Homotropus klopfsteinae, sp. nov.

Homotropus klopfsteinae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F9C92543-EED5-40A7-AF51-DCFC79DCE49D

Figs 3–4

Diagnosis

Homotropus klopfsteinae sp. nov. (Figs 3, 4 A–E) is easily distinguished from other diplazontines by the combination of the strongly sculptured first and second tergites, the strongly convex clypeus which is protruding in lateral view, the unique constitution of the propodeal carinae, with four strongly raised longitudinal carinae and a central arcuate formation, and the unique colour combination with the entire scutellum, part of inner orbits and the basal half of the hind tibia pale yellowish. The known female is also strikingly larger than most species of Diplazontinae known from the Western Palaearctic.

Etymology

The species epithet klopfsteinae (feminine name in genitive case) is in honour of Seraina Klopfstein (Bern, Switzerland), for her contribution to the systematics of Diplazontinae wasps.

Type material

Holotype SWEDEN • ♀; Norrbotten, Haparanda, Seskarö, Santasaari; 65.777° N, 23.846° E; 5 Aug.–6 Sep. 2017; N. Ryrholm and C. Källander leg.; MV-light trap in herb rich coastal meadow on sandy ground; Barcode deposited under GenBank accession number MT268209; NHRS-HEVA000011629.

Description

Female

Fore wing length 7.8 mm. Body length: 9.0 mm. Head transverse in anterior view (Fig. 4A). Inner orbits parallel. Face entirely coriaceous with weak, scarce punctures (Fig. 4A). Central area below antennal sockets distinctly elevated. Clypeus with apical margin weakly bilobed, strongly convex in lateral view. Antenna with 23 flagellomeres. First flagellomere about 4 times as long as wide. Mesopleuron weakly punctate in lower half, punctures ventrally dissolving against strongly coriaceous background. Speculum and area around mesopleural furrow shining, impunctate (Fig. 4E). Epicnemial carina widely interrupted centrally behind fore coxae. Metapleuron in lower part strongly coriaceous, along upper margin more weakly sculptured. Mesoscutum laterally strongly polished with large distinct punctures, interstices between punctures almost equal to their diameter. Mesoscutum centrally with more or less distinct microsculpture between punctures. Scutellum with weak punctures. Propodeum weakly rugose with rather irregular, but distinct arcuate carinae emanating from the metasomal incision (Fig. 4D), with two strongly raised, almost flange-like longitudinal carinae laterally on each side. Fore wing with areolet closed and vein 3rs-m pigmented. Metasoma elongate, dorsoventrally depressed. Hind margins of tergites almost straight. First tergite about two times as long as wide in dorsal view, with strong coriaceous sculpture and partly longitudinally striate laterally and basally. Second tergite about 1.3 times as long as wide in dorsal view. Dorsally with strong striation over most of its surface (Fig. 4B). Third tergite polished with weak microsculpture, in basal half coriaceous and matt. Tergites 4–7 polished with weak reticulate-coriaceous microsculpture (Fig. 4C). Spiracle on second and third tergites above lateral fold. Ovipositor sheath apically rounded.

COLOURATION. Body and head black. Clypeus in ventral 0.8, mandibles and palpi yellow. Face black with two elongate pale spots along inner orbits. Antennae black. Large shoulder mark, tegulae, small mark on subtegular ridge and scutellum yellow. Legs yellow. Fore coxae black basally, yellow in apical half. Mid and hind coxae entirely black. Hind femur black, basally and apically narrowly yellow. Hind tibia yellow with apical 0.4–0.5 black. Hind tarsus black. Metasoma black with posterior margins of tergites 2–4 paler. Ovipositor sheath pale brownish.

Male

Unknown.

Ecology

The only known female was collected by a MV-light trap placed on a herb rich coastal meadow on sand (Fig. 13) between the 5 th of August and the 6 th of September.

Remarks

According to the phylogenetic analysis (Fig. 1), Homotropus klopfsteinae sp. nov. belongs to the Syphoctonus genus group, where it is situated between some rather atypical species of Homotropus (H. crassicornis Thomson, 1890 and H. vitreus Dasch, 1964) and the genera Phthorima Förster, 1869 and Bioblapsis Förster, 1869. This, in combination with the unique combination of characters, suggests that the species possibly should be assigned to a new genus. However, considering the present, unresolved situation in the genus group, a generic revision, preferably including molecular methods, would be needed to establish more strongly supported generic delimitations. The new species is here placed in the genus Homotropus, mainly based on the phylogenetic analysis in combination with the general appearance of the species, i.e., the absence of a strongly elongated and laterally compressed metasoma with distinctly concave hind margins of the 3–5 th tergites, typical of females belonging to Bioblapsis or Phthorima. Given the quite distinct characteristics of the species it runs to couplet 13 in the key to genera in Klopfstein (2014b), where it is distinguished from Fossatyloides gracilentus (Holmgren, 1858) by the colouration, larger size, the more convex clypeus and the more distinct carination of the propodeum.