Piasites carinatus Seyrig, 1952

Bordera, Santiago & Santos, Bernardo F., 2022, A review of Piasites Seyrig (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), with description of seven new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 90, pp. 23-57 : 23

Piasites carinatus Seyrig, 1952

Figs 1A , 3 , 4 , 12A , 13A , 14A

Piasites carinatus Seyrig, 1952: 191. Original description, figure. Holotype ♀ (MNHN, examined). Type data: Madagascar, Ivondro (handwritten over a printed label saying "Rogez, Foret Cote Est"), Muséum Paris, XII-38, A. Seyrig. Type databased (EY9406), images available at https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/ey/item/ey9406.

Diagnosis.

Piasites carinatus can be easily distinguished from all other Piasites species by the coarsely and densely punctate mesoscutum (Figs 3C, D , 13A ).

Description.

Female. Fore wing length 6.2-8.1 mm.

Head. In dorsal view strongly narrowed behind eyes, 0.50-0.55 × as long as wide. Gena in dorsal view rounded, somewhat swollen. Posterior ocellus separated from eye by 1.0-1.3 × its maximum diameter. Distance between posterior ocelli 0.80-1.15 × their diameter. Occipital carina complete, slightly v-shaped dorsally. Face smooth and shiny, convex, central part delimited by two weak vertical depressions from antennal sockets to clypeal foveae. Clypeal suture absent or weakly present laterally. Clypeus 1.8-1.9 × as broad as medially long, very convex, with sparse relatively long setae, prominent in lateral view, ventral margin rounded with a median denticle. Malar space 0.55-0.70 × as long as basal mandibular width. Mandible 1.60 × as long as basal width; dorsal tooth distinctly longer than ventral one. Antenna with 27-32 flagellomeres, strongly tapered towards apex; flagellomeres from f11(13) to apex, conspicuously flattened ventrally; f1 7.0-7.3 × as long as its maximum width.

Mesosoma. Pronotum coarsely, densely and deeply punctate dorsally, with coarse longitudinal striae in subdorsal lateral part, ventrally tending to smooth; epomia very short or not distinguishable from other striae. Mesoscutum about 1.25 × as long as wide, evenly convex, coarsely, densely and deeply punctate, punctures touching; central part between posterior end of notauli with coarse convergent rugosities or striae; notaulus weak, reaching about 0.5 of length of mesoscutum, merged with coarse sculpture of mesoscutum. Scutellum smooth with very fine inconspicuous punctures, lateral carinae distinct on anterior 0.6. Mesopleuron shiny, with dorsal longitudinal strigosity, densely and coarsely punctate ventally; sternaulus deep and wide, with transverse keels; epicnemial carina weak, reaching upper corner of mesopleuron. Metapleuron shiny, with coarse and deep dense punctures; juxtacoxal and submetapleural carinae strong and complete. Propodeum coarsely and strongly rugose punctate between anterior and posterior transverse carinae, densely punctate anteriorly, coarsely rugose posterior to posterior transverse carina; transverse carinae complete, anterior one centrally angled towards anterior part, posterior one evenly curved centrally, somewhat elevated and forming two low lateral crests. Hind leg with femur 5.0-5.8 × as long as high. Areolet subrectangular or pentagonal, 0.7-0.9 × as high as wide, relatively small, 0.45-0.6 × as high as abscissa of vein 2m-cu above bulla. Hind wing with vein cu-a 0.4-0.6 × length of first abscissa of CU.

Metasoma. T1 2.0-2.4 × as long as posteriorly broad, weakly strigose longitudinally, in lateral view strongly curved at mid dorsal part, dorso-lateral carina weak but complete. T2 0.8-1.0 × as long as posteriorly broad, densely punctate anteriorly, finely granulate posteriorly. T3 more weakly punctate, following tergites finely granulate. Ovipositor sheath 0.55-0.65 × as long as hind tibia.

Colour. Body mostly orange. Head dark brown or black with face and frons (except periphery of antennal sockets), and usually clypeus partially, labrum and a spot at dorsal part of outer ocular orbit, yellow cream; scape, pedicel and f1-4 orange, distal part of f3(4) to f10(12) white, f10-12 only dorsally, following flagellomeres dark brown. T1 orange to dark brown, with a posterior yellow cream band, sometimes entirely orange; T2 anteriorly orange, posteriorly dark brown or black, with a wide posterior yellow cream band, posterior margin black, sometimes tergite entirely orange; T3 dark orange, dark brown or black; T4-5 anteriorly black, posteriorly white; following tergites similar but usually with the black anterior part hidden by anterior tergite. Legs orange. Wings hyaline, slightly yellowish, pterostigma yellow.

Male. Fore wing length 4.0-7.0 mm. Head. In dorsal view 0.5-0.55 × as long as wide. Posterior ocellus separated from eye 1.0-1.2 × its maximum diameter. Distance between hind ocelli 1.0-1.2 × maximum diameter of posterior ocellus. Clypeus 1.65-1.75 × as broad as medially long. Malar space 0.50-0.65 × as long as basal mandibular width. Antenna with 24-31 flagellomeres, flagellum not enlarged subapically; flagellomeres from f17(18) to apex flattened ventrally; f1 5.0-5.25 × as long as wide. Mesosoma. Hind leg with femur 5.3-5.6 × as long as high. Hind wing with vein cu-a 0.15-0.5 × length of first abscissa of CU. Metasoma. T1 2.3-2.55 × as long as posteriorly broad, longitudinally weakly strigose. Colour. As female but antenna with white band on f7(8)-15(16); anterior parts of T4 and T5 black, posterior parts of T4-5 and T6-7 entirely white. Other features as in female.

Variation.

Piasites carinatus is a very variable species in colour (Fig. 4 ). There is a gradient of individuals with a tendency to have progressively darker body colour: on the head, the ventral anterior part becomes brownish reaching the clypeus, malar space and face, as well as the disappearance of the spot at the dorsal part of the outer ocular orbit; the mesosoma can vary from orange to dark orange and on the metasoma there is a tendency for the orange parts of the usual pattern to be darkened, through to becoming brown to black, and also to the appearance of transverse yellow bands at posterior parts of T1 and T2, and more rarely also on T3. Following this variation spectrum, Seyrig had divided the specimens in his collection into (undescribed) subspecies, but we choose not to delimit subspecies in P. carinatus due to the continuous nature of the variation, its non-geographic structure (i.e., specimens of different colour morphs are found in the same localities), and to theoretical and practical issues involving the concept of subspecies themselves ( Wilson and Brown 1953; Mallet 2017).

Material examined.

Holotype: Madagascar • ♀; Ivondro; XII-38; A. Seyrig; Muséum Paris EY9406; " Piasites carinatus Sey. Type" " Holotypus Piasites carinatus ♀ Seyrig 1952, Labeled by T. Yoshida 2011" (MNHN) . Other material. 83 ♀♀, 42♂♂. Madagascar • 10♀♀, 1♂; Ambohimanga ; Museum Paris; XI-36; A Seyrig • 1♂; Anjozorobe ( Lasen ); Museum Paris; XII-36; A Seyrig • 3♀♀, 4♂♂; Antsirabé; Museum Paris; XI-36; A Seyrig • 1♀, 6♂♂; Bekily, Reg sud de L’ile; Museum Paris; V-36; A. Seyrig • 4♂♂; same data as for preceding; VI-36 • 5♀♀; same data as for preceding; X-36 • 2♀♀; same data as for preceding; XI-36 • 1♂; same data as for preceding; II-37 • 1♀, 2♂♂; same data as for preceding; IV-37 • 1♀; same data as for preceding; VI-40 • 1♀, 1♂; Fianarantsoa, Plateau Central ; Museum Paris; XI-35; A Seyrig • 9♀♀, 6♂♂; same data as for preceding; XI-36 • 1♀; same data as for preceding; III-38 • 1♀; Fort Dauphin; Museum Paris ; VIII-40; A. Seyrig • 1♀; Ivondro; Museum Paris ; I-39; A. Seyrig • 1♀; same data as for preceding; II-40 • 2♀♀; same data as for preceding; V-40 • 4♀♀; same data as for preceding; VII-40 • 3♀♀; Perinet, Foret Cote Est ; Museum Paris; II-39; A Seyrig • 1♀; same data as for preceding; II-42 • 12♀♀, 2♂♂; Ranomafana; Museum Paris ; X-38; A. Seyrig • 1♀, 1♂; same data as for preceding; I-40 • 8♀♀, 7♂♂; Rogez, Foret Cote Est ; Museum Paris; 1935; A Seyrig • 1♂; same data as for preceding; II-36 • 3♀♀; same data as for preceding; V-36 • 3♀♀, 1♂; same data as for preceding; IX-36 • 1♀; same data as for preceding; X-36 • 2♀♀; same data as for preceding; I-37 • 5♀♀, 5♂♂; same data as for preceding; II-37 • 1♀; same data as for preceding; IV-37 • 1♂; same data as for preceding; IV-38 (all them MNHN) .

Remarks.

In addition to the holotype, Seyrig reports having examined 17 females and 40 males. However, he did not provide full label data for the examined specimens, stating they were collected in Rogez and Bekily (Madagascar). These specimens would have paratype status under the ICZN. However, the number of specimens of P. carinatus from those localities in the MNHN collection does not match these numbers: there are 10 females and 13 males from Bekily, and 23 females and 15 males from Rogez, for a total of 33 females and 28 males from both localities. Some specimens of P. carinatus in the collection bear handwritten labels by Seyrig, which could indicate they could be some of the originally studied specimen, but not all of those bearing Seyrig labels are from Bekily and Rogez, indicating that they could have been re-examined posteriorly. Hence, it is impossible to know for sure which of the specimens are the paratypes.

Figures

Figure 1. Propodeum of Piasites, dorsal view, females (I): A P. carinatus Seyrig B P. quasimodus sp. nov. (paratype) C P. politus sp. nov. (paratype) D P. perinetensis sp. nov. (holotype). Scale bars: 0.3 mm.

Figure 3. Piasites carinatus Seyrig, female: A habitus, lateral view (holotype) B head, front view (holotype) C head and mesosoma, lateral view (holotype) D head and mesoscutum, dorsal view (holotype) E T 1 - 3, dorsal view (paratype) F front wing, areolet and vein 2 m-cu (paratype). Scale bars: 2 mm (A); 1 mm (C); 0.3 mm (B, D-F).

Figure 4. Colour variation of P. carinatus: head, mesosoma and metasoma, lateral view, females. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 12. Piasites species, habitus of males, lateral view: A P. carinatus B P. quasimodus sp. nov. (paratype) C P. seyrigi sp. nov. (paratype) D P. perinetensis sp. nov. (paratype) E P. nigricollis sp. nov. (paratype). Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 13. Piasites species, males A-E head and mesosoma, lateral view: A P. carinatus B P. quasimodus sp. nov. (paratype) C P. seyrigi sp. nov. (paratype) D P. nigricollis sp. nov. (paratype) E P. perinetensis sp. nov. (paratype) F-G metapleuron: F P. nigricollis sp. nov. (paratype) G P. perinetensis sp. nov. (paratype). Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A-E); 0.2 mm (F, G).

Figure 14. Diagrams showing distribution records for species of Piasites A P. carinatus B P. lineatus sp. nov. C P. nigricollis sp. nov. D P. orbitalis sp. nov.