Percnobracon pampeanus Martinez

Martinez, Juan José, 2006, Three new species of Percnobracon Kieffer & Jörgensen (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Argentina, reared from cecidomyiid (Diptera) and eurytomid (Hymenoptera) galls, Zootaxa 1282, pp. 49-58 : 52-53

Percnobracon pampeanus Martinez , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–4 )

Diagnosis: Head 0.75 to 0.80 times as long as high; mesoscutum stronlgy angled in lateral view, 0.65 to 0.70 times as long as wide; notauli mostly obscured by sculpturing; propodeum smooth medially with a few poolry idicated carinae; forewing vein 2RS 0.40 to 0.50 times as long as vein (RS+M)b.

Female. Body length: 1.7–2.2 mm.

Colour: Dark reddish brown, base of antenna, face, mouthparts, trochantelli and tarsomeres I to IV lighter, telotarsi distinctly darker. Forewing infuscate with hyaline patterns as in figure 1, hind wing hyaline.

Head: 14 to 16 antennomeres; head 0.75 to 0.80 times as long as high; face rugulose; vertex and temple strigate, oral opening small, maximum diameter 0.6 to 0.8 times the lenght of malar space, eye relatively small, malar space 0.50 to 0.60 times eye height.

Mesosoma: Mostly coarsely coriaceous to rugulose, 0.60 to 0.70 times as high as long. Pronotum with a transverse scrobiculate groove. Mesoscutum strongly angled anteriorly, completely covering pronotum dorsally. Mesoscutum 0.65 to 0.70 times as long as wide ( Fig. 2 ), with a posteromedian carina, notauli obscured by sculpturing, represented only by a few hollows anteriorly. Scutellum strongly convex and somewhat smoother than mesoscutum. Propodeum mostly smooth medially, only with weak carinae ( Fig. 3 ). Forewing with vein 2RS 0.4–0.5 times as long as (RS+M)b ( Fig. 1 ).

Metasoma: Tergum I with smooth area distinctly shorter than half the length of the segment ( Fig. 3 ), terga II and III weakly striate, remainder of terga coriaceous basally and smooth apically. Ovipositor sheath 0.6 to 0.7 times as long as metasoma ( Fig. 4 )

Male: Unknown. One male, fully winged, collected by sweeping the branches of Prosopis caldenia , may represent the male of Percnobracon pampeanus . Has similar wing venation and propodeum structure to female, but proportions of mesoscutum are similar to those of P. rugosus .

Biology: Reared from galls of Dasineurini ( Cecidomyiidae ) on P. c a l d e n i a.

Etymology: The specific name derives from the spanish gentilitious adjective “ pampeano” in reference to the known distribution of this species.

Distribution: La Pampa, Argentina.

Material examined: Holotype female — ARGENTINA: La Pampa, Santa Rosa, 1/IV/ 2005, from galls of Dasineurini on P. c a l d e n i a, Martinez ( MACN). Paratypes — ARGE NTINA: 3 females, same data as holotype ( MACN, one specimen at IFML); La Pampa, Santa Rosa: 2 females, 16/IX/2004, from galls of Dasineurini on P. caldenia, Martinez ( MACN, one specimen at IFML).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Percnobracon pampeanus sp. nov. 1, forewing; 2, mesoscutum in dorsal view; 3, propodeum and metasomal tergum I in dorsal view; 4, habitus of female in lateral view.