Thyreodon gabrieli, Fernández-Triana Table Of Contents, 2005

FERNÁNDEZ-TRIANA, JOSÉ L., 2005, The taxonomy and biogeography of Cuban Ophioninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Zootaxa 1007 (1), pp. 1-60 : 24-25

9. Thyreodon gabrieli sp. nov.

Thyreodon grandis Cresson. Alayo, 1973: 49 [Misidentification] [Examined].

This species could be part of a complex of Cuban Thyreodon rather “blackish” with orange­brown antennae, and can easily be separated from the others based on colour differences: is the only completely reddish brown, without truly blackish parts. Superficially it closely resembles T. alayoi but differ in a number of important features ( Table 2). The occipital carina in T. gabrieli reaches the hypostomal carina in an acute angle (not reaching at all in T. alayoi ). Both species have punctures, wrinkles and striation of the body distributed in a rather similar pattern, but in T. gabrieli are far more impressed, especially in the propodeum.

DESCRIPTION. HEAD: Clypeus slightly convex, with apex strongly pointed medially and conspicuously flared outwards; malar space 0.7 times basal mandibular width; maxillary palp long, with second palpomere broadened and flattened; lower face closely and coarsely punctate; frons with a pair of crests between antennal sockets running parallel upward but not meeting dorsally, and with a sharp carina extending from outer rim of antennal sockets upwards, close to and parallel with eye margin; frons transversally rug­ ose; ocelli small, the lateral ocellus separated from eye by about 1.93 times its own maximum diameter; head in dorsal view with gena weakly rounded behind eye, occipital carina strong, its lower end sharp, reaching the hypostomal carina in a rather acute angle; specimen lacking antenna. MESOSOMA: Pronotum short with anterior margin slightly thickened, not reflexed, and with posterior margin centrally swollen, forming a sharp angular keel which is separated from the anterior margin by a deep U­shaped groove; epomia not discernible; propleuron closely punctate, setaceous and peripherally carinated; mesoscutum finely punctate, with shallow but well defined notauli, almost obsolete apically and confluent posteriorly, anterior margin of notaulus without raised crest and with only weak rugosities; scuto­scutellar groove very deep, laterally margined by a very strongly raised, ridged carina; scutellum with close, deep and coarse punctures, convex; mesopleuron finely and closely punctate, with a shallow sternaular impression, and with rather weak foveae along front margin of speculum; metapleuron finely and very closely punctate, with a few rugae dorsally anteriorly and posterally; propodeum laterally slightly flattened, very strongly and sharply striate, with small ridges above and behind the spiracle; propodeum anterodorsally with transverse strias, posterodorsally obliquely striated with a rather shallow but broad and well defined median longitudinal furrow with transverse rugae. Hind coxa in profile moderately small, its hind end more or less level with hind end of propodeum; hind femur slender, about 5 times as long as maximally deep. Fore wing lenght 22 mm with abscissa of Cu 1a between Cu 1b and 2 m­cu 0.98 times as long as abscissa of Cu 1 between Rs & M and 1 m­cu. METASOMA: Tergite I moderately slender, anteriorly slightly compressed; tergite II, in lateral view 2.0 times as long as posteriorly deep.

COLOUR: A completely reddish brown species, with just tip of metasoma rather blackish; wings evenly infumated and iridiscent.

ETYMOLOGY: I dedicate this species to my friend and colleage Gabriel Garcés González (BIOECO) as a gesture of thanks for all he has taught to me in entomology during last 12 years.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype ♀, Cuba: Río Seco, San Carlos , Guantánamo, EC, VI­1915, C. Ramsden ( IES, CN: 7.001.421).