Fore wing length 18 mm.

Head. Temple short, head greatly constricted behind eyes; occipital carina complete; inter-ocular distance at the level of median ocellus 1.7x greatest diameter of ocellus; OOi = 0.07, IOi = 0.3; vertex and frons smooth; face moderately punctate shagreened, with hairs; clypeus strongly convex, apical margin impressed and truncate, Ci = 1.2; MLMi = 0.5; mandibles strongly narrowed from its apical 0.6, twisted about 30°, outer surface with upper tooth 1.4x longer than lower; antenna with 65 flagellomeres, FLi1 = 7, FLi2 = 3.5, FLi3 = 1, FLi20 = 1.

Mesosoma. Pronotum damaged on the type specimen; mesoscutum shining, densely and shallowly punctate; notaulus indistinct; scuto-scutellar groove wide and deep, scutellum punctate shagreened, weakly convex, with lateral carinae nearly to apex; meso- and metapleuron finely striate longitudinally; propodeum almost smooth with sparse punctuation in front of complete basal transverse carina, coarsely rugose striate posteriorly. Fore wing with a large glabrous area bearing only one proximal sclerite shaped as an equilateral triangle with rounded edges. Wing indices of Gauld & Mitchell (1978): fore wing with 1m-Cu between 2m-Cu and distal margin of bulla 1.6x longer than 2Rs-m (alar index), Cu1 between 1m-Cu and cu-a 0.6x Cu1b (cubital index), 2Rs-m 0.4x abscissa of M between 2Rs-m and 2m-Cu (intercubital index), first abscissa of Cu1–a 0.9x Cu1 between Rs&M and 1m-cu (second discoidal index); hind wing with 1/Cu 2.3x cu-a (nervellar index).

Color. Background yellowish orange; inner and outer orbits and vertex yellow; mesoscutum with three longitudinal brown stripes along lobes, the central one not exceeding half length of mesoscutum; metasomal tergite I black brown; apex of tergite II and following tergites infuscate; wing hyalines with venation dark brown and proximal sclerite brownish.

MALE. Unknown.

Comments. The only specimen examined, the holotype collected in 1975, has a rather pale brown coloration. However a photograph taken recently by J. Rochat (IDR) ( Fig. 16 ) showed another representative of this species with black brown maculae on mesoscutum and an almost black metasoma except reddish anterior half of tergite II and basal margin of tergite III. The strongly convex clypeus and the unique proximal sclerite make this species related to the E. dubius species group ( Gauld & Michel 1978). In addition to its very peculiar coloration pattern, it differs from E. dubius by its mandible shape and the second discoidal index of fore wing.

Distribution records. Reunion.

Type material. HOLOTYPE Ƥ ( MHNSD 2807) Verbatim label data: La Réunion, St Denis, dans l’aquarium du jardin, mars 1975 /MHN RUN Ins. 2807; head and metasoma glued, most of prothorax, front and right mid legs lacking. PARATYPE 1Ƥ ( MNHN EY 6443) Trois Bassins, alt. 750m, I.2012, leg. IDR; complete.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Enicospilus vitry sp. nov., habitus in vivo. (photo J. Rochat, IDR).

FIGURE 18. Ophioninae, Orthocentrinae and Tersilochinae (females), habitus and faces. a-b: Enicospilus vitry sp. nov. c-d: Stenomacrus payet sp. nov. e-f: Diaparsis ramassamy sp. nov.