Physotarsus luteus Zhaurova

Zhaurova, Kira & Wharton, Robert, 2009, A revision of Physotarsus Townes (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ctenopelmatinae), with description of 18 new species, Zootaxa 2207, pp. 1-52 : 34-36

Physotarsus luteus Zhaurova , n. sp. ( Figs 6 , 42, 43 )

Diagnosis. Lateral ocelli separated by 1.0X their widest diameter from each other, and about 1.8X their widest diameter from eye margin. Antenna with 28 flagellomeres. Pronotum completely glabrous, shiny. Mesoscutum shiny, very sparsely punctate on anterior 0.3. T1 about twice as long as broad. Head yellow, with face light brownish medially in holotype. Mesosoma entirely yellow, darker on mesoscutum and sometimes ventrally. Metasoma with T1 yellow, remaining tergites mostly dark yellow with pale yellow apical trim. Hind femur and tibia largely yellow to light orange, tarsomeres dark brown. Fore wing hyaline with faint infumate spot apically.

Physotarsus luteus has a distinctive combination of a pale body weakly punctate head and mesothorax. It is most similar to P. bonillai in coloration; both species are exceptionally pale with the antenna abruptly transitioning from orange proximally to dark brown apically. Physotarsus bonillai lacks the weak punctation on the head and mesoscutum, has a distinctly angulate central lobe protruding from the ventral margin of the clypeus, and has a broader petiole. The fore wing is almost completely hyaline in P. luteus .

Description. Female: Body ( Fig. 42 ) 3.7–4.2 mm, fore wing 3.5–4.0 mm. Head ( Fig. 43 ): Clypeal margin widely subtruncate laterally, with thick, rounded central lobe ( Fig. 6 ). Clypeus about 2.7X as wide as long, divided medially by very shallow transverse depression. Face covered with short setae; setae longer, slightly less dense on clypeus. Anterior tentorial pits elongate and upcurved laterally. Malar space 0.6X width of mandibular base. Face 1.7X as broad as long, weakly convex in profile, sparsely, evenly punctate. Interantennal area flat, area immediately behind toruli weakly concave, turning convex before reaching ocelli. Anterior margin of torulus situated at about 0.7 of eye height. Interantennal distance greater than distance between lateral ocelli. Widest diameter of torulus 1.5X widest diameter of median ocellus. Lateral ocelli separated by 1.0X their widest diameter from each other and about 1.8X their widest diameter from eye margin. Area between lateral ocelli flat, area behind ocelli sharply declivitous. Antenna with 28 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 5.2–5.5X longer than wide, 1.2X widest transverse diameter of eye, second flagellomere 0.7X length of first. Occipital carina present on ventral 0.3 of head. Mesosoma: Anterior margin of pronotum medially slightly emarginate, laterally rounded and upcurved. Lateral groove of pronotum distinct, weakly sculptured on dorsal 0.5. Pronotum glabrous, impunctate, shiny. Mesoscutum shiny, very sparsely and weakly punctate on anterior 0.3. Epicnemial carina parallels anterior margin of mesopleuron. Mesopleuron impunctate, sparsely pubescent ventrally. Metapleuron pubescent, more sparsely so posteromedially. Propodeum without carinae; impunctate medially, sparsely pubescent laterally. Tarsal claws with stout setae basally. Fore wing stigma narrow, about 4.0x longer than wide; Rs+2r arising from basal 0.4 of stigma; marginal cell about 3.3x longer than wide; 2rs-m 1.3–1.4X longer than abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2mcu; Cu1a about 0.7X length of 2cu-a; cu-a interstitital relative to Rs&M. Hind wing M+Cu strongly bowed; basal abscissa of Rs 0.9–1.2X length of rs-m; 1st abscissa of Cu1 1.1–1.6X longer than cu-a. Metasoma: T1 about 2.0X as long as broad; surface in profile flat basally, very weakly convex posteriorly, dorsal tendon anchored at base of weak median groove, groove not delimited distally; spiracles not or only weakly protruding in profile; dorsolateral carina extending about 0.4X distance to spiracle. Cerci oval to elliptical in outline, not protruding.

Color. Head yellow, face light brownish medially in holotype, frons and ocellar triangle dark yellow in holotype. Antenna yellow over approximately basal 0.7–0.8, dark brown apically. Mesosoma entirely yellow, darker on mesoscutum and sometimes ventrally. Metasoma with T1 yellow, remaining tergites mostly dark yellow with narrow, pale yellow transverse band apically. Fore and mid legs largely yellow, with tarsomeres of mid leg somewhat brownish. Hind coxa and femur yellow, with light infumate spot laterally on coxa in holotype, tibia yellow to light orange with brown markings dorsally in holotype, tarsomeres dark brown. Fore wing hyaline with faint infumate spot apically.

Male: Unknown.

Material Examined. Holotype Ψ ( UNAM): [ MEXICO] first line of data label: “ MEXICO: Yucatan” second line: “Merida, Xmatkuil”, third line: “ 25 May 1996 ” fourth line: “R. Wharton”. Paratype: 1 Ψ MEXICO, Jalisco, Estacion Biologica Chamela, 4–5.vii.1993 (R Wharton & M Sharkey) ( TAMU).

Remarks. The species name is Latin for yellow, referring to the predominately yellow head and body. The species has a disjunct distribution, with one specimen each known from the dry, coastal forests on the Pacific and Caribbean sides of Mexico.

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 8. ESEM, clypeus. 5, Physotarsus concavus n. sp., 6, P. luteus n. sp., 7, P. claviger n. sp., 8, Scolobates auriculatus.

FIGURES 41 – 44. Habitus and face. 41, Physotarsus leucohypopygus, n. sp., face. 42 – 43, P. lu t eu s n. sp.; 42, habitus; 43, face. 44, P. maculipennis, habitus.