Melanocryptus tesselatus Aguiar, 2015
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.1206/3836.1 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03FD8204-AE40-5E71-FE0F-FBC3FDD0FEC4 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Melanocryptus tesselatus Aguiar |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Melanocryptus tesselatus Aguiar , sp. nov.
Figures 17 View FIGURES 10–21 , 28 View FIGURES 22–30 , 31 View FIGURES 31–41 , 48 View FIGURES 48–51 , 52, 62, 69–74, 92, 119
DESCRIPTION: Female holotype. Forewing 11.80 mm. Body delicately sculptured. Supraclypeal area dorsally with distinct, somewhat pointy protuberance; supraantennal area smooth, polished, coronal suture faint. Antenna with 27 flagellomeres. Malar space 0.71× mandible basal width. Occipital carina laterocentrally without emargination; apically bending shortly where it fuses with hypostomal carina. Pronotum dorsomedial margin not raised above level of anterior margin of mesonotum; epomia distinct, vertical, dorsally curving toward center of pronotum; pronotum laterocentrally with parallel, delicate longitudinal strigation, stouter toward ventroposterior margin; pronotum otherwise smooth. Mesoscutum partially shiny, covered with delicate punctations, median lobe posteriad tegulae also longitudinally strigate. Axillary trough of mesonotum (fig. 31) basally with transverse channel, mostly transversely striate, except polished apex. Notaulus linear, delicate, straight, converging posteriorly, ending a little posteriad of center of mesoscutum. Scutellar carina advancing approximately over anterior third of scutellum, which is protuberant, round (fig. 31). Epicnemial carina reaching 0.67 of distance to subalar ridge, nearly straight (fig. 70). Subalar ridge weakly projected, approximately elongate oval. Sternaulus straight, deep, crenulate, restricted to anterior 0.45 of mesepisternum; mesepisternum with punctulate associated with pilosity, otherwise smooth. Forewing (fig. 17) crossvein 1cu-a basad 1M+Rs only by approximately its own width, its posterior end very slightly curved toward wing base; 2Cua 0.86 length of crossvein 2cu-a. Hind wing (fig. 70) vein Cua 1.87× length of crossvein cu-a.
Transverse furrow at base of propodeum (fig. 52) deep, from centrally wide to laterally narrow, fully crenulate. Propodeum closely punctulate where pilose, otherwise as follows: areas posterior to anterior transverse carina closely rugulose, more oblique centrally on central area, otherwise somewhat irregular; anterior transverse carina complete, centrally curved forward, at this same region anteriorly with rugulosities projecting divergently anteriorly; posterior transverse carina almost complete, formed by three large, connected, conspicuous scale-shaped apophyses, two lateral, one central and anteriad (fig. 52). Propodeal spiracle elongate, 2.45× longer than wide. Pleural carina distinct, complete, linear (fig. 48). Mesopleuron and metapleuron densely punctulate (from pilosity), matte. T1 spiracle at middle (basal 0.55); dorsolateral and ventrolateral carinae mostly weak, but complete; T1 delicately alutaceous, apically almost smooth; sternite ending distinctly basad of spiracle. T2–8 with fine sculpturing associated with pilosity, coarser on T2. Ovipositor somewhat blade shaped, 2.23× taller than wide at midlength, but 22% taller at apex than at base; its length 1.11× length of hind tibia, very weakly curved downward; ventral valve ridges with subapical irregularity (fig. 62).
Pilosity. Supraclypeal area moderately pilose, hairs long, distinct, weakly yellowish. Thick silvery pilosity covering mesopleuron posteriorly, entire upper and lower divisions of metapleuron (fig. 48), propodeum (fig. 52), all coxae, but this pilosity becomes easily invisible depending on angle of illumination; mesoscutum and scutellum inconspicuously pilose. T2–8 covered with fine yellowish pilosity, more distinct on T2.
Color. Black, with wide ivory stripes on head and metasoma, forewing with two wide dark stripes (fig. 70). Body black, metasoma with weak bluish reflections. With following ivory yellowish marks: supraclypeal area with narrow streaks along eye margin between 8–9 h, supraantennal area widely except around toruli and mid longitudinally, ending posteriorly in straight line without reaching posterior portion of vertex (fig. 72), continuing laterally as wide, regular stripe until a little past 15 h; T1–2 and T7 with wide apical stripe reaching full width from one side to the other, on T7 covering apical 0.5 of tergite. S2 centrally largely brown, other sternites black. Legs dark brown, forelegs lightest; foretibia ventrally, and laterodorsally on basal 0.7, pale yellowish. Ovipositor sheath dark brown, shaft basally brightly white, apical dilated part darkened, except tip yellowish. Forewing (fig. 17) with two wide, fuscous stripes, otherwise hyaline; central stripe not reaching anterior and posterior margin; apical stripe fully reaching apical and posterior margins, but not reaching apical 0.1 of wing, and not covering the areolet, not even partially. Hind wing (fig. 28) entirely hyaline.
MALE (fig. 71): Quite distinct from the female. Males from the same collecting event as the female from Colombia differ from it as follows. Antenna with central white band, covering flagellomeres 12–16; supraclypeal area yellow, with M-shaped blackish mark (fig. 74); forecoxa from spotted to mostly yellowish; midtibia mostly pale yellowish; forewing with an apical stripe only, centrally hyaline; apical stripe ending at, but not invading, the areolet; T3 with distinct, regular apical yellow stripe; T7 apical yellow stripe wide, width regular, not centrally narrowed.
VARIATION: Females : Forewing length 9.00– 13.60 mm (n = 3). On the paratypes from Panama and Colombia the propodeum has a delicate posterior transverse carina, with weakly developed apophyses; ovipositor 1.00–1.17× length of hind tibia (n = 3). Dorsal elevation on supraclypeal area elongate. Color: head with smaller yellowish area, restricted to 10–13 h only; forewing central stripe may fully reach anterior or posterior margin; hind tibia basally on mesal side with small whitish spot (vs. absent in 2 specimens, small/weak on 1 specimen); T3 laterally, at apical margin, with large whitish mark (vs. entirely dark brown); T7 apical yellowish stripe centrally narrowed .
BIOLOGY: Unknown.
COMMENTS. Closest to M. hadroglyptus , from which it can be differentiated mostly by having more delicate notaulus, ending at center of mesoscutum (vs. deeply impressed, meeting posteriorly, ending near posterior margin of mesoscutum); pleural carina linear (vs. conspicuously crenulate; compare fig. 48 vs. 50); sternaulus straight (vs. sinuous); propodeum posteriad anterior trasverse carina densely rugulose, matte (vs. mostly smooth, polished); subalar ridge black, concolorous with mesepisternum (vs. light brown, contrasting with black mesepisternum; fig. 70 vs. 47); S1 ending distinctly basad petiolar spiracle (vs. opposite).
Also quite similar to M. delos , from which it can be differentiated as follows: (1) forewing apical stripe of infuscation covering the areolet partially or entirely, but not reaching to the wing tip, which remains hyaline (vs. stripe not or barely reaching areolet and wing apex entirely covered with infuscation on both sexes of M. delos ; fig. 17 vs. 19); (2) orbital band wide and complete at least from 10 to 14 h, often from 9 to 15 h (vs. absent from 11 to 13 h, often more; fig. 72 vs. 2); (3) T7 apical whitish stripe usually (2 of 3 cases) wide and uniform (vs. narrow, irregular or absent); (4) notaulus thin but distinct, well marked (vs. faint, almost indistinct); (5) maxillary palpus dark brown (vs. often spotted in pale yellow or whitish); (6) mesosoma laterally, apicad base of hind wing, densely pilose, hairs long and overlapping (vs. short, somewhat sparse pilosity); (7) mesopleural suture densely pilose and bent (angled) at level of hypoepimeron (vs. almost glabrous and straight or at most slightly curved); and (8) pleural carina distinct, complete, linear (vs. faint, fragmented; fig. 48 vs. 49).
Males differ from those of M. delos mostly by the forewing with subapical spot (vs. reaching wing tip in M. delos ), and supraclypeal area bearing a M-shaped blackish mark (vs. uniformly whitish).
ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet derives from the Greek tesselatus , meaning “inlaid with small, square stones, checkered”, a reference to the patchy color pattern of the species.
DISTRIBUTION: Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia (fig. 119).
MATERIAL EXAMINED: Seven females, three males. Holotype ♀ VENEZUELA: Falcon, Curimagua , 1640 m. 22-III-1987, R. Miller and L. Stange, cloud forest ( FSCA). Pinned. Mid left leg broken at base, glued back on specimen; hind right t4–5 glued on label; otherwise in good condition. Paratypes :
COLOMBIA: ♀ Dept Valle , Lago Calima, 3 Mi behind dam, tropical wet forest, R. C. Willkerson, 16-VII-1975, Malaise trap ( FSCA). Pinned. Right antenna beyond scape, right foretarsus beyond t2, left mid tarsus entirely, and left hind t5 missing; apex of both right wings somewhat damaged . 3♂ Dept. Valle , Lago Calima , 3 miles behind dam, Tropical wet forest, 16.VII.1975, Malaise, R. C. Wilkerson ; ♂
same data except Below dam, 25. XI .1974 ( FSCA). PANAMA: 4♀ Coclé, El Copé, P. N. Omar Torrijos; 23-30.ix.1999; A. Santos, yellow pan trap ( AEIC). Pinned, complete. Other specimens: COSTA RICA: ♀ Alajuela, Est. Biol. San Ramón [Reserva Biológica Alberto Brenes Mesen], 900 m, VII-VIII.1995, P. Hanson ( MUCR); ♀ Cartago, Turrialba, grounds of IICA , 2. VI .1976 , M. Wasnaier, Malaise trap, 7A-5P + UC Berkeley, EMEC, 731735 ( EMEC).
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