Debilos frater Scherrer, 2012

Scherrer, Marcus V. & Aguiar, Alexandre P., 2012, 3469, Zootaxa 3469, pp. 1-76 : 20-21

Debilos frater Scherrer , sp. nov.

( Figs 14, 28, 53, 83, 98, 129)

Description. Female. Fore wing 8 mm. Head ( Fig. 83): Clypeus smooth, sparsely punctate towards apex, moderately convex, regularly curved, CWH 1.59; MWC 0.55, MLW 2.08, MWW 0.42; malar space moderately long, MSM 1; supra-antennal area with faint, median, longitudinal carina, indistinct at middle; minimum distance from eye margin to occipital carina laterally approximately same width of mandible base.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 98). Pronotum lateral portion inconspicuously strigate to rugose, epomia faint; notaulus moderately impressed, finely corrugated, reaching about middle of mesoscutum; mesopleuron dorsal half medially faintly strigulate-rugulose, ventral half without distinct ridges or rugae, epicnemial carina restricted to ventral 0.7 of mesopleuron, posteriorly inconspicuously, densely corrugated; mesopleural groove markedly, sparsely corrugated; sternaulus entirely faintly corrugated; postpectal carina medially distinctly bent; metapleuron, subapical fovea shallow, subcircular ( Fig. 53); pleural carina stout; propodeum anterior area short, PLL 0.71, anterior transverse carina distinct, complete, medially distinctly arched forwards, posterior area moderately strigate-rugose, with ridges medially slightly arched backwards ( Fig. 14), spiracle very elongate, SWL 2.50, propodeal apophyses long, thorn-shaped, AHD 2.50. Legs: Hind t4 posterior lobe about 0.5 × as long as anterior lobe. Wings ( Fig. 28): Fore wing vein (Rs+M)b perfectly straight, limit with crossvein 1m-cu distinct, ramellus present; vein Rs&1M uniformly slightly curved; crossvein 1cu-a posteriorly slightly convex, arising opposite vein Rs&1M, angle with vein M+Cu distinctly obtuse; vein 2Cua moderately shorter than crossvein 2cu-a, FWC 0.75; areolet small, APH 0.67; vein 2Ma distinctly longer than vein 2Mb; vein 2Mb tubular; crossvein 2m-cu with bulla short, about 0.2 × as long as vein length or shorter; vein 2Rsb slightly sinuous. Hind wing vein 2-1A long, reaching about 0.8 × the distance to wing margin, HWC 2.00.

Metasoma ( Fig. 98). T1 petiole basal half smooth towards base, apical half, postpetiole coriarious-punctulate, except pospetiole apical parts centrally smooth, sparsely punctulate, spiracle at about basal 0.7, very conspicuously prominent, T1LW 3.04, T1WW 3.00, T1GL 0.36; T2 moderately short, apically robust, T2T1L 0.76, thyridium distinctly longer than wide, T2LW 0.94, T2WW 2.07. Ovipositor approximately straight, OST 0.47, dorsal valve with nodus absent, notch absent; ventral valve tip with inconspicuous serrations restricted to very tip.

Color. Head black, legs and metasoma black, mesosoma dark orangish brown (127, 065, 047). Head: Flagellomere 1 dorsally white; mouth parts whitish (218, 216, 195), except mandible basal 0.25 and apex blackish ( Fig. 45). Mesosoma: Ventrally darkest; propodeal apophyses white; propleuron darker than pronotum. Legs: Fore leg entirely and mid tibia and tarsus lightest; fore coxa apical margin, fore femur towards apex, fore and mid tibiae anteriorly and posteriorly, femora basal margin slightly and hind tibia basal 0.2 pale yellow (241, 224, 144) to whitish; hind t1 apical half, t2 and 3 entirely, and t4 basal half white. Fore wing with one inconspicuous dark spot, around vein 2m-cu. Metasoma: T1 apical 0.1, and T2 and 3 margin lightest; T6–8 apical margin centrally white; ovipositor sheath dark brown (092, 054, 024), except basal 0.65 ventrally whitish.

Male. Unknown.

Variability. Unknown.

Comments. As mentioned in “Species Delimitation” of the genus, this species cannot be placed in any of the proposed species group because of its high morphological dissimilarities with all other species, as well as the presence of some unique features. According to its general body shape and size the single available specimen may resemble species of the D. soror group, but differs from those by having the mesosoma orangish brown (vs. black), propodeal apophyses very long, thorn-shaped (vs. short, conical apophyses) and ovipositor dorsal valve without nodus (vs. with nodus distinct).

The morphological characterization under the diagnosis of the D. typurum species group (see “Species Delimitation”) may fit somewhat well for D. frater , but it should not be associated with that species group because it is largely unlike those species, mostly by having a quite large body size, with fore wing length about 8.00 mm (vs. medium size, fore wing length about 4.10–6.32 mm), and metasoma mostly blackish, without white stripe at T2 apical parts (vs. mostly dark brownish, T2 with apical white stripe). It is also remarkable that this individual has a developed ramellus on the fore wing, whereas it is absent on all other Debilos species.

Etymology. From the Greek word frater , meaning “brother,” in reference to the color pattern of this species (orangish thorax and blackish legs) that seems like the inverse of the color pattern of D. soror (blackish thorax and orangish legs).

Distribution. Peru. Found at the locality of Tingo María, Huánuco (around 09°17’S 76°0’W) ( Fig. 129). Material Examined. Holotype ♀ from PERU, Huánuco, Tingo María, 12.I.1947, Alt. 2200 ft., JCPallister Coll., Donor Frank Johnson (AMNH). Mounted with a pin on its mesoscutum; antennae lacking flagellomeres 3 to tip; left hind tarsus lacking; left ovipositor sheath posterior half missing.