Helconichia reina Sharanowski and Sharkey, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Sharanowski, Barbara J.
name: Sharkey, Michael J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Helconichia
Helconichia reina

description: Helconichia reina Sharanowski and Sharkey, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Helconichia reina can be distinguished from all other species of Helconichia by the following combination of characteristics: Y-shaped inter-antennal carina present, mesosoma melanic in color, and forewing vein (RS+M)b absent. The only other species of Helconichia lacking forewing vein (RS+M)b is H. areolata, which is primarily orange in color.
Female (Figs. 1 B; 4A, B, D, G). Length: 4.03 mm.
Color: Head melanic except as follows: clypeus, mandible, lower portion of gena, and labial and maxillary palpi all testaceous; all legs from base of coxae to apex of femora testaceous except hind trochanter and trochantellus brown; all tibiae and tarsi brown; mesonotum melanic; anterior region of propodeum melanic, posterior region off-white; metasomal terga 1–2 and all metasomal sterna off-white; metasomal tergum 3 offwhite with subapical brown horizontal band, metasomal tergum 4 brown with apical off-white horizontal band, remaining terga brown; wings lightly infuscate.
Head: Antenna with 29 flagellomeres; setae of eye short, about equal to diameter of one ommatidium; head with Y-shaped, lamellate carina between antennal sockets (Fig. 4A); vertex smooth and uniformly setose, most setae shorter than diameter of one ommatidium.
Mesosoma: notaulus weakly crenulate; median areola of metanotum bifurcated with longitudinal carina; propodeum without posterior median longitudinal carina (Fig 4 D); propodeal areola narrow, approximately 2X longer than wide, ratio of areola width (at widest point):length 0.53 (Fig. 4 D).
Wings: forewing (RS+M)b absent (Fig 4 B), ratio of 2RS:3RSa length 1.66, anal region glabrous basally (Fig 4 G); hind wing with 3 hamuli, anal region virtually glabrous basally, subbasal cell with sparse, irregular arrangement of setae.
Metasoma: median tergite 1 with length (from base of dorsal carina) to apical width ratio 0.81; dorsal carinae of median tergite 1 widely separated medially, distance between carinae at narrowest point about equidistant from carinae to lateral margin of tergite.
Male: Unknown
Biology: Unknown
Type material: HOLOTYPE, Ψ: “ COLUMBIA Valle del Cauca PNN [National Natural Park] Farallones de Cali Cgto. [Corregimiento] La Meseta 3°34’N 76º40’W, 2080m Malaise 10/02/2004 25/02/2004 S. Sarria & M. Losso Leg. 4555”. Deposited in the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute, Colombia.
Etymology: This species is named in honor of Pedro Reina from Iguaque National Park, Colombia. Pedro was one of the collaborators with the Colombian Arthropod Project. Collecting during a time of political instability, he was often exposed to dangerous situations in the field.
description: Published as part of Sharanowski, Barbara J. & Sharkey, Michael J., 2007, Description of three new species of Helconichia Sharkey & Wharton (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Ichneutinae) with a revised key to all species, pp. 45-53 in Zootaxa 1502 on page 48, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.273808