Meteorus strigatus Almeida & Dias, 2015, n. sp.
Creators: name: Almeida, Luis Felipe Ventura De
name: Dias, Angélica Maria Penteado
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Meteorus
Meteorus strigatus

description: Meteorus strigatus n. sp.
Figs 30–36, 41
Diagnosis. Mandibles twisted; occipital carina complete; ocellar-ocular distance 1.33–1.58× ocellar diameter; antenna with 27–30 flagellomeres; notauli shallow and not distinctive; mesonotum yellow with black mesonotal lobes (Fig. 33); propodeum yellow; mesopleuron black with an yellow area near precoxal sulcus; hind coxa strigate-rugulose; dorsope absent; ventral borders of first tergite joined completely along half of segment; ovipositor 1.62–1.82× first tergite length.
Body color. Antenna black; head orange, except area between ocelli black; propleuron yellow; pronotum dorsally black-dark brown, ventrally yellow; mesonotum yellow with black mesonotal lobes; mesopleuron black with a yellow spot on posterior margin right above the precoxal sulcus (Fig. 30); metanotum black with a yellow longitudinal stripe medially; metapleuron and propodeum yellow; fore and mid legs yellow except telotarsus dark brown; fore legs yellow, except tips of tibia dark brown, tibia medially and tarsus brown; T1 and T4–T8 yellow; T2 black with anterior and lateral margins yellowish; T3 black; sterna yellow; wings slightly infuscated.
Body length. 4.30 mm.
Head. Antenna with 30 flagellomeres; flagellomere length/width ratio as follows: F1 = 3.50, F2 = 3.16, F3 = 3.16, F28 = 2.33, F29 = 2.33, F30 = 3.66; head width 1.18× head height; head height 1.40× eye height; face maximum width 1.23× its minimum width; face minimum width 0.88× clypeus width (Fig. 32); malar space length 0.50× mandible width basally; temple length 0.43× eye length in dorsal view; ocellar-ocular distance 1.42× ocellar diameter (Fig. 31); occipital carina complete; mandibles twisted; frons smooth and polished; face strigate-rugulose; clypeus rugulose.
Mesosoma. Notauli shallow and indistinct, rugose; mesonotal lobes not well defined; pronotum rugulosecarinate; propleuron smooth; central lobe of mesoscutum rugulose with a median longitudinal carina; scutellar furrow with three carinae; mesopleuron, excluding the precoxal sulcus, punctate with a rugose area near tegula; precoxal sulcus long, wide and rugose; metapleuron rugose; propodeum areolate-rugulose without longitudinal and transversal carinae; slight median depression on propodeum (Fig. 34).
Legs. Tarsal claw with a large lobe basally; hind coxa strigate-rugulose.
Wings. Fore wing: length 3.68 mm; vein r 0.57× length of vein 3 Rsa; vein 3 Rsa 0.95× length of vein r-m; vein m-cu interstitial. Hind wing: vein 1M 1.06× length of vein cu-a; vein 1M 0.72× length of vein r-m.
Metasoma. Dorsope absent; ventral borders of first tergite joined completely along half of segment; first tergite costate, with costae almost parallel (Fig. 35); remaining tergites smooth (Fig. 36); ovipositor thickened basally and straight; ovipositor 1.82× first tergite length.
Female variation. Body length 3.43–4.45 mm; antenna with 27–30 flagellomeres; antenna black, except pedicel and scape dark brown; head completely orange; pronotum dorsally orange-dark brown, ventrally yellow; mesopleuron yellow medially-ventrally and dorsally black; mesopleuron ventrally black infused with yellow; median mesonotal lobe dark brow infused with yellow; fore and mid legs yellow with tibia and tarsus brown; T1 yellow with brown patches laterally on apical half; T2 black laterally, medially yellow; T3 black-dark brown; T4– T8 yellowish brown, or alternatively T3–T8 yellow, except T3 dark brown infused with yellow; head width 1.18– 1.33× head height; head height 1.40–1.58× eye height; face maximum width 1.23–1.43× its minimum width; face minimum width 0.88–0.96× clypeus width; malar space length 0.40–0.55× mandible width basally; temple length 0.35–0.47× eye length in dorsal view; ocellar-ocular distance 1.33–1.58× ocellar diameter; scutellar furrow with five carinae. Fore wing: length 3.07–3.84 mm; vein r 0.46–0.57× length of vein 3 Rsa; vein 3 Rsa 0.74–0.95× length of vein r-m; vein m-cu antefurcal. Hind wing: vein 1M 1.06–1.26× length of vein cu-a; vein 1M 0.72–0.94× length of vein r-m; propleuron and metapleuron rugulose; propodeum rugose; T1 costate, with costae slightly convergent; ovipositor 1.62–1.82× first tergite length.
Males. Similar to females except: body length 3.38–3.84 mm; head width 1.17–1.31× head height; head height 1.60–1.70× eye height; face maximum width 1.16–1.24× its minimum width; face minimum width 1.00–1.04× clypeus width; ocellar-ocular distance 1.25× ocellar diameter. Fore wing: vein r 0.41–0.57× length of vein 3 Rsa. Hind wing: vein 1M 0.95–0.97× length of vein r-m; scape and pedicel dark brow infused with yellow.
Comments. This species is most similar to M. laphygmae Viereck with a complete occipital carina, antenna with at least 27 flagellomeres, notauli not distinct, dorsope absent, borders of T1 joined along half of the segment, and tarsal claw with a large lobe. Meteorus strigatus can be distinguished by having ocellar-ocular distance 1.33– 1.58× ocellar diameter, mesonotal lobes and most of mesopleuron black and metasoma with black patches.
In the key to Neotropical species of Meteorus (Aguirre et al. 2015), M. strigatus will key to couplet 27 near M. luteus Jones, but can be distinguished by having mesopleuron black with a yellow spot near precoxal sulcus, malar space length 0.40–0.55× mandible width basally, and metasoma with black markings on T2 and T3.
Holotype. 1 female, DCBU 13002 Salesopolis, SP, Brasil, Estação Ecológica da Boracéia, Armadilha Malaise IV, S 23 38' 44.6'' W 45 54' 48'', 08.i.2010, Soares, A. S. col.
Paratypes. 9 females, DCBU 0 4199 Ribeirão Grande, SP, Brasil, Parque Estadual de Intervales, S 24 16' 28'' W 48 25' 14.8'', Armadilha Malaise I, 23.viii.2010, N. W. Perioto e eq.; DCBU 0 0 709, DCBU 0 1471 and DCBU 0 5147 idem previous except, 22.iii.2010, 23.xi.2009 and 22.vii.2010 respectively; DCBU 0 0 442 Ribeirão Grande, SP, Brasil, Parque Estadual de Intervales, S 24 16' 27.7'' W 48 25' 19.3'', Armadilha Malaise III, 22.xii.2009, N. W. Perioto e eq.; DCBU 0 4273 Ribeirão Grande, SP, Brasil, Parque Estadual de Intervales, S 24 16' 28.7'' W 48 25' 17.7'', Armadilha Malaise II, 23.xi.2009, N. W. Perioto e eq.; DCBU 0 3933 Ribeirão Grande, SP, Brasil, Parque Estadual de Intervales, S 24 16' 23.6'' W 48 25' 21.8'', Armadilha Malaise V, 23.viii.2010, N. W. Perioto e eq.; DCBU 20189 same date as previous except, 21.v.2010; DCBU 58068 Itamonte, MG, Brasil, PARNA de Itatiaia, S 22 21' 36.9" W 44 43 " 56", Armadilha Malaise 0 5, 12.vii.2012, R. F. Monteiro col.;. 2 Males. DCBU 0 3932 Ribeirão Grande, SP, Brasil, Parque Estadual de Intervales, S 24 16' 23.6'' W 48 25' 21.8'', Armadilha Malaise V, 23.viii.2010, N. W. Perioto e eq.; DCBU 0 6669 Ribeirão Grande, SP, Brasil, Parque Estadual de Intervales, S 24 16' 23.6'' W 48 25' 21.8'', Armadilha Malaise V, 26.vi.2010, N. W. Perioto e eq.
Distribution. Meteorus strigatus occurs in Ribeirão Grande and Salesópolis in the state of São Paulo, Itamonte in the state of Minas Gerais, and Itatiaia in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Fig. 41).
Etymology. This species is named in reference to the strigate sculpturing present on its face and hind coxa.
description: Published as part of Almeida, Luis Felipe Ventura De & Dias, Angélica Maria Penteado, 2015, Five new species of Meteorus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) from Brazil, pp. 231-247 in Zootaxa 4057 (2) on pages 241-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4057.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/237947