Leucospis muru, Lima & Dias, 2018

Lima, Alessandro Rodrigues & Dias, Priscila Guimarães, 2018, The New World species of Leucospis Fabricius, 1775 (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Leucospidae): an update of Bouček’s revision with description of two new species from Brazil, Zootaxa 4441 (1), pp. 1-45 : 35-37

Leucospis muru sp. nov.

LSIDurn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:97B660A5-F6E1-4B2F-B95C-71448DB3A39A

( Fig. 22 )

Type locality. Brazil, Minas Gerais, Brumadinho

Diagnosis. Occipital carina conspicuous only behind ocellar triangle; POL about 1.1‒1.3× OOL; inner margin of the eye almost straight; dorsellum convex, its lateral margin not distinctly carinate; pronotum with small discal carina, premarginal carina slightly raised as an impunctate line; propodeum pilose, median carina present, plicae present; hind coxa uniformly punctate; upper edge evenly convex, posteriorly with a low translucent very small lobe; hind femur broad, 2.1‒2.2× as long as broad, teeth excluded; fore wing blackish, with apical quarter hyaline and apical process of stigmal vein very short, about 0.25× as long as uncus; in female, tergite I with deep median furrow; tergite VI with latero-posterior triangular, above spiracle level; ovipositor reaching propodeum.

Description (Holotype female, pinned). Head as broad as pronotum posteriorly, dorsally 2.3× as broad as long ( Fig. 22G ); temple two thirds the greatest breadth of median ocellus. Occipital carina high at ocellar region, extending laterally to half distance between lateral ocellus and eye, in dorsal view ( Fig. 22G ). POL about 1.13× OOL, ocellar triangle 2.4: 1 (length: height); lateral ocelli touching occipital carina. Vertex rather regularly punctate, with indication of rugae radiating from lateral ocellus laterally. Scrobes touching median ocellus; scrobal carina dorsally not raised ( Fig. 22G ). Flagellum clavate ( Fig. 22A ), f1 about 1.6, f5 1.05 and f8 0.9× as long as maximum width. Frontal view ( Fig. 22F ), head 1.16× as broad as high; face finely vertically rugulose-punctate, with dense white pubescence. Malar space 0.45× eye height in lateral view; glabrous adjacent to eye, vertically aciculate, with few sparse hairs. Clypeus in frontal view 1.15× as high as broad, 0.5× as broad as mouth, slightly convex, pointed at middle ( Fig. 22F ). Mandibles with slender tooth separated from upper edge by deep triangular notch ( Fig. 22F ). Occiput in posterior view concentrically rugulose-punctate.

Mesosoma dorsally with short pubescence. Pronotum and mesoscutum punctate-reticulate ( Fig. 22G ), with punctation very dense and transversally confluent, with a transverse microsculpture, which is more evident on mesoscutum; scutellum punctate, punctation closer centrally. Pronotum with discal carina centrally, straight, as long as POL; premarginal carina indicated by slightly raised impunctate line; posterior margin slightly concave, not carinate; lateral panel flat, its lower corner broadly rounded. Mesoscutum in lateral view bowed; notaulus 0.6× as long as its distance from lateral margin. Tegula broadly smooth, with pale yellowish pubescence. Scutellum evenly convex (lateral view), 0.65× as long as maximum breadth in dorsal view ( Fig. 22H ). Dorsellum 3× as broad as long medially, not carinate, sparsely punctate, smooth along margin ( Fig. 22H ). Propodeum medially 1.14× as long as dorsellum; punctate-reticulate, posterior margin alveolate; median carina low and wide posteriorly, plicae present ( Fig. 22H ). Subalar area, mesepimeron and mesepisternum punctate, the latter with oblique microsculpture; mesopleural depression smooth, except the obliquely rugulose antero-dorsal region and the transversely striate postero-dorsal region, anterior border with sparse pilosity.

Legs. Upper edges of fore femur and tibia not carinate. Hind coxa uniformly punctate; upper edge evenly convex, posteriorly with a low translucent very small lobe; with dense white pilosity directed to meso-external edge ( Fig. 22I ). Hind femur 2.2× as long as broad, excluding teeth; densely regularly punctate, with short dense white pubescence directed to ventral edge which has a basal tooth (basally broader than long) and 10/11 other teeth ( Fig. 22J ). Hind tibia densely finely punctate, apically produced into long spine with sharp outer spur on top ( Fig. 22J ).

Wings ( Figs 22C‒E ). Fore wing blackish; apical quarter hyaline; uniformly pilose. Stigmal vein almost straight, forming an angle about 55° to R1; as long as marginal vein. Uncus straight, directed towards apex of R1. Apical process of stigmal vein short, rounded, about 0.25× as long as uncus. Hind wing blackish, pilose with glabrous regions basally.

Gaster 2.6× as long as maximum width in dorsal view ( Fig. 22B ); punctate-reticulate, except tergite I laterally which is sparsely punctate. Tergite I dorsally with deep and rather smooth narrow parallel sided groove that reaches basal fovea ( Fig. 22B ). Tergite II not visible. Tergite IV medially with a very narrow groove; densely covered with white posteriorly directed hairs. Tergite V medially with a very narrow groove. Tergite VI with a latero-posterior triangular projection, above spiracle level ( Fig. 22K ). Ovipositor virtually straight, reaching propodeum ( Fig. 22A ).

Color. Body extensively black. Light brown on: mandible, tegula, tibia and tarsomeres, hind coxa and trochanter, ovipositor sheath. Dark brown on: femur, fore coxa. Propodeum light to dark brown. Yellow on: external side of scape; apex of antennal clava; pronotum with narrow subparallel band centrally interrupted on anterior margin and narrow band on premarginal carina; lateral margins of mesoscutum, not reaching anterior margin; subparallel band centrally interrupted on posterior margin of scutellum; two marks sublatero-posteriorly on dorsellum; posterior half of metapleuron; dorsal edge and postero-ventral maculae on hind coxa; external dorsal edge, external and internal ventral edge on hind femur; in dorsal view, two divergent stripes on antero-dorsal region from base of dorsal groove towards posterior margin on tergite I; in dorsal view, two dull maculae on posterodorsal region of tergite V; oblique stripe subparallel to posterior margin of epipygium, below level of tergite VI spiracle. Fore wing light brown, except apical third hyaline. Hind wing lighter than fore wing, uniformly light brown.

Variation. Head dorsally 2.48× as broad as long. POL about 1.29× OOL, ocellar triangle 2.5: 1 (length: height). Flagellum clavate, f1 about 1.48, f5 1.02 and f8 0.86× as long as maximum width. Clypeus (frontal view) 0.96× as high as broad. Dorsellum 2.62× as broad as long medially. Propodeum medially as long as dorsellum. Hind femur 2.1× as long as broad, excluding teeth; 9/9 other teeth. Ovipositor reaching base of dorsellum. Yellow narrow band medially on tergite IV.

Male. unknown.

Holotype condition. In good condition, left wings inside a gelatin capsule vial, pinned with specimen.

Etymology. From Brazilian Tupi murú (spine), in reference to the latero-posterior triangular spine on tergite VI.

Measurements. See Table I.

Comments. Leucospis muru resembles L. propinqua and L. leucotelus but these species can be differentiated by the characters in the key and additionally by: the median carina and plicae on the propodeum inconspicuous in L. propinqua and L. leucotelus versus conspicuous in L. muru ; the hind coxa in L. propinqua and L. leucotelus has a glabrous area on the posterior depression ( Fig. 21I ) while in L. muru the hind coxa is uniformely punctate ( Fig. 22I ); and tergite VI of female with a latero-posterior triangular projection above spiracle level in L. muru , absent in the other two species.

Biology. Unknown. The two specimens were collected in a bee's nest but there is no information about the bee species or type of nest where they were collected.

Material examined. (2♀) Holotype. Brazil, Minas Gerais, Brumadinho, Serra da Moeda. Em ninho 16.viii.1998, E.A.B. Almeida leg. [ UFMG ‒IHY‒1317252]. Paratype. Same data as Holotype [ UFMG ‒IHY‒ 1317245].

Figures

FIGURE 21. Leucospis leucotelus ♀ A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Forewing. D. Forewing, stigma region in detail. E. Hind wing. F. Head, frontal view. G. Head and mesossoma, dorsal view. H. Scutellum, dorsellum and propodeum, postero-dorsal view. I. Hind leg, lateral view. J. Hind femur and tibia, lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm. UFMG– IHY–1504418

FIGURE 22. Leucospis muru sp. nov. Holotype ♀ A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Forewing. D. Forewing, stigma region in detail. E. Hind wing. F. Head, frontal view. G. Head and mesossoma, dorsal view. H. Scutellum and dorsellum, postero-dorsal view. I. Hind coxa, lateral view. J. Hind femur and hind tibia, lateral view. K. Posterior region of metasoma, lateral view. Arrow shows a projection on sixth tergite. Scale bar = 1 mm. UFMG–IHY–1317252