Phytodietus (Phytodietus) moragai Gauld, 1997

Khalaim, Andrey I., Kasparyan, Dmitri R. & López-Ortega, Maurilio, 2018, New records and descriptions of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) from Mexico, Zootaxa 4486 (1), pp. 1-30 : 26-27

77. Phytodietus (Phytodietus) moragai Gauld, 1997

( Figs 36, 37 )

References. Gauld et al. 1997: 361.

Description. Female (first record). Head, mesosoma and metasomal tergites more or less entirely smooth or shallowly coriaceous, weakly shining and impunctate, except face and frons which are finely granulate and dull, and face with very fine but distinct punctures centrally. Antennal flagellum moderately slender, weakly tapered towards apex, with 35 flagellomeres; basal flagellomeres not swollen, flagellomere 5 more or less the same breadth as flagellomere 6. Malar space about half as long as basal mandibular width. Lateral ocellus separated from eye by about 1.1× its own maximum diameter. Occipital carina complete. Epomia absent. Notaulus deep and sharp. Epicnemial carina present ventrally and laterally though very weak, its upper end reaching slightly above level of lower corner of pronotum and distant from anterior margin of mesopleuron. Submetapleural carina distinct in anterior 2/3 and evanescent posteriorly. Hind tibia with numerous fuscous bristles on dorsal and outer sides. First tergite as long as posteriorly broad; tergite 2 and followings very short, strongly transverse. Ovipositor robust, weakly but distinctly upcurved, projecting beyond apex of subgenital plate by 1.35× length of hind tibia; sheath with dense and long pubescence.

Head black with only lower 0.7 of clypeus brownish yellow and a pair of small white spots at top of eye orbits. Mandible white with reddish back teeth. Antenna with scape black with small whitish mark ventrally; pedicel black dorsally and white ventrally; flagellum brown with basal flagellomeres dorsally blackish. Propleuron and pronotum black; pronotum with lower margin narrowly whitish and hind corner white. Mesoscutum red with black mark centrally and triangular black mark posteriorly. Scutellum red with white stripe posteriorly. Postscutellum black with white stripe posteriorly. Mesopleuron red with a large dorsoposterior black mark and subalar prominence white; mesepimeron white. Metapleuron black anteriorly and reddish orange posteriorly. Propodeum entirely black. Tegula white. Pterostigma pale yellowish brown. Fore leg with coxa and trochanters white; femur orange, whitish at extreme base and apex; tibia and tarsus whitish orange, tarsus slightly infuscate. Mid leg coloration similar to those of fore leg but coxa with profuse whitish markings. Hind leg with coxa and femur orange (femur whitish at exteme apex), tibia and tarsus dirty whitish dorsally and fuscous ventrally. Metasomal tergites black, tergite 2 and followings dorsally with narrow white band along hind margins of each tergite, tergites 4 to 7 also white marked ventro-laterally; metasoma ventrally (including subgenital plate) white. Ovipositor dark red. Ovipositor sheath black in basal 0.8 and brownish in apical 0.2.

Remarks. In the key to species by Kasparyan (2007) this species runs to couplet 9, but does not correspond neither P. ninyoi Kasparyan nor P. ruizi Kasparyan in this couplet as it clearly differs from the both species by colour pattern of head and mesosoma. Phytodietus moragai also may easily be distinguished from these species by its deep and sharp notaulus and shorter first metasomal tergite (as long as broad in P. moragai and distincly elongated in two other species). Type material of P. ninyoi and P. ruizi in the collection of UAT was examined.

The key to species of Phytodietus occurring in Costa Rica ( Gauld et al. 1997: 350) does not work well for female of P. moragai , i.e. in couplets 10 (female of P. moragai has ovipositor sheath with dense and long pubescence) and 13 (first tergite as long as broad).

Material examined. Tlaxcala: 1 ♀ ( UNAM) Nanacamilpa, Ejido Los Búfalos , N 19°28′, W 98°35′, oak-pine forest, 2830–2900 m, Malaise trap, 3.V–2.VI.2016, coll. Y. Marquez & A. Contreras.

Distribution. * Mexico (Tlaxcala), Costa Rica.

Figures

FIGURES 36–39. Phytodietus moragai, female: 36—habitus, lateral; 37—apex of metasoma with ovipositor, lateral. Zagryphys zulaya, female: 38—head, lateral; 39—head, mesosoma and base of metasoma, lateral.