Thyreodon carmeani, 2004

Gauld, Ian D. & Janzen, Daniel H., 2004, The systematics and biology of the Costa Rican species of parasitic wasps in the Thyreodon genus-group (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141 (3), pp. 297-351 : 336-337

19. THYREODON CARMEANI GAULD SP. NOV.

Thyreodon atriventris (Cresson) ‘dark morph’ Gauld, 1988: 56.

Fore wing length 22.8–24.3 mm; clypeus rather flat, with apex out-flared, with a rounded point medially; malar space more or less obliterated; maxillary palp long, with second palpomere strongly broadened and slightly inflated; lower face centrally finely punctate; frons with a single weak vertical crest between antennal sockets and without a low carina extending from outer rim of antennal sockets upwards, close to and parallel with eye margin; frons centrally rugose; ocelli very large, the lateral ocellus contiguous with eye; head in dorsal view with gena rather abruptly rounded behind eye, occipital carina strong, its lower end sharp, but not reaching hypostomal carina; antenna setaceous, with 58–59 flagellomeres, the 20th slightly elongate, 1.1–1.2 times as long as broad, the subapical ones with setae which are longer than the diameter of the flagellomere. Pronotum short with anterior margin strongly and broadly reflexed, and with posterior margin centrally weakly swollen, forming a low rounded ridge which is separated from the anterior margin by a deep U-shaped groove; epomia absent; propleuron sparsely punctate, with lower corner rounded, peripherally not impressed, slightly flared outwards; mesoscutum finely and sparsely punctate, with narrow, shallow, slightly transversely striate notauli which are almost confluent posteriorly, inner anterior margin of notaulus unspecialized; scuto-scutellar groove moderately deep, long, laterally margined by thickened, simple carinae; scutellum smooth, very finely punctate, rather flat and broad posteriorly; mesopleuron finely punctate, with a few weak foveae behind epicnemial carina, sternaulus sharply impressed anteriorly, narrow and posteriorly evanescent; epicnemial carina curving to meet anterior margin of pleuron above lower corner of pronotum; metapleuron dorsally rugose, finely punctate ventrally; propodeum laterally slightly flattened, very coarsely reticulate, with a sharp strongly raised tubercle above and behind the spiracle; propodeum posterodorsally very coarsely reticulate, with a median anterior tubercle, centrally without a trace of a shallow longitudinal impression. Fore leg of female rather slender, with coxa with a bluntly rounded, low protuberance behind trochanteral insertion, with 5th tarsomere 0.7–0.8 times as long as preceding two tarsomeres, with tarsal claw unusually short and with fine, moderately close pectinae; hind coxa in profile moderately large, its hind end projecting well behind level of hind end of propodeum; hind femur slender, about 6 times as long as maximally deep; hind tarsus of male with dense, moderately long pubescence ventrally. Fore wing with abscissa of Cu 1a between Cu 1b and 2 m-cu 1.10–1.15 times as long as abscissa of Cu 1 between cu-a and 1 m-cu. Metasoma with tergite I moderately slender, anteriorly subcylindrical or slightly dorsoventrally depressed; tergite II, in lateral view, 2.6–2.7 times as long as posteriorly deep. Male unknown.

An entirely black species with wings blackish brown infumate, more purplish basally, and with a central hyaline area.

Remarks: Thyreodon carmeani is named in honour of David Carmean, in recognition of his enthusiastic identification of the trigonalid hyperparasite wasps reared by the ACG caterpillar inventory. In an earlier work ( Gauld, 1988) this species was treated as possibly being a dark morph of T. atriventris , which it closely resembles in general appearance and sculpture. However, now we have seen a second specimen we are certain it is distinct. It differs from T. atriventris in having the second discal cell in the fore wing shorter, and deeper, with Cu 1a between Cu 1b and 2 m-cu only 1.10–1.15 times as long as abscissa of Cu 1 between cu-a and 1 m-cu, whereas in T. atriventris this cell is slender and the abscissa of Cu 1a between Cu 1b and 2 m-cu is 1.65–1.95 times as long as abscissa of Cu 1 between cu-a and 1 m-cu. T. carmeani also has the tarsal claws shorter than other species in the genus, and it has tergite II much longer and more slender than that of T. atriventris .

Biological notes: Thyreodon carmeani has only been collected in Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica, between 700 and 1100 m, on two occasions in April and December. On both occasions it was taken at a mercury vapour light, suggesting it is at least crepuscular, and the enlarged ocelli and eyes suggest it may be active in the dark, even though it is black in colour. The host of this species is unknown.

Material examined: Holotype ♀, COSTA RICA, San José Prov., Braulio Carrillo National Park, Estacion Carrillo , 700 m, iv.1985 (Chacón) ( INBio ) . Paratype: COSTA RICA: San José Prov.: 1 ♀, Braulio Carrillo National Park, La Montura , 1100 m, xii.1981 (Janzen & Hallwachs) ( BMNH) .