Hermosomastax Quicke, 2021

Sharkey, Michael J., Janzen, Daniel H., Hallwachs, Winnie, Chapman, Eric G., Smith, M. Alex, Dapkey, Tanya, Brown, Allison, Ratnasingham, Sujeevan, Naik, Suresh, Manjunath, Ramya, Perez, Kate, Milton, Megan, Hebert, Paul, Shaw, Scott R., Kittel, Rebecca N., Solis, M. Alma, Metz, Mark A., Goldstein, Paul Z., Brown, John W., Quicke, Donald L. J., Achterberg, C. van, Brown, Brian V. & Burns, John M., 2021, Minimalist revision and description of 403 new species in 11 subfamilies of Costa Rican braconid parasitoid wasps, including host records for 219 species, ZooKeys 1013, pp. 1-665 : 1

Hermosomastax Quicke gen. nov.

Type species.

Hermosomastax clavifemorus Quicke, sp. nov.

Description.

Female: Head. Antenna approximately as long as forewing, with ca. 40 flagellomeres. Terminal flagellomere acuminate. Median flagellomeres very elongate,> 3 × longer than wide. Face protruding. Clypeus shallow, not protruding. Malar suture absent. Eyes glabrous, distinctly emarginated opposite antennal sockets. Anterior tentorial pits large, very close to eye. Maxillary palp with six segments. Occipital carina complete dorsally and ventrally, with dorsolateral posterior angulation and bulge, connecting to hypostomal carina ventrally. Mesosoma. smooth and shiny. Pronotum wide and truncate anteriorly in dorsal view. Notauli deep, crenulate anteriorly. Middle lobe of mesoscutum anteriorly steep, nearly vertical. Mesoscutum longitudinally striate posteriorly. Scutellar sulcus strongly reniform with single strong midlongitudinal carina. Scutellum narrow. Epicnemial carina complete. Mesopleuron shiny; precoxal sulcus deep and strongly crenulate. Median area of metanotum with midlongitudinal carina and protruding posterodorsally into a point. Propodeum and metapleuron foveate rugose, with weak but distinct angulate apophyses. Forewing. Second submarginal cell approximately twice as long as wide. Second submarginal cell very long (ca. 3 × longer than wide). Vein m-cu nearly straight; vein m-cu interstitial with 2RS. Vein 1cu-a postfurcal. First subdiscal cell rectangular. Subbasal cell evenly setose. Hind wing. Vein R short longitudinal. Vein RS straight. Veins M+Cu and 1-M approximately equal length. Vein RS strongly curved. Vein m-cu absent. Base of hind wing evenly setose. Legs. smooth, with sparse long setae. Hind femur clavate. Apex of hind tibia with comb of specialized setae medially. Mid and hind tibial spurs strongly curved and glabrous. Claws simple without basal lobe. Metasoma. All tergites foveolate-punctate. First metasomal tergite not strongly narrowing subbasally; dorsope deep; with dorsal carinae uniting to form a weak, thin longitudinal carina. Second metasomal tergite with thin mid-longitudinal carina arising from small medio-basal triangular area. Tergites 3-5 with sharp lateral crease. Hypopygium large, ventrally strongly convex. Ovipositor curved ventrally. Male: Unknown.

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Only known from type specimen of the type species from Ecuador.

Remarks.

Morphologically, the new genus displays a mixture of character states associated with different genus groups. The curved glabrous tibial spurs suggest an affinity with the Colastomion - Cystomastax group of genera; however, it lacks the curved forewing vein m-cu and the elongate and basally narrowed first metasomal tergite that is characteristic of other members of that group. Nevertheless, DNA data (barcode and 28S; Quicke et al. unpublished) place it deeply derived within the Colastomion - Cystomastax group, and therefore the stouter first tergite and straight vein m-cu are presumed to be character state reversals.

Etymology.

From Spanish hermoso meaning beautiful, and the suffix mastax from the name of the closely related genus Cystomastax . The genus is masculine.