Physotarsus tonicus 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 : 45-47

Physotarsus tonicus Zhaurova , n. sp. ( Figs 54–56 )

Diagnosis. Lateral ocelli separated by about 1.6X their widest diameter from each other and about 1.4X their widest diameter from eye margin. Antenna with 27–31 flagellomeres. Pronotum impunctate, rugose medially and along posterior margin. Mesoscutum densely, irregularly punctate. T1 about twice as long as broad. Head mostly black in female, with most of clypeus, mandibles, and complete ocular ring yellow, male with face entirely or almost entirely yellow. Mesosoma almost entirely black, some yellow pigment sometimes present laterally on mesoscutum and propodeum. Metasomal tergites mostly black with narrow, white apical margin. Hind femur and tibia orange, coxa, trochanter, trochantellus, tarsomeres, and pretarsus black. Fore wing entirely hyaline.

Physotarsus tonicus is one of several species with a black and yellow mesosoma, a distinctly punctate mesopleuron, and a completely hyaline wing. It differs from all but P. foveatus and P. melotarsus in having the entire mesoscutum deeply punctate. The face is completely yellow in P. melotarsus and partially to completely black medially in P. foveatus and P. t o n i c u s. The fore and mid femora are extensively dark brown to black in P. tonicus and yellow to orange in P. foveatus .

Description. Female: Body ( Fig. 54 ) 3.7–4.8 mm, fore wing 3.2–4.0 mm. Head ( Fig. 55 ): Clypeal margin widely subtruncate laterally, with thick, rounded central lobe. Clypeus about 2.8–3.0X as wide as long, divided medially by very shallow transverse depression. Face covered with short to very short setae; setae only slightly longer, less dense on clypeus. Anterior tentorial pits elongate, pointed laterally. Malar space small, about 0.2–0.3X width of mandibular base. Face 1.7–1.8X as broad as long, strongly protruding in profile, densely, evenly punctate. Interantennal area flat, area immediately behind antenna weakly concave turning convex laterally before reaching ocelli. Anterior margin of torulus situated at about 0.6 of eye height. Interantennal distance greater than distance between lateral ocelli. Widest diameter of torulus about 1.4X widest diameter of median ocellus. Lateral ocelli separated by about 1.6X their widest diameter from each other and about 1.4X their widest diameter from eye margin. Area between lateral ocelli strongly depressed, area immediately behind ocelli not sharply declivitous. Antenna with 27–31 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 4.0–4.3X longer than wide, 0.8X widest transverse diameter of eye, second flagellomere 0.7–0.8X length of first. Occipital carina present on ventral 0.7–0.8 of head. Mesosoma: Anterior margin of pronotum medially emarginate, laterally rounded, slightly upcurved. Lateral groove of pronotum strong, complete to posterior margin, shallow and broadly rugose ventrally. Pronotum impunctate, rugose medially and along posterior margin. Mesoscutum densely, irregularly punctate. Epicnemial carina parallels anterior margin of mesopleuron. Mesopleuron with prominent impunctate area. Metapleuron almost uniformly densely setose. Propodeum with pleural carina vestigial to weak but complete; narrowly impunctate posteromedially, densely punctate laterally. Tarsal claws with stout setae basally. Metapleuron almost uniformly densely setose. Fore wing stigma 3.5–3.8X longer than wide; Rs+2r arising from basal 0.4 of stigma; marginal cell about 3.0X longer than wide; 2rs-m 1.1–1.8X longer than abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu; Cu1a about 0.8X length of 2cu-a; cu-a interstitital to weakly antefurcal relative to Rs&M. Hind wing M+Cu bowed to strongly bowed; basal abscissa of Rs 0.9–1.3X length of rs-m; 1st abscissa of Cu1 2.6–3.6X longer than cu-a. Metasoma: T1 about 2.0X as long as broad; surface in profile concave basally, nearly flat medially, moderatly convex posteriorly, dorsal tendon anchored within base of broad depression, depression gradually becoming shallower over anterior half; spiracle not or only weakly protruding in profile; dorsolateral carina extending from 0.5–1.0X distance to spiracle, often weakly developed. Cerci small, round to slightly ovate, very weakly protruding.

Male: Subgenital plate elongate, apical margin widely truncate, even, aedeagal margin not toothed. First flagellomere slightly broader, 3.7–4.0X longer than wide. 1st abscissa of Cu 1 in hind wing 2.1–3.2X longer than cu-a. Otherwise as in female except for color difference noted below.

Color. Head mostly black in female, with most of clypeus, mandibles, and complete ocular ring yellow to pale yellow, male with face entirely or almost entirely yellow ( Fig. 56 ), often with narrow black line dorsally extending from frons to dorsal tubercle of face. Antenna in female dorsally usually dark brown to black, ventrally dark brown basally to brownish orange apically, male antenna entirely black. Mesosoma almost entirely black, except meso- and metascutellum, a short pale stripe anterolaterally on mesoscutum, and a pair of irregular spots posterolaterally on propodeum pale yellow, male often with propodeum entirely black. Metasomal tergites mostly black with narrow, white apical margins. All coxae, trochanters, and trochantelli black. Fore femur white dorsally and sometimes anteriorly otherwise dark brown to black, mid femur more extensively dark brown to black, remainder of fore and mid legs mostly white, usually with some weak infumate marking especially on tarsomeres distally. Hind femur and tibia orange, tarsomeres and pretarsus black. Fore wing entirely hyaline.

Material Examined. Holotype: Ψ ( AEIC, Type No. 3860), [ USA, Arizona] first line of data label: “Portal, Arizona” second line: “ Sept. 12, 1987 ” third line: “H. & M. Townes”. Paratypes: 18 Ψ 40 ɗ, same data as holotype except dates ranging 12–13.viii.1974 & 19.viii–23.ix.1987 ( AEIC, TAMU); 3 Ψ Arizona, nr Roosevelt L, 29.iv.1947 (H&M Townes) ( AEIC).

Remarks. Sexual dimorphism in facial color pattern was not observed in any other species of Physotarsus . This species is known only from southeastern Arizona. This is Physotarsus species 3 in the analyses conducted by Zhaurova and Wharton (2009).

The species name is an arbitrary combination of letters.

Figures

FIGURES 53 – 56. Habitus and face. 53, Physotarsus oculatus n. sp., face. 54 – 56, P. to nicu s n. sp.; 54, habitus; 55, face Ψ; 56, face ♂.