Exochus atlanticus, Melo, Ivy Frizo De, Araújo, Carolina Rodrigues & Penteado-Dias, Angélica Maria, 2015

Melo, Ivy Frizo De, Araújo, Carolina Rodrigues & Penteado-Dias, Angélica Maria, 2015, New species of Exochus Gravenhorst and Trieces Townes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Metopiinae) and first record of seven species from Brazil, Zootaxa 4059 (1) : -

Exochus atlanticus , sp. n. Melo & Penteado-Dias

( Figs. 6–11 )

Description. Female ( Fig. 6 ): body length 4.0–6.0 mm. Fore wing with 3.2–4.5 mm. Mandibles moderately strongly tapered, not twisted, with upper tooth quite broad and lower tooth very small; malar space 0.8 times basal mandibular width; clypeus weakly convex, with anterior margin centrally transverse; lower face about 0.9 time as broad as long, with interantennal projection moderately high, acutely pointed ( Fig. 7 ); head in profile with gena wide, the clypeus subtending an angle of about 75° to the plane of the occiput; head in dorsal view with gena evenly narrowed behind the eye; posterior ocellus separated from eye by about 1.1–1.2 times its own maximum diameter. Antenna stout with 33 flagellomeres. Pronotum concave; mesosoma with mesoscutum fattened, highly polished with moderately sparse, coarse, shallow punctures, notaulus vestigial, scutellum flat, with sparse setiferous punctures ( Fig. 8 ); mesopleuron centrally strongly convex, with epicnemial carina reaching pleural margin close to subalar prominence ( Fig. 9 ); metapleuron flat, polished, impunctate; submetapleural carina narrow, abruptly broadened anteriorly forming a small triangular flange. Propodeum in profile evenly rounded, with anterior transverse carina absent, posterior transverse carina present, lateromedian longitudinal carinae and lateral longitudinal carinae present forming defined areas ( Fig. 10 ). Fore leg with the fifth tarsomere as long as the preceding three combined; hind leg with the tibial spurs unequal, the outer stout and about 0.4 of the length from the inner. Fore wing with cu-a moderately oblique, distal to base of Rs&M by about 0.4 times its own length, hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu 1 spectral, basally closer to 1 A than to M. Metasoma with tergite I stout, 1.2 times as long as posteriorly broad, with lateromedian longitudinal carina only present at 1/3 anterior end; tergite II moderately sparsely punctate, as long as posteriorly broad (fig. 10); tergite III closely punctate ( Fig. 10, 11 ); apex of ovipositor slender, tapered to a depressed rounded point; ovipositor sheath slender with scattered pubescence on apicoventral margin.

Head mostly yellow ( Fig. 7 ), with frontal, mouthparts and lower gena ( Fig. 9 ), ocellus area and occiput orange brown ( Fig. 8 ); antenna blackish. Mesosoma orange yellow with black lateral markings on mesoscutum ( Fig. 8 ); pronotum entirely orange; tegula yellowish ( Fig. 8 ); scutellum, metanotum yellow; propodeum orange anterolateral black marked. Metasoma orange with all tergites marked with black anterolaterally, with last three tergites almost entirely dark brown ( Fig. 11 ). Anterior two pairs of legs yellow; hind leg yellow with tibia and tarsomeres brown marked posteriorly. Tibial spurs white, the outer black at the apex. Wings hyaline, pterostigma dark brown.

Male: Similar to female.

Diagnosis. Exochus atlanticus sp. n. belongs to a small complex of species, comprising E.ozanus , E. pedanticus , E. pubitus , E. quozus , E. ravetus , that have a rather stout, more or less orange coloured metasoma, with very short or vestigial lateromedian longitudinal carinae on tergite I, and with a rather well developed interantennal protuberance. Within this complex of species, E. atlanticus most closely resembles E. ozanus ( Fig. 12 ) in having an orange mesosoma and black anterolateral markings on mesoscutum. Exochus ozanus has the dorsal margin of the pronotum broadly yellowish ( Fig. 13 ), posterior transverse carina of propodeum more or less absent, lateromedian longitudinal carinae only discernible as stubs anteriorly and lateral longitudinal carinae vestigial. E. atlanticus has the pronotum entirely orange, propodeum posterior transverse carinae, lateromedian longitudinal carinae and lateral longitudinal carinae present ( Fig. 10 ).

Etymology. The species was named for the Atlantic rainforest vegetation type where the specimens were collected and is a tribute referring to the importance of conservation and the many species that remain unknown in these habitats being destroyed, even before they have been deeply studied.

Distribution. Brazil.

Biology. Unknown.

Material examined. ( DCBU) Holotype 1 ♀, Brazil, SP, São Luís do Paraitinga, State Park of Serra do Mar, Santa Virgínia Center, conservation area, point 3C 23°19’26.2” S 45°05’40.6” W, yellow pan-trap, 06.IX.2012, I.F, Melo coll. ( DCBU, 35461); ( DCBU) Paratypes 1 ♀, Brazil, SP, São Luís do Paraitinga, State Park of Serra do Mar, Santa Virgínia Center, conservation area, point 1C, 23°20’11.8” S 45°06’11.8” W, yellow pan-trap, 11.II.2013, I.F, Melo coll., ( DCBU, 35045); 3 ♀, same locality, 05.VII.2012, ( DCBU, 36001), ( DCBU, 36643), ( DCBU, 34529); 1 ♀, same locality, 06.IX.2012, ( DCBU, 36451); 1 ♀, same locality, 11.X.2012, ( DCBU,43972); 1 ♀, same locality, 13.XII.2012, ( DCBU, 46715); 1 ♀, same locality, point 2C, 23°19’54.6”S 45°06’00.2” W, 13.XII.2012, ( DCBU, 47652); 1 ♀, same locality, 13.IV.2013; 1 ♀, same locality, 11.III.2013, ( DCBU, 34839);1 ♀, same locality, 06.IX.2012, ( DCBU, 34727); 2 ♀, same locality, 05.VII.2012, ( DCBU, 35949) ( DCBU, 35943); 1 ♀, same locality, 01.VI.2012; 2 ♀, same locality, point 3C, 23°19’26.2” S 45°05’40.6” W, 11.II.2013, ( DCBU, 34952) ( DCBU, 34953); 1 ♀, same locality, 06.IX.2012, ( DCBU, 35511) 1 ♀, same locality, 05.VII.2012, ( DCBU, 34377); 1 ♀, same locality, 01.VI.2012, ( DCBU, 48346); 1 ♀, same locality, 3.VII.2012; 1 ♀, Brazil, SP, São Luís do Paraitinga, State Park of Serra do Mar, Santa Virgínia Center, point 2B, 23°20’37.9” S 45°08’19.7” W, yellow pantrap, 02.VIII.2012, I.F, Melo coll.; 3 ♀, same locality, point 1B, 23°20’41.3” S 45°07’42.4” W, 13.IV.2013.

( BMNH) Paratypes 1 ♀, Brazil, SP, São Luís do Paraitinga, State Park of Serra do Mar, Santa Virgínia Center, conservation area, point 1C, 23°20’11.8” S 45°06’11.8” W, yellow pan-trap, 05.VII.2012, I.F, Melo coll., ( DCBU, 36641); 1 ♀, same locality, point 3C, 23°19’26.2” S 45°05’40.6” W, 05.VII.2012, ( DCBU, 36340); 1 ♀, same locality, 15.IV.2013, ( DCBU 46547); 1 ♂, Brazil, Nova Teutonia, 27°11’B 52°23’L, 21.VII.1937, Fritz Plaumann, B.M. 1937-656. 1 ♂, same locality, 03.V.1938, 1938-682.1 ♂, same locality, 12.IV.1938, 1938-682. 1 ♂, same locality, 28.XII.1938, 1939-227.

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 11. Exochus atlanticus sp. n., ♀, holotype: 6, habitus, lateral; 7, head, frontal; 8, head, mesoscutum and scutellum, dorsal; 9, head, pronotum and mesopleuron, lateral; 10, propodeum and metasoma, dorsal; 11, metasoma, dorsal.

FIGURES 12 – 13. Exochus ozanus, ♀: 12, habitus, lateral; 13, head, pronotum and mesopleuron, lateral.