Pimpla xalapana Khalaim, 2021

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique, 2021, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: genera Apechthis Förster, Itoplectis Förster and Pimpla Fabricius, Zootaxa 5071 (4), pp. 451-491 : 485-487

19. Pimpla xalapana Khalaim , sp. nov.

( Figs 23 , 54–57 )

Material examined. Holotype female ( UAT), Mexico, Veracruz, SW of Xalapa, park near Institute de Ecología , 19°30.768’N, 96°56.349’W, 1260 m, 17–18.ii.2009, coll. A.I. Khalaim.

Paratypes. MEXICO. Veracruz: 3 ♀, 3 ♂ (1 ♀ and 1 ♂ in NHMUK, 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ in UNAM, 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ in ZISP) same data as holotype, but 22–24.iv.2014 . HONDURAS. 1 ♂ ( AEIC) 30 km E of Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Cerro Uyuca , 1800 m, 27.v.1994, coll. H. & A. Howden.

Description. Female (Holotype). Fore wing length 8.2 mm.

Head strongly and almost straightly narrowed behind eyes in dorsal view. Posterior ocellus separated from eye by 0.7× its own diameter. Mandible with upper tooth distinctly longer than the lower tooth. Clypeus in profile proximally distinctly convex, apically distinctly concave; in anterior view 1.6× as broad as long, with lower margin distinctly concave ( Fig. 54 ). Malar space as long as basal mandibular width. Face convex, moderately densely punctate (punctures shallow), more or less smooth between punctures.

Mesoscutum rather densely punctate (punctures shallow), posteriorly coriaceous, weakly shining. Scutellum rather strongly convex, smooth, with fine punctures. Mesopleuron with shallow and moderately dense punctures, weakly shining, posterodorsally smooth. Epicnemial carina reaching above the level of lower corner of pronotum ( Fig. 56 ). Metapleuron strongly convex, finely striate centrally, with shallow punctures peripherally. Submetapleural carina complete and extending back to almost insertion of mid coxa, anteriorly strongly raised, rounded.Pleural carina weak, posteriorly indistinct. Propodeum dorsally with transverse parallel rugae, laterally very finely transversely striate and dull, posteriorly smooth. Dorsoposterior corners swollen and form conspicuous rounded apophyses.

Fore wing with vein RS almost straight, weakly curved distally. Vein 1cu-a (nervulus) strongly postfurcal, distal to base of M&RS (basal vein) by half its own length. Discosubmarginal cell moderately hirsute.

First tergite of metasoma 1.35× as long as posteriorly broad, in lateral view with dorsal surface roundly convex centrally, the summit of the swelling angled at about 130°. Tergite 1 with posterior end smooth, dorsally with impressed arcuate transverse groove in posterior 0.7 on the margin between yellow and black. Sternite 1 with rounded swelling at base. Second tergite very shallowly granulate, dull, with fine scattered punctures basally, with deep oblique grooves anterolaterally, and weak arcuate groove on the margin between yellow and black ( Fig. 55 ). Tergites 3+ similar, but almost impunctate and with grooves becoming weaker, vanishing on posterior tergites. Laterotergites extremely narrow, virtually absent. Ovipositor thin, very weakly upcurved, its sheath almost half as long as hind tibia.

Head yellow with malar space narrowly black, blackish narrow longitudinal blackish stripe on face, frons with broad median black band through ocelli to vertex, posterior 2/3 of vertex, genae dorsoposteriorly and entire occiput black. Mouth parts yellow. Clypeus yellow in its upper 0.6, brownish in lower 0.4; clypeal sulcus brownish ( Fig. 54 ). Mandible yellow, teeth blackish.Antenna with scape entirely yellow, pedicel and flagellum brown. Mesosoma black with extensive yellow markings ( Figs 23 , 56 ). Prothorax yellow, pronotum black marked posteriorly. Mesoscutum black with a pair of yellow subparallel longitudinal marks extending from anterolateral margins of mesoscutum to 0.85 its length, and narrow inconspicuous yellowish marks along lateral margin of mesoscutum at about level of tegulae. Mesopleuron with broad median mark extending from its anterior margin to posterior corner, and yellow subalar prominence. Scutellum yellow with posterior margin narrowly black. Postscutellum yellow. Mesepimeron bright yellow. Metapleuron black with large semicircular yellow mark dorsally. Propodeum yellow with large black marks anterolaterally, dorsally and posteriorly. Tegula brownish with extreme posterior corner yellow. Wings slightly yellowish. Veins brown to dark brown. Pterostigma dark brown, with broad median pale brown mark extending from base to apex. Fore leg with coxa, trochanter, trochantellus and tibia yellow, femur brownish with yellowish inner side, tarsus yellowish with the apical tarsomere infuscate. Mid leg with coxa yellow with black dorsal mark at apex, trochanter and trochantellus yellow, femur brownish, tibia mostly yellow with base and apex brownish, tarsus yellowish brown with the distal tarsomere apically blackish. Hind leg with coxa yellow with large black dorsal mark at apex, its apical half brownish laterally and ventrally, trochanter and trochantellus yellow (trochantellus apically reddish), femur reddish brown with black mark apically and with yellowish stripe on anterodorsal surface, tibia yellow with narrow basal and broad apical black marks, tibial spurs brown, tarsus (including claws) entirely black. First tergite black with broad yellow band on its posterior 1/3. Tergites 2–7 also yellow banded posteriorly, the bands rather broad on tergites 2–3 and becoming narrower on posterior tergites ( Fig. 55 ). Ovipositor sheath black.

Male. Similar to female.

Etymology. The species is named after the type-locality, Xalapa.

Distribution. Mexico (Veracruz), Honduras.

Comparison. The new species is similar to P. carlosi Gauld et al. by having tergites 2–7 black with narrow pale posterior band, and short unusually thin ovipositor, but differs from this species by much more extensively yellow marked head, mesosoma and legs ( Figs 23 , 54–57 ).

Figures

FIGURES 21–23. Pimpla spp., holotypes, females, habitus, lateral: 21—P. oaxacana sp. nov.; 22—P. tequila sp. nov.; 23—P. xalapana sp. nov.

FIGURES 54–57. Pimpla xalapana sp. nov., female, paratype: 54—head, front; 55—metasoma, dorsal; 56—mesosoma, lateral; 57—hind leg, lateral.