Thyreodon zitaniae, 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 : 330-331

13. THYREODON ZITANIAE GAULD SP. NOV.

Fore wing length 22.1–24.5 mm; clypeus convex, with apex strongly pointed medially; malar space about 0.6–0.7 times basal mandibular width; maxillary palp long with second palpomere strongly broadened and slightly flattened; lower face centrally sparsely punctate, slightly rugose below antennal sockets; frons with a weak median vertical ridge between antennal sockets and with a low but sharp carina extending from outer rim of antennal sockets upwards, close to and parallel with eye margin; frons centrally finely rugose/striate; ocelli moderately small, the lateral ocellus separated from eye by about 0.8–1.1 times its own maximum diameter; head in dorsal view with gena rather broad, evenly rounded behind eye, occipital carina strong, its lower end sharp, not reaching hypostomal carina; antenna setaceous, with 53–57 flagellomeres, the 20th subquadrate, 1.0–1.1 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 swollen, forming an angular, centrally impressed ridge which is separated from the anterior margin by a deep Ushaped groove; epomia weak but discernible on upper part of pronotum; propleuron very sparsely punctate, with lower corner rounded, not peripherally impressed; mesoscutum finely and sparsely punctate, with narrow, anteriorly shallow notauli which are deeper and more or less confluent posteriorly, inner anterior margin of notaulus unspecialized; scutoscutellar groove very deep, laterally margined by a very strongly raised, thickened carina; scutellum finely punctate, convex; mesopleuron finely and sparsely punctate ventrally, but with upper part smooth and impunctate, without a sharp sternaular impression; metapleuron finely punctate with obscure coriaceous sculpture; propodeum laterally slightly flattened, rugose, with a sharp (and often rather smooth) ridge above and behind the spiracle, and with a distinct zigzag carina extending backwards from this ridge along the lateral margin of the dorsal surface of the propodeum; propodeum posterodorsally finely reticulate, with stronger transverse rugae posterolaterally, centrally with a single broad, shallow, longitudinal impression. Fore leg of female rather stout, with coxa more or less without a rounded protuberance behind trochanteral insertion, with 5th tarsomere 0.5– 0.6 times as long as preceding two tarsomeres, with tarsal claw long and with close coarse pectinae; hind coxa in profile moderately large, its hind end projecting slightly behind level of hind end of propodeum; hind femur slender, 6–7 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 1.2–1.3 times as long as abscissa of Cu 1 between cu-a and 1 m-cu. Metasoma with tergite I slender, anteriorly subcylindrical; tergite II, in lateral view, 2.7–3.2 times as long as posteriorly deep. Male with subgenital plate small and convex, covered with dense coarse black hair; claspers quite long, the dorsal apex obliquely truncate, the upper margin with a deep median notch, the lower margin weakly convex ( Fig. 57 ); aedeagus in profile with apex expanded but flattened on extreme apex, with a very sharp lateral keel.

Head orange-brown, with interocellar area and often part of frons blackish; flagellum black; mesosoma orange-brown; metasoma shining black. Anterior two pairs of legs orange-brown, tarsi blackish; hind legs black; wings uniformly blackish infumate.

Remarks: Thyreodon zitaniae is named in honour of Nina M. Zitani , in recognition of her enthusiasm for the identification and natural history of Meteorus wasps ( Braconidae ) reared by the ACG caterpillar inventory. T. zitaniae is structurally and in colour similar to T. papei . Both species have rather small ocelli, and have an orange mesosoma and black metasoma. They differ in several respects, however. T. zitaniae has the mesoscutum without any trace of a notaular crest, has a sharp ridge above and behind the propodeal spiracle, and has the fore wings uniformly black. T. papei has a sharp notaular crest on the mesoscutum, has the propodeum rounded above and behind the spiracle, and has a central hyaline area on the fore wing.

Biological notes: Although Thyreodon zitaniae occurs well within the area of the ACG caterpillar rearing programme, it has not yet been encountered in many thousands of caterpillars and many tens of species of sphingids reared from these low- to mid-elevation rain forest sites.

Material examined: Holotype ♀, COSTA RICA, Guanacaste Prov., Guanacaste National Park, Estacion Pitilla , 9 km S Santa Cecilia, 700 m, iv–v.1993 (Moraga) ( INBio ) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA: Alajuela Prov.: 1 ♀, 1 ♀ , Sector San Ramon , 620 m, iii–iv.1994 (Taylor & Zumbado) ( INBio ); 1 ♀ , San Ramon de Dos Rios , 620 m, iv.1995 ( Chinchilla ) ( INBio ); 1 ♀, 1 ♂ , Sector Colonia Palmareña , 700 m, iv.1995, iii.1996 (Carballo) ( INBio ) : Guanacaste Prov.: 1 ♀ , Guanacaste National Park, Estacion Maritza , 600 m, v.1991 (Flowers) ( INBio ); 4 ♀ , Guanacaste National Park, Estacion Pitilla , 9 km S Sta Cecilia, 700 m, viii.1988, iii.1990, ix.1991, iii–v.1993 (Rios & Moraga) ( INBio ) : Heredia Prov.: 1 ♀ , Braulio Carrillo National Park , Estacion El Ceibo, 400–600 m, iv.1990 (Chaves) ( INBio ); 1 ♂ , La Selva Biological Station , 50–150 m, iv.1989 (Hespenheide) ( BMNH) : Puntarenas Prov.: 1 ♀ , Amistad National Park, Estacion Las Mellizas, Fca Cafrosa , 1300 m, vi.1991 (Ramirez) ( INBio ) .

Figures

Figures 53–63. Apex of metasoma and male genital capsule, lateral; 53, T. maculipennis; 54, T. erythrocera; 55, T. whitfieldi; 56, T. laticinctus; 57, T. zitaniae; 58, T. papei; 59, T. morosus; 60, T. schauffi; 61, T. darlingi; 62, T. rufothorax; 63, T. atriventris.