Neeurylabia spiloptera (MORLEY)

A. M, 2009, Illustrated key to the tribes of subfamilia Ichneumoninae and genera of the tribe Platylabini of world fauna (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 41 (2), pp. 1317-1608 : 1533-1535

Neeurylabia spiloptera (MORLEY) (Plate 57)

Amblyteles spilopterus MORLEY 1919. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 158.

Neeurylabla spiloptera: HEINRICH 1967 . Ichn. Stenop. of Africa, 2: 424-425.

F e m a l e

F l a g e l l u m: Slender, bristle-shaped, behind middle slightly flattened, practically not widened, with 46-segments, uniformly attenuated and strongly pointed to apex, with white semiannulus on 10-12 segments; segments distinctly differentiated; basal segments moderately long, first segment 3,5 times longer than width at apex; all segments elongated. Flagellum 1,2 times longer than front wing and practically equal to body length.

H e a d: Head contour from front slightly, roundly narrowed downwards, slightly transversal, 1,2 times wider than length; internal margins of eyes almost parallel, slightly widened downwards; genae almost roundly narrowed, in front visible almost up to middle of eye, malar space 3 times shorter than height of eye; from above head contour transversal, 1,7 times wider than length. Vertex behind ocelli from lateral gradually and sharply oblique to occipital carina; temples from above behind eyes sharply swollen, from lateral slightly broadened downwards, temples length at middle 1,4 times longer than longitudinal diameter of eye at middle; occipital carina from above practically not impressed to hind ocelli, straight, far not reach level of eyes and hind ocelli, meeting with hypostomal carina not reaching mandible base, abscissula approximately 2,7 times shorter than mandible base width; malar space equal to mandible base width; mandibles rather strong, narrowed behind base, from above strongly curved, with rather large flat teeth, situated in same plane, upper tooth considerably longer than lower, with sharp margins, not quite correspond to form character to tribe; clypeus moderately convex at base with impressed apical part and thinned, straight front margin (resemble to clypeus of Eurylabus ), transversal, 2,6 times wider than length, distinctly separated from middle field of face by impression; clypeal foveae very deep, elongated; labrum not protrude from under clypeus; middle field of face very narrow, in middle 1,4 times narrower than lateral fields, slightly elevated above lateral fields; antennal cavities very deep, small, not reach borders of eyes and far not reach front ocellus level, with strongly developed, large lateral tubercles and with sharp, narrow tooth between antennal fossae; margins of antennal fossae thick, high elevated above lateral fields of face; ocelli of normal size, diameter of lateral ocellus 1,7 times less than distance from ocellus to eye; ocellar triangle distinctly elevated. Head surface with rough sculpture, of clypeus at base roughly wrinkly-punctured, middle field of face roughly wrinkly-punctured by merged punctures, matt, lateral fields densely punctured by big punctures, without microsculpture; temples and genae densely punctured, shining.

T h o r a x: Collar of pronotum rather short, transverse furrow narrow, only just expressed. Mesonotum moderately convex, of equal length and breadth; notauli practically absent; surface of mesonotum roughly and densely punctured (intervals narrower than punctures) to slightly wrinkled, slightly shining; subalarum moderately narrow not sharpened; area of speculum practically not expressed only more rarely punctured in contrast to other part of mesopleurae, shining; area of mesopleural fovea broadly impressed, mesopleural fovea sharp, deep; lower part of mesopleurae without sharp bend; sternauli not expressed; mesopleural suture interrupted by slight transversal ribs; surface of mesopleurae densely punctured to wrinkle-punctured at lower part; scutellum strongly roundly convex, from above with rounded contour along hind border, laterally sharply carinated up to apex and along hind border, its surface with big punctures, shining. Hind margin of metanotum with small triangle projections curved downwards. Propodeum from lateral rounded; horizontal and declivous parts separated only by rudiment of apical transverse carina and by wrinkling of different degree, other transverse carinae not developed; from carinae only carina metapleuralis developed, thus coxal area not limited; spiracles of propodeum large, elongated (1,4-1,5 times longer than width). Horizontal part and lateral sides of propodeum roughly reticulate-rugose, sculpture of sloping part more rough.

L e g s: Femora and tarsi unusually strong; tarsi of all legs, especially hind, thickened (legs of similar morphology of Australian Neolevansa GAULD ). Claws not great, narrow, gradually curved.

W i n g s: Areolet quadrangular, of females almost petiolate, almost symmetrical (external vein of apex some longer than internal); stigma narrow, light; radius almost straight, at apex slightly curved; radial cell moderately long; nervulus slightly postfurcal; ramulus long; membrane of wing hyaline, veins dark, apices of front wings deeply darkened. Front wing 1,3 times shorter than body length.

A b d o m e n Longish-oval from above, at middle part parallel sided, seventh tergite from above triangle, far protrude, second tergite transversal, 1,2 times shorter than breadth at apex; ovipositor not protrude behind apex of abdomen. First tergite distinctly flattened at base, from lateral gradually transform to postpetiolus without distinct bend; dorsolateral and ventrolateral carinae of petiolus expressed very slightly with slight irregular wrinkles between them; from above petiolus uniformly broadened to postpetiolus; dorsal carinae of postpetiolus of first tergite not expressed same as a middle field; spiracles removed from one another on distance equal or less distance from them to hind margin of tergite; surface of postpetiolus slightly uniformly convex, shagreen. Gastrocoeli practically not expressed, presented by difficulty recognizable oblique lateral impression, thyridia absent; lunulae distinct, large; tergites 2 and 3 densely punctured with developed microsculpture, tergite 4 coriaceous, shining, other polished. Hypopygium from below flat, triangle, not overlap sheath of ovipositor.

C o l o r a t i o n: Body mainly ferruginous with black. Head completely ferruginous; pronotum, mesonotum, subalarum and scutellum mainly of basic color, mesopleurae and propodeum black; abdomen ferruginous except of black tergites 4-8. Legs of basic color with exception of darkened hind femur.

S i z e: Body length: 11,0; front wing: 8,2; flagellum: 10,0 mm.

M a l e

Flagellum uniformly attenuated to apex with densely coalescent segments, ferruginous with white semiannulus on segments 13-16(17) and large longish-oval white tyloides on segments 11-22. Genae and temples more strongly swollen, almost completely visible from front, mandibles even more massive than of females. The others characters are similar to female. Head with considerable presence of light-yellow coloration, abdomen more darkened, apex of sixth tergite with white narrow stripe, and tergites 7-8 white dorsally.