Forrestopius auguratricis Alvarado & Palacio, 2021

Alvarado, Mabel & Palacio, Edgard, 2021, Forrestopius Gauld & Sithole, 2002 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae) in South America, Zootaxa 5040 (2), pp. 265-282 : 268-270

Forrestopius auguratricis Alvarado & Palacio sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 , 10A )

Holotype. ♀, “ VENEZUELA: Merida, Merida, Hechicera, Monte Zerpa , 2000m; 22.vii-2.viii.1989; S & J Peck Mal. Trap; montane for.” ( USUC).

Paratypes. COLOMBIA: ♀, Risaralda, Ucumarí Regional Natural Park, La Pastora, 4°79’N 75°64’W, 2250m, 14.iii.1992, E. Palacio, net trap ( MPUJ _ ENT) ; ECUADOR: ♀ Napo, Cabañas San Isidro , 2 km NW Co- sanga, 0°33’S 77°55’W, 2150m, 20–23.VII.1998, Ratcliffe, Jameson, Smith & Villatoro, premontante rain forest ( CNC) ; PERU: ♀ Amazonas, Abra— Patricia Protected Area, Trocha Grallaria , 05°41’36”S / 77°48’41.9”W, 2362 m, 06.IX.2012, J. Suárez & P. Sánchez, Malaise trap ( MUSM) ; VENEZUELA: ♀ Merida, Merida, Hechicera, Monte Zerpa , 2000m, 22.VII–2.VIII.1989, S & J Peck Malaise Trap, montane forest; 2F ♀ Merida, 20 km SE Azu- lita, La Carbonera, 2300m, 28. VI –3.VIII.1989, S&J Peck, Podocarpus forest ( USUC) .

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: mandible with two teeth, antenna with 16–19 flagellomeres, scape predominantly yellowish brown ( Figs 1A, 1B ), face and clypeus forming a continuous surface, pronotum with a single wrinkle arising from pronotal pit with its upper end reaching about one third to half of way to anterior margin and dorso-posterior corner yellowish brown ( Fig. 2B ), and propodeum with lateromedian and lateral longitudinal carinae ( Fig. 2C ). This species looks similar to F. jumandi , F. runasimi , and F. yungas but differs from them by having the metatarsomeres yellowish testaceous (vs. metatarsomeres light brown).

Description. Female: Body length 6.8–7.3 mm. Fore wing length 4.2–6.0 mm.

Head. Face and clypeus forming a continuous surface, 0.9–1.0× as long as wide, smooth with punctures, upper half weakly striate; labrum not exposed when mandibles closed; mandibles with two teeth; malar space 1.0× as long as basal mandibular width; lateral ocellus separated from compound eye by about 1.3–1.5× maximum ocellar diameter; distance between ocelli 1.0–1.1× maximum ocellar diameter; vertex behind ocellar triangle slightly declivous, occiput concave; gena in lateral view 0.9–1.1× as long as compound eye; antenna with 16–19 flagellomeres, ratio of length from second to fourth flagellomeres: 0.7–0.8: 0.7–0.8: 0.7–0.8 (1.1:0.9: 0.9 in the paratype from Ecuador), subapical flagellomere elongate, 1.0–1.1× as long as centrally broad.

Mesosoma . Pronotum with wrinkle arising from pronotal pit, its upper end reaching between one third to half of way to anterior margin ( Fig. 2B ); metapleuron polished, with isolated punctures, posteroventrally striate; submetapleural carina scrobiculate, anteriorly expanded into conspicuous triangular lobe. Propodeum with lateromedian longitudinal carina strong, slightly closer to each other anteriorly ( Fig. 2C ); lateral longitudinal carina complete; posterior transverse carina present; area superomedia 2.9–3.4× as long as wide. Fore wing with vein Cu 1 a between Cu 1 b and 2 m-cu 2.3–2.8× (1.7× in the paratype from Ecuador) as long as Cu 1 between Rs & M and 1 m-cu; 2 rs-m 0.6–07× as long as abscissa of M between 2rs-m and 2m-cu. Hind wing with distal abscissa of M indistinguishable, distal abscissa of Cu 1 and 1 A sclerotized throughout. Outer metatibial spur 0.6× as long as inner spur.

Metasoma. Tergite I 1.5–1.7× as long as posteriorly wide, lateromedian carina extending 0.4–0.5× length of tergite ( Fig. 2C ); tergite II 0.9–1.1× as long as posteriorly wide; laterotergite II 0.2× as wide as long; laterotergite III 0.5× as wide as long, semicircular, mesal edge convex.

Colour. Head extensively black, mandible brown, palpi testaceous and scape yellowish brown (latero-externally brownish), pedicel and flagellomeres brown. Mesosoma black, dorso-posterior corner of pronotum yellowish brown, and tegula testaceous; fore and mid legs yellowish testaceous, femur ventrally and tibia dorsally off-white, coxae dorsally brown; hind leg yellowish testaceous, coxa and basal half of femur black, distal 1/3 of tibia light brown; metasoma black, except ovipositor and valvae testaceous.

Male: Unknown

Remarks. The paratype from Ecuador is smaller (fore wing length 4.2mm) that the other paratypes (fore wing length 4.6–5.5mm) and presents some differences that are mentioned above, this seems to be part of the variation within the species. This species occurs in Cloud forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela ( Fig. 10A ) between 2000–2362 m; F. auguratricis and F. kirti have the wider distribution in the genus.

Etymology. The species epithet auguratricis means ‘sorceress’ in Latin, in reference to the collecting locality Hechicera. It is treated as a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Details of Forrestopius auguratricis, sp. nov. A. Facial view B. Head in dorsal view C. Protibia and protarsomere

FIGURE 2. Details of Forrestopius auguratricis, sp. nov. A. Habitus of female, in lateral view (scale bar = 1 mm), paratype B. Propodeum and first two metasomal tergites C. Facial view D. Head and pronotum, in lateral view.

FIGURE 10. Geographic distribution of the Forrestopius species