Pristomerus vahaza, Rousse & Villemant & Seyrig, 2013

Rousse, Pascal, Villemant, Claire & Seyrig, André, 2013, Ichneumonid wasps from Madagascar. VI. The genus Pristomerus (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cremastinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 49, pp. 1-38 : 30-32

Pristomerus vahaza sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:46D3D30A-E9A1-466A-8082-814DB367F604

Fig. 15

Diagnosis

Moderately large species; face ivory white; head white and black, remainder of body orange with tergites 1–3 infuscate; face finely and sparsely punctate; clypeus slightly transverse, smooth; mesoscutum moderately punctate-granulate, scutellum sparsely punctate; area superomedia about 3 x longer than wide; female femoral tooth absent or appearing as a weak angulation; ovipositor moderately short, apically sinuate; POL 0.5; OOL 1.0; CT 1.4; ML 0.5; OT 1.3–1.4; FFT 0.

Differential diagnosis

Species superficially close to P. caris and related species with white face. Pristomerus vahaza sp. nov. may be distinguished by the combination of an elongate mesosoma, a brown pterostigma and a relatively short ovipositor. The lateral ocellus in male is distinctly more distant from eye margins (OOL = 0.6) than in P. hansoni sp. nov. and P. caris (OOL = 0.2).

Etymology

Refers to the white face: “vahaza” is the Malagasy word for pale foreigners.

Type material

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: ♀ ( MNHN EY3534 ), Rogez, 48°18’ S, 48°32’ E, verbatim label data: “Madagascar, Rogez, forêt côte est, II.31 ”, complete.

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 4 ♀♀, 7 ♂♂ ( MNHN EY3535–3542, EY8716–8718), same locality, Jan.-Feb. 1931, Mar., May, Oct. and Dec. 1932; 2 ♀ ( CAS), same locality.

Other material examined

MADAGASCAR: 1 ♂ ( MNHN), Manongarivo (1150 m), Dec. 1960 (P. Griveaud Coll.); 1♀ ( MNHN), Massif du Tsaratanana, southern slope (2030 m), Andohanambatoafo, 16–18 Dec. 1966 (P. Viette coll.).

Description

Female

LENGTH. 5.1, 4.9 (4.7–5.5) (5 specimens).

HEAD. Temple short, head distinctly constricted behind eyes. Vertex finely granulate. Ocellar triangle almost equilateral. Face slightly widened ventrally. Face and frons shining, sparsely and finely punctate. Clypeus smooth, slightly transverse. Malar line short. Mandible short. Antenna with 33 flagellomeres.

MESOSOMA. Elongate, about 2.2 x longer than high. Pronotum smooth. Mesoscutum moderately punctate-granulate. Pleurae shining, rather densely punctate-granulate ventrally. Speculum smooth. Scuto-scutellar groove smooth. Scutellum flat, shining, with sparse punctures. Propodeum long, area basalis opposite or petiolate, area superomedia nearly 3 x longer than wide. Wings: hind wing with vein 1/Cu+cu–a almost vertical. Legs: hind femur slender, tooth absent or appearing at most as a weak protuberance.

METASOMA. Post-petiole and tergite 2 finely aciculate, the following alutaceous. Thyridia short and oval. Ovipositor relatively short, apically sinuate.

COLOR. Orange. Head ivory white with antennae, center of frons, vertex and occiput black. A pair of black spots across outer orbits dorsally. Face with a small median brown spot below toruli. Tergites 1–3 infuscate. Ovipositor sheath black. Wings hyaline, pterostigma testaceous.

Male

Length: 5.0 (4.0–5.5) (7 specimens). Face more widened ventrally and distinctly larger than frons. Interocellar and oculo-ocellar distances equal (OOL = POL = 0.6). Hind femur swollen with a pointed tooth followed by a row of small denticles. Antennae with 31–33 flagellomeres. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution records

Madagascar (Toamasina province).

Figures

Fig. 15. Pristomerus vahaza sp. nov. A. ♀, habitus, profile. B. ♀, head, facial. C. ♀, hind femur, profile. D. ♂, hind femur, profile.