Orasema chunpi Burks, Heraty & Dominguez, 2018

Burks, Roger A., Heraty, John M., Dominguez, Chrysalyn & Mottern, Jason L., 2018, Complex diversity in a mainly tropical group of ant parasitoids: Revision of the Orasema stramineipes species group (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eucharitidae), Zootaxa 4401 (1), pp. 1-107 : 23-25

Orasema chunpi Burks, Heraty & Dominguez n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:88031ECE-54C5-4821-AEB8-7FC38D4A50E6 ( Figs 31–40 )

Remarks. All known female specimens of this species have broken flagella, such that at least the clava is missing.

Diagnosis. Mesoscutal midlobe finely reticulate, with a pair of reddish longitudinal areas anteriorly. Mesoscutellar disc areolate-reticulate. Axillula areolate. Fore femur almost entirely dark brown, with very little yellow coloration. Petiole finely reticulate.

This species strongly resembles O. rapo in many respects, but differs in having an areolate axillula ( Fig. 35 ). It is the only species in which the fore femur is dark brown nearly from one tip to the other ( Fig. 31 ), all others having a yellow or yellowish-brown fore femur over about three-quarters of its surface. The finely reticulate petiole in females ( Fig. 37 ) is also very unusual in this group.

Description. Female. Length 3.1–3.2 mm.

Color: Head and mesosoma blue green with reddish to yellowish luster, especially in two anterior longitudinal strips on the mesoscutal midlobe. Pedicel pale brown; anellus pale brown; flagellum brown. Coxae blue green to purple dorsally, brown to yellow ventrally; fore femur almost entirely dark brown, only extreme tips pale; mid and hind femora yellow. Fore wing hyaline; venation brown. Petiole green; gaster blue to purple.

Head: Head width:head height 1.1; face reticulate; longitudinal groove between eye and torulus absent; eyes bare, inter-ocular distance:eye height 1.5–1.6; malar space:eye height 0.7–0.8; supraclypeal area longer than broad, mostly smooth, weakly sculptured dorsolaterally; clypeus smooth to weakly sculptured. Flagellum length:head height 1.6–1.8; F2 2.5–2.7× as long as broad, 1.1–1.3× as long as F3; following funiculars subequal in width, progressively shorter [flagellum broken in examined females].

Mesosoma: Mesosoma length:height 1.3–1.4. Mesoscutal midlobe reticulate to areolate-reticulate, with minute setae; lateral lobe weakly areolate-reticulate. Axilla areolate-reticulate; mesoscutellar disc areolatereticulate; frenal line regularly foveate; frenum areolate-reticulate; axillular groove anteriorly absent, broad and foveate posteriorly; axillula areolate to areolate-reticulate. Propodeum without a median carina; propodeal disc areolate; callus reticulate, with 3–5 setae. Mesepisternum reticulate laterally, areolate-reticulate to smooth ventrally, broadly rounded anterior to mid coxa. Upper mesepimeron smooth to reticulate; lower mesepimeron reticulate to areolate-reticulate; transepimeral sulcus distinct. Metepisternum laterally reticulate. Hind coxa 2.2– 2.4× as long as broad; hind femur 5.6× as long as broad. Fore wing 2.6–2.8× as long as broad, 2.8× as long as mesothorax; stigma with 4 sensilla in an oblique row. Hind wing costal cell with a broad bare area.

Metasoma: Petiole 2.6–2.9× as long as broad, 0.9–1.1× as long as hind coxa, finely reticulate, anterior carina weak. Antecostal sulcus irregularly sculptured; acrosternite posteriorly angulate.

Male. Length 2.8 mm. Head width:head height 1.3; scape yellow; flagellum length:head height 1.5, F2 1.6× as long as broad. Fore femur yellow; fore tibia yellow; mid femur yellow; mid tibia yellow; hind femur yellow. hind tibia yellow. Petiole 7.0× as long as broad, petiole length:hind coxa length 2.3.

Distribution. Venezuela.

Material examined. Holotype: VENEZUELA: Aragua: Rancho Grande N. P., 1100m, 10°22'53"N, 67°37'08"W, 18.viii–3.ix.1992, L. Masner, cloud forest, maxinet [1 ♀, UCRCENT00479289 ], deposited in CNCI . Paratypes: VENEZUELA: Aragua: Rancho Grande N. P., 1100m, 10°22'53"N, 67°37'08"W, 18.viii–3.ix.1992, L. Masner, cloud forest, maxinet [1 ♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00479290 ] . Tachira: Pregonero, Camp. Siberia, Hospital , 1280m, 8°00'56"N, 71°45'48"W, 10–31.vii.1989, S. & J. Peck [1♂, UCRC: UCRCENT00455977 ] .

Etymology. The Quechua word for “brown,” referring to the dark brown color of the fore femur.

Figures

FIGURES 31–36. Orasema chunpi. ♀: 31. Habitus. 32. Head. 33. Antenna: F2 and F6–F7. 34. Mesosoma, dorsal view. 35. Axillula.36. Stigma and postmarginal vein (holotype).

FIGURES37–40. Orasema chunpi. ♀: 37. Petiole.♂: 38. Antenna, with F2 and F6–F7inset.39.Propodeum.40.Petiole, hind coxae.