Cryptalyra colombia Shaw

Shaw, Scott Richard, 2003, A new Cryptalyra species from Colombia (Hymenoptera: Megalyridae), Zootaxa 248, pp. 1-4 : 2-4

Cryptalyra colombia Shaw , NEW SPECIES

( Figs. 1-5 )

Holotype. Female, COLOMBIA: Caquetá, PNN Chiribiqute, Puerto Abeja, 310 m, Malaise trap, 2-12 February 2000, C. Arenas. Deposited in collection of the Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Santefi de Bogata, Colombia.

Description of holotype female. Head: Hypognathous, about as wide as long in dorsal view, subglobular; clypeus and frons convex, not excavated; surface of head including frons, ocellar triangle, vertex, occiput, and gena shiny but faintly shagreened and deeply pitted with numerous round foveae ( Figs. 3-4 ); eye large, ovoid, densely and obviously setose; ocular orbital carina absent posterior to eye; malar suture present and distinct; subantennal groove smooth and broad, bordered along dorsal margin by a sharp carina; occipital carina present, very wide (as wide as subantennal groove), and broadly foveate in lateral view; lateral parts of occipital carina curving below and nearly meeting ventrally, not curving towards mandible; antennae very short and compact, slightly longer than head ( Figs. 1­2 ); flagellum 12­segmented, filiform, apical flagellomere rather pointed but ending in small, blunt tip; mandible 3­toothed; maxillary palpus 5­segmented; labial palpus 3­ segmented.

Mesosoma: mesonotum and axillae shiny but faintly shagreened and deeply pitted with numerous large round foveae, largest mesonotal foveae more than 2x broader then head foveae; median mesonotal sulcus and posterior margin of axillae broadly and coarsely foveate; axillae meeting at inner angles; pronotum, mesopleuron, and metapleuron coarsely and irregularly foveate; “pronotal” spiracle minute and circular; propodeum coarsely and irregularly foveate to areolate, slightly concave postero­medially, but without distinct tubercles at postero­lateral corners; hind coxa smooth and shiny, faintly shagreened, and with a distinct carina postero­dorsally; hind tibial setae erect; fore and middle tibiae not apically rimmed with stout spines; fore, middle, and hind tibiae each with one apical spur.

Wings hyaline, with faint dusky pigmentation basally and medially, more clear apically, without any distinct banding patterns. Pattern of wing venation as in Fig. 5 .

Metasoma: Cylindrical, tapering posteriorly, not compressed; first tergum entirely smooth, shining, and highly polished, with only a few setae laterally; second and following terga faintly shagreened, more densely setose laterally; each following tergite somewhat more setose and more distinctly shagreened than previous tergite; ovipositor sheath exceedingly short, compact, and densely setose, visible portion about 1/2 as long as 7th tergite, apex of sheath barely protruding beyond apex of metasoma; ovipositor much shorter than metasoma, very slender, wire­like, flexible and curved upwards and to the left; ovipositor entirely smooth, except 3 minute teeth on lower valve apically.

Measurements and ratios: Body length (BL) 4.3 mm; forewing length (FWL) 2.8 mm; ovipositor length (OL) 0.7 mm; OL / BL 0.16; head width (HW) / head length (HL) 1.0; distance between lateral ocelli (POL) / distance between compound eye and lateral ocellus (OOL) 1.5; maximum diameter of lateral ocellus (OD) / POL 0.7; frons width (FW) / maximum diameter of compound eye (MAE) 0.6; flagellomere 1 length (F1L) / flagellomere 1 width (F1W) 2.1; F2L / F2 W 2.3; F3L / F3 W 2.0; F1L / F2L 1.1; F2L / F3L 1.2; F11L / F11 W 1.1; F12L / F12 W 2.5; F11L / F12L 0.4; mesoscutum length (MSL) / mesoscutum width (MSW) 0.6; metasoma length (MTL) / metasoma width (MTW) 2.6; MTL / BL 0.48.

Color: Head, apical 5 flagellomeres, mesosoma, and metasoma mostly black; compound eye silver; antenna basally, legs, and ovipositor orangish brown; wing venation dark brown.

Remarks: Cryptalyra species are noted for their small body size and relatively short ovipositor and sheaths. Although Cryptalyra colombia has a slightly larger body length than Cryptalyra plaumanni (4.3mm vs. 2.9mm), Cryptalyra colombia has an ovipositor length relative to body length ratio (OL / BL = 0.16) that is smaller than any other known Megalyridae in the world. Cryptalyra colombia may be easily distinguished from Cryptalyra plaumanni by its much darker body color and much coarser sculpture on the head and mesosoma. The main parts of the body are entirely black in Cryptalyra colombia (mostly brown in Cryptalyra plaumanni ). The head and mesosoma of Cryptalyra colombia are extensively covered with rather obvious large round foveae, while Cryptalyra plaumanni is relatively much smoother, with at most fine punctulate or foveolate sculpture. The propodeal tubercles noted in Cryptalyra plaumanni are not present in this new species, so that character can no longer be regarded as diagnostic for the genus.

Distribution: Known only from the type­locality in Colombia .

Etymology: Named for the type­locality in South America. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Wing venation of Cryptalyra colombia Shaw, NEW SPECIES.

FIGURES 1 - 4. Cryptalyra colombia Shaw, NEW SPECIES. 1, Habitus, lateral view. 2, Habitus, dorsal view. 3, Head, lateral view. 4, Head, anterior view.