Leucospis copepucu, Lima & Dias, 2018

Lima, Alessandro Rodrigues & Dias, Priscila Guimarães, 2018, The New World species of Leucospis Fabricius, 1775 (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Leucospidae): an update of Bouček’s revision with description of two new species from Brazil, Zootaxa 4441 (1), pp. 1-45 : 21-24

Leucospis copepucu sp. nov.

LSIDurn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7F0831C5-6BB0-457D-8462-2A0D7AF47478

( Figs 14 , 15 )

Type locality. Brazil, Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte.

Diagnosis. POL about 1.4× OOL; inner margin of eyes slightly emarginate; clypeus apically bilobate, without a conspicuous median tooth; pronotum without premarginal carina; dorsellum subtriangular, with deep and broad crenulate furrow along margin, glabrous; propodeum moderately pilose, median carina present, plicae present; hind coxal depression uniformly punctate, with a conspicuous tooth-like translucent projection dorso-laterally; hind femur 2.2× as long as broad, excluding teeth; fore wing hyaline, with apical quarter infuscate, and apical process of stigmal vein broader than and as long as uncus; in female, tergite I with two yellow spots posteriorly; tergite VI with spiniform projection at posterior margin; ovipositor reaching base of gaster; in male, gaster petiolate, tergite I with subapical yellow band, three yellow bands indicates tergites IV‒VI; in lateral view, tergite VI oblique relative to tergite V.

Description (Holotype female, pinned). Head 1.06× as broad as pronotum posteriorly, dorsally 3.87× as broad as long ( Fig. 14J ); temples very short, less than one third as long as maximum width of median ocellus. Occipital carina high at ocellar region, dorsally complete ( Fig. 14J ), extending laterally to apical third of eye height, in lateral view. POL about 1.37× OOL, ocellar triangle 2.13: 1 (length: height); sharp carina raised behind median ocellus, laterally reaching less than half distance between median and lateral ocelli; lateral ocelli touching occipital carina ( Fig. 14J ). Vertex densely punctate-reticulate, except for a smooth depression between posterior margin of median ocellus and scrobes ( Fig. 14J ). Scrobal carina dorsally raised, centrally pointed forward. Flagellum slightly clavate ( Fig. 14F ), f1 about 1.17, f5 1.28 and f8 0.9× as long as maximum width. In frontal view, head 1.28× as broad as high; face densely punctate-reticulate, with dense white pubescence ( Fig. 14F ). Malar space 0.29× eye height, in lateral view; finely vertically rugulose-punctate. Clypeus in frontal view 0.9× as high as broad, 0.5 as broad as mouth, apically bilobate, without a median tooth, finely vertically rugulose-punctate ( Fig. 14F ). Mandible with slender tooth separated from upper edge by deep triangular notch ( Fig. 14I ). Occiput in posterior view concentrically rugulose-punctate.

Mesosoma dorsally with white short pubescence. Pronotum and mesoscutum punctate-reticulate, with punctation very dense ( Fig. 14G ), with transverse microsculpture that is more evident on pronotum; scutellum punctate, with very subtle longitudinal microsculpture. Pronotum without discal and premarginal carinae ( Fig. 14G ); posterior margin slightly concave, weakly carinate; lateral panel concave, its lower corner broadly rounded. Mesoscutum in lateral view bowed; notaulus absent ( Fig. 14G ). Tegula mostly smooth, with pale yellowish pubescence. Scutellum evenly convex (lateral view), 0.8× as long as maximum breadth, in dorsal view ( Fig. 14H ). Dorsellum 2.5× as broad as long medially, margined with narrow upturned carina, alveolate along margin ( Fig. 14H ). Propodeum medially as long as dorsellum; punctate-reticulate, median carina low and wide posteriorly, plicae absent ( Fig. 14H ). Subalar area and mesepisternum obliquely rugulose-punctate-reticulate; mesepisternum punctate with longitudinal microsculpture; mesopleural depression deep and smooth except finely punctate at anterior border. Metapleuron punctate-reticulate with pilosity as long as propodeal pilosity.

Legs. Upper edges of fore femur and tibia carinate. Hind coxa uniformly punctate ( Fig. 14L ); upper edge blunt, posteriorly with a translucent tooth-like projection; with dense white pilosity, in depression downward directed, and below depression backward directed. Hind femur 2.2× as long as broad, excluding teeth; densely regularly punctate, with short dense white pubescence directed to ventral edge which has a basal tooth (basally broader than long) and 9 other teeth ( Fig. 14K ). Hind tibia densely finely punctate, apically with sharp outer spur ( Fig. 14K ).

Wings ( Figs 14C‒E ). Fore wing hyaline; moderately infuscate posterior to R1 and at apex. Fore wing uniformly pilose except glabrous region posterior to mediocubital fold, reaching the posterior margin. Stigmal vein slightly clavate, forming an angle of about 40° to R1. Stigmal vein 1.65× as long as marginal vein. Uncus slightly convex to anterior margin. Apical process of stigmal vein broader than and as long as uncus. Hind wing hyaline, pilose with glabrous regions basally.

Gaster. 2.6× as long as maximum width in dorsal view ( Fig. 14B ); densely punctate-reticulate, except tergite I punctate. Tergite I dorsally with a slender glabrous crest slightly carinate, separating broad ovipositorial furrows that diverge anteriorly, reaching at sides level slightly below the short lateral keels at base of tergite; basal fovea triangular ( Fig. 14B ). Tergite II not visible. Tergite IV medially with a very narrow groove; densely covered with white downwards directed hairs. Tergite V medially with a very narrow groove; densely covered with white obliquely directed hairs. Tergite VI with a latero-posterior small spine, below spiracle level ( Figs 14M, N ). Ovipositor virtually straight, reaching to base of tergite I ( Figs 14A, B ).

Color. Mainly black, except head cupreus with metallic tinge violaceous and green more evident on mesopleuron. Yellow on: scape (pale yellow); pronotum with small mark centrally on anterior margin and subparallel narrow band on posterior margin (pale yellow); narrow band on posterior margin of mesoscutum, almost reaching the parapsidal furrow; narrow band on posterior margin of scutellum; dorsellum (pale yellow); posterior dorsal half of mesepimeron; dorsal edge and maculae postero-ventral on hind coxa; external and internal ventral edge on hind femur; subparallel band on posterior margin of tergite I, interrupted centrally by ovipositorial furrows; subparallel band on posterior margin of tergite V; band on posterior margin of tergite VI; semilunar mark subparallel to posterior margin of epipygium. Teeth of hind femur black. Fore wing subhyaline, except apical sixth infuscate. Hind wing subhyaline.

MALE. Head dorsally 2.53× as broad as long. POL about 1.44× OOL, ocellar triangle 2.5: 1 (length: height). Frontal view, head 1.33× as broad as high. Malar space 0.25× eye height, in lateral view. Dorsellum 3.15× as broad as long medially

Mesosoma with propodeum medially 2.4× as long as dorsellum; median carina high and uniform.

Gaster 2.23× as long as maximum width in dorsal view ( Fig. 15B ); tergites III to VI fused into a carapace; tergite III with posterior margin impunctate; tergites IV to VI indicate each one by posterior yellow band. Tergite I dorsally 1.35× as broad as long, 0.40× width of gaster; sides subparallel; sparsely punctate with long white pilosity, impunctate apically; basal fovea small and irregular. Tergite II wider than long, impunctate except punctate near submedian transverse band. Tergite VI, in lateral view, oblique relative to tergite V ( Fig. 16A ) in dorsal view, with postero-lateral corners slightly projecting but not expanded into auricles. Epipygium with supracercal keel conspicuous, downwards projected after cercus. Posterior margins of sternites II and III visible in lateral view ( Fig. 15A ). Sternites laterally impunctate, ventrally punctate with white pilosity, the coarse punctation decreasing caudad ( Fig. 15C ). Sternites II and III convex, IV and V flat, VI and VII concave.

Color. Mainly black, except: violaceous and green metallic tinge on mesopleuron and hind coxa; yellow marks as in female except: pale yellow on tergite I, except two narrow bands, one submedian and another subapical, light brown. Yellow band posteriorly on tergites IV to VI.

Measurements. See Table I.

Holotype condition. There is a hole in the mesoscutum, caused by an old pin that has been removed. Antennal flagellum pharate, covered by a translucent chitinous membrane from pupal stage.

Etymology. From Brazilian Tupi copé (back) and pucú (long), in reference to the propodeum as long as or longer than dorsellum.

Comments. We classify Leucospis copepucu in the EGAIA-Group because it has all the characters proposed by Bouček (1974a) and Darling & Cardinal (2005) for this species-group, as shown previously. Inside the group, L. copepucu resembles L. manaica in having the hind femur around 2.2× as long as broad and females with the dorsellum as long as the propodeum medially. But it is easily differentiated by having a yellow band on the scutellum, hind coxa with translucent tooth-like projection on the postero-dorsal edge, fewer teeth on the hind femur (9 versus 10‒14) and with a different shape (rhomboid apex versus acuminate apex in L. manaica ), fore wing with uncus as long as the apical process of stigmal vein (versus uncus longer than apical process) and ovipositor relatively shorter, reaching base of gaster (versus reaching scutellum). It also resembles L. egaia due to similarity of the hind coxa (punctation and tooth-like projection), ovipositor length and yellow band on scutellum, but L. copepucu possesses the dorsellum as long as the propodeum medially (versus propodeum shorter than dorsellum), hind femur 2.2× as long as broad (versus around 1.7× as long as broad), and fore wing with uncus as long as the apical process of stigmal vein (versus uncus longer than apical process).

Leucospis copepucu also lacks plicae, females have a small, latero-posterior translucent spine below the spiracle level on tergite VI, and in lateral view the male gaster has tergite VI oblique relative to tergite V. These unique features differ from those of the related species L. coxalis , L. egaia , and L. manaica .

Biology. Unknown.

Material examined. (1♀, 1♂) Holotype Brazil, Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Campus da UFMG, Projeto Quarteirão 9.x.1996, Ninho armadilha [1♀ UFMG ‒IHY‒1305656] Paratype. Same data as Holotype [1♂ UFMG ‒ IHY‒1305655]

Figures

FIGURE 14. Leucospis copepucu sp. nov. Holotype ♀ A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Fore wing. D. Fore wing, stigma region in detail. E. Hind wing. F. Head, frontal view. G. Head and mesossoma, dorsal view. H. Scutellum and dorsellum, postero-dorsal view. I. Mandible and clipeous, frontal view. J. Head, dorsal view. K. Hind femur and tibia, lateral view. L. Hind leg, lateral view. M. Posterior region of metasoma, lateral view. Arrow shows a spiniform projection on sixth tergite. N. Spiniform projection on sixth tergite in detail. Scale bar = 1 mm. UFMG-IHY-1305656.

FIGURE 15. Leucospis copepucu sp. nov. Paratype ♂ A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Metasoma, ventral view. Scale bar = 1 mm. UFMG-IHY-1305655

FIGURE 16. Leucospis egaia ♀ A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Forewing. D. Forewing, stigma region in detail. E. Hind wing. F. Head, frontal view. G. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. H. Scutellum, dorsellum and propodeum, postero-dorsal view. I. Hind leg, lateral view. J. Posterior region of metasoma, lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm. UFMG–IHY– 1504425