Sussaba aciculata

Klopfstein, Seraina, 2014, Revision of the Western Palaearctic Diplazontinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), Zootaxa 3801 (1), pp. 1-143 : 86-87

Sussaba aciculata ( Ruthe 1859, Bassus)

Sussaba nigrithorax Dasch 1964a

Diagnosis. Fore wing length 3.0– 4.4 mm. Antenna in females with 21–22 flagellomeres, with ventral area of median to apical flagellomeres with conspicuous areas bearing a short velvety pile and lacking multiporous plate sensilla; in males with 20–23 flagellomeres, with unicoloured tyloids on flagellomeres 6 to 9. Face mainly smooth and shining, impunctate, with some irregular sculpture centrally and along inner orbits. Mesoscutum mainly coriaceous, at most lateral parts with smooth areas. Mesopleuron entirely smooth and shining, impunctate, at most with some irregular sculpture on lower half. Hind coxa with outer surface coriaceous. Propodeum with a full set of carinae enclosing basal, lateral and petiolar areas, the areas with rugose to coriaceous sculpture. Metasoma evenly tapered towards apex, first tergite 1.3–1.7 times longer than wide in both sexes.

Colouration of females. Antenna dark brown or black. Head and mesosoma black, face without a yellow central face patch, clypeus black, yellow on mouthparts, hind corner of pronotum, tegula, sometimes upper mesepimeron; subtegular ridge black, without yellow shoulder marks; scutellum black. Legs orange to brown, coxae black, trochanters all marked with black; femora orange to brown, marked with black below, hind femur often all dark; hind tibia and tarsus brown. Metasoma variously marked with orange or brown on hind margin of tergite 2 and on tergite 3, or often all dark.

Colouration of males. As in females but with yellow ventrally on scape and pedicel, antenna paler below, yellow over entire face but usually with two black vertical lines arising from below antennal sockets. Fore and sometimes mid coxae often with a yellow apex. Metasoma sometimes as in females but usually with third tergite black centrally with two yellow spots on anterolateral corners, or metasoma entirely black.

Material examined. Finland (6), Iceland (3), Norway (1), Sweden (60), Switzerland (14).

Distribution. Palaearctic.

Figures. Male terminal sclerites ( Figs 10 A, 10B), habitus ( Fig. 33 D).

Notes. Males of this species are much more easily identified than females as the tyloid colour clearly associates them with S. flavipes . From flavipes , aciculata can readily be distinguished by the much darker colouration of the coxae and trochanters. Females of S. aciculata are often difficult to tell from female S. pulchella . Although colouration can provide good indications, it is not always very reliable and one should refer to the sculpture of the hind coxa, a character which requires some experience.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Terminal sternites and tergites of male representatives of the three genus groups of Diplazontinae. A, C, E: twelfth sternite. B, D, F: ninth and tenth tergites, which can be fused to form a syntergum (B, F), or present as separate sclerites (D). A, B: Sussaba aciculata of the Sussaba genus group. C, D: Homotropus nigritarsus of the Syrphoctonus genus group. E, F: Diplazon flixi of the Diplazon genus group.

FIGURE 33. Habitus of Diplazontinae species. A. Promethes bridgmani. B. Promethes melanaspis. C. Promethes sulcator. D. Sussaba aciculata. E. Sussaba cognata. F. Sussaba erigator.