Chirotica nigripes 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 : 129-131

Chirotica nigripes Townes, 1983

( Figures 18B ; 19B ; 20B ; 27 )

Chirotica nigripes Townes, 1983: 86 . Holotype female, Brazil (EMUS, not examined) [Entomology Museum, Utah State University, Logan , Utah, United States of America]

Material examined. 5 males. Brazil. BA [ Bahia ], Jequié , Distrito de / Irrigação da Fazenda Velha / 13°52’51, 9”S / 40°10’42,6”W / Agroecossistemas, Malaise / 03.xii.2005, Alves, F.P. leg.[coletor] (1 male, LRRP); same except 09.xii.2006 (1 male, LRRP); same except Módulo de / Odontologia / 13°49’54,8”S / 40°04’30,1”W / UESB—Campus II, Malaise / 20.xii.2006 (2 males, LRRP); same except 11.v.2007 (1 male, LRRP) .

Diagnosis. Chirotica nigripes can be distinguished from all other Neotropical Chirotica species by the combination of the following characters: (1) area below the juxtacoxal carina reniform shape; (2) tergite 1 without lateromedian carinae; (3) tergites 2 and 3 with fine punctuation ( Fig. 27E ); (4) base of the posterior tibia yellowish-orange ( Fig. 27A ).

Additional description. Male. Body length (head to T8) 4.15 mm to 4.76 mm.

Head. Antenna length 3.77 mm to 4.27 mm; 23 to 26 flagellomeres. Frons convex, polished, with fine rugae, punctuation and sparse setae; median longitudinal sulcus absent. Face polished, with punctuation and dense setae, small median tubercle. Clypeus with sparse punctuation. Mandibular teeth with punctuation in the center and apex, sparse setae. Median longitudinal sulcus between posterior ocelli not extending to vertex (or in some cases may extend smoothly to occipital carina). Frons width 0.42 mm to 0.46 mm. Face width 0.43 mm to 0.49 mm. Eye height 0.45 mm to 0.49 mm. Basal mandible width 0.06 mm to 0.07 mm. Malar space 0.13 mm to 0.14 mm. Ocellus diameter 0.06 mm to 0.08 mm. Shortest distance between anterior and posterior ocelli 0.07 mm. Shortest distance between posterior ocellus and compound eye 0.07 mm to 0.08 mm. Shortest distance between posterior ocelli 0.17 ( Figs 27B e 27C ).

Mesosoma . Pronotum polished, with sparse fine punctuation. Epomia complete. Epicnemium polished, rugose-punctuate, with sparse setae (short or long). Mesoscutum granulated, sparse punctuation and without posterocentral rugae (in some cases, very fine rugae may occur), anterolateral setae short ( Fig. 27D ). Notaulus with fine rugae along their length ( Fig. 27D ). Scuto-scutellar groove smooth and polished. Scutellum polished, with fine punctuation and weak lateral rugae. Propodeum polished, weak rugose-punctuate, area dentipara without teeth. Mesopleuron polished, with sparse punctuation and agglomerated punctuation dorsoposterior to the sternaulus, sparse short fine setae. Metapleuron polished, with sparse long setae; area below juxtacoxal carina reniform shape. Legs polished with fine punctuation and sparse fine setae; fore legs with one tibial spur, mid and hind legs with two asymmetrical tibial spurs; tibiae with dense setae and denticles; tarsus with apical denticles; tarsal claws simple. Fore wing length 2.68 mm to 3.74 mm. Hind wing length 1.99 mm to 2.59 mm.

Metasoma. Tergite 1 with sparse fine punctuation and fine basolateral and apicolateral rugae, or apicolateral only. Tergites 2 and 3 with fine and very sparse punctuation. Tergite 4 onwards with sparse short setae. Tergite 1 length 0.77 mm to 0.82 mm. Basal width of tergite 1 0.13 mm.Apical width of tergite 1 0.28 mm to 0.33 mm. Tergite 2 length 0.41 mm to 0.47 mm. Basal width of tergite 2 0.30 mm to 0.37 mm. Apical width of tergite 2 0.40 mm to 0.47 mm. Tergite 3 length 0.33 mm to 0.34 mm. Basal width of tergite 3 0.39 mm to 0.48 mm.Apical width of tergite 3 0.34 mm to 0.49 mm ( Fig. 27E ).

Coloration. Mandibular teeth yellowish-brown with a blackish apex. Tegula and posterior corner of the pronotum whitish. Fore and mid legs yellowish-orange, in some cases mid legs may be reddish-brown. Hind legs reddish-brown; except, hind coxae brown, or even, hind coxa black. Hind tibia brownish-yellow with brown apex. Wings hyaline. Veins light brown. Pterostigma centrally transparent and with brown margins. Tergite 1 brown or brownish-black and tergite 2 onwards brown or brownish-black.

Distribution. Brazil ( Townes 1983; Yu et al. 2016) (Pará, Bahia *) ( Fig. 26F ).

Host. Unknown.

Discussion. Chirotica nigripes is morphologically similar to C. bruchii having a weak granulate mesoscutum with punctuation and without posterocentral rugae or striae ( Fig. 27D and Fig. 22D ); metapleuron with rugae; and smooth area between posterior ocelli without a median longitudinal sulcus. However, C. nigripes differs from C. bruchii in the following characters: clypeal apex short and produced into a point ( Fig. 27C ) (versus C. bruchii which has clypeal apex rounded ( Fig. 22C )); frons with fine diagonal rugae and punctuation ( Fig. 27C ) (versus C. bruchii which has frons with punctuation with setae ( Fig. 22C )); and area below the juxtacoxal carina reniform shape (versus C. bruchii which has area below the juxtacoxal carina triangular shape).

Figures

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

FIGURE 19. A–B: Tergite 1, male, dorsal view. A: Chirotica bruchii (Brèthes, 1904). B: Chirotica nigripes Townes, 1983.

FIGURE 20. A–B: Area below the juxtacoxal carina, male, lateral view. A: Chirotica bruchii (Brèthes, 1904). B: Chirotica nigripes Townes, 1983.

FIGURE 22. A–F: Chirotica bruchii (Brèthes, 1904). 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, orange square for previous records, yellow circle for new record).

FIGURE 26. A–G: Chirotica nigra Lima & Fernandes sp. nov.. Holotype female. A: habitus; B: head, dorsal view; C: head, frontal view; D: mesoscutum, dorsal view; E: tergites 2 and 3, dorsal view; F: ovipositor, lateral view; G: distribution map (pink triangle for type locality).

FIGURE 27. A–F: Chirotica nigripes 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).