Orasema chrysozona, Baker & Heraty, 2020

Baker, Austin J. & Heraty, John M., 2020, The New World ant parasitoid genus Orasema (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae), Zootaxa 4888 (1), pp. 1-84 : 56-59

Orasema chrysozona n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:87ADFB70-17B1-43AA-B90A-02CE77C5EC55

( Fig. 30 )

Diagnosis. Distinguished from O. peraltai by features given in the key.

Description. Female. Length 2.3–4.2 mm ( Fig. 30A ). Color. Head and mesosoma dark iridescent blue-green, sometimes with some purple iridescence. Pedicel and anellus yellow. Coxae dark brown with iridescence; fore and mid femora brown becoming pale distally; hind femur mostly brown, tips pale. Head ( Fig. 30B ). HW:HH = 0.8–1.1; IOD:EH = 1.0–1.7; MS:EH = 0.7–0.9; malar depression absent or impressed between mouth and eye margin; supraclypeal area smooth, becoming costate laterally. Palpal formula 3:3. Temples present, rounded. FL:HH = 1.2–1.4; F2L:F2W = 1.1–1.9, F2L:F3L = 1.1–1.3 ( Fig. 30D ); clava subovate. Mesosoma ( Fig. 30C, F, G ). ML:MH = 1.6–2.2. Mesoscutal midlobe transversely costate, densely setose. Axilla mostly smooth with weak sculpture near the margins; scutoscutellar sulcus broad, irregularly foveate; mesoscutellar disc as long as broad, rugose; frenal line as smooth band with a lighter color than the mesoscutellum and frenum; frenum areolate-reticulate; axillular sulcus indicated by a strong longitudinal carina. Callus areolate-reticulate. HCL:HCW = 1.4–2; HFL:HFW = 3.6–5.0, with short dense setae on the dorsal side, longer and sparser setae on ventral side. FWL:FWW = 2.4–2.7, FWL:ML = 1.7–2.2; postmarginal vein slightly longer than stigmal vein. Hind wing costal cell with only 1 or 2 irregular rows of setae. Metasoma. PTL:PTW = 1.5–2.5, PTL:HCL = 0.7–1.2, areolate. Ovipositor not visible.

Male. Length 2.1–2.7 mm. HW:HH = 1.0–1.1; scape yellow becoming brown distally; flagellum with 7 funiculars, FL:HH = 1.3–1.5; anellus disc-shaped; F2L:F2W = 1.3–1.7 ( Fig. 30E ). Fore and mid femora mostly brown becoming yellow distally; hind femur mostly brown with iridescence; tibiae yellow. PTL:PTW = 3.3–4.3, PTL:HCL = 1.4–1.7.

Hosts. Unknown.

Plant associates. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 29 ). Argentina: CB, CT, SA, SE, TM; Bolivia: SC; Brazil: AM, SP; Paraguay: AS, CR. Collected in January–March, June, December.

Material examined. Holotype. ARGENTINA. Santiago del Estero: E de Lavalle , 28°10’54”S, 65°02’57”W, 20.ii. Feb 2010, J. Torréns, T10-001 [♀, deposited in IFML: UCRCENT00436599] . Paratypes. ARGENTINA. Catamarca: RN 38 near La Merced, 869m, 28°12’0”S, 65°38’24”W, 18.iii.2003, J. Munro, roadside scrub and acacia, sweep [1♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00169639] . Cordoba: El Sauce, 31 ° 06’0”S, 64 ° 18’36”W, i.1954, Viana [1♀, AMNH: UCRCENT00424197]. Salta: Tartagal , 6 km a Lag. del Cielo , 22 ° 26’6”S, 63 ° 41’38”W, 20.xii.2003, P. Fidalgo [1♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00169651] . Santiago del Estero: 5 km Lavalle , 28°10’54”S, 65°02’57”W, 20.ii.2010, J. Torréns, T10-002 [1♀, IFML: UCRCENT00436514]. Tucumán: Las Cejas, 26 ° 53’1”S, 64 ° 44’3”W, 1-21.i.1968, C.C. Porter [1♀, MCZ: UCRCENT00322659]. Rio Nio , 26°26’17”S, 64°58’3”W, 26.xii.2003, P. Fidalgo—J. Torréns [1♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00169577]. Tapia, 26°33’24”S, 65°17’41”W, 28.ii.2016, J. Torréns, T16001 [1♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00439176] . BOLIVIA. Santa Cruz : Santa Cruz, 17 ° 47’6”S, 63 ° 10’41”W, J. Steinbach [1³, MCZ: UCRCENT00316412] . BRAZIL. Amazonas: Barcelos, Rio Araca , Boca Rio Curuduri , 35m, 0°05’50”N, 63°17’22”W, 19.vi.2010, J.A. Rafael; P. Dias; R. Machado [1♀, INPA: UCRCENT00504581] . São Paulo: S. Bocaina, 1680m, 22 ° 08’24”S, 48 ° 31’12”W, iii.1973 [2♀, CNC: UCRCENT00425821, UCRCENT00505444]. Sao Carlos, Canchin Farm, 608m, 21 ° 10’22”S, 47 ° 52’56”W, 4-6.i.1996, M. Sharkey [5♀, UCR: UCRCENT00091320– 24]. Ribeir„o Grande, Parque Estadual Intervales, 24°16’23”S, 48°25’21”W, 21.i.2011, N.W. Perioto e eq., Malaise [1♀, INPA: UCRCENT00504576]; 20.xii.2010 [1♀, INPA: UCRCENT00504580]; 22.i.2010 [3♀, INPA: UCRCENT00504577–79] . PARAGUAY. Asunción: 50-130m, 25 ° 16’56”S, 57 ° 38’6”W, 15-18.i.1972 [3³, CNC: UCRCENT00320985–87] . Cordillera: S. Bernardino, 25 ° 16’12”S, 57 ° 19’12”W, i, Fiebrig [1³, NMW: UCRCENT00423312] .

Etymology. From Greek chrys meaning “gold” and zon meaning “belt” in reference to the golden-colored frenal line.

Discussion. This species shows a large amount of morphological diversity, which may suggest the need for future recognition of more species. Our choice to recognize a single species is largely based on the similarity in molecular sequence data between two sampled specimens referred to as DF2 (UCRCENT00436599) and DF3 (UCRCENT00169577) by Baker et al. (2020). These two specimens have a large difference in total body size (3.2 and 2.3 mm body length, respectively), but they have less sequence divergence than O. coloradensis or O. sixaolae , which are two well-sampled species.

Figures

FIGURE 29. Distribution map of species in the Orasema peraltai species group.

FIGURE 30. Orasema chrysozona. Holotype female (UCRCENT00436599): A, habitus, lateral; B, head, anterior; C, mesosoma, lateral; F, mesosoma, dorsal; G, propodeum, posterior. Paratype female (UCRCENT00169639): D, antenna. Paratype male (UCRCENT00320986): E, antenna.