Lytopylus minimus Silva, Shimbori & Fernandes 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Silva, Antonielson B.
name: Shimbori, Eduardo M.
name: Fernandes, Daniell R. R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Lytopylus
Lytopylus minimus

description: Lytopylus minimus Silva, Shimbori & Fernandes sp. nov.
(Figs 2 A– H)
Type material. Holotype female: Brazil, Mato Grosso, Tangará da Serra, Faz Aparecida da Serra, 14°18′36.64″S 57°44′47.00″W, Cerrado, Malaise, 24.VIII.2017. Carvalho, G.S. col. (INPA)
Paratype: Brazil, Mato Grosso, Tangará da Serra, Faz Aparecida da Serra, 14°18′36.64″S 57°44′47.00″W, Cerrado, Malaise, 24.VIII.2017. Carvalho, G.S. col. (2 females, INPA)
Diagnosis. May be distinguished from all other known members of the genus by the following combination of characters: antenna with 31 flagellomeres; fore and hind wing entirely infuscated, fore wing second submarginal cell triangular and petiolate anteriorly; mesoscutum entirely orange-yellow; propodeal areola wide and well developed, anterior transversal carina of propodeum present; base of the first posterior tarsi orange yellow; metasoma 1.2–1.5× longer than the ovipositor.
Description of female. Body length 3.9–4.3 mm (Fig. 2A).
Head: Antenna with 31 flagellomeres, 4.5 mm; head transverse in dorsal view, about 2.4× wider than long. Mesosoma: Scutellar sulcus with one median longitudinal carina; median areola of metanotum well defined with lateral and centrally sharp carinae. Fore wing mostly infuscate, length 3.8–4.4 mm; second submarginal cell of fore wing triangular and petiolate anteriorly, height 0.10–0.13 mm; (RS+M) a well-developed, almost complete but not tubular at midlength. Propodeum with well-defined median areola; areola wider anteriorly, length 3.2–3.3× its width; anterior transverse carinae present and reaching lateral margin. Metasoma: First median tergite with 2 distinct lateral longitudinal carinae extending 3/5–4/5 length of the median tergite; median syntergite 2+3 1.0 –1.1× longer than wide; metasoma 1.2–1.5× longer than ovipositor. Color: Mostly orange yellow, except: antenna black (except pedicel and scape orange yellow on the ventral side), jaw teeth, tarsal claws, apex of posterior tibia, posterior tarsi and ovipositor sheath, black; base of first posterior tarsi and ovipositor orange yellow; wings entirely infuscate.
Male. Unknown.
Distribution. Mato Grosso (Brazil) (Fig. 4)
Biology. Host unknown.
Etymology. The specific epithet “ minimus ” was chosen because the species is one of the smallest in length within the genus Lytopylus, measuring 3.9–4.3 mm in length whereas most described species are more than 5.0 mm in length.
Discussion. The new species is similar to Lytopylus johanvalerioi Kang, 2017, sharing several characters such as wings entirely infuscate, one median longitudinal carina at scutellar sulcus, median propodeal areola with well-defined margins, complete anterior transverse carina of propodeum reaching the lateral margin, and second submarginal cell of fore wing triangular and petiolate. It differs from L. johanvalerioi in the smaller size (body length 3.9–4.3 mm compared with 4.9 mm in L. johanvalerioi); second submarginal cell of fore wing triangular and petiolate (triangular and sessile in L. johanvalerioi), and body mostly orangish yellow body except for tarsi and apex of posterior tibia dark brown, compared with the mostly bright yellow L. johanvalerioi, with black markings on face, frons, vertex and occiput, pronotum, all tarsi, most of fore and middle femurs and tibias, and the apex and base of hind tibia.
description: Published as part of Silva, Antonielson B., Shimbori, Eduardo M. & Fernandes, Daniell R. R., 2025, Three new species of Lytopylus Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae) from Brazil, pp. 167-176 in Zootaxa 5594 (1) on pages 170-172, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5594.1.8, http://zenodo.org/record/14954256