Prasmodon masoni Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield, 2014

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Whitfield, James B., Smith, M. Alex, Braet, Yves, Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2014, Review of the Neotropical genus Prasmodon (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with emphasis on species from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 37, pp. 1-52 : 23-24

Prasmodon masoni Fernandez-Triana & Whitfield sp. n. Figs 40-45

Type locality.

BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Sinop.

Holotype.

♀ in CNC. Specimen labels: 1. BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Sinop, X.1974., M. Alvarenga, Mal. Trap. 2. DNA Voucher, CNCHYM 01962.

Paratype.

1 ♀, 6 # M (CNC), Brazil, same locality than holtype, collecting dates: x.1974, x.1975, ii.1976.

Other material examined.

1 ♀ (CNC) from Brazil, Amazonas, Estirar de Ecuador, Rio Javari, ix.1979.

Description.

Female. Body length 3.5-3.6 mm, rarely 3.9-4.0 mm. Fore wing length 3.7-3.8 mm, rarely 4.1-4.2 mm. Body color: meso- and metasoma entirely yellow-orange (with the exception of a very small black spot on axillar complex) ( Figs 40, 44, 45 ). Scape color: partially dark brown to black ( Fig. 44 ). Flagellomeres color: all flagellomeres brown to black ( Figs 40-42 ). Tegula and humeral complex color: both pale. Mesotibia color: entirely yellow. Metatibia color: entirely yellow ( Fig. 43 ). Metatibia spurs color: yellow-orange. Metatarsus color: entirely yellow-white ( Fig. 43 ). Fore wing color pattern: hyaline. Fore wing veins color: all veins dark brown. Pterostigma color: entirely dark brown. Hypostomal carina: not raised ( Fig. 42 ). Scutoscutellar sulcus: with 4 impressions ( Fig. 44 ). Areolet height÷vein r length (fore wing): 0.2 x, rarely 0.3 ×. Hind wing subbasal cell: mostly with setae ( Figs 44, 45 ). Hind tarsal claws: with pectination (teeth) very irregular in spacing and length. Shape of mediotergite 1: distinctly narrowing posteriorly, width at posterior margin clearly less than width at anterior margin and median width ( Fig. 45 ). Mediotergite 1 length÷width at posterior margin 4.1-4.5 × or 4.6-5.0 ×. Mediotergite 2 width at posterior margin÷length: 2.6-3.0 ×. Ovipositor sheath length: 0.3 × as long as metatibia.

Male. Morphologically similar to female.

Molecular data.

No DNA barcodes were obtained for this species.

Biology and ecology.

Malaise-trapped.

Distribution.

Brazil, Mato Grosso.

Etymology.

Named after William R. M. Mason, the greatest Canadian expert on Microgastrinae . The holotype and paratype specimen had a label written by Mason, who considered them to represent a new species (Mason, 1981), which remained undescribed until now.

Comments.

We have included here one female from a locality (Rio Javari, Brazil) far from the type locality (Sinop, where all other specimens of the species were collected). The female from Rio Javari resembles the female holotype and another female paratype, but was not included as part of the paratype series in case it is eventually found to represent a different species. We also studied another 15 CNC male specimens of Prasmodon that were collected in Mato Grosso. They seem to represent 2-3 additional species. However, no molecular or host information is available for those specimens, and the morphological data are inadequate to properly describe them at present.

Figures

Figures 40 - 45. Prasmodon masoni. 40 Habitus 41 Fore wing 42 Head and mesosoma (partially), lateral view 43 Hypopygium, ovipositor, ovipositor sheaths, and hind leg (partially), lateral view 44 Head and mesosoma, dorsal view 45 Propodeum and metasoma, dorsal view.