Melanocryptus niger ( Szépligeti, 1916 )

Aguiar, Alexandre P. & Santos, Bernardo F., 2015, Revision of Melanocryptus Cameron (Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), with description of seven new species, American Museum Novitates 2015 (3836), pp. 1-56 : 36-38

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1206/3836.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03FD8204-AE4B-5E7C-FE64-FC51FCF7FE04
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Melanocryptus niger ( Szépligeti, 1916 )
status

Treatment

Melanocryptus niger ( Szépligeti, 1916) View in CoL

Figures 4–5 View FIGURES 1–8 , 10–11 View FIGURES 10–21 , 22–23 View FIGURES 22–30 , 38 View FIGURES 31–41 , 43 View FIGURES 42–47 , 56 View FIGURES 55–60 , 64 View FIGURES 61–69 , 97 View FIGURE 97 , 124 View FIGURES 124–127

Hoplophorina nigra Szépligeti, 1916: 238 . ♀. Original description. Type in HNHM ( Hungary), examined.

Melanocryptus niger (Szépligeti) View in CoL : Townes and Townes, 1966: 68, catalog, synonymy. Townes, 1970: 299, listed. Carrasco 1972: 328, listed for Peru. Yu and Horstmann, 1997: 269, catalog.

REDESCRIPTION: Female holotype. Forewing 16.40 mm. Supraclypeal area flat, middorsally with short elevation near toruli; supraantennal area deep, covered with distinct, concentric striations, coronal suture distinct, complete; crenulate depression in front of ocelli. Antenna [missing; 27–28 flagellomeres in other female specimens]. Malar space 1.00× mandible basal width. Occipital carina in lateral view without emargination; apically meeting the hypostomal carina to form a Y. Pronotum dorsally regularly curved, posteriorly sunk into a shallow channel or shaft, then curving upward; epomia conspicuous, quite long (fig. 43), dorsally bent, laterally straight vertical, ending at level of pronotal spiracle; ventroposterior margin coarsely crenulate, pronotum otherwise smooth, shiny (fig. 43). Mesoscutum distinctly punctulate. Notaulus deep, narrow, centrally almost linear, wider on posterior apex, crenulate throughout, converging posteriorly to end close together, but not fused, a little posteriad of level of tegulae. Axillary trough of mesonotum basally with transverse, broad channel crossed by 5 thick crenulations, otherwise mostly smooth, polished (fig. 38). Scutellar carina advanced over anterior 0.2 of scutellum, which is a little protuberant and rounded, with sparse punctuation (fig. 38). Epicnemial carina reaching about 0.75–0.87 of distance to subalar ridge, approximately straight, short, ending at level of pronotal spiracle (fig. 97). Subalar ridge somewhat elongate, not much pronounced. Sternaulus slightly curved, deep, crenulate, restricted to anterior 0.50; mesepisternum smooth, dorsal half polished, shiny. Forewing (figs. 10–11) vein 1M+Rs with small bump at basal 0.25, perhaps an indication of original point of connection between Rs and M; crossvein 1cu-a basal to 1M by about half its own length; vein 2Cua 1.31× length of crossvein 2cu-a. Hind wing (figs. 22–23) vein Cua 1.47× length of crossvein cu-a.

Transverse furrow at base of propodeum shallow, subcrenulate, central crenulations obsolescent, furrow width more or less regular; anterior margin of propodeum merging smoothly with transverse furrow, therefore not forming an edge (fig. 56). Propodeum in between carinae generally smooth, shiny; anterior transverse carina interrupted on central 0.2 or less, each side bending anteriorly at almost 45°, bent part of carina with short crenulation on both sides (fig. 56); apophyses distinctly projected (fig. 97), tongue shaped (flat in cross section); rugulosity extending between bases of apophyses and crenulation extending laterally from each apophysis to meet pleural carina may indicate presence of posterior transverse carina. Propodeal spiracle quite elongate, 3.67× longer than wide. Pleural carina complete, distinct, shaped as a crenulate longitudinal shaft. Metapleuron rugulose, mostly hidden by dense pilosity. T1 spiracle slightly beyond middle (basal 0.57); dorsolateral and ventrolateral carina absent; sternite ending opposite spiracle (fig. 97). Petiole polished, apicad of spiracles with sparse punctures and some alutaceous; T2 matte, with dense punctation, T3–8 nearly smooth, faintly alutaceous. Ovipositor blade shaped, 2.33× taller than wide, 1.43× length of hind tibia, straight; ventral valve ridges without subapical irregularity, but basalmost tooth reduced, a small tubercle (fig. 64), ridges otherwise regular.

Pilosity. Supraclypeal area with dense, white, ventrally decumbent pilosity. Dense silvery pilosity on pronotum collar, propleuron, all coxae and trochanters, pectum, mesosternum, mesepisternum (except dorsal half glabrous), entire mesoepimeron, upper and lower divisions of metapleuron (fig. 43), and propodeum posteriad anterior transverse carina (fig. 56). T1 glabrous; T2–7 with short yellowish pilosity.

Color. Nearly entirely black with bluish, metallic reflections (fig. 97). Yellowish only on the following: labial palpus articles 2–3; maxillary palpus articles 2–4; paraocular stripe, as a short triangular spot, at 10 h, and a narrow one between 3–4 h; entire ventral surface of foretibia, dorsally a subbasal spot and at apex; entire fore t1–3; mid t1 on basal 0.9. Ovipositor sheath brown. Wings (figs. 10–11, 22–23) hyaline, very weakly yellowish; forewing apical margin narrowly, weakly infuscate; hind wing Costal cell entirely dark infuscate.

MALE (first record): Forewing 10.05 mm. Overall structure quite similar to female, although with finer sculpturing, such as small propodeal apophyses, more delicate anterior transverse carinae, etc., probably related to its much smaller size. Color differences (incomplete legs and antennae): supraclypeal area entirely pale yellow, continuing shortly at supraantennal area along eye margin; also yellowish on scape laterally, gena along eye margin between 3–6 h, apex of scutellum with transverse spot, forecoxa ventrally, foretrochanter entirely, mid- and hind trochanters basally, hind tibia except ventrally brownish, and hind basitarsus except brown apex. Wings hyaline, forewing weakly infuscate marginally at apex.

BIOLOGY: Unknown.

VARIATION: Forewing 15.10 mm. Antenna with 27–28 flagellomeres. Malar space 0.82–0.83 mandible basal width. Propodeal spiracle 2.91× longer than wide. T1 spiracle at middle (basal 0.55). T1–8 more smooth than in holotype. Ovipositor 2.41× taller than wide, 1.45× length of hind tibia. Crossvein 1cu-a basal to 1M by about 0.4 its own length. Forewing vein 2 Cua 0.85–1.03× length of crossvein 2cu-a. Hind wing vein Cua 1.32–1.35× length of crossvein cu-a. Color : In the female from Colombia, the forewing shows two distinct spots, centrally and subapically (fig. 11). In the female from Bolivia, metallic reflections are mostly restricted to metasoma, and are more violaceous than bluish, eye margin at 3–4 h without yellowish spot, and mid-t1 yellowish only on basal 0.6. Both females with narrow yellowish on ventral side of foretibia, and fore-t3 yellowish only basally .

COMMENTS: Melanocryptus niger shares several important features with M. cyaneus , strongly suggesting these are closely related taxa, uniquely distinct from all other species in the genus: (1) ovipositor ventral valve apex without preapical irregularity, ridges regular (figs. 64–65); (2) basalmost ridge subtle, developed only as a small tubercle (fig. 65B); (3) supraclypeal area densely covered by whitish pilosity; (4) notaulus deep, crenulate, ending distinctly posteriad at level of tegulae (as in fig. 85), (5) body with many bluish reflections, (6) thorn- or tongue-shaped propodeal apophyses, (7) anterior transverse carina centrally much pronounced running forward ( M. niger , fig. 56) or interrupted and running forward ( M. cyaneus , fig. 55), (8) dorsolateral and ventrolateral carinae more or less distinct only at the very base of petiole, glymma shallow; (9) dorsoposterior margin of pronotum not forming a channel or shaft; ratio between forewing 2Cua/2cu-a close or superior to 1.0 (vs. always less than 1.0 for all other spp.); (10) hind wing costal cell entirely dark, infuscate (figs. 16, 22–23).

Melanocryptus niger can however be easily separated from M. cyaneus by having a predominantly black body (vs. much more intense dark blue and violaceous metallic reflections in M. cyaneus ), T2 and T7 unicolorous (vs. with large apical yellowish marks in M. cyaneus ), supraclypeal area with a keel-shaped elevation near toruli, which is concolorous with its surroundings (vs. with low, circular or drop-shaped, often brownish bump near toruli in M. cyaneus ), and the anterior transverse carina centrally approximate, only narrowly interrupted (vs. widely interrupted and curved forward in M. cyaneus ). The ratios between the forewing veins 2Cua/2cu-a around 1.10, and hind wing veins Cua/cu-a around 1.40 are both also distinct from M. cyaneus , with 1.63 and 1.21, respectively.

The single known male of M. niger has entirely hyaline forewings (vs. with two conspicuous dark spots in males of M. cyaneus ); the supraclypeal area, a wide stripe on scape and gena are entirely yellow (vs. head and scape entirely bluish with metallic reflections); a small keel-shaped elevation near toruli (vs. low and circular); and the midtibia almost entirely yellowish, except ventrally brown (vs. bluish, except basal end yellowish).

DISTRIBUTION: Colombia (first record), Peru, Bolivia (first record) (fig. 124).

MATERIAL EXAMINED: 4 females, 2 males. Holotype ♀ PERU Pachitea, manuscript label “ Hoplophorina , n. gen., n. sp.,” id nr.114849, HNHM, Hym. coll. [blue] ( HNHM). Pinned, antennae missing, scape + flagellomeres 1–2 glued to label; otherwise complete, fair condition. Other specimens: BOLIVIA: ♀ Bolivia, Cochabamba, Villa Tunari. 300m. 18.X.1981, M. Cooper, M.Cooper BMNH (E) 2005-152 ( BMNH). COLOMBIA: ♀ COLOMBIA: Amazonas, PNN Amacayacu, San Martin , 3°23′S 70°06′W, 150m; 18–26.x.2000; B. Amado, M.839 ( AEIC); ♂ 3 mi. W. Vilavicencio, Meta. 920 m, III.11.1955 + E.I. Schlinger and E.S. Ross collectors ( CASC). ECUADOR: ♂ Coca and Napo Rivers, V GoogleMaps . 1–12. 65, Ecuador, Luis Peña. Missing: flagellomeres beyond number 5 on left antenna and number 10 of right antenna, forelegs beyond trochanter, entire right mid leg, left mid t5, all articles beyond femur of right hind leg, tarsi of left hind leg; head + propleuron glued to pronotum. PERU: ♀ Monson Valley , Tingo Maria , XII-2 -. 1954 + E.I. Schlinger and E.S. Ross collectors ( CASC) .