Dissomphalus signatus Alencar & Azevedo, 2008

Alencar, I. D. C. C. & Azevedo, C. O., 2008, A new species-group of Dissomphalus (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), with description of thirteen new species, Zootaxa 1851 (1), pp. 1-28 : 24-25

Dissomphalus signatus Alencar & Azevedo , sp. nov.

( Figs. 84–89 )

Diagnosis: male. This species is unique in having the basal bar with the upper margin tetradentate. The paramere evenly wide in dorsal view; the filament of ventral ramus inserted subapically, nearly as long as ramus, convergent; the dorsal body with basal bar triangular, upper margin tetradentate; the connector with diamond-shaped lateral expansion, with mid part darker and dropped-shaped are also useful to identify this species.

Description: male, body length 5.20 mm; LFW 4.0 mm. Color: head and mesosoma black, except pronotum somewhat castaneous with narrow posterior line light castaneous; clypeus, mandible and metasoma dark castaneous; palpi and legs yellowish; antenna light castaneous and gradually darker distally; wings subhyaline.

Head: mandible bidentate. Clypeus with subtrapezoidal median lobe, median tooth folded straight downward, median carina complete. Relative length of first four antennal segments ~8:4:4:4 segment XI 1.7x as long as wide. Frons coriaceous, punctures small and very shallow, separated by 1.0–2.5x their diameter. LH 1.0x WH; WF 0.6x WH; WF 1.2x HE; OOL 0.8x WOT; DAO 0.5x WOT; posterior ocellus distant from crest of vertex 1.0x DAO. Vertex somewhat concave; VOL 0.7x HE.

Mesosoma: thoracic dorsum weakly coriaceous, punctures much smaller and sparser than those of frons. Pronotal disc 0.5x length of mesoscutum. Notaulus complete. Propodeal disc 0.7x as long as wide, irregularly rugose, median carina incomplete, lateral corner of posterior part elevate, weakly coriaceous and shinny; lateral surface of propodeum weakly coriaceous; declivity imbricate, median carina incomplete anteriorly. Fore femur 2.7x as long as wide.

Metasoma: tergite II with short few setae instead tergal process. Hypopygium with posterior margin concave.

Genitalia ( Figs. 84–89 ): paramere evenly wide in dorsal view; apex rounded and arched mesad; ventral margin weakly concave apically, apical corner small and rounded, somewhat concave basally; dorsal margin convex with subapical acute concavity (84, 85, 88). Basiparamere wide, dorsal margin somewhat convex. Cuspis long and arched, apex rounded, digitus with apex pointed and smooth in upper margin. Aedeagus with ventral ramus shorter than dorsal body, laminar, surface horizontal, inner margin straight in ventral view, ventrad except base flat with narrow fold, outer margin convex, basally with ventral fold, filament inserted subapically, nearly as long as ramus, convergent, narrow, thin and arched dorsad ( Fig. 84 ); dorsal body with two pairs of apical lobes, outer pair laminar, surface vertical, wide, apex convergent, dorsal margin convex in lateral view ( Fig. 87 ) and sinuous in dorsal view ( Fig. 85 ), ventral margin with apex somewhat concave, projection straight and serrate ( Figs. 86, 87 ), inner pair long, membranous, hairy and granulate; basal bar triangular, upper margin tetradentate, lower margin almost touching basal plate; connector with diamond-shaped lateral expansion, with mid part darker and dropped-shaped; basal plate with upper margin concave, median lower margin somewhat concave ( Fig. 85 ). Apodeme of aedeagus extending beyond elliptical genital ring.

Material examined: HOLOTYPE: male, PERU, Huanuco {Ucayali}, cord[illera] Azul , 39km NE Tingo Maria, 1700 m, montane rain for[est], [~ 9ºS 75º34’59”W], 11–14.i.1983, trap site 672, A. Newton & M. Thayer col ( CNCI) . PARATYPE: 7 males, same data as holotype ( CNCI) .

Variation: body length from 3.20 to 5.80 mm; legs castaneous; tergite II with short few setae where the lateral tergal process would be, aedeagus with filament of ventral ramus slightly dilated at base.

Comments: This species is similar to D. uncus by having the connector with diamond-shaped lateral expansion. However D. uncus has the filament of the ventral ramus sinuous, inserted apically, and the basal bar with the upper margin concave and the lateral margin folded mesad, whereas D. signatus has the filament of the ventral ramus convergent, inserted subapically, and the basal bar without lateral margin folded mesad.

Etymology: the specific Latin epithet refers to the shape of the lateral expansion of the connector.

Distribution: Peru.

Figures

FIGURES 78–89. 78–83, Dissomphalus refertus. 78, tergal process, dorsal view; 79, genitalia, ventral view; 80, genitalia, dorsal view; 81, outer lobe, ventral view; 82, apex of outer lobe, lateral view; 83, paramere, lateral view; 84–88 Dissomphalus signatus. 84, genitalia, ventral view; 85, genitalia, dorsal view; 86, outer lobe, ventral view; 87, apex of dorsal body, lateral view; 88, paramere, lateral view; 89, paramere, basal inner view. (Scale bars = 250 µm).