Brachymeria mochica Delvare

Delvare, Gérard & Huchet, Jean-Bernard, 2017, Brachymeria mochica, a new Neotropical species of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) discovered on the archaeological site of Huacas de Moche, Peru with a review of related species, Zootaxa 4290 (1), pp. 43-60 : 46-50

Brachymeria mochica Delvare sp. nov.

( Figs 4 – 20 )

Material examined. Holotype ♀. PERU . Trujillo , Huaca de la Luna, Libertad Region, 8°08′06″S 78°59′29″W, 56 m, 06.V/ 01.VI.2009, in fly trap with 2nd and 3rd instar larvae of Muscidae and Sarcophagidae , J.- B. Huchet leg. ( MNHN). Paratypes . 1 ♀, same references as holotype (GDPC). 2 ♀, same references but J.-B. Huchet and A. Chauchat leg. (CJBH), with one ♀ dated 11.V.2009 (BMNH).

Description (female holotype). Body length 6.5 mm. Colour ( Fig. 4 ). Body and most of coxae, basal half of metafemur on both sides, and ventral margin of metatibia black. Mandible with basal half dark brown, then with a reddish ring and black teeth ( Fig. 8 ). Inner side of mandible and remaining mouth parts, radicle and pedicel of antenna, and apices of anterior and middle trochanters reddish brown. Labrum and basal halves of pro- and mesofemora dark brown to reddish. Flagellum dark brown except clava yellowish. Tegula, rest of pro- and mesofemora, and a broad spot on metafemur apically bright yellow. Pro- and mesotibia with a reddish ring, this wider on mesotibia. Metatibia with entire inner side reddish and outer side with reddish ring broadening towards its ventral margin; basodorsal and apicoventral spots yellow. Tarsi and scape of antenna mostly testaceous but scape darker within diffuse region dorsobasally. Submarginal vein of fore and hind wings testaceous at base, then becoming brown, the same colour as rest of venation. Setation silvery on body and dark on fore wing.

Head. Head transverse in dorsal and frontal views, 2.5× as wide as long ( Fig. 6 ) and 1.42× as wide as high ( Fig. 5 ), hardly wider than mesosoma (1.06×). Distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye 0.88× diameter of median ocellus. Eyes separated by 1.21× their own height. Oral fossa 2.5× as long as length of malar space, which is consequently very short. Mandible elongate, 2-toothed, with lower tooth longer than upper tooth ( Fig. 8 ); disk densely punctured basally and bearing fine setae, the longest setae inserted at base of the teeth and as long as width of mandible. Labrum subtriangular, with a marginal fringe of setae and 12 irregularly distributed piliferous points ( Fig. 9 ). Clypeus conspicuously transverse, with a line of 8 piliferous points. Lower face regularly punctured ( Fig. 9 ). Postorbital carina present, complete, diverging markedly relatively to posterior margin of eye, delimiting dorsally a ventral trapezoidal area on gena ( Fig. 7 ). Gena with puncturation coarse but relatively sparse, with smooth interspaces between points; area above gena rugose-punctured ( Fig. 7 ). Frons with blunt preorbital carina visible in its ventral half ( Fig. 5 ). Eyes not very large, with dorsal margin of clypeus clearly below lower ocular line and lower margins of antennal scrobes somewhat above ocular line ( Fig. 5 ). Antennal scrobes 1.25× as high as broad, extending to median ocellus and acarinate dorsally. Interantennal projection not strongly compressed laterally, with two lines of piliferous points dorsally.

Antenna. Scape not reaching median ocellus, 3.6× as long as wide. Pedicel transverse, conspicuously ‘bottle necked’ dorsobasally ( Fig. 11 ). Flagellum weakly fusiform, its maximum width at F3 – F5 ( Fig. 10 ); with long and sparse erect setae, the longest setae ventrally where two-thirds length of F7. Funiculars transverse and progressively decreasing in length, with F1 and F7 respectively 0.90× and 0.54× as long as broad. Clava 1.47× as long as broad, tapering from base to apex, the last segment hemispherical, hardly sclerotized, and with numerous sensilla.

Mesosoma short and squat, only 1.37× as long as broad ( Fig. 12 ); setae on dorsum relatively long, about 2.6× as long as width of a point, adpressed on pronotum, and suberect on mesonotum; puncturation sparse with interspaces between points smooth, as wide as diameter of a point (65 µm on centre of mesoscutum). Pronotal carina vestigial, hardly visible laterally; pronotal collar widening posteriorly ( Fig. 12 ), its sides convex in dorsal view, and its lateral surface well delimited relatively to dorsal surface and with a narrow oblique grove and a small depression ventrally. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum ( Fig. 12 ) respectively 1.23× and 0.88× as long as broad; puncturation sparse and superficial on inner half of scapula, dense on axillae and apical part of mesoscutellum. Mesoscutellum with edge of the frenal carina forming two submedian rounded lobes, separated by a moderately wide emargination; frenal area [not visible from above] coriaceous with vertical rugulae, the latter more closely set in posterior part ( Fig. 13 ). Metascutellum areolate. Propodeum steeply sloped, entirely areolate, with a few sublateral setae on each side at mid length. Mesepisternum with dorsal stripe of adscrobal area broadly smooth, but with an incomplete line of piliferous points ( Fig. 14 ). Mesepimeron and femoral scrobe mostly smooth though the latter with a few transverse crests, and both crossed by a narrow, crenulate transepimeral sulcus. Epicnemial carina not raised on the ventral section. Metapleuron areolate with a wide areola anterobasally just above supracoxal stripe of punctures ( Fig. 14 ).

Legs. Metacoxa moderately slender, 1.7× as long as broad, with ventral setation long and adpressed ( Fig. 4 ). Metafemur 1.8× as long as broad, with disc devoid of engraved network, having only piliferous points separated from each other by 2 – 3× diameter of a point ( Fig. 4 ); with longest setae basoventrally, 1.5× as long as the basal tooth; ventral margin with 12 teeth progressively closer to each other; basal inner tooth present but blunt. Metatibia with apical truncation emarginate and forming a small acute projection ( Fig. 15 ). Tarsi slender; falciform seta of posterior pretarsus slender, not very curved, surpassing apex of tarsus ( Fig. 16 ).

Wings. Fore wing 2.8× as long as broad ( Fig. 4 ). Costal cell elongate, 1.24× as long as width of wing ( Fig. 17 ). Marginal vein 0.35× as long as costal cell and 2.38× as long as postmarginal vein, which is 2.4× as long as stigmal vein ( Fig. 18 ). Cubital fold bare. Basal fold with eight setae dorsally. Costal cell with two lines of setae ventrally ( Fig. 17 ).

Metasoma. Gaster 1.79× as long as broad ( Fig. 19 ). Syntergum short, 0.55× as long as broad ( Fig. 20 ); not carinate dorsally, punctured laterally anterior to cercal plates. First gastral tergite dorsally smooth, its posterior margin hardly concave ( Fig. 19 ); second tergite with piliferous points basally and several lines of setae laterally, the lines broken dorsally; tergites 3‒5 with one row of setae subapically; and tergite 6 completely setose with larger piliferous points. Tip of hypopygium at level of hind margin of penultimate tergite.

Male. Unknown.

Variation. Variability among the specimens was limited to their length, which ranges from 4.7‒5.5 mm and reflects the degree of telescoping of the gastral tergites.

Diagnosis. The species exhibits all the characters of the minuta species group and minuta section, as described above. Otherwise, body entirely black including metacoxa and basal half of metafemur ( Fig. 4 ). Body with silvery setae. Preorbital carinae incomplete ( Fig. 5 ). Antennal scrobes acarinate dorsally. Scape relatively long, 3.6× as long as broad ( Fig. 10 ). Erect setae on flagellum moderately numerous and visible on ventral side only. Puncturation of mesonotum sparse and fine with interspaces between punctures smooth and as broad as diameter of a point ( Fig. 12 ). Tegula and apical half of metafemur bright yellow. Metafemur 1.8× as long as broad, its disk devoid of engraved network and exhibiting spaced piliferous points only ( Fig. 4 ).

Recognition. Brachymeria mochica , some specimens of B. brevicornis ( Klug, 1834) , and B. minuta have a similar colouration of the metafemur, being black with a bright yellow spot apically ( Figs 4 , 43 ). In contrast, the other species of the minuta section have the femur mainly or broadly reddish with an ivory spot apically. Brachymeria mochica and B. brevicornis are separated from B. minuta by the scape, mostly light coloured in B. mochica ( Fig. 10 ) but dorsally dark in B. minuta , by the more delicate and sparser puncturation of its mesonotum ( Fig. 12 ), by the dorsal outline of the mesoscutellum, regularly convex when examined in lateral view ( Fig. 13 ) versus subhorizontal and then sloping apically in B. minuta , by its relatively broader mesoscutellum, by the absence of spiracular callosity/tooth on the propodeum, by the more expanded apical yellow spot on the metafemur, and by the colour of the dark parts of the tibiae, being reddish in B. mochica ( Fig. 4 ) versus brown to black in B. minuta . Brachymeria mochica is extremely close to B. brevicornis and all characters quoted above for separating it from B. minuta , except the puncturation of the mesonotum, are also present in B. brevicornis . This species differs from B. mochica by its fusiform flagellum bearing numerous erect setae on the dorsal side only ( Fig. 40 ) and the mesonotum having golden setation and larger punctures ( Fig. 41 ).

Distribution. The species is known only from its type locality, in Peru.

Hosts. Basically unknown but a suspected host is the unidentified sarcophagid species or even the muscid fly Synthesiomyia nudiseta , both species occurring simultaneously in the traps.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Brachymeria mochica DelVare, holotype ♀. HabitUS in lateral VieW.

FIGURES 5 – 13. Brachymeria mochica, holotype ♀. 5 – 7, head in frontal, dorSal and lateral VieWS, reSpectiVely. 8, right mandible. 9, clypeUS and moUth partS. 10, antenna exclUding Scape. 11, pedicel and baSe of flagellUm. 12, meSoSoma in dorSal VieW. 13, meSoScUtellUm in lateral VieW.

FIGURES 14 – 20. Brachymeria mochica, holotype ♀. 14, meSo- and metapleUron. 15, hind tarSUS. 16, hind pretarSUS. 17, baSe of fore Wing. 18, Stigmal and poStmarginal Vein. 19, metaSoma in dorSal VieW. 20, apex of metaSoma.

FIGURES 40 – 43. Brachymeria brevicornis, lectotype ♀. 40, antenna exclUding baSe of Scape. 41, meSoSnotUm. 42, hind leg. 43, labelS.