Oroceguera Seltmann and Sharkey

Seltmann, Katja & Sharkey, Michael, 2007, A new genus and species of apterous Doryctinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Costa Rica, Zootaxa 1415, pp. 17-24 : 18-19

Oroceguera Seltmann and Sharkey , gen. n.

Type species: Oroceguera andersoni sp. n.

Etymology: The genus name is a combination of the Spanish words for “gold” (oro) and “blindness” (ceguera) and refers to the golden-yellow coloration, reduced eyes and lack of ocelli.

Diagnosis: Only the holotype female is known ( Fig. 1 a). They are easily distinguished from all other wingless genera of Doryctinae by the high insertion of the metasoma and the complete absence of wings which are not indicated, even as small scales or wingpads. ( Fig. 1 d).

Description: Small size, 1.27 mm; female wingless. Head: subcubical flattened and glabrous dorsally; face with median keel and few long setae; eye small, longer than wide; ocelli absent; occipital carina meeting hypostomal carina; postgenal bridge absent; first flagellomere subequal but slightly shorter than second. Mesosoma: highly modified and lacking tegula; pronotal collar equal in length to first flagellomere, pronotal carina distinct and raised; notauli present but short; scutellum conical and with distinct longitudinal carinae apically, coriaceous-rugose with tubercles on either side laterally; scuto-scutellar suture present; epicnemial carina distinct; postpectal carina present but less pronounced; sternaulus distinct; mesopleuron and metaplueron concave; deep sulcus dividing metanotum and propodeum; propodeum concave. Legs: foretibia and midtibia with numerous obvious and stout spines along anterior edge; hind coxa without basal tubercle or tooth. Metasoma: inserted high above hind coxal cavities and separated from them by a wide propodeal bridge; first metasomal tergite petiolate, acrosternite long, 0.5 times as long as first metasomal tergum (Belokobylskij et al., 2004), with distinct dorsope, without basolateral processes, spiracle found at about 0.5 length; longitudinal carinae present on tergum one, terga 2–8 without sculpture; distinct groove between second and third median tergites lacking; laterotergites not present on terga 2–4.

Illustrations: Additional images describing Oroceguera are found on MorphBank biological image database (http://morphbank.net/Show/?id= 101864).

Distribution: The sole specimen was sifted from leaf litter from a Costa Rican montane rain forest at 600m.

Biology: Unknown, but see discussion below.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Oroceguera andersoni a. lateral habitus, b. lateral head, c. dorsal head, d. lateral metasoma; arrow indicates presence of the sclerite between the hind coxae and first metasomal segment.