Cratichneumon flavator, Riedel, 2019

Riedel, Matthias, 2019, Contribution to the Ichneumoninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of Nepal, Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (2), pp. 1119-1162 : 1127-1129

Cratichneumon flavator nov.sp. ( figs 15-18 )

Holotype: ♀ " Nepal, Dudh Kosi Tal , 3500 m, 22.-23.VII.1982, leg. G. Ebert & H. Falkner " ( ZSM) . Paratypes: ♀ " Nepal Khumbu Thangpoche, 4000 m, 10.VII.1962, leg. G. Ebert & H. Falkner"

( ZSM); ♂ " Nepal, Bikhola 2300-2700 m, 13.V.1962, leg. G. Ebert & H. Falkner " ( ZSM) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: ♀: Body length 13.5 mm. Flagellum filiform, with 36 flagellomeres; 1 st flagellomere 2.7x longer than wide, c. 11 th flagellomere square, widest flagellomere 1.5x wider than long. Head with short yellowish hairs. Temple strongly and almost linearly narrowed behind eye, dorsally c. 0.7x as long as eye. Distance of lateral ocellus to eye 1.0x ocellar diameter. Frons densely but superficially punctate and granulate. Face densely punctate, shining. Clypeus slightly convex, 2.4x wider than long, with scattered punctures; apical margin sharp and straight. Mandible with two teeth, lower tooth smaller than upper one. Malar space 1.1x longer than width of mandibular base. Gena 1.2x wider than eye, densely punctate. Genal carina reaching hypostomal carina near mandibular base, both carinae low.

Mesosoma with short brownish hairs. Side of pronotum densely punctate dorsally and rugose-striate in ventral 2/3. Notaulus shortly impressed at frontal margin of mesoscutum. Mesoscutum with superficial dense punctures and fine granulation, but ± shining. Mesopleuron densely punctate, with some striae below subtegular ridge and at posteroventral edge. Metapleuron punctate and striate. Juxtacoxal carina present. Scutellum moderately elevated, 1.2x longer than wide, with scattered punctures, without lateral carina. Propodeum completely carinate. Area basalis trapezoid, wider than long and wider than area superomedia, without median tubercle. Area superomedia about square, rugose; costula present, reaching area superomedia at its middle. Outer dentiparal edge with small blunt tooth-like lamella. Area petiolaris rugose, with lateral carina. Hind coxa densely rugose-punctate, without scopa. Hind femur densely punctate, 5.0x longer than wide. Hind tibia without denticular spurs externally. Claws large, not pectinate, strongly

bent apically (by 90°). Areolet pentagonal, frontal distance of intercubiti 3x their width, 2nd recurrent vein

slightly proximal to its middle. Nervulus slightly postfurcal (by 1x width).

Metasoma oxygygous. Postpetiolus moderately widened, without lateral carina, finely rugose, lateral and median fields not separated. Gastrocoelus quadrangularly impressed, with fine longitudinal ridges. Thyridium slightly oblique, 0.4x as wide as the interval. 2 nd tergite about as long as wide. 2 nd and 3 rd tergites with very fine dense rugose-punctures, ± matte; 2 nd tergite with fine striation between gastrocoeli. Following tergites finely granulate and ± shining. 2 nd to 5 th sternites with median folds. Ovipositor sheath slender, stabshaped, widely reaching behind metasoma apex (by length of 2 nd hind tarsomere).

Colour: Black with rich yellow colour pattern. Palps reddish. Yellow are rings or stripes on flagellomeres 11-13/14, clypeus except black median-apical spot, face, gena and outer orbit widely, wide frontal and vertical orbits up to occipital carina, frontal and upper margins of pronotum, two long paramedian and two paralateral stripes on mesoscutum, spot on tegula, subtegular ridge, large central spot on mesopleuron, large central spot on metapleuron confluent with area dentipara, scutellum and postscutellum, wide apical band on postpetiolus and large posterolateral spots on 2 nd to 7 th tergites, 2 nd to 5 th sternites except blackish lateral spots, hind margin of hypopygium, fore and mid coxae completely, hind coxa except black base, central rings on all femora and tibiae and all 2 nd /3 rd to 4 th

tarsomeres. Wings hyaline, pterostigma brown. ♂: Body length 15.5 mm. Flagellum bristle-shaped, with 42 flagellomeres; 1st flagello-

mere 2.8x longer than wide. Tyloids on flagellomeres 8-17, long-oval, situated medially, maximally 0.5x as long as their flagellomeres. Distance of lateral ocellus to eye 1.0x ocellar diameter. Clypeus densely punctate. Malar space 0.75x as long as width of mandibular base. Mesoscutum densely punctate and granulate, matte. Scutellum moderately elevated, 1.2x wider than long, densely punctate, without lateral carina. Area superomedia slightly hexagonal, 1.2x wider than long. Costula absent. Fore metatarsus with apical tooth. Hind femur 4.8x longer than wide. Areolet pentagonal, frontal distance of intercubiti 2x their width, 2 nd recurrent vein slightly distal to its middle. Postpetiolus with slightly elevated median field, with fine longitudinal rugae; lateral field small, c. 0.25 as wide as median field. 2 nd tergite 1.2x longer than wide. 2 nd and 3 rd tergites densely and finely rugose-punctate, matte; 4 th tergite rugose-punctate in basal half, finely punctate apically. 2 nd tergite with longitudinal striae medially. 2 nd to 4 th sternites with median folds. Hypopygium with rounded apical margin. Structure otherwise as described for the ♀.

Colour: Black with rich yellow coloration, as in ♀. Differences from ♀: palps and base of mandible yellow. Flagellomeres 3-11 with internal yellow stripes. Clypeus and tegula completely yellow. Mesoscutum with two short yellow paramedian stripes which are confluent centrally, black laterally. Areae superomedia and petiolaris yellow, but area dentipara black. 1 st to 3 rd tergites with wide apical yellow bands, 4 th and 5 th tergites with large posterolateral yellow spots, 6 th tergite with narrow apical band, 7 th tergite with large median yellow spot, 2 nd to 4 th sternites yellow except lateral black spots, 5 th sternite with narrow apical yellow margin, parameres with yellow spots. Tarsi except brown distal tarsomeres yellow.

R e m a r k: The generic position is somewhat questionable since the limits of the genus Cratichneumon THOMSON are not clearly defined for the Oriental region yet. TOWNES et al. (1961) had synomymized several of CAMERON´ s genera with Cratichneumon , but in his most recent work on Oriental Cratichneumonina, HEINRICH (1980) had again separated some genera such as Lareiga CAMERON and Sycaonia CAMERON from Cratichneumon . A detailed study of the Oriental Cratichneumonina will be necessary in the future to define the generical limits of this subtribe.

Figures

Figs 15-18: Cratichneumon flavator nov.sp.: (15) habitus of ♂, (16) habitus of ♀, (17) propodeum of ♂, (18) propodeum of ♀. Figs 19-20: Habitus from lateral: (19) Diphyus nepalensis nov.sp. ♀, (20) Limerodops punctatus nov.sp. ♀.