Thoron garciai, JOHNSON & MASNER, 2004

JOHNSON, NORMAN F. & MASNER, LUBOMIR, 2004, The Genus Thoron Haliday (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), Egg-Parasitoids of Waterscorpions (Hemiptera: Nepidae), with Key to World Species, American Museum Novitates 3452, pp. 1-16 : 10-11

Thoron garciai , new species

Figure 7

DESCRIPTION: Length 2.0 mm. Female A4 subequal to or shorter than A3; clava slender, at least 4 times longer than wide (fig. 7); apex of A1 at same level as top of head (lateral view with A 1 in flexed position); female A2–A7 dark brown; male A11 2.4–2.6 times as long as wide; ocelli large, lateral ocellus separated from inner orbit by one­half diameter of posterior ocellus; central portion of mesoscutum and scutellum at most with minute setigerous punctures; notaulus long, extending anteriorly beyond level of posterior margin of tegula, simple, without crenulae; mesoscutum with both long bristles and shorter underlying pilosity; metapleuron sparsely setose anteriorly, posterior portion of metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum nearly glabrous; marginalis not thickened, as wide as submarginal or basal portion of stigmal vein; postmarginal vein clearly developed, longer than stigmal vein; dorsellum spinose medially, short, subtriangular; dorsal surface of propodeum not excavate; all coxae yellow; hindfemur almost entirely honey­yellow to yellow, concolorous with apex of coxa; T1 without hump, longitudinally costate throughout; costae on T2 reaching at least to posterior third of tergite; T2 distinctly shorter than T3; T3 wider than long.

DIAGNOSIS: Most similar to T. rivalis (fig. 12), distinguished from it most easily by the yellow hindfemora and the more slender female antennal clava.

ETYMOLOGY: This species in named in honor of our friend and colleague, Dr. José Luis García (Maracay, Venezuela), who braved inundation and stranding in the efforts to collect the series that includes the holotype.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype female: VE­ NEZUELA: Amazonas, Surumoni , 100 m, 3 ° 10 ̍ 30 ̎ N, 65 ° 40 ̍ 30 ̎ W, 13–21.vii.1999, J.L. García, trampa amarilla flotante, OSUC 77474 ( MIZA) . Paratypes: 8♀, 133 with same data as holotype (including OSUC 77475 ) . BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, Andres Ibañez, Potrerillo , 17 ° 40 ̍ S, 63 ° 27 ̍ W, 9–11.v.1997, L. Masner, yellow pan trap, 1♀ ( OSUC 77476 ) .

Thoron lautus (Masner) , new combination

Figures 9 , 19, 20

Neothoron lautus Masner, 1972: 839 . Original description. Sarazin, 1986: 975 (type information).

DESCRIPTION: Length 2.4 mm. Female A4 longer than A3; clava slender, at least 4 times longer than wide; apex of A1 at or below level of top of head (lateral view with A 1 in flexed position); female A2–A7 dark brown; male A11 3.1 times as long as wide; ocelli large, lateral ocellus separated from inner orbit by one­half diameter of posterior ocellus; central portion of mesoscutum and scutellum at most with minute setigerous punctures; notaulus long, almost percurrent, extending anteriorly beyond level of posterior margin of tegula, simple, without crenulae; mesoscutum with both long bristles and shorter underlying pilosity; metapleuron sparsely setose anteriorly, posterior portion of metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum nearly glabrous; marginalis not thickened, as wide as submarginal or basal portion of stigmal vein; postmarginal vein clearly developed, longer than stigmal vein; dorsellum unarmed medially (fig. 19); dorsal surface of propodeum excavate medially; all coxae yellow; hindfemur partly to entirely dark brown; T1 with strong, smooth hump (figs. 19, 20); costae on T2 reaching at least to posterior third of tergite; T2 as long as T3; T3 slightly longer than wide.

DIAGNOSIS: Resembling T. rex in the lack of a medial spine or thorn on the dorsellum; distinguished from it by the strongly developed horn on T 1 in the female, the shorter scape, and the presence of fine micropilosity on the mesoscutum.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype male: ECUA­ DOR: Napo and Coca Rivers , Napo, v. 1965, 250 m, L. Peña ( CNC type no. 12539). Other material: One male paratype with same data as holotype. ECUADOR: Sucumbios, Sacha Lodge, 270 m, 0 ° 30 ̍ S, 76 ° 30 ̍ W, 23.vi–3.viii.1994, P. Hibbs, malaise trap, 1 ♀ ( OSUC 77425 ) . BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, Andres Ibañez , Potrerillo, 17 ° 40 ̍ S, 63 ° 27 ̍ W, 438 m, 13–16.v.1997, L. Masner, yellow pan traps B­17, 1 ♀ ( OSUC 77424 ) .

Thoron longicornis Masner and Huggert

Figures 8 , 16

Thoron longicornis Masner and Huggert, 1979: 915 . Original description. Sarazin, 1986: 975 (type information).

DESCRIPTION: Length 2.9 mm. Female A4 distinctly shorter than A3; clava robust, 3.4 times longer than wide; apex of A1 distinctly extending above top of head (lateral view with A 1 in flexed position, fig. 8); female A2–A4 reddish brown, A5–A7 brown; male A11 1.6–1.8 times as long as wide; ocelli moderately large, lateral ocellus separated from inner orbit by approximately one diameter of posterior ocellus; central portion of mesoscutum and scutellum at most with minute setigerous punctures; notaulus long, extending anteriorly beyond level of posterior margin of tegula, deeply crenulate (fig. 16); mesoscutum with both long bristles and shorter underlying pilosity; metapleuron sparsely setose anteriorly, posterior portion of metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum nearly glabrous; marginalis not thickened, as wide as submarginal or basal portion of stigmal vein; postmarginal vein extremely short or absent, much shorter than length of stigmal vein; with massive, strong medial spine, sharply pointed; dorsal surface of propodeum not excavate; coxae yellowish brown, with base darker than apex; hindfemur almost entirely honey­yellow to yellow, concolorous with apex of coxa; T1 without hump, longitudinally costate throughout; costae on T2 reaching at least to posterior third of tergite; T2 distinctly shorter than T3; T3 wider than long.

DIAGNOSIS: This species shares with T. rex the elongate scape, clearly extending beyond the vertex. It differs from that species, and all other species treated here, in the deep and strongly crenulate notauli.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype female: UNIT­ ED STATES: Arizona, Huachuca Mts. , Ramsey Canyon , 25 km S Serra Vista, 1820 m, vi.1967, malaise trap set across creek in a narrow gully, R.F. Sternitzky ( CNC type no. 15598). Other material: UNITED STATES: Arizona, Cochise Co., Huachuca Mts., Ramsey Cyn., 1820 m, 20.viii– 10.ix.1990, L. Masner, yellow pan traps along creek, below pool, 13♀, 553 (including OSUC 77436 , 77437 ) .

COMMENTS: The nepid Curicta pronotata was also found in numbers in the same creek as this species and, presumably, is its host. This waterscorpion is also known from Sabina Canyon in Arizona and northwestern Mexico: these may be likely areas to find additional populations of this parasitoid.

A second species of waterscorpion, Curicta scorpio Stål , is found in Lousiana and Texas, south to Nicaragua ( Keffer, 1996). This suggests that there may be another species of Thoron in that region, an area in which we have seen no specimens of Thoron .

Figures

Figs. 2–8. 2, Thoron metallicus Haliday, lateral habitus; 3, T. metallicus, dorsal habitus; 4, T. metallicus, head of male with expanded genae; 5, T. metallicus, head of male with receding genae; 6, T. rivalis, n.sp., antennal clava; 7, T. garciai, n.sp., antennal clava; 8, T. longicornis Masner and Huggert, head and antenna, lateral view (from Masner and Huggert, 1979).

Figs. 9–14. 9, Thoron lautus (Masner), head, dorsal view; 10, T. metallicus Haliday, head, frontal view; 11, T. metallicus, female, lateral view of mesosoma and base of metasoma; 12, T. rivalis, n.sp., lateral habitus; 13, T. spinifer, n.sp., dorsellum, lateral view; 14, T. spinifer, T2, dorsolateral view. Scale bar in millimeters.

Figs. 15–20. 15, Thoron dayi, n.sp., mesosoma, dorsal view; 16, T. longicornis Masner and Huggert, head and mesosoma, dorsal view; 17, T. dux, n.sp., head and mesosoma, dorsal view; 18, T. rex, n.sp., head and mesosoma, dorsal view; 19, T. lautus (Masner), posterior mesosoma, dorsal view; 20, T. lautus (Masner), metapleuron, propodeum, and T1 horn, lateral view. Scale bar in millimeters.