Blacus (Blacus) huitepec Sánchez et Wharton, 2010

Sánchez-García, José Antonio, Wharton, Robert Alan, Romero-Napoles, Jesús, Figueroa, José Isaac, López-Martínez, Víctor, Martínez, Ana Mabel, Pérez-Pacheco, Rafael & Pineda, Samuel, 2010, Four new species of Blacus Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Blacinae) from Mexico, Zootaxa 2641, pp. 37-46 : 38-40

Blacus (Blacus) huitepec Sánchez et Wharton , NEW SPECIES

( Figs 1 a–i)

Description. MALE. Body length: 2.77–2.85 mm. Color: dark brown; mandible, labrum, palpi, and legs yellowish; scape, tegula, coxa and metasoma after first tergite yellowish brown; rest of antenna, apical twothirds of hind tibiae, tarsi, parastigma and pterostigma brown.

Head: ovoid; vertex not convex; antenna stout; 21 antennal segments, third segment 1.29–1.50X longer than fourth, length of third, fourth and penultimate antennal segment 3.00, 2.00 and 1.33X their width respectively; last antennal segment without fusion of two segments; eye length 0.80X longer than temple; maximum width of head 1.50–1.67X its minimum width (dorsal view); frontal and malar sutures absent; malar space 1.33X longer than basal width of mandible; area in front of occipital carina crenulate; frons, vertex and clypeus smooth, with some isolated setae; face smooth, with some setae. Mesosoma: mesosoma length 1.45–1.57X its height; pronotum crenulate except dorsal area smooth; posterior margin of epicnemial carina crenulate; epicnemial area longitudinally reticulate rugose, as its precoxal sulcus; metapleural flange large; notauli crenulate; mesoscutal lobes smooth, slightly convex; scutellar sulcus wide, deep and crenulate; scutellum medially smooth with lateral carina distinct; propodeal tubercle large; propodeum reticulate rugose. Wings: forewing with parastigma large; r inclivous; 3RS weakly curved near the base; 1CUa 0.50–0.61X as long as 1CUb; r 0.21X as long as 3RS; 3RS 3.35X as long as 2RS; first discal cell anteriorly wide; forewing length 2.66–2.76 mm; hind wing with vein cu-a present. Legs: length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 5.29–5.83, 9.00–9.30 and 9.00X its width, respectively; hind femur granular; hind tibia not narrowed basally; hind coxa dorsally rugose; arolia large. Metasoma: length of first tergite 2.33–2.55X its apical width, dorsal carinae distinct throughout its length. Genitalia: aedeagus with two apical lobes, bordered by a pavilion with hairs, a medial deep channel and apical striae; gonoforceps curved and more or less rounded apically, with elongate setae medially over apical 0.3 and at apex; digitus with four elongated teeth; cuspis swollen and with small spines, lamina volsellaris with several setae.

FEMALE. Similar to male, a little more robust; length of body 2.85–3.42 mm; forewing length 2.66–2.95 mm; antenna more robust and shorter than male, with most segments wider than in male; third antennal segment 1.12–1.5X as long as fourth antennal segment; length of third and fourth antennal segment 2.3–3.0 and 1.50–2.0X its width respectively; penultimate antennal segment wide as long; 17 antennal segments; propodeal tubercles larger and pointed; length of first tergite 2.0X its apical width; ovipositor sheath 0.32– 0.39X longer than forewing length; ovipositor straight.

Hosts. unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ɗ MEXICO, Chiapas. San Cristóbal de las Casas, Cerro Huitepec , 27-X- 1995, Malaise trap, B. Gómez G. Allotype Ψ same locality as holotype, 2-14-VII-1987, 7440 ft, #97/073 Woolley and González. Paratypes: MEXICO, Chiapas: San Cristóbal de las Casas: 1 Ψ 2-VI-1969, 7200 ft, Malaise trap; 1ɗ, 1Ψ same data as holotype; 1Ψ same locality 2-14-VIII- 1987. 7860 ft, #97/068, Malaise trap, Woolley and González; 1 Ψ same locality 24-VIII-5-IX-1990, 2500 msnm, cloud forest, Malaise trap, R. Jones; 4 ɗ, 1 Ψ same locality 20-IX-1995, Malaise trap, B. Gómez and M. Girón; 2 ɗ same locality 5-X-1995, Malaise trap, Gómez and Girón; 1 Ψ same locality 10-X-1995, Malaise trap, Gómez and Girón; 3 ɗ, 6 Ψ same locality 19-X-1995, Malaise trap, Gómez and Girón; 2 ɗ same locality 3-XI-1995, Malaise trap, Gómez and Girón; 1 ɗ same locality 10-XI-1995 Gómez and Girón; 1 Ψ San Felipe, 4 km W San Cristóbal de las Casas, 10-13-VIII-1990, Woolley. Michoacán: Municipio Ciudad Hidalgo: 1 Ψ: Los Azufres, 19°45’471’’ N and 100°41’339 W, 2561 msnm, 15-XI-2008, L. Flores and J.I. Figueroa. Holotype and allotype deposited in TAMU. Paratypes deposited in TAMU, CNC, CIBE-UANL, JAS and IIAF-UMSNH.

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in apposition to Blacus and is chosen because of the locality where it was collected, Huitepec , Chiapas.

Distribution records. MEXICO (Chiapas, Michoacán).

Comments. This species is most similar to B. paganus Haliday and B. caduceus Achterberg , and runs to the couplet containing these two species in the key to New World species of Blacus (Blacus) in Achterberg (1988:53–55). The three species are distingued by the following modified key:

13 Length of first metasomal tergite of female 2.00X its apical width; hind basitarsus length 9.00X its width ........... ............................................................................................................................. Blacus (Blacus) huitepec sp. nov. - Length of first metasomal tergite of female 1.40–1.70X apical width; hind basitarsus length 3.9–6.0X its width. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 14 14(13) Length of ovipositor sheath 0.33–0.46X fore wing; length of third antennal segment about 1.5X fourth segment; basal 0.25–0.50 of antenna of female yellowish, of male only three basal segments yellowish .............................. ....................................................................................................................... Blacus (Blacus) caduceus Achterberg - Length of ovipositor sheath 0.22–0.24X fore wing; length of third antennal segment 1.00-1.20X fourth segment; antenna largely dark brown ................................................................................. Blacus (Blacus) paganus Haliday

Figures

FIGURE 1. Blacus huitepec sp. nov. a. male habitus; b. male: anterior view of head; c. male: dorsal view of head; d. female: dorsal view of mesosoma; e. male: lateral view of mesosoma; f. male wings; g. male: dorsal view of propodeum and first tergite; h. female: ovipositor; i. male genitalia.