Mesochorus (Mesochorus) albidus RIEDEL, 2023

Riedel, Pénigot, Schwarz, Diller, Johansson & Japoshvili, G., 2023, Darwin wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) of the Kintrishi National Park, Sakartvelo (Georgia), with descriptions of six new species, Linzer biologische Beiträge 55 (1), pp. 61-153 : 144-145

Mesochorus (Mesochorus) albidus RIEDEL nov.sp. ( Fig. 16 )

H o l o t y p e: (♁) SW Georgia, Kintrishi NP, 2230 m asl., MT 15, 16-30.vi.2018, leg. G.

Japoshvili (Tbilisi). D e s c r i p t i o n: ♁. Body length 3.1 mm. Flagellum with 30 flagellomeres; 1st

flagellomere 6.6× longer than wide and 0.8× as long as eye; 2 nd flagellomere 4.5× and preapical flagellomere c 2× longer than wide. Temple slightly narrowed behind eye, dorsally 0.8× as long as eye. OED 1.5× and OOD 1.0× ocellar diameter. Face very wide, 1.3× as wide as combined length of clypeus and face and 1.2× as wide as eye length, with slightly divergent sides ventrally. Malar space and lower third of facial orbit finely striate. Malar space as long as width of mandibular base. Mandible with two equally sized teeth.

Mesoscutum with rather dense but very superficial punctures, strongly shining. Mesopleuron smooth ventrally. Area basalis triangular, longer than wide. Area superomedia short, 1.5× longer than wide and 0.65× as long as area petiolaris; anterior transverse carina reaching area superomedia behind its middle. Area petiolaris 1.2× longer than wide. Hind femur 4.7× longer than wide. Hind claw apparently without teeth. Areolet pointed frontally; vein 2m-cu reaching its middle. Vein 1cu-a interstitial. Pterostigma 2.9× longer than wide.

1 st tergite slender, 3.2× longer than wide; postpetiolus smooth. 2 nd tergite 1.1× longer than wide. Thyridium large, roundish. Stylet of paramere stick-shaped, slightly clubbed apically, 1.5× as long as 2 nd hind tarsomere.

Color: mainly yellow. Flagellum brownish; scape, pedicel and basal two flagellomeres cream-yellow. Palps, mandible except teeth, clypeus, malar space, face and wide frontal orbit up to lateral ocellus cream-yellow. Stemmaticum brown. Occiput reddish. Mesosoma yellow, mesoscutum with three brownish stripes. Mesopleuron in dorsal half, mesosternum and metapleuron entirely reddish. Propodeum brown in basal half, reddish apically. 1 st tergite black, basally and apically yellow; 2 nd tergite black, with wide yellow band in apical 0.3. Following tergites reddish-yellow and ± yellow apically, slightly vespoid. Sternites and paramere yellow. Legs cream-yellow, distal tarsomeres ochreous. Wings hyaline; pterostigma hyaline-yellowish.

Taxonomical remark: This new species belongs to the orbitalis group sensu SCHWENKE (1999) and is characterized by its color pattern, wide face and short area superomedia. The carination of the propodeum with short area superomedia and long area petiolaris resembles members of the dispar group but the areolet is pointed frontally and vein 1cu-a is interstitial.

Figures

Fig. 16: Mesochorus (Mesochorus) albidus RIEDEL nov.sp. HT, habitus.