Campoletis katalinarum, Vas, 2019

Vas, Zoltán, 2019, Contributions to the taxonomy, identification, and biogeography of the Western Palaearctic species of Campoletis Förster (Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae), Zootaxa 4565 (3), pp. 373-382 : 374-377

Campoletis katalinarum sp. nov.

Material examined. Holotype: female, Georgia, Mtskheta-Mtianeti Region, Kazbegi Municipality [on label: Gruzia, Kazbegi], subalpine pasture, 13–15.VII.1973, leg. T. Vásárhelyi, Id. No. HNHM-HYM 153078 .— Paratypes: male, Georgia , Samtskhe-Javakheti Region, Borjomi Municipality , Bakuriani [on label: Gruzia, Bakuriani], 1700m, 13–15.VII.1973, leg. T. Vásárhelyi, Id. No. HNHM-HYM 153079 ;— 2 females and 1 male, Turkey , Eastern Anatolia Region , Iğdır Province, Mt. Ararat [on label: Turkey: Kars, Mts. Ararat], 4. VI.1989, leg. A. Podlussány, Id. No. HNHM-HYM 153080–153082 ;—female, Turkey , Black Sea Region, Ordu Province, Harçbeli [on label: Turkey, vil. Ordu, Harcbeli], 1900m, 6.VII.1996, leg. A. Podlussány, Id. No. HNHM-HYM 153083 . All type specimens are card-mounted. The holotype and the paratypes are deposited in the Hymenoptera Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest, Hungary) .

Diagnosis. Among the Western Palaearctic species of Campoletis Förster the new species most resembles to Campoletis scyticus Riedel , Campoletis annulata (Gravenhorst) or Campoletis zonata (Gravenhorst) . Campoletis katalinarum sp. nov. differs from all Western Palaearctic Campoletis species by its relatively long gena (malar space as long as or slightly longer than basal width of mandible). Additionally, Campoletis katalinarum sp. nov. can be distinguished from Campoletis scyticus Riedel by its stouter second tergite, distinctly elevated ventral part of prepectal carina, and shape of area basalis and area superomedia; from Campoletis annulata (Gravenhorst) by colouration of legs, stouter hind femur, and shape of area basalis; from Campoletis zonata (Gravenhorst) by indistinct ventral part of genal carina, distinctly elevated ventral part of prepectal carina, shape of area basalis and area superomedia, position of costula, and colouration of legs. The new species is similar in the length of malar space with the Nearctic species (known from Greenland) Campoletis horstmanni Jussila , and with the Eastern Palaearctic species Campoletis chlorideae Uchida ; however, it differs from both by the carination of the propodeum, relative length of ovipositor, and colouration.

Description. Female ( Fig. 1 ). Body length ca 6 mm, fore wing length ca 4.5–5 mm.

Head: Antenna with 28–30 flagellomeres; first flagellomere 3× as long as wide apically; preapical flagellomeres distinctly to slightly longer than wide. Head transverse, granulose with weak punctures, matte, and with relatively long, dense, whitish hairs. Temple short, strongly narrowed behind eye, 0.5–0.6× as long as eye width. Ocular-ocellar distance 1.0–1.1× as long as ocellus diameter, posterior ocellar length 1.4–1.8× as long as ocellus diameter. Inner eye orbits weakly indented and slightly convergent ventrally. Maximum face width 0.9× as wide as frons below middle ocellus. Face slightly elevated centrally, coarsely granulose. Clypeus very weakly separated from face, convex in profile, apical margin convex with a distinct, long, triangular median tooth. Gena ventrally concave, genal carina bent out to reach hypostomal carina at mandibular base, but ventrally indistinct. Malar space relatively long, 1.0–1.1× as long as basal width of mandible. Lower margin of mandible with wide flange from teeth toward base, mandibular teeth of equal length.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma with dense, short, whitish hairs. Pronotum granulose, lower two-third with strong transverse wrinkles; epomia strong. Mesoscutum granulose with dense, weak but distinct punctures, matte, strongly convex in profile, as long as wide; notaulus not developed. Prescutellar (scuto-scutellar) groove wide, deep, smooth, shinier than mesoscutum and scutellum. Scutellum wide, granulose, matte, convex in profile, without lateral carina. Mesopleuron matte, granulose with weak to indistinct punctures; speculum matte, finely granulose or shagreened, rarely partly almost smooth; mesopleural suture with strong, short transverse costae. Pleural part and ventral part of prepectal carina (epicnemial carina) complete, transverse part (i.e. part at the level of sternaulus running through the epicnemium to the ventral edge of pronotum) absent; pleural part obliquely bent to anterior margin of mesopleuron reaching it below its middle height; ventral part of prepectal carina medially distinctly elevated. Sternaulus weak, reaching only about anterior one-third of mesopleural width. Posterior transverse carina of mesosternum complete. Metanotum granulose, matte. Metapleuron granulose, matte; coxal carina (juxtacoxal carina) indistinct; submetapleural carina complete. Pleural carina of propodeum strong; propodeal spiracle oval, separated from pleural carina by 1.0–1.5× its length. Propodeum granulose, propodeal carinae distinct. Area basalis trapezoidal, its basal width 1.7–2× as long as its length, and 2× as long as its apical width. Area superomedia 1.3–1.5× as long as wide, closed apically, with lateral sides apically convergent. Costula strong, complete, distinctly before middle of area superomedia. Area petiolaris moderately impressed, with strong transverse wrinkles.

Fore wing with relatively long-stalked, small areolet, second recurrent vein (2 m-cu) distinctly proximal to its middle; distal abscissa of Rs straight, pigmented; distal abscissa of M weakly pigmented; nervulus (cu-a) postfurcal, inclivous; postnervulus (abscissa of Cu 1 between 1 m-cu and Cu 1a + Cu 1b) intercepted distinctly below middle by Cu 1a; lower external angle of discoidal cell (second discal cell) acute (ca 75–80°). Hind wing with nervellus (cu-a + abscissa of Cu 1 between M and cu-a) distinctly to weakly reclivous, intercepted at about lower 0.3–0.4 of its length; discoidella (distal abscissa of Cu 1) complete, spectral.

Coxae finely granulose. Hind femur relatively stout, 4.7–5.0× as long as high. Inner spur of hind tibia 0.5–0.6× as long as metatarsus. Tarsal claws small, as long as or slightly longer than arolium, with few basal pecten.

Metasoma: Metasoma finely granulose, with dense, very short, whitish hairs. First tergite 1.2× as long as second tergite, with strong, deep glymma; dorsomedian carina of first tergite present but relatively weak. Second tergite 1.15–1.25× as long as its apical width; thyridium oval, its distance from basal margin of tergite about as long as its length. Epipleurum of second and third tergites separated by a crease. Third tergite 0.8× as long as its apical width; all following tergites wider than long. Ovipositor sheath 0.7–0.8× as long as first tergite (0.5× as long as hind tibia), straight, dorsal preapical notch deep, tip strongly narrowed, thin.

Colour: Antenna black to dark brown. Head black except yellowish palpi and yellow mandibles, mandibular teeth dark reddish brown. Mesosoma black except tegula pale yellow to ivory. Metasoma black, from third tergite onwards laterally more or less reddish; ventral plica yellowish; ovipositor sheath blackish to dark brown. Wings hyaline, wing veins brown, pterostigma ochre yellow, brownish along anterior edge. Fore leg: coxa blackish to dark brown, apically more or less yellowish brown; trochanter yellow; trochantellus yellow; femur reddish; tibia reddish, externo-medially yellowish; tarsus yellowish to reddish brown. Middle leg: coxa entirely black or apically with narrow yellowish brown patch; trochanter yellow, rarely basally darkened; trochantellus yellow; femur reddish; tibia reddish, externo-medially pale yellowish to ivory; tarsus reddish brown, last tarsomeres brown. Hind leg: coxa black; trochanter black; trochantellus yellow; femur red to brownish red, rarely darkened at extreme basal part; tibia subbasally and in apical third blackish to dark brown, basally and externo-medially ivory, internomedially reddish to brownish; tarsus brown, basal 0.2 of metatarsus ivory to pale yellow. Hind tibial spurs pale yellow to reddish yellow. Claws reddish brown.

Male ( Fig. 2 ): Similar to female except the following: first flagellomere 2.3–2.5× as long as wide apically; temple 0.6–0.7× as long as eye width; speculum shagreened to smooth and shiny; hind femur 5.0–5.2× as long as high; second tergite 1.3× as long as its apical width; third tergite 0.9–1.0× as long as its apical width; apical margin of third tergite more or less reddish; fore and middle coxae almost entirely yellowish brown.

Distribution. Currently known from Georgia (Caucasus Mountains) and Turkey (Mount Ararat and Black Sea Region).

Ecology. No host is known. The new species might be a koinobiont endoparasitoid of lepidopterous hosts, similarly to other Campoletis species with known hosts.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the genitive plural form of the Hungarian feminine forename Katalin. This species is dedicated to my excellent former biology teachers, Katalin Vetéssy and Katalin Juhász at Kecskemét Calvinist Secondary Grammar School (Kecskemét, Hungary), for their exceedingly professional and devoted work, which contributed a lot to my way to work on the field of biological sciences.

Remarks on identification. In the identification key of the most recent revision of Western Palaearctic Campoletis species ( Riedel 2017), Campoletis katalinarum sp. nov. would key out around couplets 21 or 22 (either at couplet 21 with Campoletis scyticus Riedel or at couplet 22 with Campoletis zonata (Gravenhorst) , however, in both cases without complete fit to the characteristics given in the couplets). The distinctive characteristics from both of these species are given in the Diagnosis section; however, for sake of quick identification, here I provide two couplets separating Campoletis katalinarum sp. nov. (both sexes) from these species.

Affix to couplet 21 in Riedel (2017):

- Malar space 0.6× as long as basal width of mandible; second tergite 1.4–1.6× as long as its apical width................................................................................................. Campoletis scyticus Riedel

- Malar space as long as or slightly longer than basal width of mandible; second tergite 1.15–1.3× as long as its apical width.............................................................................. Campoletis katalinarum sp. nov.

Affix to couplet 22 in Riedel (2017):

- Malar space 0.8× as long as basal width of mandible; ventral part of prepectal carina flat, area basalis about as wide as long, area superomedia about as long as wide, costula at middle [see Fig. 47 in Riedel (2017)]; hind tibia basally and externo-medially yellowish.............................................................. Campoletis zonata (Gravenhorst)

- Malar space as long as or slightly longer than basal width of mandible; ventral part of prepectal carina distinctly elevated, area basalis 1.7–2× as wide as long, area superomedia 1.3–1.5× as long as wide, costula before middle [similar to Fig. 44 in Riedel (2017)]; hind tibia basally and externo-medially ivory................................ Campoletis katalinarum sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Campoletis katalinarum sp. nov. 1, female, holotype; 2, male, paratype.