Physotarsus foveatus 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 : 26-28

Physotarsus foveatus Zhaurova , n. sp. ( Figs 34, 35 )

Diagnosis. Lateral ocelli separated by about 1.8X their widest diameter from each other and about 2.0X their widest diameter from eye margin. Antenna with 29–33 flagellomeres. Pronotum sparsely punctate on anterior and posterior margins, densely punctate to rugose medially. Mesoscutum densely punctate over its entire surface. T1 about twice as long as broad. Head yellow with wide, black, median stripe usually originating at upper half of clypeus and extending to occiput; occiput black. Mesosoma almost entirely black with some yellow on mesoscutum. Metasomal tergites largely black with yellow apical trim; cerci dark. Hind femur orange, tibia and tarsomeres black. Fore wing entirely hyaline.

Physotarsus foveatus 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. m e l o t a r s u s and P. tonicus 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. 34 ) 4.4–5.9 mm, fore wing 4.5–5.0 mm. Head ( Fig. 35 ): Clypeal margin widely subtruncate laterally, with thick, rounded central lobe. Clypeus about 3.2X as wide as long, not separated medially by transverse depression. Face covered with very short setae; setae only slightly longer, less dense on clypeus. Anterior tentorial pits elongate, pointed laterally. Malar space small, about 0.3–0.4X width of mandibular base. Face 1.9X as broad as long, protruding dorsally in profile, evenly, densely punctate. Interantennal area flat, area immediately behind antennae weakly concave turning convex before reaching ocelli. Anterior margin of torulus situated at about 0.6 of eye height. Interantennal distance about equal to distance between lateral ocelli. Widest diameter of torulus 1.2X widest diameter of median ocellus. Lateral ocelli separated by about 1.8X their widest diameter from each other and about 2.0x their widest diameter from eye margin. Area between lateral ocelli strongly depressed medially, area immediately behind ocelli not sharply declivitous. Antenna with 29-33 flagellomeres, first flagellomere 4.3–5.0X longer than wide, 0.9X widest transverse diameter of eye, second flagellomere 0.6–0.7X length of first. Occipital carina present on ventral 0.7–0.8 of head. Mesosoma: Anterior margin of pronotum medially emarginate, laterally rounded and slightly upcurved. Lateral groove of pronotum vestigial, sculptured, present on dorsal 0.3. Pronotum sparsely punctate on anterior and posterior margins, densely punctate to rugose medially. Mesoscutum densely punctate over its entire surface. Epicnemial carina parallels anterior margin of mesopleuron. Mesopleuron densely and deeply punctate with a very small impunctate area. Metapleuron densely short setose. Propodeum with pleural carina complete; propodeum somewhat rugose and impunctate medially, densely punctate laterally. Tarsal claws simple. Fore wing stigma 3.4–3.7X longer than wide; Rs+2r arising from basal 0.4 of stigma; marginal cell about 3.0X longer than wide; 2rs-m variable, 1.8–3.4X longer than abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu; Cu1a about 0.8X length of 2cu-a; cu-a weakly antefurcal relative to Rs&M. Hind wing M+Cu bowed; basal abscissa of Rs 1.1–1.2X longer than rs-m; 1st abscissa of Cu1 1.9–4.0X longer than cu-a. Metasoma: T1 about 2.0X as long as broad; surface in profile flat near level of spiracles, weakly convex posteriorly, dorsal tendon anchored within distinct basal median groove, groove elongate but gradually decreasing in depth and not delimited distally; spiracles not or only weakly protruding in profile; dorsolateral carina low but usually distinct, usually extending 0.7–0.9X distance to spiracle. Cerci distinct because of contrasting coloration, round to slightly ovate, nearly flat.

Color. Head yellow with wide, black, median stripe usually originating at upper half of clypeus and extending to occiput, lower face occasionally with almost no black markings and middle of face often with pair of yellow spots within black stripe; occiput black. Antennae dark brown to black basally, gradually becoming lighter towards apex with apical 0.2–0.3 orange. Mesosoma almost entirely black with mesoscutellum yellow and mesoscutum with some yellow along anterolateral margin extending posteriorly along notaular lines. Metasomal tergites largely black with yellow apical trim; cerci dark. All coxae black; fore and mid trochanter, trochantellus, tibia, and tarsomeres yellow, femur variously yellow and orange, occasionally with mid femur dark brown; hind trochanter dark brown to black, trochantellus often a little less dark, femur orange, tibia and tarsomeres black. Fore wing entirely hyaline.

Male: Unknown.

Material Examined. Holotype Ψ ( AEIC, Type No. 3853): [ USA, Arizona] first line of data label: “Portal, Arizona” second line: “ Sept. 18, 1987 ” third line: “H. & M. Townes”. Paratypes: 10 Ψ, same data as holotype except dates ranging 14.viii–3.ix.1974 & 13.ix.1987 ( AEIC, TAMU); 1 Ψ MEXICO, Nuevo Leon, 5mi. S. Monterrey, 3.ix.1958 (HF Howden) ( CNC).

Remarks. The species name is derived primarily from the Latin word for pit and refers to the distinctive anterior tentorial pits. This species is known only from southeastern Arizona and central Nuevo Leon and its known distribution is thus almost identical to that of P. concavus .

Figures

FIGURES 33 – 36. Habitus and face. 33, Physotarsus flavipennis n. sp., face. 34 – 35, P. foveatus n. sp.; 34, habitus; 35, face. 36, P. gineus n. sp., habitus.