Orthocentrus scurra 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 : 212-213

Orthocentrus scurra Veijalainen , sp. nov.

Figs 2 A, 6 G, 8 G, 11 G, 13 G.

Fore wing length 3.1–3.2 mm.

Face medially 1.0x wider than high; face smooth, polished, densely punctate medially, eyes not setose, dorsal ridge of face inbetween antennal sockets without a median prominence; face profile straight, edge of clypeus very straight, antennal sockets on a high shelf; malar groove sharp, not deep, bent towards occiput, somewhat sinuous; maxillary palp not exceptionally long, reaching to about epicnemial carina. In dorsal view, head posteriorly deeply concave, temples distinct, posterior ocelli distant from eye by 0.8x ocellar diameter, anterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.5x ocellar diameter, ocellar-ocular grooves present. Minimum distance between antennal sockets about one third diameter of socket; antenna thick, curled, with 31 similar-sized transverse-quadrate flagellomeres which not gradually shortening towards apex; basal flagellomere 0.9x as wide as high and about 1/4 of the length of scape; scape parallel-sided.

Mesosoma smooth and polished except pronotum with short striations centrally and postero-ventrally, impuncate, some microsculpture on propodeum; mesoscutum lacking notauli; in profile, scutellum somewhat high, metapleuron slightly convex; propodeum with posterior transverse carina clearly present between lateral longitudinal carinae and traces of posterior transverse carina present laterally to lateral longitudinal carinae, median longitudinal carinae complete and more or less parallel, lateral longitudinal carinae clear posteriorly, fading just posterior to spiracles, spiracles small.

Legs all slightly flattened, broad; coxae and femora polished, tibiae and tarsi coriaceous-granulate; hind coxa 1.2–1.6x as long as first tergite, hind femur 2.9x as long as high, hind tibia 4.0–4.4x as long as apically wide; tibiae with scattered, inconspicuous stout, spine-like setae.

Wings not particularly narrow; fore wing with areolet closed, small, only slightly longer than high, 2m-cu meeting areolet at apical 0.7, vein Rs straight; hind wing vein cu-a not intercepted, straight.

First tergite elongate, dorsally slightly wider at spiracles, 1.4–1.6x as long as apically wide; rugose-coriaceous, with two posteriorly almost complete median longitudinal carinae, with transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping posteriorly, not meeting centrally. Second tergite 0.9x as long as apically wide; smoothly strigose, posterior margin polished, with transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, not meeting centrally; basal thyridia of second tergite oval/elongate, contrastingly coloured. Remaining tergites smooth, polished; third tergite with basal thyridia narrow, oval/elongate. Ovipositor not clearly visible in either specimen; ovipositor sheath pointed, with sparse setae longer than sheath width and strongly curved, backwards pointing.

Body largely setose except eyes, pronotum, mesopleuron and metapleuron; setae scattered on propodeum, basal tergites, and posterior sides of coxae.

Dark brown except mesosoma ventrally and posterior edge of tergite two orangey brown; face dark yellow with brown patches, antenna with some dark yellow basally; fore and mid legs, hind trochanter and trochantellus, yellow; mouthparts and sternites creamy.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Hosts unknown. Both specimens were collected at mid and high-altitude sites in Central America.

Etymology. Named after the Latin for ‘jester’ or ‘clown’, after the grinning malar sulcus; we are grateful to Lois Smith for her description of orthocentrines as ‘masked clowns grinning from eye to eye’ ( Smith 1958)!

Comments. Compared with the other species that have antennal sockets on a high protruding shelf, thick, curled antennae, whole body not laterally flattened, eyes glabrous, and face polished and densely punctate, the sculpture on the propodeum and both the first and the second tergite is strong and distinct unlike in O. teres and O. quercus .

Material examined. Holotype female: ‘ Honduras, Comayagua, 10 km E Comayagua, 14.45997ºN, 87.54433ºW, 2020± 5 m, clearing on peak, Malaise trap, 16–18.V.2010, LLAMA #Ma-C- 03-2-02 ’ ( ZMUT).

Paratype: 1 ♀ Guatemala, Baja Vera, Biotopo Quetzal, 1685± 9 m, 15.21370ºN, 90.21822ºW, cloud forest, 7– 10.V.2009, LLAMA #Ma-B- 02-2-01 ( BMNH).

Both specimens ( Orthocentrus sp. 6 F 520 LLAMA Ma-C- 03-2-02 and Orthocentrus sp. 6 F GUA 76 LLAMA Ma-B- 02-2-01) were sequenced by Veijalainen et al. (2012). They had the same haplotype which differed clearly from the remaining taxa.

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.