Physotarsus albus 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 : 12-13

Physotarsus albus Zhaurova , n. sp. ( Figs 11, 12 )

Diagnosis. Lateral ocelli separated by about 0.5x their widest diameter from each other and about 2.0X their widest diameter from eye margin. Antenna with 24–26 flagellomeres. Pronotum and mesoscutum impunctate, shiny. T1 3.0X as long as broad. Face white; frons and occiput orange. Mesosoma orange, area around propodeal spiracles sometimes brown. Metasomal tergites brown with narrow, white lateral and apical margins, sternites white. Hind leg almost entirely dark brown to black. Fore wing very lightly and evenly infumate, nearly hyaline.

Physotarsus albus is readily recognized by the uniformly lightly colored wing and contrastingly white face and clypeus on an orange head. No other species has the same color pattern on the fore wing. Physotarsus leucohypopygus , similar in size and body sculpture, also know only from Brazil, has a uniformly colored head and hyaline wings with fuscous spot at apex. The wing of P. flavipennis is somewhat similar, but with a dark apical spot and P. flavipennis is distinctly punctate on the face, frons, and mesopleuon.

Description. Male: Body ( Fig. 11 ) 5.0– 5.5 mm, fore wing 5.0– 5.4 mm. Head ( Fig. 12 ): Clypeal margin widely rounded laterally, with thick, somewhat angulate central lobe. Clypeus about 3.0X as wide as long, not divided medially by shallow transverse depression. Face covered with short setae; setae longer, less dense on clypeus. Anterior tentorial pits oval. Malar space 0.6–0.8X width of mandibular base. Face about 1.5–1.6X as broad as long, weakly convex, smooth, impunctate. Interantennal area slightly concave, area immediately behind antenna weakly concave, turning convex before reaching ocelli. Anterior margin of torulus situated at about 0.8 of eye height. Interantennal distance greater than distance between lateral ocelli. Widest diameter of torulus 1.1X widest diameter of median ocellus. Lateral ocelli separated by about 0.5X their widest diameter from each other and about 2.0X their widest diameter from eye margin. Area between lateral ocelli flat to slightly depressed, area behind ocelli sharply declivitous. Antenna with 24–26 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 6.2–6.7X longer than wide, about equal widest transverse diameter of eye, second flagellomere about 0.7X length of first. Occipital carina present on ventral 0.4 of head. Mesosoma: Anterior margin of pronotum medially emarginate, laterally truncate and strongly upcurved. Lateral groove of pronotum absent entirely or short and crenulate on dorsal 0.1. Pronotum and mesoscutum impunctate, shiny. Epicnemial carina turning towards but never reaching anterior margin of mesopleuron. Mesopleuron impunctate, sparsely pubescent ventrally. Metapleuron pubescent, more sparsely so posteromedially. Propodeum with posterior vestiges of median longitudinal and pleural carinae; impunctate medially, sparsely punctate laterally. All tarsal claws pectinate. Fore wing stigma narrow, about 4.5X longer than wide; Rs+2r arising from basal 0.3– 0.4 of stigma; marginal cell about 2.8X longer than wide; 2rs-m 0.8–2.0X length of abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu; Cu1a about 0.4X length of 2cu-a; cu-a interstitial to weakly antefurcal relative to Rs&M. Hind wing M+Cu strongly bowed; basal abscissa of Rs 1.0–1.2X length of rs-m; 1st abscissa of Cu1 0.9–1.5X longer than cu-a. Metasoma: T1 3.0X as long as broad; surface undulating: flatter medially, weakly elevated anteriorly and posteriorly; dorsal tendon anchored within deep, discrete depression; spiracles protruding in profile; dorsolateral carina extending about half distance to spiracle. Cerci distinct, round to slightly ovate, nearly flat. Male subgenital plate prominent, its posterior margin shallowly concave.

Color. Face white, frons and occiput orange. Antenna dark brown to black. Mesosoma orange, area around propodeal spiracles sometimes brown. Metasomal tergites brown with very thin white margins, sternites white. Fore and mid legs yellowish, apex sometimes dark; hind leg dark brown to black, except coxa usually orange ventrally, posteriorly, and at base. Fore wing entirely pale yellowish brown.

Female: Unknown.

Material Examined. Holotype ɗ ( AEIC, Type No. 3847): [ BRAZIL, Saõ Paulo] first line of data label: “Serra da Bocâina ” second line: “ 1600m. S. J. Barreiros” third line: “ XI. 4–7. 1967 Brazil ” fourth line: “Alvarenga & Seabra”. Paratypes: 1 ɗ, same data as holotype ( AEIC); 8 ɗ, same data except 1650 m, xi.1968 ( AEIC, TAMU).

Remarks. This species was collected at relatively high elevations, from 1600–1650 m and is known only from southwestern Brazil.

The species name is Latin for white, referring to the white face.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 12. Habitus and face. 9 – 10, Physotarsus adriani n. sp.; 9, habitus; 10, face. 11 – 12, P. albus n. sp.; 11, habitus; 12, face.