Toechorychus cassunungae
Creators: name: Tedesco, Anazélia M.
name: Aguiar, Alexandre P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Toechorychus
Toechorychus cassunungae

description: Toechorychus cassunungae (Brauns, 1905)   
(Figs 16, 69, 106, 133, 174)  
 Mesostenus cassunungae Brauns, 1905: 5, 129–131. Description. Neotype ♀ (here designed). Type locality: Brazil.   
 Mesostenus cassunungae Bertoni 1911: 101 (Host).   
 Toechorychus cassunungae: Costa-Lima 1962 (Host); Townes & Townes 1966: 96 (Synonymic list); Yu & Horstmann 1997: 290 (Listed); Yu et al. 2005 (Listed).   
Redescription. Neotype ♀, present designation. Fore wing length 6.64 mm.  
 Head. Mandible 1.34 as long as basal width, densely pilose; ventral margin slightly projected as crest; dorsal tooth distinctly longer than ventral tooth. Clypeus 1.57 as wide as high, subrectangular, finely punctate; apex 1.26 as long as base, truncate; apical margin sharp, medially straight. Supraclypeal area entirely densely punctate, dorsally also strigulate, densely pilose, medially with oval prominent area; between antennal foramens without Vshaped carina; radicle foveolate. Antenna with 23 flagellomeres; white band starting at flagellomere 6, reaching flagellomere 11; flagellum slender; subapical flagellomeres slightly flattened. Supra-antennal area without distinct median carina, medially without longitudinal elevation, near antennal sockets striate; dorsal half medially strigulate. Paraocular area finely punctulate. Vertex rugulose around ocelli, at anterior two-thirds with long shallow sulcus, posterior third smooth, regularly shaped; gena and vertex behind ocelli minutely strigulate, densely pilose; gena in lateral view uniformly wide; occipital carina stout, dorsally faint, V-shaped, ventrally markedly projected as crest, reaching hypostomal carina far from mandible base; hypostomal carina projected as crest; malar space 0.93 as long as basal width of mandible.   
 Mesosoma. Mesosoma in dorsal view 2.02 as long as wide; in lateral view, mesosoma middle width 0.17 mm. Pronotum centrally smooth, latero-ventrally rugose behind collar, margin near mesopleuron ventrally corrugated; pronotal swelling strigulate; collar dorso-laterally rounded, distinctly swollen, anteriorly punctulate; epomia stout, restricted to space between posterior margin of collar and pronotal swelling. Mesoscutum sparsely pilose, lobes dorsally punctulate, laterally markedly corrugated, central lobe without longitudinal sulcus or carina; notaulus moderately impressed, posteriorly abruptly curved, U-shaped. Scutoscutellar groove smooth, polished; scutellum 0.98 as long as wide, scarcely punctate; scutellar carina incomplete, restricted approximately to anterior 0.3; postscutellum 0.34 as long as wide; hind margin of metanotum without teeth or carinae. Subalar ridge somewhat elongate; mesopleuron dorsally medially markedly strigate, ventrally strigulate; mesopleural groove corrugated; epicnemial carina stout, dorsally curving backwards; dorsal end of epicnemial carina reaching 0.2 of posterior margin of pronotum, behind epicnemial carina without rounded confused-rugulose area; sternaulus incomplete, not reaching base of mid coxa, almost straight, deeply impressed, faint from anterior 0.7 to 0.8, not corrugated; scrobe deeply impressed, forming pit. Mesothoracic venter punctate and strigulate; median portion of posterior transverse carina of mesothoracic venter convex, regularly shaped, without projections. Transverse furrow at base of propodeum laterally 0.13 as long as anterior portion of propodeum, moderately deep and narrow, medially wide, uniformly corrugated; anterior margin of propodeum without teeth; propodeum 1.28 as long as wide medially; anterior portion of propodeum finely strigulate, medially without longitudinal carinae; lateral longitudinal carina of propodeum indistinct; posterior portion of propodeum faintly strigate, medially without distinctly stout longitudinal carina; anterior transverse carina of propodeum complete, stout, straight; posterior transverse carina represented by crests, present laterally as carina; propodeal spiracle 2.67 as long as wide; pleural carina of propodeum absent; lower division of metapleuron strigulate, sparsely pilose, juxtacoxal carina short and faint.   
 Wings. Fore wing: vein 2+3Rs slightly concave; ramellus absent; vein 1M+Rs entirely irregular; vein 1cu-a posteriorly slightly curved, arising far from vein 1M+Rs base, angle with vein M+Cu distinctly obtuse; vein 2Cu 0.48 as long as vein 2cu-a; vein 4Rs 0.87 as long as vein 4M, slightly sinuous, almost straight; cell 1+2Rs 0.72 as high as pterostigma, pentagonal; vein 2M distinctly longer than vein 3M; vein 3M distinct, 1.20 as long as vein 2M. Hind wing: vein 1Cu 1.41 as long as vein cu-a; vein 2-1A reaching 0.78 of distance to posterior margin.   
 Legs. Tibia with very sparse short bristles; hind coxa globose.   
 Metasoma. T1 0.52 as long as hind femur, without basolateral tooth; minutely coriarious; spiracle at anterior 0.55, slightly prominent; postpetiole dorso-anteriorly flat; T2–8 minutely coriarious; almost glabrous; T2 0.96 as long as wide at apex; apex of T2 1.8 as wide as base. Dorsal valve of ovipositor with nodus faint; apex of lower valve without teeth; notch present.   
 Color. Head pale yellow and black, mesosoma and metasoma brown with pale yellow marks. Head: pale yellow (244,208,105); mandible, supraclypeal area just behind clypeus, and ventral half of malar space, brownish (140,066,030) supra–antennal medially, vertex and occiput, black; scape anteriorly bright yellow, dorsally dark brown; pedicel brownish; flagellum brownish, f6–10 white, ventrally pale brown. Mesosoma: light brown (222,132,049), except for the following pale yellow marks: collar laterally, pronotal swelling, longitudinal lanceolate mark at posterior 0.2 of central lobe of mesoscutum, axillary carina, scutellum, tegula, upper division of metapleuron laterally and medially, two lateral longitudinal marks at posterior portion of propodeum, dorsal half of lower division of metapleuron, and three marks at mesopleuron, dorsal one extending from subalar ridge to dorsal end of epicnemial carina, other ones dorsal and ventral to scrobe, respectively; mesothoracic venter dark yellow. Legs: bright yellow; fore coxa anteriorly, and hind coxa posteriorly, with basal pale yellow spot; all t5 dark brown. Metasoma: brown and pale orange; T1 bright yellow, dorsally with medial 0.7–0.8 pale orange, posterior 0.2 dark brown; T2–5 brown, laterally and dorsally at medial 0.7–0.8 pale orange, posterior 0.2 dark brown; T6–8 pale orange; S2–8 anteriorly bright yellow, posteriorly pale orange.   
 Variation. The greatest intraspecific variation observed for Toechorychus was within T. cassunungae specimens. The variation of tonality and color patterns is very high, particularly on the mesopleuron and propodeum dorsally. The specimens examined showed mesopleuron color pattern from brown stripes at posterior potion of propodeum concolorous with anterior portion to anterior portion of propodeum brownish and stripes at posterior portion black.   
Other typical variations are: clypeus usually with small brown marks at median apex, lateral corners and median base (sometimes some of those absent). Pronotum sometimes entirely orange (except collar laterally and pronotal swelling), or variously marked with blackish, sometimes entirely blackish (except collar laterally and pronotal swelling). Cell 1+2 Rs either distinct, pentagonal (though open) or almost disappearing as veins get closer (and then wider than high); T2–8 usually orange in same tone of body, sometimes anterior part of tergites fuscous or brown, often only at T2–3; mark at mesopleuron from subtegular ridge to epicnecium frequently separated from mark dorsal to posterior margin of sternaulus. Propodeal crests sometimes faint (in Mangaratiba specimen). All observed variations do not appear to be correlated with geographical distribution in any degree.  
 Comments. The Holotype designated by Brauns (1905) was reported by Townes and Townes (1966) and Yu et al. (2005) as lost. The lack of a type can generate serious problems in the near future, since there is a large intraspecific variation for the species. In order to clarify the taxonomic status and to preserve the stability of the species, and considering that the original description is limited, the specimen indicated in “Material examined” is herein designated as the Neotype for T. cassunungae. There are no original paratypes or paralectotypes; efforts were made to select a specimen which most resembled the original description. The original type locality refers only to “ Brazil,” where the Neotype was also collected.   
 Color pattern very similar to some T. guarapuavus sp. nov., from which it can be distinguished by having juxtacoxal carina of mesopleuron short (vs. long in T. guarapuavus sp. nov.); pale yellow marks dorsally and ventrally to scrobe variously connected to other marks at mesopleuron (vs. always separated from other marks at mesopleuron; Fig. 1); hind femur uniformly colored, generally dark yellow (vs. dorsally dark; Fig. 1); T1 variously colored (vs. always laterally pale yellow, except around spiracle); mesoscutum sometimes not concolorous with anterior portion of propodeum (vs. always concolorous; Fig. 2).   
 Male. The only known male specimen is very similar to female, except as follows. Clypeus brown, except for two lateral yellow marks. Posterior 0.2 of scutellum brownish. Propodeal sculpturing behind posterior transverse carina faint and irregular; propodeal crests smaller than in females. Yellow marks at propodeum restricted to the crests; not reaching posterior margin of propodeum. Posterior 0.2 of hind femur and tibia blackish. Yellow mark at posterior 0.1 of T1 narrow. Apex of T2 medially black, laterally yellow.   
 Distribution. Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Recorded from 11 localities from Brazil to Argentina (Fig. 203). The type locality is Brazil; the present work adds records from eight localities from Brazil: ES; Itatiaia and Mangaratiba (RJ); Palestina, Barretos, Itatiba, and São Paulo (SP); Nova Teutônia (SC). Other new records are Pirapó, Itapúa (Paraguay), Tartagal, and Aguas Blancas, Salta (Argentina). These records comprise a range of 9°0.1’ in latitude.   
 Biology. Parasitoid of Mischocyttarus indeterminabilis (Bertoni 1911, Costa-Lima 1962) and Mischocyttarus cassununga (Ihering) (Brauns 1905).   
 Material examined. 64 females and 1 male. Neotype ♀, here designed, BRAZIL, Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia, IX.1966, 27°11’S 52°23’W, 300–500 m, Fritz Plaumann leg. Toechorychus Townes, det. Aguiar 2008. (CNCI). Head and right hind leg beyond first trochanter broken but attached to specimen; otherwise in good shape. BRAZIL: 1 ♀ from Espírito Santo, (Staudinger) (ZMHU). 1 ♀ from Rio de Janeiro, Mt. Itatiaia, 700 m, J.F.Zikán, 33, e. l. Ban. Mischocyttarus cassununga, 20.V.1954; 1 ♀, same data, except 38; 1 ♀, same data, except 63, 04.X.1930; 1 ♀, same data, except 14.II.1932; 1 ♀, same data, except 63, 16.II.1912; 1 ♀, same data, except 04.VIII.1930, 6B; 1 ♀, same data, except 63, 17.II.1932, ex. Mischocyttarus Saussure. (NHRS). 1♀ from Rio de Janeiro, Mangaratiba, Muriqui, VII.1969, M.Alvarenga leg (AEIC). 1 ♀ from São Paulo, Palestina, 05.XII.2008, black Malaise trap p1, F.Noll et al. leg. 2 ♀♀ from São Paulo, Barretos, 50 m, 23.X.2008, Malaise trap p7, F.Noll et al. leg. (NOLL). 1 ♀ from São Paulo, Itatiba, II.1902, Lima leg. (DZUP). 1 ♂ from São Paulo, São Paulo, Aclimação, 10.VII.1923, H.B.Colt (B.M.), nest 412, Mesostenus cassunungae Br. ♂, Toechorychus cassunungae Brauns, J.D. Perkins, 1957 (BMNH). 3 ♀♀ from Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia, 13.I.1953, Fritz Plaumann leg.; 1 ♀, same data, except 18.II.1954; 1 ♀, same data, except 1.XII.1953; 15 ♀♀, same data, except I.1968; 4 ♀♀, same data, except II.1968; 1 ♀, same data, except X.1970; 1 ♀, same data, except I.1971; 1 ♀, same data, except III.1968; 1 ♀, same data, 25.XI.1952; 1 ♀, same data, except I.1970 (AEIC). 1 ♀ from Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia, 27°11’S 52°23’W, 300–500 m, I.1966, Fritz Plaumann leg. 4 ♀♀, same data, except I.1968; 1 ♀, same data, except XI.1968; 1 ♀, same data, except XII.1967; 1 ♀, same data, except IX.1961 (CNCI). 7 ♀♀ from Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia, 27°11’S 52°23’W, II.1968, Malaise trap, Fritz Plaumann leg.; 1 ♀, same data, except 29.I.1968; 1 ♀, same data, except III.1969; 1 ♀, same data, except 08.II.1968 (CNCI). 1 ♀ from Santa Catarina, Nova Teutônia, 27˚11’S 52˚23’W, 29.III.1938, Fritz Plaumann, B.M. 1938. –458 (BMNH). PARAGUAY: 1 ♀ from Itapúa, Pirapó, 29.XII.1971, L.Peña leg. (AEIC). ARGENTINA: 1 ♀ from Salta, Tartagal, 11– 18.V.1973, C.Porter leg. 1 ♀ from Salta, Campamento Jakúlica, 40 Km W. Aguas Blancas, VII–IX.1970, Malaise trap, C.Porter leg., Toechorychus sp. 1 (FSCA).
description: Published as part of Tedesco, Anazélia M. & Aguiar, Alexandre P., 2013,  Phylogeny and Revision of  Toechorychus  Townes (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), with descriptions of thirty-five new species , pp. 1-138 in Zootaxa 3633 (1) on pages 28-30, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3633.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5261931