Orthocentrus maculae Veijalainen

Veijalainen, Anu, Broad, Gavin R. & Sääksjärvi, Ilari E., 2014, Twenty seven new species of Orthocentrus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae; Orthocentrinae) with a key to the Neotropical species of the genus, Zootaxa 3768 (3), pp. 201-252 : 215-216

Orthocentrus maculae Veijalainen , sp. nov.

Figs 2 D, 6 J, 8 J, 11 J, 13 J.

Fore wing length 2.5–2.8 mm.

Face medially 1.4x as wide as high; face smooth, polished, slightly punctate, eyes not setose, dorsal ridge of face inbetween antennal sockets sometimes with a median blunt low prominence; face profile straight except dorsally very slightly impressed, edge of clypeus straight, antennal sockets not on a distinct high shelf; malar groove distinct, sharp, bent towards occiput; maxillary palp reaching slightly beyond fore coxa. In dorsal view, head posteriorly moderately concave, temples short but distinct, posterior ocellus separated from eye by 0.8x ocellar diameter, anterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.5x ocellar diameter, lacking ocellar-ocular grooves. Minimum distance between antennal sockets about a half diameter of socket; antenna slender, with 23 flagellomeres (n=3) elongate, rather stout, flagellomeres which not gradually shortening towards apex of antenna; basal flagellomere 0.6x times as wide as high and about 1/3 of length of scape; scape slightly concave on inner surface, slightly convex on outer surface.

Mesosoma smooth and polished except for few striae postero-ventrally on pronotum, sometimes with weak microsculpture on propodeum; mesoscutum anteriorly with short notauli; in profile, scutellum not particularly high, metapleuron slightly convex; propodeum with posterior transverse carina complete, strong and raised between lateral longitudinal carinae, weak laterally to lateromedian carinae, median longitudinal carinae complete, lateral longitudinal carinae distinct posterior to spiracles or more or less complete, spiracles small.

Legs robust; coxae and femora polished, femora with coriaceous microsculpture especially on posterior side, tibiae and tarsi coriaceous-granulate; hind coxa 1.2–1.4x as long as first tergite, hind femur 3.3x as long as high, hind tibia very broad, 3.2x as long as apically wide; tibiae with spine-like setae.

Wings not particularly narrow; fore wing with areolet open, vein Rs straight; hind wing vein cu-a not intercepted, straight.

First tergite slightly widening apically, 1.4–1.7x as long as apically wide, in dorsal view, slightly wider at spiracles; coriaceous, with two complete median longitudinal carinae, with transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping posteriorly, not meeting centrally. Second tergite 0.8x as long as apically wide; coriaceous, sculpture smoother and sometimes striate near apical edge, traces of median longitudinal carinae present near anterior edge, basal corners impressed and transverse groove near apical margin bending anteriorly near lateral margins, forming a somewhat oval uplifted area medially; basal thyridia quadrate-elongate, contrastingly coloured, second thryridia usually visible, round/oval, sometimes contrastingly coloured. Remainder of metasoma unsculptured, polished, lacking thyridia; third tergite with coriaceous microsculpture basally. Ovipositor comparatively stout, slightly upcurved, with distinct notch; ovipositor sheath with sparse, long, backwards-directed setae.

Body setose except eyes, pronotum, mesopleuron and metapleuron, setae very scattered on metasoma and posterior sides of coxae.

Dark to blackish brown; face and clypeus yellow, a little darker centrally, inner orbits broadly creamy to light yellow from antennal sockets to level of hind ocelli, antenna proximally, ventrally yellow; malar area abruptly creamy white posterior to malar sulcus and up to level of ventral edge of eye; mouthparts, fore and mid coxae, all trochanters and trochantelli creamy, remainder of fore and mid legs orange, hind coxa dark brown except apex orange, femur, tibia and tarsus orange with apex of femur and tibia dark brown; apical margin of second tergite yellow to orange.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Hosts unknown. All specimens collected in mid-elevation Central American forests.

Etymology. Named after the Latin for ‘spots’, after the conspicuous white marks on the head.

Comments. This is a distinctive species on account of the broad, white inner orbits complete to the level of the ocelli, the abruptly white malar space behind the malar sulcus, and the comparatively stout, slightly upcurved ovipositor. Additionally, compared with other species that have a complete posterior transverse carina and notauli, the malar groove is bent, unlike in O. rectus and O. saaksjarvii , and the ovipositor has a notch, which is lacking in O. luteoclypeus .

Material examined. Holotype female: ‘ Nicaragua, Jinotega, RN Cerro Kilambé, 1470± 10 m, 13.56980, - 8569742, 23–26 May 2011, Malaise trap, cloud forest, LLAMA #Ma-D- 05-1-02 ’ ( BMNH).

Paratypes: 1 ♀ same data as holotype ( ZMUT); 1 ♀ Nicaragua, Jinotega, RN Cerro Kilambé, 1400± 10 m, 13.5675, -85.69664, 23–26.V.2011, Malaise trap, cloud forest, LLAMA #Ma-D- 05-2-02 ( USNM); 1 ♀ Costa Rica, Puntarenas Pv., San Vito, Las Alturas, 1500 m, VII.1991, K. Gaston; 1 ♀ as previous but collection date XI.1991 (both BMNH).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Lateral views: Orthocentrus shieldsi (in part) and O. maculae species-groups. A: scurra, B: teres, C: luteoclypeus, D: maculae, E: saaksjarvii, F: rectus. Scale 0.5 mm except in E 1.0 mm.