Aphanistes cachil, Alvarado, 2018

Alvarado, M., 2018, Nocturnal Aphanistes (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Anomaloninae) in the Neotropical region, with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 4369 (2), pp. 221-236 : 224-226

Aphanistes cachil sp. n.

(Figs. 6–11, 31, 36–38, 48)

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following combination of features: ovipositor with a dorsal notch and not pre-apically swollen and predominantly reddish-brown species. This species looks like A. silviae sp. n., but A. cachil sp. n. has the propodeum basally and centrally, and hind coxa dorsally brownish black while A. silviae sp. n. has the propodeum and hind coxa evenly reddish-brown.

Description. Female: fore wing length 14 mm.

Head. Clypeus (Fig. 9) smooth with punctures separated by 6–8× puncture width, convex, apically slightly concave and produced into a very distinct point that extends well beyond mandibles when closed, beak-like in appearance; mandibles short and stout, wide at base, tapering slightly, upper tooth longer than lower tooth; malar space very narrow, about 0.1× as long as basal mandibular width (Fig. 9); frons strigulate with median longitudinal ridge reduced to a short carina from base of median ocellus to between toruli (Fig. 31); ocelli large, lateral ocellus separated from compound eye by about 0.4× its own maximum diameter, distance between ocelli 0.6× their own maximum diameter; distance between lateral ocelli and occipital carina 0.1× their own maximum diameters; occipital carina mediodorsally complete; occiput smooth, mediodorsally without setae (with few scatter setae centrally, close to occipital carina), rest with punctures separated by 2–4× puncture width; gena smooth with punctures separated by 1.5–2.5× puncture width (Fig. 8); antenna with 45 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Pronotum imbricate with punctures separated by 1.0–2.5× puncture width, except strigose on ventral half and upwards along anterior and posterior margin. Mesoscutum with notauli barely impressed; smooth with punctures separated by 1–2× puncture width, between notauli, in distal third, areolate. Mesoscutellar groove with similar texture as mesoscutum but laterally scrobiculate. Mesoscutellum slightly concave, areolate, without distinct lateral carina. Mesopleuron without a transverse concavity; smooth with punctures separated by 3–5× puncture width and next to mesopleural suture (lower half in lateral view) with punctures separated by 1–2× puncture width, subalar prominence and between subalar prominence and speculum strigose; epicnemial carina present, extending to about 0.2× distance to upper margin (Fig. 7); sternaulus barely impressed, extending about halfway across mesopleuron; metapleuron convex, reticulate, with a median longitudinal carina that is centrally produced into a shelf-like prominence. Propodeum (Fig. 10) reticulate as on metapleuron; carinae untraceable, except pleural carina discernible. Legs very slender, hind coxa dorsally 2.9× as long as deep; hind trochantellus dorsally longer than broad apically, 3.0× as long as deep. Fore wing (Fig. 6) with Cu1 between 1m-cu and Cu1a 1.1× as long as Cu1b; 2+3rs-m 1.8× as long as abscissa of M between 3rs-m and 2m-cu; 2+3rs-m joining M at approximately an angle of 140o. Hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu1 sclerotized throughout; distal abscissa of 1A sclerotized throughout.

Metasoma. Metasoma very slender; tergum II about 6.9× as long as posteriorly high (in lateral view); terga II to VIII finely punctate, with fairly long setae on entirely surface. Ovipositor about 0.5× as long as hind tibia; with a dorsal notch, not pre-apically swollen (Fig. 11).

Color. Predominantly reddish-brown (Fig. 6), except: face and malar space yellowish; antenna basally reddishbrown grading apically to dark brown; propodeum (Fig. 10) basally and centrally, hind coxa dorsally (Fig. 7, 10), hind basitarsus (expect apically grading, at about 0.8 of its length, to testaceous), and tergum II dorsally dark brown (Fig. 6); ovipositor valvae brownish black but with distal quarter testaceous (Fig. 11); scape reddish testaceous; fore and mid tibia, fore, mid tarsomeres, and hind tarsomeres 2 to 4 testaceous.

PLATE 2 FIGURES 6–11. Morphology of Aphanistes cachil , sp. nov. 6. Habitus, in lateral view (scale bar = 5 mm) 7. Mesosoma in lateral view 8. Head in lateral view 9. Facial view 10. Propodeum 11. Ovipositor in lateral view. Opened 28Dec2017

Male: Similar to female except: slightly darker than female, hind femur distally grading, at about 0.8 of its longitude, to dark brown; lateral ocelli separated from compound eyes by 0.7× their own maximum diameter, and, distance between lateral ocelli and occipital carina 0.3× their own maximum diameters.

Male terminalia. Metasomal tergum VIII fused to metasomal tergum IX, not divided medially. Sternum VIII with distal end laterally convex and centrally straight. Genitalia with parameres not fused, separated from gonobase (Fig. 36); in lateral view (Fig. 38), 0.5x as wide as long (wide measured at level of basi-dorsal most point, and length from that point to most distal end), distal margin more or less straight with a notch on dorsal most section. Volsella (in ventral view) with digitus tubular, distally softly turned inwards; cuspis tubular, semicircular-shaped; apodeme of volsella distally turned to side (Fig. 37). Aedeagus apically downturned; apodeme of aedaegus reaching to middle of foramen genitale. Gonobase complete (forming a ring); in ventral view, without expansions centrally.

Remarks. The individuals vary in size, fore wing length 10.8–14.6 mm, and two female paratypes considerably smaller (fore wing length 8.0– 8.2 mm). The paratype series varies from the holotype in the following details: lateral ocelli separated from compound eye by about 04–0.6× its own maximum diameter, distance between ocelli 0.2–0.4× its own maximum diameter; antenna with 36–46 flagellomeres; fore wing with Cu1 between 1m-cu and Cu1a 0.9–1.2× as long as Cu1b (0.9–1.0× in small specimens); 2+3rs-m 1.3–2.7× as long as abscissa of M between 3rs-m and 2m-cu; legs very slender, hind coxa dorsally 2.8–2.9× as long as deep; hind trochantellus dorsally longer than broad apically, 2.9–3.0× as long as deep; tergum II about 6.5–7.3× as long as posteriorly deep; and, ovipositor about 0.4–0.5× as long as hind tibia (0.6–0.7× in small specimens).

This species is the only one collected in the western slope of the Andes of Peru; in one of last relicts of cloud forest in the western slopes on the Andes of Peru. Two surveys were done in Cachil forest during November of 2014 and April of 2015; most specimens were collected in April and only one specimen was collected in November.

Etymology. The specific epithet cachil is in honor of the type locality. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Holotype: ♀, “ PERÚ: CA [Cajamarca department] Contumaza, Bosque de Cachil, 7º23’36.9”S / 78º46’51.2”W 2680m trampas de luz 19.iv.2015 J. Grados leg.” ( MUSM).

Paratypes (9♀, 1♂): 2♀, same data as holotype ; 4♀, 1♂, same data as holotype except date 18.iv.2015 ; 3♀, same data as holotype except date 22.iv.2015 ; and, 1♀ same data as holotype except date 22.x.2014 (all in MUSM) .