Urosigalphus inaequalis Arias-Penna

Carolina, Diana & B, James, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the Colombian species of Urosigalphus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 3411, pp. 1-54 : 25-27

Urosigalphus inaequalis Arias-Penna , n. sp.

Figs. 10 A–F

Female.— Body length 3.58 mm.

Body color ( Fig. 10 A): mainly black. Flagellomeres, scape dark brown. Pedicel, anellus, mandible, labrum, labial and maxillary palps light brown. Mandibular teeth red-brown. Fore and mid legs light yellow-brown, but hind legs dark yellow-brown except apical third of tibia and tarsus brown. Fore wing ( Fig. 10 F): half posterior of tegula dark brown; basally C+Sc+R vein darker than apically; stigma dark brown. Membrane of both fore and hind wings light brown; microtrichiae of fore wings brown, but hind wings hyaline.

Head ( Figs. 10 A–B). — Subround. Antenna with 12 flagellomeres; first three flagellomeres longer than wide (0.20:0.05; 0.23:0.05; 0.18: 0.05 mm); last five, except the last one, longer than wide (0.11:0.005; 0.11:0.005; 0.11:0.005; 0.11:0.005; 0.12: 0.005 mm); apical flagellomere longer than penultimate (0.15: 0.11mm); scape shorter than first flagellomere (0.19: 0.20 mm) and wider than pedicel and first flagellomere (0.10:0.08: 0.08 mm); pedicel more than half as long as scape (0.10: 0.19 mm). Torulus located above midline of the eye. Frons with a deep longitudinal median groove enclosed by two high, lateral carinae; groove ventrally narrower than dorsally and reaching the ventral margin of lateral ocelli. Scrobes very deep, wide, not surrounded by a carina, reaching the vertex, ventrally smooth, shiny, dorsally with irregular areolae and wavy interspaces. Lower face strongly convex with dense, irregular areolae, interspaces shiny with irregular surface. Fronto-clypeal suture strongly impressed, rounded and with sculpture. Anterior tentorial pit not embedded within a strong depression. Clypeus convex not on same plane as lower face, with dense, irregular areolae, interspaces shiny, with irregular surface; apically with some transverse folds; apical part reflexed narrow, shiny, with transverse strigae throughout, with a defined edge, but not forming a carina although basally present close to mandible. Labrum with small punctures, interspaces wavy. Mandible short, stout, basally transverse strigae; mandible set with two teeth, superior teeth subequal in size than inferior; teeth long, slender with sharp apex. Maxillary palps longer than labial. Ocelli oval, lateral ocelli distant from each other, separated by more than the width of lateral ocellus (0.005: 0.007 mm) and with a high edge in the inner area. Stemmaticum with a longitudinal median depression with lateral edges surrounding inner part of lateral ocelli, stemmaticum higher than vertex forming a weak projection, highest point concave. Eyes without preorbital carina. Vertex without longitudinal median carina, with dense areolae and interspaces with strigate pattern. Occiput concave, smooth, shiny. Occipital carina present laterally and dorsally. Temple and gena with dense areolae; interspaces with strigate/diagonal patterns.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 10 A, C–E). — Projection of propleuron sharp. Pronotum ( Fig. 10 C) anteriorly with a deep groove of areolae; curvature of pronotum with areolae of different sizes; dorsally with at least three diagonal rows of areolae, but close to pronotal lobe with a mix of large and small punctures. Pronotal lobe ( Fig. 10 C) sloped toward tegula; point of inflection carinated; apex rounded. Mesoscutum ( Figs. 10 C–D) uneven; lateral mesonotal lobes shiny with small, dense punctures; anteriorly sloped, posteriorly convex, edge of lateral mesonotal lobes with deep, irregular foveae of different sizes throughout; median mesonotal lobe with a continuous longitudinal median carina ( Fig. 10 D) which is less than half as long as median mesonotal lobe and posteriorly ends above an elongated fovea, additional median mesonotal lobe anteriorly with at least three wavy, discontinuous, transverse carinae at each side of median lobe; area of convergence of notauli with several irregular areolae, forming an inverted triangle, interspaces aligned in the middle part that look like a continuation of the longitudinal median carina, profile of median lobe not well delimited by an edge. Notauli clearly defined only in two posterior thirds, notauli near edge of transscutal articulation, and with additional row of foveae throughout, but not neatly arranged. Scutellum triangular, slightly convex so medially higher than mesoscutum, scutellum with irregular foveae only at the edge, other parts smooth and shiny; posteriorly higher than anteriorly, apex concave, but with a central, sharp projection ( Fig. 10 C), on different vertical plane than posterior scutellar depression, that protrudes strongly ( Figs. 10 C); scutellar sulcus with four deep, uneven foveae. Posterior scutellar depression with two square foveae that fill most of the smooth area. Middle part of metanotum, below posterior scutellar depression, with a strong projection conspicuous in lateral view. Propodeum antero-posteriorly short, symmetrical; crossed by high MLC posteriorly projected ( Fig. 10 C); ATC high, rises after an invagination, but does not reach the same length as MLC; AMA absent; posterior wall flat with small areolae; interspaces wide. Metapleuron with areolae of different sizes.

Mesopleuron ( Fig. 10 C) with epicnemial carina, but lacks sternaulus; mesopleuron convex; shiny central area with sparse and small punctures; dorsally with a deep transverse depression below tegula, and with four, deep, large foveae; ventrally with a dent that bears foveae of different sizes; anteriorly with an elongated, narrow, flat area that bears small, dense punctures throughout the edge; posteriorly scrobiculate. Mesosternum ( Fig. 10 E) convex with several foveae not surrounded by carinae and although located in the middle only posterior half forming a straight row; lateral part of mesosternum not delimited by carinae although with conspicuous edges; mesosternum near fore coxa with a high transverse lamella on the same plane throughout and at least three short longitudinal lamella; mesosternum near mid coxa with elongate and large areolae and with a diagonal row of areolae that coincides with the areolae of ventral mesopleuron.

Wings ( Figs. 10 A, F). — Fore wing ( Fig. 10 F): vein M+CU markedly curved (sinuate); vein 3RSb tubular, distant from stigma (0.43 mm); subbasal cell longer than basal (1.11: 1.08 mm); stigma short and rounded. Fore wing: length 2.30 mm, width 0.75 mm; hind wing: length 1.90 mm, width 0.53 mm.

Metasoma ( Figs. 10 A). — Carapace in lateral view elongate ( Fig. 10 A), more fusiform; anteriorly with strong substrigulae that cross more than half the length of the carapace; area between the carinae lacunose. Apex of carapace with two tubercles, in lateral view, region above tubercles convex and with deep and small punctures; tubercles subequal in size (left 0.05:0.11; right 0.06: 0.09 mm), apex blunt, tubercles separated by more than width of the base of the tubercle (0.10: 0.06 mm). Ovipositor ( Fig. 10 A) length 1.57 mm. Carapace length 1.7 mm.

Male.— Frons with sparse punctures in the groove. Mesosternum typically with very disordered areolae although in some specimens neatly arranged.

Biology.— Specimens from Amagá were obtained as parasitoids of Amblycernus ( Bruchinae ) that infest seeds of laurel, Cordia alliodora (Boraginaceae) , and from Santa Fé were collected on yellow Cypress, Callitropsis nootkatensis (Cupressaceae) .

Comments. In some specimens both tubercles on the carapace are of similar size.

Material examined.— Holotype, female, Colombia: Magdalena, Tayrona, Neguanje, 11º20´N 74º2´W, 10m, Malaise, 05–20.iv.2001, R. Henríquez leg., M.1597, IAvH-E 34313. Paratype, Colombia, Magdalena: 1 male, PNN [Parque Nacional Natural] Tayrona, Neguanje, 11º20´N 74º2´W, 10m, Malaise, 20.iv.–04.v.2001, R. Henríquez Leg. M. 1599, IAvH-E 34314. Holotype and paratype are deposited in IAvH-E.

Other material, Colombia, Antioquia: 9 males, 11 females, Amagá 01.iii.1981, R. Vélez, catalogue #42 MEFLG; 1 male, 2 females, Santa Fé, 01.ix.1979, R. Vélez, catalogue # 3670 MEFLG. Costa Rica, Guanacaste: 1 male, P.N. [Parque Nacional] Sta. [Santa] Rosa, Esta. [Estación] Sta, Rosa. 300m, 01.ii.1992, III curso parataxón, LN 313000_359800, INBio CRI 000 799514.

Etymology.— From inaequalis (Latin, adjective) = uneven, unequal. The name refers to the fact that sculptures on the mesosternum are not neatly arranged in a central row of foveae.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Urosigalphus inaequalis n. sp. (A) habitus; (B) head, dorsal view; (C) mesosoma, lateral view; (D) mesosoma, dorsal view; (E) mesosternum; and (F) fore wing.