Temelucha flavia, Vas, 2016

Vas, Zoltán, 2016, Temelucha flavia sp. n. from the southern Mediterranean region (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae), Ecologica Montenegrina 8, pp. 38-44 : 39-43

Temelucha flavia sp. n.

Material examined. Holotype: female; Tunisia, Djerid region , Degache, agricultural school, 13.iv.1977, light trap with MV lamp, leg. L. Gozmány & S. Mahunka; specimen card-mounted, left flagellum damaged . Paratype: female; Jordan, Amman, 800 m, 12.x.1957, leg. J. Klapperich; specimen pinned. The holotype and the paratype are deposited in the Hymenoptera Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum ( HNHM, Budapest) (Id. numbers HNHM-HYM 23187 , and HNHM-HYM 23188 , respectively) .

Diagnosis. The new species belongs to the morphological group of Temelucha species with the following characters in combination: mainly yellow head and thorax, the second discal cell more than 1.5 × as long as the first sub-discal cell, and the second recurrent vein (2 m-cu) postfurcal. Within this group T. flavia sp. n. most resembles T. schoenobia (Thomson) due to its rich yellow colouration and entirely yellow coxae; however, T. schoenobia females have small ocelli, distinct notaulus, and down-curved ovipositor apex, while T. flavia sp. n. has large ocelli, indistinct notaulus, and straight ovipositor apex. Within this morphological group another species with approximately same body length and with occasionally almost as extent yellow colouration as T. flavia sp. n. are T. lucida (Szépligeti) and T. decorata (Gravenhorst) . However, females of both of these species have smaller ocelli and dark brown or blackish colouration on hind coxa, and, unlike T. flavia sp. n., T. lucida has short, curved propodeum (upper margin in lateral view) and T. decorata has well developed notaulus.

Description. Female (holotype) ( Figs 1–4 ). Body length c. 8 mm, fore wing length c. 5 mm, ovipositor sheath c. 3.5 mm.

Head. Antenna with 36 flagellomeres. First flagellomere 4.75 × as long as wide. Gena short, very strongly constricted behind eyes. Occipital carina dorsomedially incomplete. Occiput, vertex, frons, gena and malar space finely coriaceous, rather shiny, punctures indistinct. Face less coriaceous, more distinctly punctate, punctures separated from each other by usually less than a puncture diameter. Clypeus with fewer, more scattered and less distinct punctures, weakly convex in profile, and with curved apical margin. Inner eye orbits parallel. Ocellus diameter distinctly longer (c. 3 ×) than distance between lateral ocellus and eye. Malar space c. 0.55 × as long as basal width of mandible. Mandibular teeth of equal length.

Mesosoma . Mesosoma shiny, densely but finely punctate; distance between punctures on mesoscutum and mesopleuron generally smaller than puncture diameter. Pronotum punctate and with fine wrinkles, especially in lower corner. Notaulus indistinct. Scutellum slightly more roughly punctate than mesoscutum with lateral carina strong only basally but reaching about its middle. Sternaulus indistinct. Speculum shiny and almost impunctate. Epicnemial carina present, reaching above middle of hind edge of pronotum. Posterior transverse carina of mesosternum complete. Metanotum punctate with weak longitudinal wrinkles. Metapleuron densely punctate. Hind coxa relatively small. Legs slender, hind femur about 5.5 × as long as wide. Tarsal claws small and thin, longer than arolium. Propodeum long, only very weakly convex in profile with its apical edge reaching middle of hind coxa. Pleural carina complete, its distance from circular propodeal spiracle almost 2 × as long as diameter of spiracle; spiracle connected to pleural carina by a raised ridge. Median and lateral longitudinal carinae and anterior transverse carina complete, slightly weaker apically than basally. Median section of posterior transverse carina indistinct. Pleural (i.e. area spiracularis, area lateralis, and area juxta-coxalis together) and lateral areas (i.e. area externa, area dentipara, and area postero-externa together) of propodeum densely punctate with some transverse wrinkles in the apical part. Area basalis very small and triangular-shaped, pointing apically. Area superomedia and area petiolaris indistinctly separated; both areas narrow, almost parallel-sided and with dense transverse striation, except triangular-shaped basal part of area superomedia with punctures are more distinct than striae.

Wings. Wing membrane with dense short hairs. Fore wing with vein cu-a interstitial. Vein 2 m-cu postfurcal with a single, wide bulla. Distal abscissa of Rs almost completely straight. Second discal cell about 2 × as long as first sub-discal cell (measured at front margins). Pterostigma only slightly shorter than front margin of marginal cell. Hind wing with vein cu-a + abscissa of Cu 1 between M and cu-a almost straight, not intercepted. Distal abscissa of Cu 1 spectral.

Metasoma. First tergite about same length as second tergite. Ventral margins of first tergite touching each other ventrally. Lateromedian carina of first tergite weak. Second tergite with longitudinal striation characteristic of many Cremastinae . Tergites beyond second tergite coriaceous with very fine, indistinct punctures. Metasoma strongly laterally compressed, especially from third tergite onwards. Ovipositor sheath c. 1.7 × as long as hind tibia (or as long as fore wing from base to about middle of marginal cell). Ovipositor straight, laterally compressed, subapical notch indistinct. Apex smooth and straight, in profile slightly widened subapically.

Colour. Head yellow except following parts: occiput, narrow perimeter of ocelli and two patches between lateral sides of median ocellus and toruli black; upper face with small brownish patch medially, mandible teeth dark brown. Maxillary and labial palpi yellow. Scapus and pedicellus yellow to yellowish brown. Antennal flagellomeres brown with distinctly lighter, yellowish brown apical bands (less distinct on last 10-15 flagellomeres). Wings hyaline, venation brown, pterostigma brownish with a wide creamy patch along its frontal side. Pronotum yellow. Mesoscutum yellow with more brownish anteromedian patch and two posterolateral patches. Scutellar groove black. Scutellum entirely yellow. Mesopleuron yellow with a short and narrow blackish patch anteroventrally and with blackish patches on the ventral side. Metanotum and metapleuron yellow, the latter with a dark patch in anteroventral corner. Groove between metanotum and propodeum blackish medially. Propodeum almost entirely yellow with only a small brownish patch in area superomedia.

Fore and mid legs: coxae, trochanters and trochantelli whitish; femora, tibiae and tarsomeres yellow. Hind leg: coxa whitish yellow with slightly more brownish yellow at the extreme basal and inner part (visible only if coxa turned out); trochanter and trochantellus whitish yellow; femur reddish yellow with a small whitish patch dorsoapically; tibia reddish yellow, somewhat darkened subbasally and apically; tarsomeres 1–2 yellowish with yellowish brown apical bands, tarsomeres 3–5 more brownish.

First tergite reddish yellow with brownish patches basally and in the midline of postpetiolus. Second tergite yellowish with reddish brown irregular patches in its middle. Third tergite with narrow blackish base, then brownish or reddish yellow to whitish yellow toward the apical and lateral edges. Following tergites similar but without blackish bases. Ovipositor sheath dark brown; ovipositor reddish brown with paler apex.

Variation. The paratype female ( Fig. 5 ) shows little intraspecific variation in size, shape, sculpture and colouration. Minor differences are as following: antenna with 33 flagellomeres; first flagellomere slightly shorter, 4.5 × as long as wide; ocellus diameter slightly shorter, 2.5 × longer than distance between lateral ocellus and eye; scutellum with lateral carina distinct only basally. Yellow colouration of the body is paler in holotype and somewhat brighter in paratype. The dark parts of the head and thorax are slightly smaller in paratype and rather dark brownish than blackish. Hind femur and tibia paler with irregular whitish yellow patch on dorsal side.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Currently known only from Tunisia and Jordan; this species might inhabit the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region.

Ecological note. No host species is known. Based on knowledge of life histories of close relatives, presumably a koinobiont endoparasitoid of lepidopteran hosts (Wahl 1993).

Etymology. The specific epithet flavia is derived from the ancient Roman feminine forename Flavia – meaning "blonde" from the Latin word flavus ("yellow, blonde, golden") – emphasizing the rich yellowish colouration of the species; proper noun in apposition, ending not to be changed.

Figures

Figure 1. Holotype of Temelucha flavia sp. n., female: lateral view.

Figure 2. Holotype of Temelucha flavia sp. n., female: dorsal view.

Figure 3. Holotype of Temelucha flavia sp. n., female: head, dorsal view.

Figure 4. Holotype of Temelucha flavia sp. n., female: head, frontal view.

Figure 5. Paratype of Temelucha flavia sp. n., female: lateral view.