Urosigalphus monticola Arias-Penna

Carolina, Diana & B, James, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the Colombian species of Urosigalphus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 3411, pp. 1-54 : 33-35

Urosigalphus monticola Arias-Penna , n. sp.

Figs. 14 A–G

Female.— Body length 2.8 mm.

Body color ( Fig. 14 A): mainly black. Flagellomeres, scape, pedicel, dark brown. Anellus yellow. Mandible yellow-brown. Mandibular teeth red-brown. Labial and maxillary palps light yellow. All legs yellow-brown, but hind tibia and hind tarsomeres brown. Fore wing ( Fig. 14 G): C+Sc+R, M+CU and 1–1A veins of the same color throughout; tegula yellow-brown; stigma brown. Membrane of both fore and hind wings hyaline; fore wings with brown microtrichiae, but hind wings hyaline.

Head ( Figs. 14 A–B, E). — Subrectangular. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; first three flagellomeres longer than wide (0.17:0.07; 0.20:0.07; 0.16: 0.07 mm); last five, except the last one, longer than wide (0.10:0.07; 0.11:0.07; 0.11:0.07; 0.12:0.07; 0.12: 0.07 mm); apical flagellomere longer than penultimate (0.17: 0.10 mm); scape longer than first flagellomere (0.20: 0.17 mm), and as wide as pedicel, but wider than first flagellomere (0.08:0.08: 0.07 mm); pedicel less than half as long as scape (0.06: 0.20 mm). Torulus located at midline of the eye. Frons with small punctures. Scrobes shallow, wide, smooth on the inner side, but with irregular punctures on outer side, not surrounded by a carina; scrobes reach the dorsal part of median ocellus. Lower face ( Fig. 14 E) convex with small, homogeneous punctures throughout. Fronto-clypeal suture rounded, not strongly impressed and with small punctures. Anterior tentorial pit embedded within a strong depression. Clypeus on same plane as lower face, flat or nearly so; apically not reflexed, shiny, smooth, but neither forms edge nor carina. Mandible ( Fig. 14 E) long, slender; basally with transverse carinate-rugose sculpture; mandible set with two long, sharp teeth, superior teeth longer and wider than inferior. Maxillary palps longer than labial. Ocelli ( Fig. 14 B) oval, not surrounded by carina, lateral ocelli close to each other, separated by more than the width of lateral ocellus (0.08: 0.06 mm). Stemmaticum slightly higher than vertex, forming a mound, with scarce, small punctures, centrally with a large depression; highest point concave. Eyes ( Figs. 14 B, E) without preorbital carina. Vertex ( Fig. 14 B) with irregular areolae, and without a medial carina. Occiput concave, smooth, shiny with scarce pubescence. Occipital carina complete. Temple and gena with small areolae.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 14 A, C–D). — Protuberance of propleuron absent. Pronotum ( Fig. 14 C) with areolae of different sizes, anteriorly with large areolae forming a row throughout the edge, curvature of pronotum with large areolae, but close to pronotal lobe with small areolae. Pronotal lobe ( Fig. 14 C) sloped toward tegula; point of inflection carinated; apex rounded. Mesoscutum in dorsal view uneven ( Fig. 14 D); lateral mesonotal lobes with small homogenous, sparse punctures; interspaces smooth, shiny; anteriorly slightly flat, posteriorly sloped; edge of lateral mesonotal lobes with large punctures of similar sizes; median mesonotal lobe convex with one wavy, continuous longitudinal median carina with highest point anteriorly ( Fig. 14 C), and with at least two wavy, continuous antero-transverse carinae running from one end to the other; longitudinal carina is half as long as median mesonotal lobe; posteriorly median mesonotal lobe with areolae of different sizes; area of convergence of notauli with areolae of different sizes without forming a definite shape. Notauli near transscutal articulation, strongly impressed, with elongate, large areolae throughout, with additional row of large irregular areolae but not neatly arranged. Scutellum convex so medially higher than mesoscutum ( Fig. 14 C); with large punctures of different sizes; interspaces narrow, shiny, smooth; posteriorly reflexed, on same vertical plane as posterior scutellar depression; scutellar sulcus with four deep, uneven foveae; posterior scutellar depression with two elongate, large foveae that fill the whole smooth area. Middle part of metanotum with a high carina below posterior scutellar depression and with short posterior spine conspicuous in lateral view ( Fig. 14 C). Propodeum ( Fig. 14 D) anteroposteriorly short, symmetrical; crossed completely by MLC posteriorly which ends in a conspicuous spine ( Figs. 14 C, D); wavy, weak ATC not on same height as MLC; AMA absent; posterior wall of propodeum flat with large areolates of different sizes; interspaces narrow, shiny, smooth. Metapleuron with large areolates of similar sizes. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 14 C) with epicnemial carina, without sternaulus; mesopleuron convex with shiny, smooth, central area; dorsally below tegula with large areolae of different sizes and depths; ventrally with a diagonal pattern of elongate areolae; anteriorly with an elongate, narrow, flat area that bears small, dense punctures throughout the edge; posteriorly scrobiculate. Mesosternum flat, with a complete central row of areolae of different sizes and shapes, surrounded by carinae; lateral part with one longitudinal, oblique carina; mesosternum near fore coxa with a high transverse lamella of same height throughout, but with short fold below each fore coxa; mesosternum near mid coxa with a carinated semicircular area above each coxa.

Wings ( Figs. 14 A, G). — Fore wing ( Fig. 14 G): vein M+CU markedly curved (sinuate); vein 3RSb tubular, distant from stigma (0.45 mm); subbasal cell as long as basal (0.90: 0.92 mm); stigma rounded. Fore wing: length 2.42 mm, width 0.72 mm; hind wing: length 1.62 mm, width 0.44 mm.

Metasoma ( Figs. 14 A, F). — Carapace in lateral view teardrop-shaped ( Fig. 14 A); anteriorly with strong substrigulates that cross more than half the length of the carapace; area between the carinae lacunose. Apex of carapace with two tubercles with curved margins ( Fig. 14 F); tubercles of subequal length (right: length 1.5 mm, width 0.07 mm; left: length 1.3 mm, width 0.07 mm) with blunt apex; tubercles separated by twice the width of the base of the tubercle (0.17: 0.07 mm); in lateral view, region above tubercles convex; apical part of carapace with a small and smooth area above tubercles. Ovipositor ( Fig. 14 A) length 1.25 mm. Carapace length 1.38 mm.

Male.— Unknown.

Biology.— Unknown.

Material examined.— Holotype, female, Colombia: Cundinamarca, Sasaima, 1190m, 18.viii.1986, I. de Arévalo, UNCB. Deposited in UNCB.

Etymology.— From monticola (Latin, adjective) = highlander. The name refers to the fact that this is the first Colombian species collected at high elevation.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Urosigalphus monticola n. sp. (A) habitus; (B) head, dorsal view; (C) mesosoma, lateral view; (D) mesosoma, dorsal view; (E) head, frontal view; (F) tubercles, apex of carapace, dorsal view; and (G) fore wing.