Epsilogaster masoni, Bortoni, Marco Aurélio, Souza-Gessner, Carolina Da Silva & Penteado-Dias, Angélica Maria, 2016

Bortoni, Marco Aurélio, Souza-Gessner, Carolina Da Silva & Penteado-Dias, Angélica Maria, 2016, The subfamily Mendesellinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Brazil, with the description of six new species, Zootaxa 4200 (3), pp. 406-416 : 408-410

Epsilogaster masoni sp. n. Bortoni & Penteado-Dias

( Figs 1 , 2 )

Material examined. Holotype female ( DCBU 17298 ) “ Mossoró, RN, Brasil, Faz. Santa Júlia, S 5°01'25" W 37°22'57", Armadilha Malaise, 01.VI.2007, D.R.R. Fernandes col.“ . Paratypes: one female ( DCBU 18367 ) and five males ( DCBU 18362 to 18366) same data as holotype ; two females (DCBU 17299, 18368) and one male (DCBU 18369) “Mossoró, RN, Brasil, Faz. Santa Júlia, S 5°01'25" W 37°22'57", Armadilha Malaise , 01.VIII.2007, D.R.R. Fernandes col.”; one female ( DCBU 1 8070) “ Mossoró, RN , Brasil, Faz. Santa Júlia, S 5°01'25" W 37°22'57", Armadilha Malaise , 06.IX.2007, D.R.R. Fernandes col.”; one female ( DCBU 184372 ) “ Piracuruca, PI , Brasil, Parque Nacional de Sete Cidades , S 04°06'09" W 41°42'33", Armadilha Malaise, 626m, 10.III.2014, C.R. Araújo col.”

Description of female (holotype). Body length: 3.4 mm; fore wing length: 3.2 mm

Color. Head dark yellow except for scape laterally, pedicel basally and flagellomeres dark brown. Mesosoma, tegula and legs yellow, except for apex of hind tibia and hind tarsus darker. Metasoma yellow, ovipositor and sheaths darker.

Head. Entirely finely punctate. Antenna with 37 flagellomeres.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum smooth. Notaulus crenulate. Propleuron finely punctate. Pronotum smooth with a striate groove. Scutellar sulcus with five carinae, scutellum smooth. Mesopleuron smooth. Metapleuron rugose. Propodeum strongly rugose with a semi parallel sided areola with a series of small transverse carinae that do not cross the areola or reach the lateral margin of propodeum.

Wings. Infuscate, venation brown.

Legs. All legs smooth.

Metasoma. Apical width of first metasomal tergite 0.85 × basal width. Length of first metasomal tergite 5.0 × apical width. Hypopygium 2.3 × as long as wide. Ovipositor sheaths as long as hind tibia. First metasomal tergite with longitudinal carina so close to margin that is almost unnoticed, smooth but area near spiracle weakly aciculate. Mid arm of sclerotization pattern of second metasomal tergite reaching posterior margin, remaining terga smooth.

Male. Darker color pattern in hind tarsi usually and apex of hind tibia light brownish, antennae with 35–36 flagellomeres. Body length: 3.3 mm to 3.4 mm. Fore wing length: 3.2 mm.

Variation. Hind leg color sometimes darker yellowish than holotype, but not light brownish as in males. Antenna with 35 flagellomeres. Body length: 3.5 mm.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to E. panama and E. faviolae , but differs from E. panama by the infuscate wings; and from E. faviolae by the sculpturing of propodeum and areola.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. The states of Rio Grande do Norte and Piaui. Etymology. This species is named after William R. Mason, who described the genus.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map for the new species of Epsilogaster.

FIGURES 2 – 3. Epsilogaster masoni sp. n. 2, habitus, lateral view; 3, propodeum, T 1 and T 2, dorsal view; Figs 4 – 5, Epsilogaster whitifieldi sp. n. 4, habitus, lateral view; 5, propodeum, T 1 and T 2, dorsal view.