Seticornuta cuckoo, Alvarado, 2022

Alvarado, Mabel, 2022, Darwin wasps of the genus Seticornuta Morley, 1913 (Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae) in the Neotropical region, with a key to species, European Journal of Taxonomy 839, pp. 149-175 : 158-160

Seticornuta cuckoo sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2EE83C67-1E3F-4BE4-8EF1-7608DB430623

Figs 3 , 10C , 11A

Diagnosis

This species is distinctive among its congeners, it is the only one extensively metallic blue.

Etymology

The specific epithet ‘cuckoo’ is in reference to the blue metallic color of the Cuckoo Wasp. It is treated as a noun in apposition.

Material examined

Holotype

ECUADOR • ♀; “ Ascazubi / Pito 2600m. Ecuador I.16.1971 Luis E. Peña ”; USUC.

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 5.9 mm. Fore wing length 3.9 mm.

HEAD. Face+clypeus 1.0 × as long as wide; labrum not exposed when mandibles closed; malar space 0.7 × as long as basal mandibular width; lateral ocellus separated from compound eye by 1.3 × ocellar diameter; distance between ocelli 1.3 × maximum ocellar diameter; head posteriorly behind ocellar triangle flat; gena, on lateral view 1.0 × as long as compound eyes; occipital carina incomplete, present only dorsally; antenna with 21 flagellomeres, ratio of length from second to fourth flagellomeres: 1.3:1.2:1.2, subapical flagellomere 1.3 × as long as centrally wide.

MESOSOMA. Epicnemial carina complete; metapleuron with dorsal margin evenly declivous and posterodorsally curved, polished, glabrous with few setae at dorsal margin; submetapleural carina smooth, anteriorly expanded into a conspicuous digitiform lobe. Propodeum with lateromedian longitudinal carina strong, slightly closer centrally; lateral longitudinal carina absent; posterior transverse carina complete. Fore wing with Cu1a between Cu1b and 2m-cu 1.6 × as long as Cu1 between Rs&M and 1mcu; Hind wing with distal abscissa of Cu1 and M not discernible.

METASOMA. Metasoma with tergite I 1.1 × as long as posteriorly wide, lateromedian carinae extending 0.3 × length of tergite; tergite II 1.0 × as long as posteriorly wide; laterotergite II 0.4 × as long as wide, subrectangular; laterotergite III 0.6 × as long as wide, subrectangular.

COLOR. Extensively metallic blue except antennae, protibia dorsally and protarsomeres brownish black, ovipositor valvae and metatibial outer spur brown, protibia ventrally and protibial spur yellowish, mesofemur, metafemur, mesotarsomeres and metatarsomeres black, and mesotibial spur and inner metatibial spurs white; wings slightly infuscate.

Male

Unknown.

Remark

This represents the first record of Seticornuta from Ecuador ( Fig. 11A ).

Figures

Fig. 3. Details of Seticornuta cuckoo sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Propodeum and first metasomal tergite, laterodorsal view. C. Facial view. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 10. Seticornuta spp. A–B. S. cortesi Porter, 1998, head. A. Facial view, head ventrally. B. Facial view, head dorsally. C. S. cuckoo sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC), metapleuron. D. S. nigroflava sp. nov., ♀, holotype (SEMC), metapleuron. E. S. carinata sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC), metapleuron. F. S. quilmes sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USNM). G. S. rufa sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC), metapleuron. H. S. muqui sp. nov., ♀, holotype (MUSM). I. S. curupira sp. nov., ♀, holotype (USUC), metapleuron. J. S. anchanchu sp. nov., metapleuron. K. S. flava sp. nov., ♀, holotype (NHMUK), metapleuron.

Fig. 11. Geographic distribution of species of Seticornuta Morley, 1913 in the Neotropical region.