Mariapanteles

General description: 

Type species: Mariapanteles felipei Whitfield, 2012.

Genus diagnosis. Propodeum with a complete transverse carina that forks around spiracles and reaches the lateral margin of propodeum, where it intersects a raised lateral carina. Fore wing without areolet (veins r-m and 3RS absent). First mediotergite with a sharp median groove on the basal half. The only other genera of Neotropical microgastrines with a complete transverse carina on the propodeum, Clarkinella and Prasmodon, both lack a medial groove on the first mediotergite and have an areolet in the forewing (a small areolet in Clarkinella, a large and quadrangular one in Prasmodon). Mariapanteles resembles Pseudapanteles in fore wing venation, shape of mediotergites 1 and 2, and general appearance of the body. However, Pseudapanteles lacks a complete transverse carina on the propodeum.

Description. Body length 2.4–2.6 mm, fore wing length 2.6–2.9 mm, antenna about the same length as body. Pronotum with two lateral grooves present, the lower one excavated. Mesoscutum more or less uniformly sculptured by impressed punctures. Mesoscutum 1.3–1.4× wider than long. Mesoscutum and scutellum uniformly covered by dense, pale yellowish pilosity. Scutellum length/width at base 1.0-1.1X. Scutellar suture broad, with 4–8 costulae. Posterior band of scutellum polished. Scutellar lateral face with the polished area thin (15–25% the face height) and about half the face width. Mesopleuron mostly smooth and glabrous, except for punctures on the anterior margin and setae on all margins. Metapleuron mostly smooth, with some punctures and setae in the apical half; metapleuron with a crenulate, longitudinal sulcus running from lower margin near metacoxa through spiracle. Metapleural carina raised, with a short lamella. Propodeum mostly smooth; median carina well defined and raised its entire length, and with a clearly complete transverse carina that reaches the spiracles and forks around them (there may also be additional, shorter transverse carinae, some of them radiating from the median carina but not reaching the spiracles). Transverse carina on propodeum delimiting two areas, the anterior, basal one being more or less horizontal; the posterior, apical one is declivous. Mediotergite 1 mostly smooth and with a deep medial groove on its basal half; slightly widening for the first quarter of its length, then narrowing towards apex. Mediotergite 2 mostly smooth, transverse, subtriangular to trapezoidal in shape. Mediotergite 3 and following, unsculptured, polished and with sparse setae. Hypopygium mostly inflexible but with a medial, translucent fold ventrally where none or few (1–2) pleats are distinguishable. Ovipositor sheaths fully setose, 0.7× as long as metatibia length. Metacoxa long, surpassing the length of the third metasomal tergite. Metatibial inner spur longer than outer spur, and about half the length of metatarsomere 1. Metafemur more than 3.0× as long as wide. Fore wing without an areolet, vein R1a longer than stigma length, and vein r and 2RS evenly curved to very slightly arched (with no clear limits between the two veins). Hind wing with edge of vannal lobe medially straight to slightly concave and with uniformly distributed setae that are shorter than those at base and apex of the lobe.

Distribution. The genus occurs in Central and South American rain forests. The described two new species, one from Costa Rica (ACG, from rain forest at 400m) and one from Brazil (Mato Grosso and Goiás; are from rainforest localities (or presumed to have been rain forests at the time the specimens were collected). The CNC collection contains additional specimens from other areas of Brazil that may represent additional species and it is likely that more species of this genus will be found in Neotropical rain forests.

Biology. Unknown. All specimens have been collected with Townes-type Malaise traps.

Comments. Mariapanteles is closely related to Pseudapanteles, and future revisions of the phylogeny of Microgastrinae might find that its erection renders Pseudapanteles paraphyletic. For example, and according to Mason (1981), some species of Pseudapanteles could have a multiple or indefinite transverse carina, in which case the complete transverse carina in Mariapanteles might be seen as the extreme in a continuum from having no transverse carina to having the complete transverse carina of Mariapanteles. However, we consider that the presence of a complete transverse carina on the propodeum, forking around the propodeal spiracles, may be a strong autapomorphy that defines Mariapanteles. There are only four other genera of Microgastrinae with a similar, complete transverse carina on the propodeum: Beyarslania, Clarkinella, Neoclarkinella, and Prasmodon. However, they all appear to be only distantly related to Mariapanteles because they all lack a sharp median groove on mediotergite 1 and/or have an areolet in the fore wing.

Type species: Mariapanteles felipei Whitfield, 2012.

Genus diagnosis. Propodeum with a complete transverse carina that forks around spiracles and reaches the lateral margin of propodeum, where it intersects a raised lateral carina. Fore wing without areolet (veins r-m and 3RS absent). First mediotergite with a sharp median groove on the basal half. The only other genera of Neotropical microgastrines with a complete transverse carina on the propodeum, Clarkinella and Prasmodon, both lack a medial groove on the first mediotergite and have an areolet in the forewing (a small areolet in Clarkinella, a large and quadrangular one in Prasmodon). Mariapanteles resembles Pseudapanteles in fore wing venation, shape of mediotergites 1 and 2, and general appearance of the body. However, Pseudapanteles lacks a complete transverse carina on the propodeum.

Description. Body length 2.4–2.6 mm, fore wing length 2.6–2.9 mm, antenna about the same length as body. Pronotum with two lateral grooves present, the lower one excavated. Mesoscutum more or less uniformly sculptured by impressed punctures. Mesoscutum 1.3–1.4× wider than long. Mesoscutum and scutellum uniformly covered by dense, pale yellowish pilosity. Scutellum length/width at base 1.0-1.1X. Scutellar suture broad, with 4–8 costulae. Posterior band of scutellum polished. Scutellar lateral face with the polished area thin (15–25% the face height) and about half the face width. Mesopleuron mostly smooth and glabrous, except for punctures on the anterior margin and setae on all margins. Metapleuron mostly smooth, with some punctures and setae in the apical half; metapleuron with a crenulate, longitudinal sulcus running from lower margin near metacoxa through spiracle. Metapleural carina raised, with a short lamella. Propodeum mostly smooth; median carina well defined and raised its entire length, and with a clearly complete transverse carina that reaches the spiracles and forks around them (there may also be additional, shorter transverse carinae, some of them radiating from the median carina but not reaching the spiracles). Transverse carina on propodeum delimiting two areas, the anterior, basal one being more or less horizontal; the posterior, apical one is declivous. Mediotergite 1 mostly smooth and with a deep medial groove on its basal half; slightly widening for the first quarter of its length, then narrowing towards apex. Mediotergite 2 mostly smooth, transverse, subtriangular to trapezoidal in shape. Mediotergite 3 and following, unsculptured, polished and with sparse setae. Hypopygium mostly inflexible but with a medial, translucent fold ventrally where none or few (1–2) pleats are distinguishable. Ovipositor sheaths fully setose, 0.7× as long as metatibia length. Metacoxa long, surpassing the length of the third metasomal tergite. Metatibial inner spur longer than outer spur, and about half the length of metatarsomere 1. Metafemur more than 3.0× as long as wide. Fore wing without an areolet, vein R1a longer than stigma length, and vein r and 2RS evenly curved to very slightly arched (with no clear limits between the two veins). Hind wing with edge of vannal lobe medially straight to slightly concave and with uniformly distributed setae that are shorter than those at base and apex of the lobe.

Distribution. The genus occurs in Central and South American rain forests. The described two new species, one from Costa Rica (ACG, from rain forest at 400m) and one from Brazil (Mato Grosso and Goiás; are from rainforest localities (or presumed to have been rain forests at the time the specimens were collected). The CNC collection contains additional specimens from other areas of Brazil that may represent additional species and it is likely that more species of this genus will be found in Neotropical rain forests.

Biology. Unknown. All specimens have been collected with Townes-type Malaise traps.

Comments. Mariapanteles is closely related to Pseudapanteles, and future revisions of the phylogeny of Microgastrinae might find that its erection renders Pseudapanteles paraphyletic. For example, and according to Mason (1981), some species of Pseudapanteles could have a multiple or indefinite transverse carina, in which case the complete transverse carina in Mariapanteles might be seen as the extreme in a continuum from having no transverse carina to having the complete transverse carina of Mariapanteles. However, we consider that the presence of a complete transverse carina on the propodeum, forking around the propodeal spiracles, may be a strong autapomorphy that defines Mariapanteles. There are only four other genera of Microgastrinae with a similar, complete transverse carina on the propodeum: Beyarslania, Clarkinella, Neoclarkinella, and Prasmodon. However, they all appear to be only distantly related to Mariapanteles because they all lack a sharp median groove on mediotergite 1 and/or have an areolet in the fore wing.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith