Conura leucotela group sp. 1

Figs 7 A–F

Description. MALE. Length 5.75 mm

Color. Body mainly yellow (Fig. 7A), but venter of Fu1–Fu6, Fu7 and clava dark yellow (Figs 7B, C), with dorsal apex of antennal scape (Figs 7B, C), basal two thirds of mandible (Fig. 7B), dorsolateral spot on pronotum (Fig. 7A), and lateral side of mesotibia (Fig. 7A) brown, and the following black: pedicel, anellus, dorsum of Fu1–Fu6 (Figs 7B, C), antennal scrobe (Fig. 7B), strip on malar area (Fig. 7B), ventral and dorsal margin of mandible, mandibular teeth (Fig. 7B), vertex (Figs 7D, E); median area of occiput (Fig. 7D), pronotal neck, posterodorsal margin of pronotal collar, inverted triangle on median lobe of mesoscutum (Fig. 7E), internal two thirds of lateral lobe of mesoscutum (Fig. 7E), dorsum of axilla (Fig. 7E), axillula (Fig. 7E), disc and apex of mesoscutellum (Figs 7E, F), posterolateral margin of metanotum (Fig. 7F), median strip and almost the whole perimeter of propodeum (Figs 7A, 7F), spot on anterior face of mesopectus (Fig. 7A), strip along the mesofemoral depression (Fig. 7A), carina of mesocoxal foramen, spot on dorsum of acropleuron (Fig. 7A), posterior margin and spot on venter of mesepimeron (Fig. 7A), anterior and ventral margins of metapleuron (Fig. 7A), spot on anterior face of profemur (Fig. 7A), posterior face of mesotibia, spot on internal face and apex of metacoxa (Fig. 7A), venter of metafemur, spot on internal face of metafemur (Fig. 7A), margins of metatibia (Fig. 7A), metatarsus, base and apex of petiole, and transverse band on gastral tergites (Fig. 7A). Wings slightly smoky, veins dark brown (Figs 7A, 7E, F). Setae mainly black (Figs 7A, 7E), but following with white setae: lower half of parascrobal area, lower face (Fig. 7B), antennae (Figs 7B, C), gena, front and middle legs (with the exception of some black setae on pro- and meso- femora and tibiae), venter of mesopleuron, mesepimeron, metapleuron, venter of metacoxa, internal and external face of metafemur (with some black scattered black setae), external face of metatibia (with some scattered black setae), metatarsus, callus (Fig.7A), and laterally on mesoscutellum and propodeum (Figs 7A, 7E).

Head. Clava tapering toward apex (Fig. 7C); lower face with inconspicuous transverse carina below antennal foramen (Fig. 7B).

Mesosoma. Median area of mesoscutum with regular umbilicate fovea, interstices not so narrow, giving sculpture a reticulate appearance (Fig. 7E); mesoscutellum without basal smooth and shiny transverse band (Fig. 7E), median unfoveate strip restricted to basal quarter (Fig. 7E), frenal carina forming sublateral lobes (Fig. 7E); metascutellum convex, smooth and shiny, without median fovea or impression (Fig. 7F); propodeum oblique (Fig. 7A), anterior costula conspicuous throughout (Fig. 7F: ACP), median carina continuous, sinuous and extending virtually from anterior to posterior margin (Fig. 7F: MCP), portion anterior to posterior costulae about 0.5× median length of propodeum, posterior costula conspicuous and limited to posterior half of propodeum (Fig. 7F: PCP), adpetiolar area without submedian carinae (Fig. 7F: AdA); metafemur with 13 small teeth, basal tooth the largest, followed by a minute tooth and then by medium sized teeth (Fig. 7A).

Metasoma. Petiole visible dorsally, about 1.5× as long as wide, basal lamina present dorsally and ventrally, median dorsal carina present over anterior third, and with strong and complete dorsolateral carina delimiting a lateral sulcus (Fig. 7A).

FEMALE. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. French Guiana (Arrondissement of Cayenne).

Remarks. Conura sp. 1 and Conura sp. 2, both based on males, differ from the females of C. leucotela, C. paraleucotela and C. pseudoleucotela by having the body mainly yellow with black or brown markings (Fig. 7A), whereas the females are mainly black or dark with yellow markings (Figs 1A, 3A, 5A). Although this difference in body color is conspicuous between the sexes, all have the pattern of coloration on the dorsum of the mesosoma somewhat similar (here the differences are on the extension of the black markings), including sharing a transverse yellow strip on the pronotum, an external yellow strip on the lateral lobe of the mesoscutum (Figs 1C, 3E, 5E, 7E), and a posterior yellow strip on the mesoscutellum (Figs 2B, 3F, 5F, 7E). We have seen some hundreds of species of Conura, many of them with associated males and females, and the opposite sexes are quite similar in color, not as different as between the males and females species of the leucotela group above. Conura sp. 1 and Conura sp. 2 also differ from described females of leucotela species by their longer petioles, which is distinctly longer in Conura sp. 1 (Fig. 7A) and Conura sp. 2 (Fig. 8A), though this difference may reflect sexual dimorphism. In species of Conura with similar mesosoma-metasoma articulation systems to that of C. leucotela and C. pseudoleucotela (in Conura fusiformis (Ashmead) and other species of fusiformis species group, see item Discussion below), male petioles are distinctly longer than for females. Conura sp. 1 differs from the other known leucotela group species by having the antennal clava tapering apically (Fig. 7A) (slightly tapering in C. pseudoleucotela,, not tapering in the remaining species), propodeum with a continuous median carina that extends virtually between the anterior and posterior margins (Fig. 7F: MCP) (median carina interrupted and not extending along the propodeal length in other species), petiole about 1.5× as long as wide, with median and two dorsolateral carinae (Figs 7A, 7E) (at most 0.6× as long as wide, without median carina and with at most one dorsolateral carina in other species).

Material Examined. Male labeled ‘ French Guiana, [ Arrondissement of Cayenne, Sinnamary], camp ORSTOM , piste de Saint-Elie PK 17, on Solanum sp. 03.xi.1989 (G. Delvare)’ (CIRAD) .