Spalangia innuba, Gibson, 2009

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2009, 2259, Zootaxa 2259, pp. 1-159 : 96-99

16. Spalangia innuba n. sp.

(Figs 253–259)

Type material. HOLOTYPE (♁, CNC no. 23886). “ BOLIVIA: La Paz , Chulumani, Apa-Apa, 18º22'S 67º30'W, 1-4.V.1997, 1800m., L. Masner, YPT B9-11 / LB-specm 2008-133”. Condition: point-mounted, entire.

Etymology. From the Latin word innubus, meaning “unmarried”, in reference to the species being known only from a male.

Description. Male. Length = 2.6 mm. Legs dark except knees and tarsi slightly lighter in color, yellowishbrown. Head in anterior view about 1.1x as wide as high; in dorsal view about 2x as wide as long; in lateral view with malar space about 0.6x eye height and about 0.9x eye width. Head capsule (Fig. 253) smooth and shiny except for setiferous punctures as follows: with complete median sulcus extending ventrally to transverse-oval scrobal depression, otherwise upper face and parascrobal region with distinct circular punctures mostly separated by about 1–2 puncture diameters (punctures somewhat sparser medially); scrobal depression smooth and shiny except very finely coriaceous-alutaceous scrobes above torulus; gena with malar sulcus and closely crowded circular punctures; temple punctate similar to face. Antenna with scape (Fig. 254) about 5.1x as long as greatest width, the inner and outer surfaces uniformly setose but outer surface reticulate-rugose (Fig. 254) and inner surface smoother, more coriaceous-reticulate; pedicel subglobular, only very slightly longer than wide; flagellum conspicuously elongate-filiform with hair-like decumbent setae longer than width of respective segment; funicle with fu 1 (Fig. 254) about 6.9x as long as wide and about 5.3x as long as pedicel, and subsequent segments all more than 2x as long as wide, with fu 2 (Fig. 254) about 2.4x and fu 7 about 3.1x as long as wide (all measurements include tapered distal pedicel of respective segment); clava about 4x as long as wide.

Pronotal collar in lateral view with collar almost flat and slightly below plane of neck anteriorly; with comparatively fine but distinct punctate-crenulate cross-line posteriorly, transversely strigose-carinate anteromedially posterior to circumpronotal furrow (Fig. 255), and with well separated, shallow but distinct circular setiferous punctures dorsomedially except laterally coriaceous-roughened to posteriorly coriaceous (Fig. 256). Mesoscutal median lobe (Figs 255, 256) with anterior convex region smooth and shiny anteriorly to transversely coriaceous-alutaceous posteriorly; internotaular region more or less completely punctate except for irregular median rugose furrow. Axillae (Figs 255, 256) shiny but with setiferous punctures similar to internotaular region. Scutellum (Fig. 255) smooth and shiny except for a few setiferous punctures laterally; frenum (Fig. 255) with crenulate frenal line interrupted over about medial third, the line tapered and shallowed toward midline (Fig. 255). Mesopleuron (Fig. 257) mostly with distinct sculpture as follow: pectal region smooth, shiny and bare except for 1 posteroventral seta; acropleuron longitudinally carinate-striate, the ridges extending posteriorly onto alar shelf; subalar scrobe a vertical, crenulate-rugose furrow not distinctly differentiated from upper mesepisternum, the combined region obliquely strigose; episternal scrobe a shallow depression connected to subalar and precoxal scrobes by sulcate furrows; upper and lower mesepimeron strongly, obliquely alutaceous; upper and lower mesepisternum differentiated by complete carinate transepisternal line and adjacent line of setae. Fore wing with distinct yellowish-brown tinge; uniformly setose, including behind submarginal vein except for vannal area proximally. Propodeum (Fig. 258) with distinct postspiracular sulcus; callus reticulate-rugose; plical region with narrowly V- shaped paramedian crenulate furrows delineating median carina, and with anterior-most cell not distinctly differentiated from more posterior cells; supracoxal band contiguous with paramedian crenulate furrows; pronotal panels smooth and shiny.

Figs 253–258. Spalangia innuba Gibson ♁. 253, head, frontolateral view; 254, scape–fu 3; 255, thorax, dorsal view; 256, pronotum and mesoscutum, dorsolateral view; 257, mesopleuron; 258, propodeum and petiole, dorsal view.

Fig. 259. Distribution of Spalangia innuba Gibson and S. plaumanni Gibson.

Petiole (Fig. 258) about 4.6x as long as medial width; longitudinally carinate-strigose; with 1 short seta anterolaterally on left side and laterally near middle on right side. Gaster with tergites smooth and shiny except Gt 3 extremely obscurely coriaceous.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Known only from Bolivia (Fig. 259).

Biology. Unknown.

Recognition. I include S. innuba as one of seven species in the drosophilae species group as discussed under S. drosophilae . The key is constructed based on the assumption that sculptural features of the unknown female are similar to those of the holotype male. Even though the male has a median propodeal carina (Fig. 258) and the pronotum quite a distinct crenulate cross-line (Figs 255, 256), I include S. innuba in the drosophilae -group because of its comparatively strong, obliquely strigose to strigose-alutaceous mesopleural sculpture (Fig. 257) and conspicuously elongate-gracile flagellum with long, hair-like setae (Fig. 254). Pronotal sculpture is intermediate between that of cameroni - or nigra -group species and some other drosophilae -group species, such as S. plaumanni , which has quite a deep though at most only inconspicuously crenulate pronotal cross-line (Figs 391, 392). Individuals of S. plaumanni are readily differentiated from S. innuba by their sculptured and setose pectal region (Figs 395, 396). Males of S. plaumanni are further differentiated by their comparatively short flagellar segments and setae (Figs 398, 399), and much shorter petiole (Fig. 394) than the holotype of S. innuba . Additional specimens of S. innuba are required to determine whether other features of the holotype, such as its comparatively large body size, anteromedially transversely strigose-carinate pronotal collar (Fig. 255), quite dark tarsal segments, and distinctly tinted and setose fore wings are additional differential features characteristic of males or both sexes of S. innuba .