Ypsilonigaster tiger Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault, 2018

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L & Boudreault, Caroline, 2018, Seventeen new genera of microgastrine parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from tropical areas of the world, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 64, pp. 25-140 : 111-114

Ypsilonigaster tiger Fernandez-Triana & Boudreault sp. n.

Fig. 44

Holotype.

Female, Thailand, QSBG.

Holotype labels.

THAILAND Chiang Mai/Huai Nam Dang NP Guest House/ 19°18.803'N, 98°36.395'E /Malaise trap 31.x-7.xi.2007/Anuchart & Thawatchai leg. T5553. Second label: JMIC 0536.

Holotype locality.

THAILAND, Chiang Mai Province, Huai Nam Dang National Park Guest House, 19°18.803'N,t 98°36.395'E.

Diagnosis.

This species is very distinctive due to its unusual coloration pattern, which includes contrasting areas in white, yellow, brown and black. It also has the shortest ovipositor sheaths and the longest fore wing among the known species in the genus.

Description.

Body with striking contrast of four different colors between areas (yellow on head, front legs, and anterior half of mesosoma; black on posterior half of mesosoma and hind legs; white on T1, parts of T2/T3, some laterotergites and metatibial spines; brown on antenna, middle legs and most of metasoma). Tegula (yellow) and humeral complex (dark brown) differently coloured. Body mostly smooth, including propodeum, entire scutellar disc, and all tergites (but anteromesoscutum with shallow punctures all over except for notauli). Scutoscutellar sulcus with 9-10 crenulae. Lunules relatively normal (around 0.4 × height of lateral face of scutellum). Propodeum with strongly raised, median carina. Fore wing with small, slit-shaped areolet. Hind wing with more or less straight vannal lobe which is uniformly setose. Metafemur L 2.98 × its W. Metatibial inner spur L 1.79 × metatibia outer spur L; metatibia inner spur 0.62 × first segment of metatarsus L. T1 divided in three areas by a strong sulcus shaped as an inverted “Y”; T1 L 2.53 × T1 width at posterior margin. T2 subtriangular; T2 width at posterior margin 3.0 × T2 L. Ovipositor sheaths uniformly setose and 0.48 × as long as metatibia length. Body measurements (mm). F2 L: 0.33; F3 L: 0.32; F14 L: 0.24; F15 L: 0.21; Malar sulcus L: 0.08; Mandible W: 0.13; T1 L: 0.76; T1 W at posterior margin: 0.30; T1 maximum W: 0.54; T2 W at anterior margin: 0.23; T2 W at posterior margin: 0.63; T2 L: 0.21; Metafemur L: 1.28; Metafemur W: 0.43; Metatibia L: 1.52; Inner spur L: 0.43; Outer spur L: 0.24; First segment of Metatarsus L: 0.69; Ovipositor sheaths L: 0.73; Body L: 3.84; Fore wing L: 4.60. Fore wing L is approximate.

Male. Unknown.

Biology.

Host unknown.

Distribution.

Only known from the type locality in northern Thailand.

Molecular data.

The holotype rendered an almost complete DNA barcode (622 bp), which represents BIN BOLD:ABY3660, a unique sequence that is 9.86% different from the closest Microgastrinae in BOLD.

Etymology.

Named after the Thailand Inventory Group for Entomological Research (TIGER), a collaborative project between the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden and the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department with the goal of conducting inventories of insect biodiversity in Thailand (see also: http://www.sharkeylab.org/tiger/). All specimens of Thailand studied for this paper came from those inventories, and will be deposited in the QSBG for future reference.

Figures

Figure 44. Ypsilonigaster tiger female holotype. A Habitus B Tergite 1 C Mesosoma dorsal D Mesosoma lateral E Propodeum.