Orthocentrus broadi 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 : 233-234

Orthocentrus broadi Veijalainen , sp. nov.

Figs 5 D, 6 O, 10 C, 11 O, 14 L.

Fore wing length 3.9–4.4 mm.

Face wide, medially 1.5x wider than high; smooth and polished, upper half horizontally lightly strigose across entire width, eyes not setose, dorsal ridge of face inbetween antennal sockets sometimes with a blunt low ridge; face profile almost straight, edge of clypeus slightly impressed, margin straight, antennal sockets not on a distinct high shelf; malar groove straight and deep; maxillary palp very long, reaching back to mid coxa. In dorsal view, head posteriorly slightly concave, temples distinct, posterior ocelli distant from eye by 0.8–1.0x ocellar diameter, anterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.3–1.6x ocellar diameter, lacking ocellar-ocular grooves. Minimum distance between antennal sockets about or slightly less than the diameter of socket; antenna about as long as body, slender, with 31–35 thin, elongate flagellomeres (n=12) which gradually shortening towards apex of antenna; basal flagellomere 0.2x as wide as high and same as long or slightly longer than scape; scape curved, in frontal view concave on lateral surface, convex on inner surface.

Mesosoma smooth, polished, impuncate, some microsculpture on propodeum; mesoscutum lacking notauli; in profile, scutellum high and convex, metapleuron moderately convex; propodeum with posterior transverse carina strong and raised, present between lateral longitudinal carinae; median longitudinal carinae strong, complete, lateral longitudinal carinae present at least posterior to spiracles, sometimes up to anterior of propodeum, spiracles large.

Legs stout, hind leg massive; coxae and femora polished, tibiae and tarsi coriaceous-granulate; hind coxa about 1.1–1.2x as long as first tergite, hind femur 2.9x as long as maximum depth, hind 3.6x as long as apical width.

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

First tergite somewhat elongate and apically slightly widening, 1.4–1.6x as long as apically wide; heavily strigose, with two complete median longitudinal carinae detectable amongst sculpture, with transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping posteriorly, not meeting centrally. Second tergite 1.0x as long as apically wide; heavily strigose, with slight transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping anteriorly and posteriorly, not meeting centrally, forming a somewhat oval or diamond-shaped horizontal uplifted median area; second thyridia usually present as raised, black ovals slightly anterior to middle. Third tergite with strigosity reaching apical 2/3 of third tergite, sculpture smoother towards posterior edge, with slight transverse impressions originating at about middle of tergite, sloping anteriorly, not meeting centrally; thyridia usually contrastingly coloured, basal thyridia large, narrow, oval/rectangular, second thyridia small circular. Apical tergites smooth except fourth tergite sometimes narrowly and slightly strigose basally. Ovipositor thin, straight, without notch; ovipositor sheath sharply truncate at sharp angle ventrally, with rather dense, backwards-directed curved setae.

Setae over whole body (including metasoma) except eyes, pronotum, mesopleuron, metapleuron, scattered on propodeum and posterior sides of coxae.

Flagellomeres dull orange to dark brown; head, fore legs and mesosoma except propodeum usually orange, sometimes light yellow; metapleuron creamy white ventrally to orange or dull yellow dorsally; propodeum dark brown to black, at least posteriorly, sometimes anteriorly orange. Tergites 1–2 and tergite 3 basally black, remaining tergites and hypopygium dark brown. Sternites from white to very light brown. Mid and hind legs largely creamy white with the ventral side of hind coxa, trochanter, trochantellus, femur very basally and broadly apically, and tibia broadly basally and apically, distinctly dark brown.

Male. As female but antenna with 30–31 flagellomeres.

Biology. Hosts unknown. Material collected from various western Amazonian and Costa Rican forest types and vegetation layers at sites below 560 m. a.s.l. suggesting that this is a tropical lowland species with a fairly large geographic distribution range.

Etymology. The species is named after Dr. Gavin R. Broad for his outstanding work with the Ichneumonidae and his continuous support to AV as her unofficial thesis supervisor.

Comments. Morphologically very similar to O. alboscutellum but differing distinctly in colour pattern; this is a larger species with a stouter metasoma, less rugose elements to the strong metasomal sculpture, and the back of head is less concave. Compared with O. brevipilus and O. onkonegare , that have similar antennae and metasoma, the face is wider than high rather than higher than wide and does not have pustulate sculpture.

Material examined. Holotype female: ‘ Peru, Department of Loreto, Iquitos area, Allpahuayo, 17.10.– 8.11.2000, clay, Sääksjärvi, I.E. et al. leg., Malaise trap, APHI, H2/15’ ( MUSM).

Paratypes, females: 4 ♀ as holotype but collection dates and codes as follows: 4.I.–20.II.2000, H2/1; 1.– 21.XII.2000, H2/17; 8.XI.2000, J1/15; 2.–18.VIII.2000,F1/11; 1 ♀ Peru, Dept. of Loreto, Iquitos area, Allpahuayo, 2.–18.VIII.2000, white sand, Sääksjärvi, I.E. et al. leg., Malaise trap, APHI, G3/11 (all MUSM); 3 ♀ as previous but collection dates and codes as follows: 8.XI.–1.XII.2000, G2/16; 29.VI–16.VII.2000, G2/9; 15.X–8.XI.2000, E2/15 (all ZMUT); 1 ♀ Ecuador, Dept. Orellana, Onkone Gare, 0º39’25.7’’ S, 76 º27’10.8’’ W, canopy fog., 216.3 m, 21.VI.1994, T.L. Erwin et al., Lot# 702; 2 ♀ as previous but collection dates and codes as follows: 9 Oct 1994, Lot# 914; 7.VII:2006, Lot# 3214 (all USNM); 1 ♀ Costa Rica, Guanacaste Pv., Guanacaste NP, 560 m, Est Maritza Vn Orosi, IX.88, Gauld & Mitchell; 1 ♀ Costa Rica, Heredia Pv, Chilamate, Selva Verde, 75 m, XII.1989 – III.1990, Gauld; 1 ♀ Costa Rica, Limon, RB Hitoy-Cerere, 14–19.I. 1991, 100 m, J.S. Noyes, Malaise trap/yellow pan trap (all BMNH).

Paratypes, males: 1 ♂ Ecuador, Dept. Orellana, Onkone Gare, 0º39’25.7’’ S, 76 º27’10.8’’ W, canopy fog., 216.3 m, 30.IX.1996, T.L. Erwin et al. Lot# 1675 ( BMNH); 7 ♂ as previous but collection dates and codes as follows: 4.X.1996, Lot#1752, 25.VI.1996, Lot#1538; 4.X.1995, Lot#1180 (all ZMUT); 25.VI.1994, Lot#737; 4.X.1994, Lot#857; 4.X.1994, Lot#859; 5.II.1996, Lot#1421 (all USNM).

A male paratype ( Orthocentrus sp. 2 M 240 ECU 1675) was sequenced by Veijalainen et al. (2012) and its haplotype clearly differentiated it.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Lateral views: Orthocentrus insularis (excluding O. albihumerus which is very similar to O. breivipilus; see descriptions) and O. zebra species-groups. A: alboscutellum, B: onkonegare, C: brevipilus, D: broadi, E: zebra, F: insularis. Scale 1.0 mm.