Habronyx (Habronyx) nigrifrons Alvarado

Alvarado, Mabel & Grados, Juan, 2015, Habronyx Förster (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Anomaloninae) in Peru and Ecuador: three new species, a range extension, and a new host record, Zootaxa 3937 (1) : -

Habronyx (Habronyx) nigrifrons Alvarado , new species

(Figs. 4–6)

Holotype: ♀, “ PERU: JU [Junín], Laguna Capilla 10o53’30”S / 75o57’01”W 4040 ♂, 16.iv.2012 J. Grados & I. Galindo” ( MUSM).

Paratypes: 3 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( MUSM).

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other Neotropical congeners by the combination of the mesoscutellum and face predominantly black and the foveolate-reticulate integumental sculpture of the gena.

Description. Female: Fore wing length 14 mm.

Head. Mandibles stout, upper tooth stouter than, and about twice as long as lower tooth; lower face with strong punctures separated by 0.3–0.5x a puncture width, centrally convex, rather weakly narrowed ventrally with width across clypeal sulcus about 0.8–0.9x width across base of antennal toruli; clypeus smooth with isolated punctures, convex; frons areolate-rugulose, with weak median vertical carina; lateral ocellus separated from compound eye by 2.8–3.0x ocellar diameter; distance between ocelli 1.8x ocellar diameter; gena, in lateral view (measured perpendicularly to torulus), 1.0x as wide as compound eyes, gena punctate-reticulate grading to smooth between punctures on lower quarter, and next to compound eyes smooth; antenna with 38 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Pronotum areolate-rugulose grading by lower third to areolate-rugulose; epomia present, upper third diverging from front margin and then forming a rounded corner as it curves back towards front margin; mesoscutum areolate-rugulose; notauli not distinct; mesoscutellum convex, reticulate, lateral carinae indistinct; mesopleuron punctulate-reticulate. Metapleuron and propodeum reticulate. Fore wing with distal abscissa of Rs 1.4–1.6x length of Rs+2r; 2+3rs-m 1.1–1.4x length of M between 2+3rs-m and 2m-cu. Hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu1 sclerotized throughout.

Metasoma. Tergite I 0.8–0.9x length metafemur, smooth with isolated setae; tergite II+ smooth, with fairly thick, medium-length setae; ovipositor about 0.3x length of metatibia.

Color. Head black with mandible apically, a spot on vertex (next to compound eyes), and on inner margin of gena (next to compound eyes) orange, and labium and face with lateral margins yellowish white. Mesosoma black except fore leg with femur, tibiae, basitarsi, second tarsomeres orange; mid leg with femur, tibiae, basitarsi, second tarsomeres orange; hind leg basal sixth of tibia and basal sixth of basitarsis orange. Metasoma black except apical third of tergite I, tergite II (narrowly black dorsally), tergite III and basally tergite IV orange. Ovipositor sheath black.

♂: Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet nigrifrons refers to the largely black coloration of face.

Comments. One paratype has a white-yellowish spot in the center of the lower face.

Host. Habronyx (Habronyx) nigrifrons was reared from pupae of the moth Paracles tapina ( Dyar, 1913) ( Erebidae : Arctiinae ). Host larvae were found in the sounding area of the lake Capilla—Pasco department, after the rainy season when the peatlands are in climax. The larvae move easily through the water bodies, feeding on Juncaceae , probably Juncus ebracteatus E. Mey. Larvae belonging to the genus Paracles (Walker) have been previously reported inhabiting aquatic environments in Argentina and Brazil like P. azollae ( Berg, 1877) , P. tenuis ( Berg, 1877) and P. klagesi (Rothschild, 1910) ( Berg 1877; Meneses 2013). The moth pupae were found in groups under rocks (Fig. 10) in elevated areas in each locality, usually dark and humid places. Pupae and larvae (in the last instar) were collected and reared; from one group of pupae the wasps described here and one adult moth emerged.

Previously, P. tapina was known from a single adult male collected in Coropuna, Arequipa, Peru, at 4419 m during October 1911 ( Dyar 1913); its distribution is expanded in Peru to include the departments of Arequipa, Junín, and Pasco (Fig. 17). Additionally, this is the first time that the larvae (Figs. 9–10), pupae (Fig. 11) and adult female are recorded. Females (Fig. 8) are slightly larger than males (Fig. 7), female fore wing measures 18–21mm (n=5) and males measure 15mm (n=1); coloration of the fore wings in females is clearer and have whitish setae on the dorsal and ventral part of the last two abdominal segments.

This is not the first time that an arctiine has been registered as a host for species of Habronyx , but it is the first record of a Neotropical species attacking this group. The European species H. (C.) perspicuus (Wesmael, 1849) was found parasitizing Cymbalophora pudica (Esper, 1784) ( Yu et al. 2005) .

PLATE 2 FIGURES 4–6. Details of Habronyx (Habronyx) nigrifrons Alvarado , new species. 4. Lateral habitus (scale = 1 mm) 5. Facial view 6. Mesosoma, in lateral view.

Material studied. ♀, “ PERU: JU [Junín department], Laguna Capilla 10o53’30”S / 75o57’01”W 4040 m, 16.iv.2012 J. Grados & I. Galindo”; 3♀♀, “ PERU: PA [Pasco department] Río Gayco, 10o50’13”S / 75o57’43”W 4323m 13–14.vi.2012 J. Grados & I. Galindo” (Fig. 17); ♀, “ PERU: PA [Pasco department], Laguna Aguascancha 10º51’58”S / 75º56’10”W 4170m 15.iv.2012 J. Grados & I. Galindo”; ♂ “ PERU, PA. Río Gayco 10º48'48'' S / 75º48'54'' W 4323 m 13–14.vi.2012 J. Grados & I. Galindo”; 2 ♂♂ “ PERU: Dpto. [Department] Huancavelica, cerca a Pariona, 4000 m, larva colectada el 25.v.2002, adulto recuperado el 15.vi.2002, P. Hocking”; 2♂♂ “ PERU: AR [Arequipa department], Quebrada Chacnia, 4805 m, 14o46’11.9’’S / 72o22’38.1’’W, 18.viii.2011, E. Rázuri” ( MUSM).

PLATE 3 FIGURES 7–12. Details of Paracles tapina . 7. Habitus of male, dorsal view at right, ventral view at left (scale = 10 mm) 8. Habitus of female, dorsal view at right, ventral view at left (scale = 10 mm) 9–11. Larvae in habitat, photograph taken in surrounding of Capilla Lake 12. Pupae found under rocks, photograph taken in surrounding of Capilla Lake.