Centistes (Centistes) caloupile Rousse et Braet

Rousse, Pascal & Braet, Yves, 2012, Braconid wasps (Hymenoptera) of Reunion. 1. Euphorinae (including Meteorini): key to species and description of six new species, Zootaxa 3449, pp. 26-46 : 30

Centistes (Centistes) caloupile Rousse et Braet sp. nov.

( Fig. 4 )

Diagnosis. Species distinguished by the sternaulus abruptly decurved and deeply impressed.

Description. FEMALE (5 specimens): B: 1.9 (1.9–2.8); F: 2.0 (2.0–2.8); O: 0.2 (0.2–0.3).

Head. Entire head smooth and shining with fine and sparse punctures. Mandible, face, clypeus and antenna with moderately dense pilosity. Eye in dorsal view 1.1x longer than temple in dorsal view. Temple weakly rounded, head barely constricted behind eyes in dorsal view. Antenna with 20–22 flagellomeres, pedicel 0.5x length of scape, flagellomere 1 1.2x as long as flagellomere 2 and 3; apical flagellomere as long as penultimate flagellomere and 0.5x as long as flagellomere 1. Face weakly bulging medio-longitudinally. Clypeus transverse, as wide as face, ventral margin regularly rounded. Tentorial pits deep. Malar line as long as mandibular basal width. Upper mandibular tooth about twice as long as lower.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma smooth and shining if not otherwise specified. Pronotum with a transverse line of serrated striations behind collar. Mesoscutum sharply raised above pronotum, anteriorly rounded in profile view. Mesonotum with notaulus absent, scuto-scutellar groove deep with a lone median carina, scutellum without lateral carinae. Mesopleuron with sternaulus deep and crenulate, abruptly decurved from half height of anterior margin of mesopleuron to half length of ventral margin. Metapleuron reticulate. Propodeum weakly rugose with a strong median transverse and sometimes two submedian longitudinal traces of linear sculpture. Forewing with basal 0.6 of M+Cu spectral, M spectral beyond cell 1R1, Rs reaching wing apex.

Metasoma. Tergite I with weak longitudinal striation, or sometimes smooth, 1.8x longer than apically wide; its apex 2.3x as wide as base. Following tergites smooth and shining. Ovipositor sheath 0.3x as long as hind tibia, elongate and apically rounded.

Color. Coloration strongly variable. Head and mesosoma mostly testaceous to dark brown. Orange-yellowish: face, clypeus, mouthparts, scape, pedicel and prothorax. Tergite I testaceous to dark brown, following tergites yellowish-orange to dark testaceous, often lighter ventrally. Ovipositor sheath dark brown.

MALE (3 specimens): B: 2.2–2.4; F: 2.4–2.5. Sternaulus shallower, propodeum more rugose with transverse carina less distinct.

Distribution records. Reunion.

Etymology. Caloupile is a traditional condiment in Reunion.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE Ƥ ( MNHN EY 6637) Verbatim label data: La Réunion, Ste Suzanne, Forêt Dugain, 860m, Piège Malaise au sol en forêt primaire, 02/08.XII. 2001, coll. Cirad; complete. PARATYPES ( MNHN EY 6644) 13 same place, same date, coll. Cirad; ( CBGP) 1Ƥ same place, same date, coll. Cirad. Other material 1Ƥ same place, same date, coll. Cirad; 13 Notre Dame de la Paix, alt. 1700m, VI.2011, coll. T. Ramage; 13 same place, V.2011, coll. T. Ramage; 2Ƥ St Louis / Les Makes, 1190m, II.2011, coll. T. Ramage.

Comments. This species shows significant variations of structure and color, but these variations all appear to be intraspecific. The darker specimens have been collected at high altitude (> 1200m). These darkish specimens could have been influenced by the temperature as suggested by Quicke (1997). Centistes caloupile sp. nov. differ from all the species housed in MNHN and MRAC (types examined) by one or several of the following characters: body size rather smaller than other species, shape of T1 rather triangular (basal width less than 0.5x apical width), presence of a sculptured line on propodeum, surface of propodeum smooth, ovipositor sheath elongate, and/or coloration of head and mesosoma distinctly darker than tergites II–VI. It moreover differs from C. punctatus ( Brues, 1926) , C. flavipes (Szepligeti, 1911) , C. indicus (Ahmad, Haider & Shuja-Uddin, 2002) and C. splendidus (Papp, 1992) (types not examined) by having at least one of the following characters: far shorter ovipositor, shorter antennae, strongly impressed sternaulus, and/or weakly sculptured tergite I. This genus is strongly in need of a comprehensive revision in the Afrotropical region.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Centistes caloupile sp. nov. habitus. a: holotype. b: melanic form.