Perilampus falcatus Yoo and Darling 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Yoo, Jeong Jae
name: Darling, D. Christopher
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Perilampidae
Perilampus
Perilampus falcatus

description: Perilampus falcatus Yoo and Darling sp. nov.
Figs 11 [♀], 12[♂]
Type Material. Holotype [♀]. Costa Rica: Guanacaste. Rio Naranjo. " COSTA RICA, Guan. 3kmSE R. Naranjo 22–24 Jul 1992 F. D. Parker ". The holotype is glued on pin (♀: ROME162266 - EMUS; BOLD:COI/ITS2). ROM Online Collection.
Paratypes [3 ♀, 1 ♂]. Colombia: Valle del Cauca. Lago Calima (1 ♂: RC Wilkerson, ROME162303 - FSCA). Ecuador: Napo. Huahua Sumaco, km 44 on Hollin-Loreto Road (1 ♀: MJ Wasbauer, ROME174209 - UCDC; ITS2). Guatemala: Chimaltenango. Yepocapa (1 ♀: HT Dalmat, ROME162506 - USNM). Mexico: Chiapas. 1km NW San Cristóbal (1 ♀: DM Wood, ROME152658 - CNC).
Description. FEMALE (Fig. 11). Length: 3.3–4.5 mm. Color: head iridescent greenish blue or violet, with or without black coloration on vertex (Fig. 11F); mesosoma and metasoma iridescent greenish blue or violet; clypeus ventral margin black; antenna with scape and pedicel weakly iridescent greenish blue or violet, flagellum dark brown or black, lighter ventrad and distad (Fig. 11A).
Head (Fig. 11E–I): in dorsal view weakly transverse, width less than twice length, HW/HL about 1.9. Frontal carina: in anterior view weakly to strongly sinuate below midlevel of eye; in dorsal view gradually narrowed V shape around median ocellus, FC/MOD 1.4–1.5 (Fig. 11E); distance from lateral ocellus short, FCLO/LOD about 0.6 (Fig. 11E). Scrobal cavity (Fig. 11G): in anterior view narrow, SW/HW about 0.4. Ocelli (Fig. 11E): a line between anterior margin of lateral ocelli reaching anterior margin of median ocellus. POL/OOL 1.8–2.1. Ocellar ratios LOD: POL: OOL: LOL: 1, 2.7–2.9, 1.4–1.6, about 0.9. Vertex: smooth to wrinkled or with weak transverse striations, with or without large piliferous punctures. Parascrobal area: in lateral view abruptly narrowed near lower eye margin, 0.2–0.3 EH above lower eye margin (Fig. 11I); width wide, PSW/EL about 0.4; sculpture smooth or wrinkled, with or without large piliferous punctures. Gena: with wide and long smooth area along outer eye margin, striate behind. Malar space: MSL/EH about 0.2. Lower face: with setae sparse laterad torulus, and sparse or dense below. Clypeus (Fig. 11H): CW/ CH about 1.4; ventral margin concave; with wide bare area without setae near dorsal margin, often extending ventrad along lateral margin.
Mesosoma (Fig. 11B–D): Lateral panel of pronotum: about as wide as prepectus, LPP/PPT 0.8–0.9; without flange or with small, rounded flange below level of mesothoracic spiracle in posterior oblique view (Fig. 11C). Mesofemoral depression: smooth. Mesoscutum: punctures angulate, with narrow and weakly coriarious interspaces (Fig. 11B); lateral lobe smooth or weakly punctate along notaulus; parascutal carina broadly curved, acuminate. Mesoscutellum: apex with inner margins gradually diverging; punctures angulate, with narrow and weakly coriarious interspaces. Axilla (Fig. 11D): in lateral view imbricate dorsad, and carinate ventrad. Axillula: smooth dorsad. Fore wing: stigma small, 2.0–2.5× as wide as postmarginal vein width.
MALE (Fig. 12). Length: 3.5 mm. As in female, except: Color: vertex black, and mesonotum nearly black. Frontal carina (Fig. 12B): distance from lateral ocellus shorter, FCLO/LOD about 0.4. Scape (Fig. 12G): pits sparse mesad and ventrad, and dense dorsad and laterad, covering about 0.2× scape length. Lateral panel of pronotum: slightly wider than prepectus, LPN/PPT about 1.1.
Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word falx (‘sickle’), a reference to the sickle-like curvature of the paracrobal area.
Diagnosis. Perilampus falcatus can be recognized by a parascrobal area that is abruptly narrowed near the lower eye margin (Figs 11I, 12E), a wide frontal carina around the median ocellus (Figs 11E, 12B), and a short distance between the frontal carina and the lateral ocellus (about 0.6 LOD for females; 0.4 LOD for males).
Distribution. Neotropical: Colombia (Valle del Cauca), Costa Rica (ACG), Ecuador (Napo), Guatemala (Yepocapa), and Mexico (Chiapas).
Host association. Unknown.
Remarks. Perilampus falcatus is unique within the P. falcatus clade in having a wide frontal carina around the median ocellus and a narrow distance between the frontal carina and the lateral ocellus (Fig. 11E cf. Figs 13E, 15E).
description: Published as part of Yoo, Jeong Jae & Darling, D. Christopher, 2025, Taxonomic revision of the Perilampus carolinensis species complex (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Perilampidae), and the description of five new species, pp. 151-195 in Zootaxa 5621 (2) on pages 182-185, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5621.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15262606