Paracoelichneumon mongolicus, Riedel, 2021

Riedel, Matthias, 2021, A New Contribution to the Knowledge of the East Palaearctic Ichneumoninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 53 (1), pp. 171-240 : 207-208

Paracoelichneumon mongolicus nov.sp. ( figs 24 , 87-90 )

H o l o t y p e: (♀) "Mongolia-C, 70 km NNW Tsetserleg, 25.VII.2005, Kadlecova lg." (Linz).

D e s c r i p t i o n: ♀: Body length 20.0 mm. Flagellum with 50 flagellomeres, moderately lanceolate; 1 st flagellomere 2.1× longer than wide, combined length of 1 st and 2 nd flagellomeres 0.67× eye length, 8 th flagellomere square; widest flagellomeres 2.0× wider than long. Head covered with short brown hairs. Temple long, slightly widened behind eyes and moderately narrowed posteriorly, dorsally as long as eye. OED 1.5× and OOD 1.2× ocellar diameter. Frons finely and densely rugose-punctate. Face coarsely rugose-punctate and granulate, ± dull. Clypeus densely punctate, smooth and shining between punctures; apical margin slightly bulging medially. Gena wide, laterally 1.2× wider than eye, with dense punctures ventrally. MI 0.6. Genal carina reaching hypostomal carina far from mandibular base, both carinae low.

Mesosoma covered with short brownish hairs. Side of pronotum with fine dense punctures dorsally and fine oblique striae ventrally. Notaulus shortly impressed in anterior 0.2 of mesoscutum. Mesoscutum densely and finely punctate, shining. Mesopleuron densely rugose-punctate, speculum smooth. Metapleuron densely rugose-punctate. Juxtacoxal carina absent. Scutellum moderately elevated, slightly longer than wide, with rather dense punctures, lateral carina in basal 0.3. Propodeum rounded and gradually sloping apically. Area superomedia horseshoe-shaped, slightly longer than wide, not elevated above basal and lateral fields, with rather weak surrounding carinae, finely rugose; anterior transverse carina in its middle. Hind coxa finely and densely punctate, with small slightly elevated blackish scopa (0.2× as long as coxa). Hind femur 3.8× longer than wide, with dense punctures. Fore and mid tarsi slightly widened; 3 rd mid tarsomere 1.4× longer than wide. Claws large, not pectinate. Areolet pentagonal, frontal distance between veins 2rs-m and 3rs-m 4× their width; vein 2m-cu distad its middle. Vein 1cu-a postfurcal by 2× its width.

Metasoma stout, oxypygous, but hypopygium slightly elongate and c. 0.7× as long as distance between its apical margin and metasomal apex. Postpetiolus strongly widened; lateral field 0.5× as wide as median field, punctate; median field moderately elevated, with fine superficial longitudinal aciculation and some scattered punctures. Gastrocoelus strongly impressed, almost smooth. Thyridium large, transverse, 1.2× as wide as the interval. 2 nd tergite 0.9× as long as wide. 2 nd and 3 rd tergites finely and densely rugose-punctate, dull; 2 nd tergite striate between thyridia. 4 th tergite with fine dense superficial punctures, ± shining. 2 nd and 3 rd sternites with median folds. Ovipositor sheath not extending behind metasomal apex.

Color: black. Stripes of flagellomeres 8-14, narrow frontal orbit confluent with wider triangular spot on vertex, spot on collar, spot on subtegular ridge and entire scutellum yellow. Legs black; fore and mid tibiae reddish frontally; hind tibia reddish, infuscate in apical 0.3; hind tarsus black, metatarsus reddish-brown basally. Wings ochreous, veins in basal half black, brown apically; pterostigma reddish.

♁ unknown.

R e m a r k: The generic position of this species is questionable. It resembles Protichneumon by its habitus and coloration, but the area superomedia is not domeshaped and/or elevated basally, but situated at the level of surrounding areas. It differs from typical Coelichneumon species by its color pattern, stouter habitus, less strongly sloping propodeum, finely aciculate postpetiolus and slightly elongate hypopygium.

The form of propodeum is slightly different from typical members of the tribe Heresiarchini , but resembles the propodeal structure found in genera such as Orgichneumon HEINRICH and Monontos UCHIDA which belong to the tribe Ichneumonini ( RIEDEL 2020: 383). In the key of West Palaearctic Ichneumonini ( RASNITSYN & SIYTAN 1981: 563-571) it runs to the genus Paracoelichneumon HEINRICH and is provisorically included in this genus here.

Figures

Figs 23-26: Habitus from dorsal: (23) Ichneumon rufofacialis nov.sp. ♀, (24) Paracoelichneumon mongolicus nov.sp. ♀, (25) Spilichneumon mongolicus nov.sp. ♀, (26) Virgichneumon paramonostagon nov.sp. ♀.

Figs 87-90: Paracoelichneumon mongolicus nov.sp. ♀: (87) face from frontal, (88) head from dorsal, (89) propodeum from dorsal, (90) basal tergites from dorsal.