Polysphincta sirena Khalaim, 2024

Khalaim, Andrey I., Ruíz-Cancino, Enrique & Coronado-Blanco, Juana María, 2024, Darwin wasps of the subfamily Pimplinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) of Mexico: Polysphincta genus-group, Zootaxa 5458 (2), pp. 151-196 : 179-182

5. Polysphincta sirena Khalaim , sp. nov.

Material examined. Holotype female ( UNAM), Mexico, Hidalgo, Huasca de Ocampo, Rancho Santa Elena, Hueyapan River , 20°06’N, 98°31’W, 2330–2535 m, Malaise trap, 25.i– 29.xi–26.xii.2005, coll. A. Contreras et al.

Paratypes. MEXICO. Hidalgo: 1 ♀, 1 ♂ ( UNAM) same data as holotype . 1 ♀ ( ZISP) same data, but 25.i– 23.ii.2006 .

Description. Female. Body length about 7.4 mm.

Head in dorsal view with genae strongly narrowed behind eyes. Mandible somewhat twisted and strongly tapered towards apex, with lower tooth very short, the upper tooth much longer than the lower. Clypeus with lower margin weakly convex, in lateral view slightly concave. Malar space 0.3–0.4× as long as basal mandibular width. Face elongate, smooth, with fine and shallow punctures. Frons polished, impunctate. Vertex polished, almost impunctate (with a few very small punctures peripherally). Gena and gena polished, with very fine and sparse punctures. Lateral ocellus separated from eye by 0.8× its own maximum diameter.

Pronotum polished, without shelf-like projection. Epomia distinct, long. Mesoscutum polished, bare and impunctate. Notaulus very shallow. Scutellum convex, not laterally carinate. Epicnemial carina distinct, reaching to level of lower corner of pronotum. Mesopleuron polished, with fine and sparse punctures ventrally. Metapleuron convex, almost impunctate. Submetapleural carina absent. Propodeum without carinae, with posterolateral impressions near hind margin, almost entirely polished, with weak and sparse punctures laterally. Pleural carina absent, but metapleuron separated from propodeum behind propodeal spiracle by furrow.

Fore wing length 5.7 mm. Vein 1cu-a (nervulus) somewhat distad base of M&RS (basal vein). Hind wing with nervellus without angulation, distal section of CU absent.

Metasoma with first tergite long, weakly broadened posteriorly, about 1.8× as long as posteriorly broad; lateromedian carina distinct in anterior 0.25 of tergite; lateral longitudinal carina present in front of spiracle and absent behind spiracle. First sternite in lateral view with a distinct projection ventrally. Tergites 2 and 3 elongate, 1.2–1.3 as long as broad. Ovipositor short, slender, weakly upcurved apically, 0.9–1.0× as long as hind tibia and 0.85× as long as first and second metasomal tergites combined.

Head black, clypeus reddish brown ventrally. Mandible yellow, teeth dark red. Mouthparts yellow. Antenna dark brown. Propleuron brownish orange. Pronotum predominantly brownish black or black, with lower margin and posterior upper corner orange. Mesoscutum, scutellum and postscutellum brownish orange. Mesopleuron and metapleuron brownish orange. Propodeum predominantly brownish orange, with median longitudinal blackish mark. Tegula white. Wings hyaline. Pterostigma pale brown. Legs predominantly yellow; hind coxa and all femora brownish orange, hind tibia with weak brownish marks subbasally and apically; apices of mid and hind (sometimes also fore) tarsomeres darkened. First tergite brownish black. Second and following tergites reddish brown, tergites 2–5 with posterior margins black.

Male. Similar to female.

Etymology. The name of this species is an arbitrary euphonious combination of letters, with no special meaning.

Distribution. Mexico (Hidalgo).

Comparison. The new species is similar to P. purceli but distinct in having shorter ovipositor and hind leg without black markings.