Pseudopimpla propodeumpunctata, Mazón, Marina & Bordera, Santiago, 2010

Mazón, Marina & Bordera, Santiago, 2010, Taxonomy of Pseudopimpla Habermehl (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) with description of a new species, Zootaxa 2572, pp. 48-56 : 53-55

Pseudopimpla propodeumpunctata sp. nov.

( Figs 7 , 9 –13)

Diagnosis: Area petiolaris not bordered by carina, propodeum uniformly punctate ( Fig. 7 ). First flagellomere more than 6 times as long as wide. Propodeal spiracle rounded. Mesopleural fovea joined the posterior edge of mesopleurum by suture ( Fig. 10 ). Hind tibia long and stout, more than 9 times longer than deep. Ovipositor tip without ripple-like teeth in upper valve ( Fig. 9 ).

Description: FEMALE. Body length (without ovipositor) 9.0 mm. Head 0.8 mm long and 1.4 mm wide. Mesosoma 2.7 mm long, 1.1 mm wide (mesoscutum). Front wings 6.5 mm long. First tergite 1.4 mm long. Ovipositor sheaths 1.0 mm long.

Head. Transverse, 1.90 times as wide as long, constricted behind the eyes, rounded. Gena 0.40 times as long as eye (viewed from above in a right angle). Vertex, gena, face and frons sparsely and finely punctate on a smooth and shiny background. Malar space strongly granulate, about 0.70 as wide as basal width of mandible. Clypeus small, about 1.70 as wide as long, round, basal half flat, smooth and shiny, with some sparse punctures; apical half strongly concave, with granulate, dull surface, apical margin with notch. Mandible narrowed towards apex, teeth of equal length. Antennae with 33 flagellomeres; first flagellomere 6.30 as long as wide, second one 3.20. Genal carina joining hypostomal carina in obtuse angle behind base of mandible at a distance slightly smaller than basal width of mandible. Hind ocelli separated from eye for about 1.20 their diameter. Space between hind ocelli 1.30 as long as their diameter. Occipital carina absent medially.

Mesosoma ( Figs 7 , 10 –11). Pronotum smooth and polished, finely punctate on hind edge. Epomia strong but short, uniformly arched. Mesoscutum ovoid, strongly depressed, slightly concave in lateral view; polished, weakly granulate in centre with fine and sparse punctures uniformly distributed, their diameter smaller than interspaces. Notaulus deep, reaching middle of mesoscutum, dividing it into three lobes, the median one slightly higher than the others. Scutoscutellar groove smooth, without longitudinal wrinkles. Scutellum smooth and polished, fine and sparsely punctate, without lateral carinae, somewhat convex. Mesopleurum polished, shiny, only with some fine setiferous punctures. Epicnemial carina weak, reaching basal third of mesopleurum, then interrupted, beyond that reappearing as a little portion. Mesopleural fovea joining the posterior edge of mesopleurum by a suture ( Fig. 10 ). Metapleurum smooth and shiny (Fig. 11); propodeum without carinae, except pleural carina, strongly and deeply punctate on shiny background, diameter of punctures equal or little shorter than interspaces ( Fig. 7 ). Propodeal spiracle circular, separated from pleural carina by distance approximately equal to its diameter. Hind femora 2.90 as long as high. Hind tibia long, stout, 9.40 longer than wide. Tarsal claws long, not pectinate, basal tooth wide, triangular shaped.

Wings. Ramulus absent. Vein 2m-cu weakly inclivous or almost vertical, reaching areolet very close to 2rs-m, with two separate bullae, anterior one longer than posterior one. Areolet rhombic, slightly petiolate. Cu-a interstitial to Rs&M. Cu1a reaching Cu1b little below its middle, Cu1b strongly reclivous. Cu-a in hind wing strongly angular, intercepted by Cu1 clearly above middle.

Metasoma. ( Fig. 9 ). First metasomal tergite 1.70 as long as wide; basolateral corners developed as strong tooth, with large, deep glymma. Median dorsal carinae weak but present, spiracle situated a little below it. Tergites 2–8 clearly transversal, second one 0.6 as long as wide. All tergites strongly and densely punctate on smooth background, only apical rim of first tergite completely polished. Ovipositor straight, strongly compressed, nodus present but not clearly distinct, with very close teeth on apex of lower valve; upper valve smooth, without ripple-like teeth dorsally ( Fig. 9 ). Ovipositor sheaths 0.70 as long as the first tergite.

Body black. Inner orbits from vertex to face, small spot in outer orbits, scape, pedicel and basal flagellomeres beneath, two spots in lateral part of median lobe of mesonotum, hind edge of pronotum, apex of scutellum, tegulae, spots on front coxae and trochanterae, yellow. Face and clypeus orange. Legs orangeyellow.

MALE. Body length 10.0 mm. Head 0.6 mm long and 1.2 mm wide. Mesosoma 2.2 mm long, 0.9 mm wide (mesoscutum). Front wing 5.8 mm long. First tergite 1.1 mm long. Second tergite 0.9 mm long.

Head. Malar space about 0.50 as wide as basal width of mandible; clypeus 1.40 as wide as long; antennae with 33 flagellomeres, without tyloids; first flagellomere 6.40 as long as its maximum width, second one 3.90; hind ocelli separated from eye by about 1.10 their diameter; space between hind ocelli 1.40 their diameter.

Mesosoma . Median lobe of mesoscutum not higher than lateral lobes; hind femora 3.20 as long as high.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite a little more slender than in female, 2.10 as long as wide, rest of metasomal tergites, somewhat longitudinal or square, the second one 1.10 as long as wide.

Other features and coloration as in female.

Etymology: The name refers to the presence of a punctate surface in the propodeum, a character only found in this species.

Type material: Holotype Ψ, Mas de Sant Ignaci (Sierra Carrasqueta, Alicante, Spain, Coordinates: 38º36’39’’N, 0º29’16’’W), 4–17/VI/2002, leg. CIBIO ( CEUA). Paratype ɗ, same locality, 4–17/VI/2002, leg. CIBIO ( CEUA).

Habitat: Sierra Carrasqueta is a mountain located at North of Alicante province, in the Southeastern of the Iberian Peninsula. It is characterized by woodlands of meridional holm-oak ( Quercus rotundifolia ), that alternate with extensive culturelands of dry fruit trees and cereal. Mas de Sant Ignaci is an area where the dominant vegetation is a shrubby field belonging to the Teucrio-Ulicetum dianii association, with the presence of a Pinus halepensis forest near it. This vegetation is surrounded by open areas belonging to farmlands abandoned about 5–10 years ago, and currently colonized by herbaceous or short-sized, shrubby species.

Hosts: Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Mesopleurum of P. propodeumpunctata. FIGURE 11. Metapleurum of P. propodeumpunctata.

FIGURES 6 – 7. Propodeum of Pseudopimpla spp.: 6. P. glabripropodeum; 7. P. propodeumpunctata.

FIGURES 8 – 9. Ovipositor apex of Pseudopimpla spp.: 8. P. glabripropodeum; 9. P. propodeumpunctata. The white arrows show the ripple-like teeth.