Chirotica stangei Townes, 1983

Lima, Adriane G. M. & Fernandes, Daniell R. R., 2024, Synopsis of the Darwin wasp Chirotica Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Phygadeuontinae) in Brazil, Zootaxa 5418 (2), pp. 101-139 : 135-137

Chirotica stangei Townes, 1983

( Figures 17A ; 18A ; 30 )

Chirotica stangei Townes, 1983: 81 . Holotype female, Argentina (EMUS, not examined) [Entomology Museum, Utah State University, Logan , Utah, United States of America]

Material examined. 10 males. Brazil. BA [ Bahia ], Jequié , Distrito de / Irrigação da Fazenda Velha / 13°52’51, 9”S / 40°10’42,6”W / Agroecossistemas, Malaise / 23.xii.2005, Alves, F.P. leg.[coletor] (3 males, LRRP) ; same except 07.i.2006 (1 male, LRRP) ; same except 29.i.2006 (2 males, LRRP) ; same except 09.xii.2006 (1 male, LRRP) ; same except 13°86’18, 6”S/40°15’79,5”W / Borda do Pasto , Malaise / 29.i.2006. Santos, J. T. leg [collector] (3 males, LRRP) .

Diagnosis. Chirotica stangei can be distinguished from all other Neotropical species of Chirotica by the combination of the following characters: (1) pronotum polished, central smooth with weak punctuation; (2) hind coxa reddish-brown ( Fig. 30A ); (3) tergites 2 and 3 with rugae on the base ( Fig. 30E ); (4) scutellum without lateral rugae.

Additional description. Male. Body length (head to T8) 2.45 mm to 4.87 mm.

Head. Antenna length 2.23 mm about 4.36 mm (broken antenna); 21 to 25 flagellomeres. Frons convex, polished, with sparse punctuation and/or weak rugae and sparse fine short setae; median longitudinal sulcus absent. Face polished, with punctuation and dense long setae, small median tubercle. Clypeus with weak and sparse punctuation. Mandibular teeth entirely with weak punctuation; setae sparse. Median longitudinal sulcus between posterior ocelli weakly (or not) extending to occipital carina or terminating before reaching it. Frons width 0.27 mm to 0.47 mm. Face width 0.27 mm to 0.50 mm. Eye height 0.27 mm to 0.55 mm. Basal mandible width 0.04 mm to 0.07 mm. Malar space 0.10 mm to 0.15 mm. Ocellus diameter 0.04 mm to 0.08 mm. Shortest distance between anterior and posterior ocelli 0.04 mm to 0.06 mm. Shortest distance between posterior ocellus and compound eye 0.04 mm to 0.08 mm. Shortest distance between posterior ocelli 0.10 mm to 0.17 mm ( Figs 30B and 30C ).

Mesosoma . Pronotum polished, centrally smooth with sparse punctuation, or entirely with sparse weak punctuation. Epomia present anteriorly. Epicnemium polished, rugose-punctuate, or with only punctuation, with dense setae. Mesoscutum polished, weak granulate, sparse weak punctuation and sparse short setae without posterocentral rugae or striae. Notaulus with rugae along their length, or only anteriorly ( Fig. 30D ). Scuto-scutellar groove polished and smooth or with weak rugae. Scutellum polished, with fine punctuation and without lateral rugae. Propodeum polished, rugose-punctuate, area dentipara without teeth. Mesopleuron with sparse fine setae. Metapleuron polished, with rugae or punctuation and sparse long setae; area below juxtacoxal carina with sparse fine punctuation. Legs polished with sparse fine punctuation and fine setae; fore tibia with one tibial spur, mid and hind tibia with two asymmetrical tibial spurs; tibiae with denticles and dense setae; tarsus with apical denticles; tarsal claws simple. Fore wing length 1.63 mm to 3.57 mm. Hind wing length 1.04 mm to 2.14 mm.

Metasoma. Tergites polished. Tergite 1with weak basolateral and apicolateral rugae and apex with sparse fine punctuation. Tergites 2 and 3 with rugae or very sparse fine punctuation and very sparse short setae. Tergite 4 onwards very sparse fine punctuation and sparse setae. Tergite 1 length 0.41 mm to 0.89 mm. Basal width of tergite 1 0.06 mm to 0.14 mm. Apical width of tergite 1 0.18 mm to 0.37 mm. Tergite 2 length 0.25 mm to 0.51 mm. Basal width of tergite 2 0.19 mm to 0.42 mm. Apical width of tergite 2 0.23 mm to 0.55 mm. Tergite 3 length 0.19 mm to 0.39 mm. Basal width of tergite 3 0.22 mm to 0.53 mm. Apical width of tergite 3 0.24 mm to 0.42 mm ( Fig. 30E ).

Coloration. Body brown. Mandibular teeth yellowish-brown. Posterior corner of the pronotum and tegula whitish. Tarsus and tibiae apically brown. Wings hyaline. Veins light brown. Pterostigma centrally transparent with light brown margins. Tergite 1 brown, tergite 2 light brown or brown with a light brown apex and tergite 3 light brown or brown. Tergite 4 onwards brown.

Discussion. Chirotica stangei is morphologically similar to C. ruginota Townes, 1983 having clypeus produced into a point ( Fig. 30C ); mesopleuron with punctuation; and tergite 1 without lateromedian carinae. However, C. stangei differs from C. ruginota in the following characters: metapleuron with rugae (versus C. ruginota which has metapleuron with punctuation).

Distribution. Argentina ( Townes 1983; Yu et al. 2016), Brazil ( Bahia **) ( Fig. 30F ).

Host. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 17. A–B: Tergites 2 and 3, male, dorsal view. A: Chirotica stangei Townes, 1983. B: Chirotica bruchii (Brèthes, 1904).

FIGURE 18. A–B: Scutellum, male, dorsal view. A: Chirotica stangei Townes, 1983. B: Chirotica nigripes Townes, 1983.

FIGURE 30. A–F: Chirotica stangei Townes, 1983. Male. A: habitus; B: head, dorsal view; C: head, frontal view; D: mesoscutum, dorsal view; E: tergites 2 and 3, dorsal view; F: distribution map (pink triangle for type locality, yellow circle for new record).