Prasmodon silvatlanticus Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield, 2014

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Whitfield, James B., Smith, M. Alex, Braet, Yves, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2014, Review of the Neotropical genus Prasmodon (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with emphasis on species from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 37, pp. 1-52 : 31-33

Prasmodon silvatlanticus Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield sp. n. Figs 70-75

Type locality.

BRAZIL, Est. Rio de Janeiro, Silva Jardim.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. BRAZIL, Est. Rio de Janeiro, Silva Jardim, viii.1974, F. M. Oliveira. 2. DNA Voucher CNCHYM 01960.

Description.

Female. Body length 4.1-4.2 mm. Fore wing length 4.5-4.6 mm. Body color: mesosoma entirely yellow-orange (with the exception of a very small black spot on axillar complex), metasoma with brown to black areas covering most of mediotergites 4-7 (and also part of mediotergites 3 and 8). Scape color: partially dark brown to black. Flagellomeres color: most flagellomeres brown to black, except for small subapical area (F14 and apical half of F13) which is yellow-brown ( Figs 70, 74 ). Tegula and humeral complex color: tegula pale, humeral complex dark. Mesotibia color: entirely yellow. Metatibia color: posterior 0.1-0.3 dark brown to black ( Figs 70, 72 ). Metatibia spurs color: yellow-orange. Metatarsus color: dark brown to black (except for anterior 0.7 or less of first metatarsomere) ( Fig. 70 ). Fore wing color pattern: hyaline. Fore wing veins color: all veins dark brown ( Fig. 71 ). Pterostigma color: entirely dark brown. Hypostomal carina: highly raised ( Fig. 72 ). Scutoscutellar sulcus: with 6 impressions. Areolet height÷vein r length (fore wing): 0.15 × or less. Hind wing subbasal cell: mostly without setae. Hind tarsal claws: with pectination uniform, teeth thick and relatively evenly spaced. Shape of mediotergite 1: distinctly narrowing posteriorly, width at posterior margin clearly less than width at anterior margin and median width ( Fig. 75 ). Mediotergite 1 length÷width at posterior margin 5.6-6.0 ×. Mediotergite 2 width at posterior margin÷length: 2.6-3.0 ×. Ovipositor sheaths length: 0.6 × as long as metatibia.

Male. Unknown.

Molecular data.

Sequences in BOLD: 1, barcode compliant sequences: 0.

Biology and ecology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Brazil, Rio de Janeiro.

Etymology.

From Latin “silva”=”forest” and “atlanticus” =Atlantic, referring to the Atlantic Forest biome, where this and other species of Prasmodon have been found. The first part of the name also refers to the type locality (Silva Jardim).

Comments.

The only known specimen was considered by Mason (1981) to be a new species, which remained undescribed until now.

Figures

Figures 70 - 75. Prasmodon silvatlanticus. 70 Habitus 71 Fore wing 72 Head and mesosoma (partially), lateral view 73 Head and mesosoma, dorsal view 74 Antenna 75 Propodeum and metasoma, dorsal view.