Helconichia sarria Sharanowski and Sharkey

Sharanowski, Barbara J. & Sharkey, Michael J., 2007, Description of three new species of Helconichia Sharkey & Wharton (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Ichneutinae) with a revised key to all species, Zootaxa 1502, pp. 45-53 : 46-48

Helconichia sarria Sharanowski and Sharkey , sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Helconichia sarria can be distinguished from all other species of Helconichia by the following combination of characteristics: mesosoma melanic in color and forewing vein (RS+M)b present.

Females ( Figs. 1A ; 4H). Length: 3.08–3.44 mm.

Color: Melanic except as follows: clypeus, mandible, labial and maxillary palpi, ovipositor, metasomal lateral tergites 1–3, and metasomal sterna 1–2 testaceous; all legs testaceous except hind tibia and tarsus and apical tarsomeres of foreleg and midleg brown; wings lightly infuscate.

Head: Antenna with 23–24 flagellomeres; setae of eye long, at least 3X diameter of one ommatidium; head without Y-shaped, lamellate carina between antennal sockets; vertex smooth and uniformly setose, most setae longer than diameter of one ommatidium.

Mesosoma: notaulus deeply crenulate; median areola of metanotum not bifurcated with horizontal carina; propodeum without posterior median longitudinal carina; propodeal areola wide, ratio of areola width (at widest point):length 0.71.

Wings: forewing (RS+M)b present, ratio of 2RS:3RSa length approximately 1:1 (range = 0.95–1.03), anal region uniformly setose ( Fig. 4 H); hind wing with 3 hamuli, anal region uniformly setose, subbasal cell uniformly setose.

Metasoma: median tergite 1 with length (from base of dorsal carina) to apical width ratio approximately 1:1 (range = 0.95–1.00); dorsal carinae of median tergite 1 almost meeting medially to form rugulose protuberance, distance between carinae at narrowest point much smaller than distance from carinae to lateral margin of tergite.

Male

Essentially as in female except length 3.34 mm, 25 flagellomeres, hind wing with 4 hamuli, and ratio of 2RS:3RSa length 1.06.

Biology: Unknown

Type material: HOLOTYPE, Ψ: “ COLOMBIA Valle del Cauca PNN [National Natural Park] Farallones de Cali Cgto. [Corregimiento] La Meseta, 3°34’N 76º40’W 2200m Malaise 27/08/2003 10/09/2003 S. Sarria & M. Losso Leg. M.4570”. Deposited in the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute, Colombia.

ALLOTYPE, %: same as holotype except: “ 10–24.xii.2003 ” and “M.4565.”

PARATYPE, 1 Ψ, same as holotype except: “27.i. 10.ii.2004 ” and “M.4563.” Deposited at the Hymenoptera Institute, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky.

Etymology: This species is named in honor of the collector, Stella Sarria from Farallones Colombia. Stella was one of the collaborators with the Colombian Arthropod Project. Collecting during a time of political instability, she was often exposed to dangerous situations in the field.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Lateral habitus of female holotype of Helconichia sarria Sharanowski & Sharkey, sp. nov. B. Lateral habitus of female holotype of H. reina Sharanowski & Sharkey, sp. nov.

FIGURE 4. A. Head of Helconichia reina Sharanowski & Sharkey, sp. nov., anterior view. Arrow showing Y-shaped lamellate inter-antennal carina. B. Forewing of H. reina. C. Forewing of H. trichiops Sharkey & Wharton. Arrow pointing to forewing vein (RS + M) b. D. Propodeum of H. reina, dorsal view. E. Propodeum of H. areolata Sharkey & Wharton, dorsal view. F. Propodeum and first metasomal tergum of H. trichopteryx Sharkey & Wharton, dorsal view. Arrow showing posterior longitudinal median carina of propodeum. G. Basal region of forewing of H. reina. H. Basal region of forewing of H. sarria Sharanowski & Sharkey, sp. nov.