Polyphrix stellata Santos, Aguiar & Tedesco, 2009, sp. nov.

Polyphrix stellata sp. nov. Tedesco & Santos

Etymology. From the Latin, meaning “spotted”; in reference to the W-shaped whitish spot on the mesoscutum, unique for the genus.

Description. Fore wing 8.55 mm. Body entirely shiny, scarcely punctate and very sparsely pilose. Head (Figs 6–7, 9): antenna with 31 flagellomeres; clypeus scarcely punctate, CWH 1.84, CWW 1,49 apex slightly convex; mandible and palpi sparsely pilose; mandible moderately long, MLW 1.57, MWW 0.53, ventral tooth slightly longer and more robust than dorsal tooth; occipital carina moderately high, sharp, uniformely curved, ending far from hypostomal carina, at distance as large as basal width of mandible; MSM 0.49. Thorax (Figs 7, 9): pronotum with weak and short wrinkles at posterior margin of collar centrally; dorsal margin regular, neither swollen nor prominent; mesoscutum subcircular; notaulus almost completely absent, traceable only in tangent anterior view; lateral carina of scutellum weak, distinct only on anterior 0.2; epicnemial carina restricted to ventral 0.70 of mesopleuron, almost straight, mesopleuron dorsad of carina giving rise to short and very weak transverse strigulation; mesopleural fovea shallow; mesopleural suture straight, narrow and crenulate; median portion of postpectal carina very weak, short and slightly arched forward; metapleuron smooth, shiny, with sparse hairs; justacoxal carina present only as very short subvertical ridge; transverse furrow at base of propodeum centrally 0.69 as long as distance anterior transverse carina to anterior margim of propodeum, measured centrally. Legs: hind pre-apical tarsomere not distinctly bilobed; FLW 6.50. Propodeum (Figs 7, 9, 12): anterior margin centrally concave; SWL 2.70; anterior transverse carina straight, area behind it with 11 distinct straight transverse wrinkles, either complete or incomplete, posterior ones stronger and sharper. Wings (Figs 10–11): fore wing vein 1-Rs+M distinctly sinuous, with bulla placed at basal 0.25; crossvein 1m-cu uniformly arched, slightly shorter than 1-Rs+M; vein 1M+Rs anteriorly straight, posteriorly arched; crossvein 1cu-a straight, forming straight angle with M+Cu, ending basad of vein 1M+Rs by about 0.2 its own length; crossvein 2cu-a 0.22 as long as vein 2-Cu; cell 1+2Rs (areolet) of moderate size, APH 0.62, transversely rectangular, AWH 2.14; crossvein 3r-m spectral, distinctly longer than 2r-m; hind wing vein M+Cu forming straight angle with vein M; HW1C 0.97; vein 2-Rs entirely tubular; crossvein 1r-m with bulla at ventral 0.3; veins 1-Rs and 2-Rs distinctly angled; vein Cub straight, reaching about 0.8 of distance to wing margin; vein 2-1A reaching about 0.85 of distance to wing margin. Metasoma (Figs 7, 9): first tergite elongate, slender, T1LW 3.35, T1WW 1.60; spiracle at center, weakly prominent; T2LW 1.20, T2WW 2.20; tergites 3–8 smooth, shiny, pilose; OST 0.72; ovipositor moderately slender, straight, scarcely punctate, laterally strongly compressed; dorsal valve with nodus and notch, ventral valve with nine apical teeth; apex moderately long, pointed.

Color (Figs 6–9, 12). Head, pronotum and mesoscutum mostly black, remainder of mesosoma and metasoma from deep yellow (227,187,088) to deep orange (162,100,028). Head: scape dorsally dark brown, ventrally pale yellow; pedicel and flagellum dark brown, lighter apically, except most of flagellomeres 6 and 17 and 7–16, white; supra-clypeal area, clypeus, mouth parts, base of mandible, malar space and para-ocular stripe pale yellow (213,196,155); apex of mandible dark brown; supra-antennal area, occiput, temple and gena except orbital band, black. Mesosoma: pronotum black, except for continuous stripe from its upper to lower margin, pale yellow; prosternum pale yellow; mesoscutum black, centrally with large W-shaped pale yellow mark; scutellum anteriorly and dorso-centrally; scutellum apex and lateral 0.3, axillar carina, postscutellum, and tegula, pale yellow; mesopleuron deep yellow (212,163,078), dorsally lighter; metapleuron light orange (203,141,064); fore coxa, first trochantellus, tibia, and tarsus, pale yellow; femur and second trochantellus deep yellow; mid leg deep yellow, darker toward apex; hind coxa, trochantelli and femur, orange (203,127,054), tibia yellow, basitarsus from basally pale yellow to apically white, remaining of tarsi white. Propodeum: uniformly orange (211,130,056). Metasoma: T1 orange; T2–3 basally orange, apically lightest; T4–7 deep yellow, T7 with apical white stripe; T8 ferruginous (174,122,054); ovipositor dark red (102,048,024), sheaths dark brown; wings hyaline.

Comments. Readily differentiated from all other species of the genus by the entirely orange metasoma, presence of a W-shaped yellow mark on the mesoscutum and presence of the median portion of the postpectal carina, though short. Polyphrix stellata sp. nov. can be additionally isolated from the sympatric species P. varians by the mostly black pronotum and mesonotum (vs. orange). The new species shares color pattern similarities with both Atlantic Forest species, such as the black areas on the pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum, and with P. varians, such as the orange tone of propodeum and legs entirely yellow or orange.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype female (MPEG) from Brazil, PA, Melgaço, Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, Trilha Igarapé Tijucaquara, 21–25.XI.2003, yellow pans, APAguiar & JDias, P05132 (field point). Meso- and metapleuron partially translucent due to ethil acetate treatment; otherwise in good shape.

Distribution record. Amazon Basin, Brazil, PA (Fig. 5).