Mesoleius morishitai Watanabe, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Watanabe, Kyohei
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Mesoleius
Mesoleius morishitai

description: Mesoleius morishitai sp. nov.   (SJN: Oo-ko-maru-himebachi)  
(Figs. 30A–D, 39I, 40V)  
 Type series. Holotype: JAPAN, KPM-NK 84966, F, Aichi Pref., Toyohashi City, Imure-cho, Takayama, 6. V. 2020, S. Morishita leg. Paratype: JAPAN, NARO, F, Miyazaki Pref., Kirishima, Mt. Takachihonomine, 21. V. 1982, H. Takemoto leg.   
 Description. Female (n = 2). Body length 9.7–11.9 (HT: 9.7) mm, matt and covered with silver setae.   
Head 0.6 × as long as wide in dorsal view. Clypeus 2.2 × as broad as high, sparsely punctate and polished, almost flat in lateral view, lower margin with a median concavity, strongly margined laterally (Fig. 40V). Face 1.75–1.85 (HT: 1.75) × as broad as high, finely punctate medially, slightly convex medially in lateral view. Dorsal profile of gena as Fig. 39I. Occipital carina complete. Length of malar space 0.4 × as long as basal width of mandible. Base of mandible slightly convex. POL 1.1–1.45 (HT: 1.1) × as long as OD. OOL 1.25–1.45 (HT: 1.25) × as long as OD. Antenna with 42 flagellomeres. FL I 5.0 × as long as maximum depth, 1.55–1.6 (HT: 1.55) × as long as FL II. Length of FL I plus FL II 1.1 × as long as eye height.  
Mesosoma. Epomia short. Mesoscutum with weak notaulus. Epicnemial carina present laterally and ventrally, its dorsal end situated near anterior margin of mesopleuron. Speculum almost entirely granulate except for very small (its size about as long as spiracle of propodeum) smooth area (Fig. 30C). Propodeum with pleural carina, lateral longitudinal carina, partly indistinct lateromedian longitudinal carina, and partly indistinct posterior transverse carina (Fig. 30D). Fore wing length 10.1–11.0 (HT: 10.1) mm. Areolet absent. Fore wing vein 1cu-a postfurcal to vein M&RS. Nervellus subvertical, intercepted posterior the middle. Tarsal claws simple. Hind femur 5.0–5.1 (HT: 5.0) × as long as maximum depth in lateral view. Ratio of length of hind first to fifth tarsomeres 4.2–4.3 (HT: 4.2): 2.0: 1.5: 0.95–1.0 (HT: 1.0): 0.8–0.9 (HT: 0.8).  
Metasoma. T I 1.4–1.5 (HT: 1.4) × as long as maximum width. T II 0.75–0.9 (HT: 0.75) × as long as maximum width. Setae of subgenital plate directed backwards. Ovipositor sheath with short (shorter than half depth of ovipositor sheath) setae apically. Ovipositor sheath 0.2 × as long as hind tibia.  
Colouration (Figs. 30A–D). Body (excluding wings and legs) black. Clypeus, mandible except for teeth, palpi, postero-dorsal corner of pronotum, scutellum, postscutellum, tegula, and subtegular ridge yellow. Antero-lateral part of mesoscutum with a pair of small yellow markings. Posterior margins of metasomal sternites tinged with whitish yellow. Yellow areas of postscutellum and subtegular ridge sometimes obscured. Wings hyaline. Veins and pterostigma blackish brown except for yellow wing base. Fore and mid legs reddish yellow to reddish brown. Fore and mid coxae black. Fore and mid trochanters partly tinged with black. Hind leg black except for subbasal white band of tibia.  
Male. Unknown.  
 Distribution. Japan (Honshu and Kyushu).   
 Bionomics. Unknown.   
 Etymology. The specific name is from Mr. Shunsuke Morishita, who is an ichneumonologist and collector of holotype.   
 Remarks. This species resembles Mesolei. alekhinoi in body colouration and sculpture of the mesopleuron, but can be distinguished by the entirely yellow clypeus (largely brown in Mesolei. alekhinoi), the T I 1.4–1.5 × as long as maximum width (ca. 1.15 in Mesolei. alekhinoi), the antenna with 42 flagellomeres (36 in Mesolei. alekhinoi), the fore wing length 10.1–11.0 mm (8.4 mm in Mesolei. alekhinoi).
description: Published as part of Watanabe, Kyohei, 2024, Taxonomic Study of Japanese Ctenopelmatinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), with Descriptions of 22 New Species, pp. 39-102 in Bulletin of the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum (Natural Science) 53 on pages 84-85, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13237363