Aspilota ajara Peris-Felipo, 2016

Peris-Felipo, Francisco Javier, Garcia-Becerra, Rafael & Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2016, Aspilota ajara sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae), the first species of the genus Aspilota Foerster from caves, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 52, pp. 153-162 : 157-160

Aspilota ajara Peris-Felipo sp. n. Figs 3 , 4

Type material.

Holotype: female, Spain: Canary Islands, La Palma, Villa de Mazo, Llano de los Caños cave, 15.iii.1995 (R. García-Becerra leg.) (MNHT).

Paratypes. Spain, 27 females, same data as holotype, but iii, vi, ix & xii.1995 (CULL, ENV, MNCN, MNHT, RGB, ZISP).

Description.

Female (holotype). Head. In dorsal view twice as wide as its median length, 1.3 times as wide as mesoscutum, with rounded temples behind eyes. Head at level of temple (dorsal view) as wide as at level of eyes. Eye in lateral view 1.6 times as high as wide and 0.9 times as wide as temple medially; in dorsal view about as wide as temple. POL 1.5 times OD; OOL 4.7 times OD. Face 1.7 times as wide as high; inner margins of eyes subparallel. Clypeus slightly curved ventrally, 2.3 times as wide as high. Mandible weakly widened towards apex, 1.4 times as long as maximum width. Upper tooth of mandible distinctly shorter than middle and lower teeth, develop as rounded lobe; middle tooth long, narrow and pointed; lower tooth longer than upper tooth, wide, rounded apically. Antenna thick, 19-segmented, 1.1 times as long as body. Scape 2.1 times as long as pedicel. First flagellar segment 3.2 times as long as its apical width, 1.1 times as long as second segment; second segment 3.0 times as long as its maximum width, third to ninth segments 2.8 times, 10th to 14th 2.6 times, 15th segment 2.2 times, 16th segment 2.5 times, and 17th (apical) 2.75 times as long as their maximum width accordingly.

Mesosoma in lateral view about 1.2 times as long as high. Mesoscutum 1.1 times as long as maximum width. Notauli mainly absent on horizontal surface of mesoscutum. Mesoscutal pit absent. Prescutellar depression smooth, only with median carinae. Precoxal suture present, not reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron. Posterior mesopleural furrow crenulate in upper part and smooth below. Propodeum sculptured, with pentagonal areola. Propodeal spiracle small.

Legs. Hind femur 4.7 times as long as its maximum width. Hind tibia slightly widened towards apex, 12.0 times as long as its maximum subapical width, as long as hind tarsus. First segment of hind tarsus 2.6 times as long as second segment.

Wings. Length of fore wing 2.8 times its maximum width. Radial (marginal) cell ending at apex of wing, 1.5 times as long as its maximum width. Vein cuqu1 (2-SR) present and sclerotized. Vein r2 (3-SR) 2.7 times as long as vein cuqu1 (2-SR); vein r3 (SR1) 2.1 times as long as vein r2 (3-SR). Nervulus (cu-a) strongly postfurcal. Brachial (subdiscal) cell closed distally, 2.3 times as long as its maximum width. Hind wing 6.3 times as long as its maximum width.

Metasoma. Distinctly compressed. First tergite smooth medially, weakly rugulose laterally, widened towards apex, 2.3 times as long as its apical width. Ovipositor 1.3 times as long as first tergite, distinctly shorter than metasoma, 0.8 times as long as hind femur.

Colour. Body reddish brown, metasoma paler. Antenna mainly pale brown, four basal segments yellow. Mandible and legs yellow. Wings hyaline.

Length. Body - 2.0 mm; fore wing - 2.4 mm; hind wing - 1.7 mm.

Variation. Body length 1.9-2.5 mm; fore wing length 2.3-2.7 mm; hind wing length 1.6-1.9 mm. Otherwise similar to holotype.

Etymology.

The name is derived from Canary dialect “ájara” meaning "be fortunate", referring to the difficulty in finding this genus in the caves.

Comparative diagnosis.

This new species is similar to Aspilota insolita (Tobias, 1962) (U.K., Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Hungary, former Czechoslovakia, European part of Russia, Iran: Peris-Felipo et al. 2016) as they share the sculptured, pentagonal areola on the propodeum, eye in lateral view 0.9-1.0 times as wide as the temple medially, mandible 1.4 times as long as its maximum width, and sixth flagellar segment 2.6-2.8 times as long as its maximum width.

Aspilota ajara sp. n. differs from Aspilota insolita in having the head in dorsal view twice as wide as its median length (1.8 times in Aspilota insolita ), head in dorsal view 1.3 times as wide as mesoscutum (1.6 times in Aspilota insolita ), face 1.7 times as wide as high (1.9 times in Aspilota insolita ), clypeus 2.3 times as wide as high (1.6 times in Aspilota insolita ), head at level of eyes in dorsal view about as wide as head at level of temple (1.2 times in Aspilota insolita ), the first flagellar segment 3.2 times as long as its maximum width (4.7-5.3 times in Aspilota insolita ), and hind femur 4.7 times as long as its maximum width (4.0-4.1 times in Aspilota insolita ).

In Belokobylskij’s ( Belokobylskij and Tobias 2007) key, Aspilota ajara sp. n. runs to the Eastern Palaearctic Aspilota tshirikovi Belokobylskij, 2007 (Russian Far East and Japan), but differs in having the lower mandibular tooth long (short in Aspilota tshirikovi ), middle and apical antennal segments slender and long (thick and short in Aspilota tshirikovi ), face 1.7 times as wide as high (1.2-1.4 times in Aspilota tshirikovi ), and paraclypeal fovea wide (rather narrow in Aspilota tshirikovi ).

General distribution.

Canary Islands (Spain).

Remarks.

Specimens were found in all traps but mainly in E2 and E3 sampling points. One specimen was captured in each of March and June, five in September and 21 in December. Unfortunately, it is not possible to report precise collection data for sampling points and dates because the notes with this complete information were destroyed in a flood. The following Diptera were sampled in the same traps: Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 ( Calliphoridae ), Megaselia sp. ( Phoridae ) and Aptilotus martini Wheeler & Marshall, 1989 ( Sphaeroceridae ) ( García and González 1998). However, it is impossible to establish any biological relationships between them.

Figures

Figure 3. Aspilota ajara sp. n. (female). A Habitus, lateral view B Head and mesosoma, lateral view C Mandible D Antenna E Face, front view F Head and mesonotum, dorsal view.

Figure 4. Aspilota ajara sp. n. (female). A Propodeum, dorsal view B First metasomal tergite C Metasoma, hind leg and ovipositor, lateral view D Fore and hind wings.