Mendesella japi, Bortoni, Marco Aurélio, Souza-Gessner, Carolina Da Silva & Penteado-Dias, Angélica Maria, 2016

Bortoni, Marco Aurélio, Souza-Gessner, Carolina Da Silva & Penteado-Dias, Angélica Maria, 2016, The subfamily Mendesellinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Brazil, with the description of six new species, Zootaxa 4200 (3), pp. 406-416 : 414

Mendesella japi sp. n. Bortoni & Penteado-Dias

(Figs 11–13)

Material examined. Holotype female ( DCBU 17293 ) “ Jundiaí, SP, Brasil, Reserva Biológica da Serra do Japi , Varredura, S 23°14'15.7" W 46°56'18.1", 12.X.2011, A.S. Soares col.“ . Paratypes: one male ( DCBU 184361 ) same data as holotype ; one female (DCBU 18071) and one male (DCBU 18072) “São Carlos, SP, Brasil, Faz. Canchim, mata, Armadilha Malaise , S 21°57'56'' W 47°50'37'', 16.XI.1984, A.S. Soares col.”; one female ( DCBU 07978 ) “ Gália, SP , Brasil, Estação Ecológica de Caetetus , S 22°22'48.4" W 49°40'29.3", Varredura , 6.I.2011, A.S. Soares col.”; one male ( UFES 123109 ) ” Brasil, ES, Castelo, Pq. Est. do Forno Grande , 13.X.2000, Varredura L1, C. O. Azevedo col.”

Description of female (holotype). Body length: 3.9 mm; Fore wing length: 3.5 mm.

Color. Head yellow except for scape laterally and ventrally, pedicel, flagellomeres, stemmaticum, and tips of mandibles black. Mesosoma yellow except for most of pronotum, lateral lobes and anterior half of median lobe of mesoscutum, tegula, sides of scutellum and mesopleuron ventrally black, metapleuron and apex of propodeum pale yellow. Legs yellow, except for fore tarsus, apex of hind tibia and hind tarsus dark brown to black. Metasomal first metasomal tergite and hypopygium pale yellow, remaining terga brown. Ovipositor brown, apical third dark yellow.

Head. Entirely finely punctate. Antenna broken at flagellum 25.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum smooth. Notaulus crenulate anteriorly and absent posteriorly. Propleuron smooth. Pronotum smooth with a weakly striate groove. Scutellar sulcus with seven carinae, scutellum smooth. Mesopleuron smooth. Metapleuron rugose. Propodeum strongly rugose with and areola narrow and nearly parallelsided, inside with some small carinae transverse carinae.

Wings. Infuscate.

Legs. All legs smooth.

Metasoma. Apical width first metasomal tergite 1.5 × basal width. Length first metasomal tergite 1.5 × apical width. Hypopygium 5.0 × as long as wide. Ovipositor sheaths 1.6 × hind tibia. first metasomal tergite weakly rugose laterally with dorsal carinae narrowing about midlenght, remaining parallel until end of tergum, remaining terga smooth.

Male. Body length: 3.5 mm to 3.8 mm. Fore wing length: 3.25 mm to 3.3 mm. Apical width first metasomal tergite 1.6 × basal width. Length first metasomal tergite 1.7 × apical width. Similar to females except one specimen with darker color pattern. Flagellomeres 37–39.

Variation. Body length: 3.8 mm to 4.0 mm. Fore wing length: 3.3 to 3.35 mm. Apical width of first metasomal tergite 1.8–2.0 × basal width. Length of first metasomal tergite 1.55 × apical width. Hypopygium 4.8 × as long as wide. Ovipositor sheath 1.4–1.5 × hind tibia. One specimen with darker body color pattern and metapleuron and propodeum densely setose.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to M. jaraguaiensis because of the dorsal carinae of first metasomal tergite not diverging posteriorly, but differs in the color of mesopleuron and pronotum.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Through the states of São Paulo and Espírito Santo in areas of Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Etymology. This species is named after “Reserva Biológica da Serra do Japi ”, an important remnant of Brazilian Atlantic Forest in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.