Thyreodon alayoi, 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 : 19-20

5. Thyreodon alayoi sp. nov.

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

This species superficially resembles T. gabrieli , T. ultor and T. grandis . All seem to form a complex of rather “blackish” species with orange­brown antennae, even though T. gabrieli is not actually blackish but dark reddish brown. T. alayoi is the only species without defined notauli, and with the pair of crests between antennal sockets high and meeting dorsally (rather low and running parallel upward but not meeting dorsally in the other). Male gonosquama are also quite different. Table 2 (see also the key and comments under each species) must provide enough elements to easily differentiate each species from another.

DESCRIPTION. HEAD: Clypeus rather flat, with apex strongly pointed medially and conspicuously flared outwards; malar space 0.6 times basal mandibular width; maxillary palp long, with second palpomere broadened and flattened; lower face closely and coarsely punctate; frons with a pair of high crests between antennal sockets that meet dorsally, and with a sharp carina extending from outer rim of antennal sockets upwards, close to and parallel with eye margin; frons transversally rugose; ocelli small, the lateral ocellus separated from eye by about 1.6 times its own maximum diameter; head in dorsal view with gena weakly rounded behind eye, occipital carina strong, its lower end sharp, but not reaching hypostomal carina; antenna setaceous, with 64 flagellomeres, the 20 th transverse, 0.8 times as long as broad. 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 notauli, almost obsolete apically and confluent posteriorly, anterior margin of notaulus without raised crest and with only some rugosities; scuto­scutellar groove very deep, laterally margined by a very strongly raised, ridged carina; scutellum with close, 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 closely punctate, with a few rugae dorsally and posterally; propodeum laterally slightly flattened, strongly striate, with a small ridge above and behind the spiracle; propodeum anterodorsally transverse striate with somewhat reticulated area centrally, posterodorsally longitudinal to obliquely striated with a rather shallow but broad and well defined median longitudinal furrow with transverse rugae. Fore leg of male with coxa slightly flattened and with a low bluntly rounded protuberance behind trochanteral insertion, with 5th tarsomere about 0.95 times as long as the preceding two tarsomeres, tarsal claw long and with close; 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; hind tarsus of male with dense, moderately long pubescence ventrally. Fore wing lenght 20 mm with abscissa of Cu 1a between Cu 1b and 2 m­cu 0.94 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 2.1 times as long as posteriorly deep. Male with subgenital plate small; gonosquama quite long, the dorsal apex somewhat pointed, the lower margin rather rounded upwards before apex. COLOUR: A dark reddish brown species, with antenna orange­brownish. Hind legs and metasoma darker brown, blackish towards apex. Lateral parts of tergites II–IV reddish brown stained; wings evenly infumated and iridiscent.

ETYMOLOGY: This species is named in honor of the greatest Cuban entomologist during XX century: Dr. Pastor Alayo, who passed away when I was starting to study Cuban Ophioninae . He not only collected the specimen but also studied it and realized it was a different species (even though he did not any attempt to go further), writing a small comment in a different label I found attached to the specimen.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype ♂, Cuba: Siboney , Ote., [Santiago de Cuba], EC, VI­1950, P. Alayo ( IES, CN: 7.001.427).