Doryctopambolus Nunes & Zaldivar-Riveron

Nunes, Juliano Fiorelini, Zaldivar-Riveron, Alejandro, Castro, Clovis Sormus de, Marsh, Paul M., Penteado-Dias, Angelica Maria, Briceno, Rosa & Martinez, Juan Jose, 2012, Doryctopambolus Nunes & Zaldivar-Riveron (Braconidae), a new neotropical doryctine wasp genus with propodeal spines, ZooKeys 223, pp. 53-67 : 54-56

Doryctopambolus Nunes & Zaldivar-Riveron gen. n. Figures 1 A–H3A–H4A–E

Type species.

Pambolus pilcomayensis van Achterberg & Braet, 2004

Diagnosis.

Species of Doryctopambolus can be distinguished from members of most doryctine genera except Concurtisella bidens , Echinodoryctes , Fijispathius and Ryukuspathius by having the propodeum with at least one pair of conspicuous apico-lateral projections. Spe cies of Doryctopambolus and Concurtisella bidens are the only Neotropical doryctine taxa reported to have these projections, though they mainly differ by their first subdiscal cell (open at apex in Doryctopambolus , closed in Concurtisella bidens ) and ovipositor length (about the same length as metasoma in Doryctopambolus , longer than body in Concurtisella bidens ). Doryctopambolus differs from the Australasian Fijispathius and Ryukyuspathius mainly by the fore wing first subdiscal cell open at apex (closed in the later two genera) and the first metasomal segment not petiolate (basal sternal plate at most 0.5 lenght of first tergite in Doryctopambolus , 0.65 to 0.7 in Fijispathius and Ryukyuspathius ). Doryctopambolus is morphologically similar to the Australian Echinodoryctes (figs 2 A–B). However, species of Doryctopambolus differ from those of Echinodoryctes by having partially reduced to well-developed wings (micropterous in Echinodoryctes ), propodeum evenly curved and strongly rugose-areolate (globose and mostly smooth in Echinodoryctes ), hind coxa without basoventral tubercle and all femora without dorsal protuberances (both present in Echinodoryctes ).

Description.

Small size, 2.2-3.6 mm; black to light brown species. Head: head globose; antennal sockets distinctly separated from each other by at least 0.5 times its diameter; frons almost flat, without median carina or furrows; ocelli arranged in equilateral triangle; eye with distinct and sparse setae; gena and temple smooth; malar suture absent; first flagellomere slightly shorter than scape and pedicel combined, slightly longer than second flagellomere; antenna with 16-28 antennomeres; occipital carina meeting hypostomal carina before mandible. Mesosoma: Length of mesosoma about two times its maximum width; neck of pronotum fairly long; pronotal crest conspicuous; mesoscutum declivous anteriorly; mesoscutal lobes smooth and polished medially; notauli complete and strongly impressed; scutellar sulcus deep, with its height 0.8-0.9 times height of scutellar disc; precoxal sulcus complete and scrobiculate, as long as mesopleuron; prepectal carina coarse and complete; propodeum evenly curved and strongly rugose-areolate, with at least one pair of conspicuous apico-lateral projections; propodeal bridge absent. Legs: fore tibia with a row of 7-8 stout spines; middle tibia without spines; femora without dorsal protuberances; hind coxa without basal tubercle. Wings: partially reduced to well-developed wings; fore wing veins r-m and 2RS present; m-cu arising interstitial or slightly antefurcal with vein 2RS, cu-a distinctly postfurcal with vein 1M; first subdiscal cell open at apex; hind wing vein M+CU equal length of vein 1M; cu-a present, m-cu absent; stigma present on male hind wing. Metasoma: length of first metasomal tergum 1.3-1.6 times its apical width, apical width about 2.0-2.3 times basal width; basal sternal plate (acrosternite) about 0.33-0.5 times length of tergum; suture between second and third metasomal tergites absent; second metasomal tergite at least sculptured basally; third metasomal tergite usually smooth, sometimes sculptured basally; remaining metasomal tergites entirely smooth and polished; ovipositor about same length of metasoma.

Distribution.

Neotropical. Known from central Argentina to northern Venezuela, and from Dominican Republic in the Caribbean.

Comments.

Three new species of Doryctopambolus and Doryctopambolus pilcomayensis comb. nov. are described and redescribed in this study, respectively. Four additional specie s belonging to this genus, two from Cerro Saroche, Lara, Venezuela, and two from Argentina, were also identified. The two Argentinian species could not be described due to their bad state of preservation.Of the two species from Venezuela, one was represented by a single male and the other one by an incomplete female, and their allospecificity was corroborated with DNA barcoding sequences (DNA voucher nos. DORYC239, 274; GenBank accession numbers JN266989, JN267020). The Parque Nacional Cerro Saroche is a natural reserve of about 32,294 h mainly composed of xeric vegetation with deciduous and semideciduous shrubs ( Inparques 1992). The doryctine fauna from this reserve has been previously reported by Briceño et al. (2009), and includes some rarely collected genera such as Verae Marsh, Coiba Marsh and Hecabolus Curtis.

Our morphological observations revealed that the species of Doryctopambolus share various external morphological features with the two described species of the endemic Australian Echinodoryctes (figs 2 A–B), including a similar body habitus, at least one pair of apico-lateral propodeal projections and the second metasomal tergite at least partially sculptured. Further morphological and molecular studies will confirm whether or not species of these two genera are congeneric.

Etymology.

Combination from the doryctine generic names Doryctes Haliday, 1836 and Pambolus Haliday, 1836, since the type species of this new genus was previously placed within Pambolus . Gender is masculine.