Pristomerus cunctator Tosquinet, 1896

Rousse, Pascal, Villemant, Claire & Seyrig, André, 2013, Ichneumonid wasps from Madagascar. VI. The genus Pristomerus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 49, pp. 1-38 : 12-14

Pristomerus cunctator Tosquinet, 1896

Fig. 5

Diagnosis

Rather large species; face yellow; head and mesosoma orange and yellow, metasoma orange with variable infuscate markings; face densely punctate, slightly widened ventrally, clypeus strongly transverse and smooth; mesoscutum densely punctate-granulate (almost smooth in male), scutellum moderately punctate; area superomedia about 2.5 x longer than wide; female femoral tooth small; ovipositor moderately short, its apex sinuate; POL 1.0; OOL 1.0; CT 1.8; ML 0.7; OT 1.4–1.5; FFT 1.

Differential diagnosis

Species recognizable by the combination of the color pattern and the almost smooth mesoscutum of male.

Material examined

Lectotype

MOZAMBIQUE: ♀ ( MNHU 26283 ), verbatim label data: “Delagoa-Bai (Mozambique)”, no collection date, complete.

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 13 ♀♀, 24 ♂♂ ( MNHN), Bekily, Mar. 1930, Apr. 1930, April 1932, Mar.-May1933, Mar.-Jun. 1934, May-Jul., Sep., Oct. and Dec. 1936, Feb. 1937; 2 ♂♂ ( MNHN), Betroka, Feb.-Mar. 1933; 1 ♂, Tsivory, Jan. 1933; 1 ♀, 4 ♂♂ ( MNHN), Ivoloina, Aug., Sep. and Dec. 1962 (B. Sigwalt, coll.); 8 ♀♀, 8 ♂♂ ( MNHN), Bekily, Mar., Apr. and Oct. 1933, Jul. 1934 (two deposited in each of the institutions mentioned above).

Description

Female

LENGTH. 5.4, 4.9 (4.2–5.4) (10 specimens).

HEAD. Strongly constricted behind eyes. Temple short. Face slightly widened ventrally. Vertex and lateral margin of frons granulate, face more densely punctate centrally than laterally. Clypeus transverse, almost smooth. Mandible with teeth subequal; malar line rather short. Antenna with 32–35 flagellomeres.

MESOSOMA. Moderately elongate, nearly 2 x longer than high. Pronotum shining, sparsely and superficially punctate anteriorly. Mesoscutum densely punctate-granulate, some punctures almost confluent. Scutoscutellar groove almost smooth. Scutellum shining, moderately punctate. Mesopleuron shining, densely punctate, speculum smooth. Metapleuron densely punctate-granulate. Propodeum shining, densely punctate laterally. Area basalis opposite or truncate, area superomedia about 2.5 x longer than wide. Area petiolaris transversally wrinkled. Hind femur with a distinct small tooth.

METASOMA. Tergites 1–2 finely aciculate. Tergite 2 about 2 x as long as apically wide. Thyridia rounded, separated from each other by about 4 x their diameter. Ovipositor slightly up-curved, its apical 1/3 sinuate.

COLOR. Body orange with yellow markings. Antenna brown, scape and pedicel orange. Head yellow with central part of frons, vertex and occiput orange. Mesosoma orange except yellow parts: anterior part of pronotum, notauli, lateral margin of mesoscutum, scutellum, tegula, subalar prominence, postero-ventral corner of mesopleuron, posterior part of metapleuron, and propodeum. Legs orange, apex of coxae and all trochanters yellow. Wings hyaline, pterostigma light brown. Mesosoma orange, the base of tergite 2 sometimes infuscate centrally.

Male

LENGTH: 5.3. (4.2–5.9) (10 specimens). Median lobe of mesoscutum moderately punctate-granulate anteriorly, remainder of mesonotum almost smooth. Face widened ventrally and distinctly larger than frons. Posterior ocellus close to eyes (OOL = 0.3). Hind femur swollen, femoral tooth long and sharp, followed by a row of small denticles. Otherwise similar to female.

Host records

Five specimens collected by B. Sigwald in 1962 emerged from lycaenid cocoons on Crotalaria sp. (Leguminosae); three of these cocoons have been found inside pods (new host record).

Remarks

This species exhibits a moderate variability in the color pattern, especially on the extension of the dark markings on mesosoma and metasoma. The specimens from Madagascar are noticeably lighter than those from mainland Africa, especially Namibia.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toliara and Toamasina province) (new distribution record). Mozambique and Senegal.

Figures

Fig. 5. Pristomerus cunctator Tosquinet 1896. A. ♀, habitus, profile. B. ♀, head, facial. C. ♀, hind femur, profile. D. ♂, hind femur, profile.