Zonopimpla victoriae Valera

Valera, Neicy & Díaz, Francisco, 2010, Nine new Zonopimpla Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) and key to species from Venezuela, Zootaxa 2438, pp. 37-51 : 49-51

Zonopimpla victoriae Valera , sp. nov.

(Figs 10, 21, 22)

Female: Mandibles strongly tapered, upper tooth longer and stouter than lower tooth, the upper tooth 1.3 times length, 1.5–1.6 width of lower tooth; malar space 0.4–0.5 times basal mandibular width; lower face polished, with sparse setiferous punctures, 1.1 times as wide as medially high from supraclypeal suture to level of insertion of antenna. Head in dorsal view with genae evenly rounded behind eye; posterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.3–1.4 times its own maximum diameter; ocelli forming an equilateral triangle. Pronotum shining, with fine punctuation and sparse fine hairs. Mesoscutum smooth, shining, with isolated fine hairs, anteriorly evenly rounded, notauli moderately impressed; mesopleuron polished, smooth, with sparse hairs; epicnemial carina reaching to level of lower corner of pronotum; metapleuron weakly convex, polished, with sparse fine punctures and scattered hairs in posterior margin; submetapleural carina complete. Propodeum in profile evenly declivous, smooth, with scattered centrally and laterally setiferous punctures; pleural carina present. Fore wing length 4.7–5.8 mm; vein 3rs-m complete, enclosing an obliquely rhombic areolet; abscissa of Cu1 between 1 m-cu and Cu1b 1.0–1.2 times as long as Cu1b. Hind wing with abscissa of Cu1 between M and cu-a straight, 1.3–1.5 times as long as cu-a. Metasoma moderately stout; tergite 1 about 1.1–1.3 times as long as posteriorly broad, with anteriorly smooth, broadly concave, central area laterally defined by longitudinal carinae on anterior 0.3 of tergite, posterior part of tergite fine punctuation, with scattered fine hairs; tergite 1 in profile weakly convex, lateral carina well-developed posteriorly, but weak on basal margin of tergite; tergite 2 with convex central area polished, very sparsely punctuate, with sparse hairs especially on lateral margins; tergites 3–4 with biconvex central area, with scattered setiferous punctures. Ovipositor length 2.5–4 mm, projecting beyond apex of metasoma by 1.9–2.1 times the length of hind tibia; subgenital plate centrally membranous, ovipositor shaft moderately stout and cylindrical, slightly upwards curved, apex of lower valve not dorsolaterally expanded, not enclosing upper valve, with distinct oblique teeth; apex of upper valve flattened, with weak nodus.

Color: Head orange, interocellar area black, antennae dark brown, palps yellow. Mesosoma orange, mesopleuron with two black spots, one in the anterior part reaching the epicnemial carina and the second one on the upper hind corner, propodeum with wide longitudinal black band centre positioned, extending basal and apical extremes on the metapleuron, metapleuron almost completely black, the rest of propodeum and metapleuron white; fore and middle legs white, with light brown areas. Hind legs white with dorsal and ventral faces of coxae, trochanter and femur brown, tibia and tarsus almost completely brown. Tegula white. Wings slightly infumate, pterostigma brown. Metasoma black with lateral margins on all tergites and hind margins of tergites 2–7 white. Ovipositor orange, sheath black.

Male: Similar to female differing mainly in color: fore legs yellow, middle legs white with tarsus brown, hind legs white with dorsal face and basal margin of coxa, dorsal face of trochanter, dorsal and ventral faces of femur and tibia brown, tarsus brown. Metasoma almost wholly black, lateral margins of all tergites white; transverse white stripes on tergites 2–5 subapically positioned. Gonoscale with apical margin slightly truncated and it is less than half of last visible tergite length.

Variations: The paratype female has head and mesosoma yellow, without black spots on mesopleuron.

Etimology: This species is named in honor of María Victoria González, junior author’s mother.

Comments: Z. victoriae is distinguished by showing head and mesosoma orange; centre of propodeum with wide longitudinal black band with apical and basal endings extending to metapleura. Z. victoriae is similar to Z. diazi in color pattern of head and mesosoma, wings slightly infumate and epicnemial carina reaching lower corner of pronotum, but metapleura is almost completely black and anterior legs are predominantly white in Z. victoriae .

Material examined: Holotype female, Venezuela, Lara state, Yacambú National Park, sector La Capilla, 1800 m, VI-1991 (Díaz) ( UCOB). Paratypes, Venezuela, Lara state, 1 female, Yacambú Nacional Park, sector El Blanquito, 1450 m, V-1985 (Díaz) ( UCOB); 1 male, Yacambú Nacional Park, sector El Blanquito, 1450m, VI-1989 (Díaz) ( UCOB).