Austrocotesia croizati Valerio & Whitfield

Valerio, A. A. & Whitfield, J. B., 2005, Two new species of the genus Austrocotesia Austin & Dangerfield (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from the Andean region of South America, Zootaxa 888, pp. 1-11 : 4-6

Austrocotesia croizati Valerio & Whitfield n. sp.

( Figs. 1 A–1F)

Female. Body length = 3.55 mm.

Body color: mainly yellow; antenna with mid flagellomeres white as well as anterior lateral half of metasoma, remainder of metasoma light yellow except dorsal area; remain­ der antenna brownish yellow as are most of lateroexternal areas of scape and pedicel, ocular area, anterior 1/3 and lateroposterior areas of mesonotum, lunulae, metanotum, axilla through metanotum, propodeum carinae as well as first tergum lateral carinae, anterior 2/3 of first metasomal tergum, metasoma second tergum as well as anterior 1/3 of third tergum and fourth to seventh terga, ovipositor sheaths, legs with tibia and tarsomeres (except distal 1/2 of hind tibia and basal 1/4 of hind basitarsus; compound eyes silver; ocellus light yellow); remainder of body yellow. Wings hyaline, fore wing veins brownish yellow as well as hind wing veins (except veins M+CU, 1A and cu­a light yellow.

Head. Head height/width = 1.25; compound eye height/width = 1.38; tentorial pit distance/distance tentorial pit to compound eye = 2.5; clypeus width/height = 2.2; vertex width/distance between anterior ocellus and edge of torulus = 2.46; first flagellomere length/width = 3.71; length first flagellomere/length of second flagellomere = 1.04; length of first flagellomere/length of third flagellomere = 1.04; distal flagellomere length/penultimate flagellomere length = 1.42; distal flagellomere length/width = 2.13; malar space height/basal width of mandible = 1.14; ocell­ocular distance/lateral ocelli distance = 2.16. Head densely and finely punctate and setose, except for glabrous frons, scrobal areas, ocell­ocular region and postocciput.

Wings. Fore wing length = 3.7 mm; 1CUa length/2Cub length = 0.55; 1M length/ mcu length = 1.79; pterostigma length/height = 1.5. Hind wing: 1M length/2M length = 2.5; 1M length/M+CU length = 1.53; length r­m/length Cua = 0.65; 1RSa length/2r­m = 2.

Mesosoma. Propleuron covered by fine and dense punctate sculpturing; propleural lateral areas with anterior 1/4 exhibiting three narrow costulae, the anterior one much wider than the other two, remainder of pronotum nitid; mesonotum with dense and fine punctate sculpturing throughout, sculpturing becoming more widely spaced and slightly larger next to scutellar groove; scutellar groove with eight well defined costulae; axilla through mesosoma with three shallow costulae at mid area, remainder of axilla nitid except at anterior edge of lunulae with a series of projecting short ridges, remainder of lunulae nitid; scutellum with fine, shallow and dense punctate sculpturing throughout, lateral areas with confused and relatively lightly impressed rugulose sculpturing with large costula posteriorly; metanotum mediodistally with a strong polished costula; axilla through metanotum essentially nitid except for distal edge with a series of short and well defined ridges; propodeum with transverse carinae short and well defined, areola present, more or less pentagonal and complete, costulae almost reaching anterior edge of pronotum, medial longitudinal carina present anteriorly with few lateral projections, remainder of propodeal area nitid; mesopleuron with sternaulus with dense transverse ridges throughout its length, anterior edge punctate, dorsal edge with well defined scrobiculate sculpturing present, remainder of mesopleuron nitid; metanotum with medial pit present and pleural suture present and exhibiting transversal ridges across its length, dorsal edge with few transversal ridges.

Legs. Hind femur length/width = 3.75; hind tibia length/hind femur length = 1.13. Fore telotarsus normal, not modified (i.e. without hairlike projection opposite indentation); tarsal claws pectinate; dorsal area of hind coxae with transverse ridges on distal 1/3.

Metasoma. First tergum length/distal width = 4.7; second tergum length/distal width = 0.54; third tergum length/distal width = 0.56; ovipositor> 1.33x length of hind tibia; ovipositor sheaths> 1.19x as long as hind tibia length. First metasomal tergum with smooth rugulose sculpturing throughout except on distal 1/4, distal 1/4 with sinuate longitudinal carinae; second metasomal tergite nitid and strongly triangular in shape; remainder of metasomal terga nitid.

Male. Similar to female, but areola less well defined on posterior 1/2 of propodeum and body more darker in coloration than females.

Material examined. Female holotype, “ Colombia, Nariño, R.N. La Planada Vía Hondón, 1°15'N 78°15'W, 1930m, Malaise 11/2/00 ­ 11/16/00, G. Oliva, Leg. M.1411.” Paratypes: two males, Ecuador, Pichincha, Santo Domingo, 16 Km S.E. Tinalandia, 680 m, 15/vi/1976, Col. Peck; Colombia, Nariño, Ricaurte, PN la Planada, 1°15'N 77°24'W, 1800 m, IAVHHB145. Holotype deposited at Instituto Alexander von Humboldt ( IAVH, Colombia) and paratypes deposited at the Canadian National Collection ( CNC, Canada).

Comments. This species is characterized by the brownish yellow coloration on the mesosoma and the first metasomal tergum, and can be distinguished from A. renei by the totally yellow coloration of the mesosoma and the first metasomal tergum, as well as the extensive transverse lineate sculpturing in the sternaulal groove, and the extensive sinuate lineate sculpturing on the distal 1/4 of the first metasomal tergum. This species also tends to be larger in body size than A. renei , based on our limited sample.

Etymology. Gender, masculine. This species is named in honor of Leon Croizat (1894–1982), the father of Panbiogeography.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Austrocotesia croizati n. sp. habitus (A), first metasomal tergum (B), hind leg tarsal claws (C), mesopleuron (arrow points at transversal lineate sculpturing on sternauli (D), mesonotum dorsal view (E) and wing venation (F).