Cratichneumon variator ssp. kijimuna, Riedel & Watanabe, 2025

Cratichneumon variator ssp. kijimuna ssp. nov.

Holotype. ( ♀) [ Japan] Okinawa Pref., Okinawajima Isl., Kunigami Vil., Ginama , Malaise trap, 2001 June 19 collected, H. Irei & H. Makihara ( Kanagawa).

Paratypes. ( 2 ♀♀ 3 ♂♂) same data as holotype ( Kanagawa); ( 2 ♀♀ 6 ♂♂) Okinawa Pref., Kunigami Vil., Ginama , Malaise trap (H7), 26. VI. 2001 collected, H. Irei & H. Makihara ( Kanagawa and coll. Riedel); ( 1 ♂) Okinawa Pref., Kunigami Vil., Ginama, Malaise trap (H9), 19. VII. 2001 collected, H. Irei & H. Makihara (coll. Riedel); ( 4 ♂♂) Okinawa Pref., Kunigami Vil., Uka, Malaise trap (H3), 26. VII. 2001 collected, H. Irei & H. Makihara ( Kanagawa); ( 1 ♂) Okinawa Pref., Kunigami Vil., Uka, Malaise trap (H5), 19. VII. 2001 collected, H. Irei & H. Makihara ( Kanagawa) .

Etymology. The subspecies name refers to the “Kijimuna”, which is the legendary spectres handed down around the Okinawa Islands.

Description. Females. Body length 12.5–14.0 mm. Length of fore wing 9.0– 10.5 mm

Head. Flagellum with 34–36 flagellomeres, stout and filiform; 1 st flagellomere 1.5–1.6× as long as wide, 5 th to 7 th flagellomeres square, widest flagellomere 1.7× as wide as long. Temple rather long, densely punctate, ± parallel behind eye and slightly narrowed posteriorly. OED 1.1× and OOD 0.8× ocellar diameter. Frons densely punctate and shining dorsally, smooth ventrally. Face with dense punctures. Clypeus almost flat, with sparse punctures; apical margin blunt and slightly protruding medially. Gena with sparse punctures. Mandible large, ventral tooth smaller than dorsal tooth, not bent inwards. MI 0.7–0.8. Genal carina reaching hypostomal carina away from mandibular base; hypostomal carina slightly and lamelliform widened.

Mesosoma . Side of pronotum punctate dorsally and rugose-punctate ventrally. Notaulus impressed at frontal 0.2 of mesoscutum. Mesoscutum rather densely punctate, shining. Mesopleuron densely rugose-punctate, speculum with fine punctation. Metapleuron punctate or partly rugose-punctate; juxtacoxal carina present. Scutellum almost slightly convex, about as wide as long, shagreen and with superficial punctures, without lateral carina. Propodeum rugose-punctate, area basalis and area externa with sparse punctures or smooth; posterior transverse carina reaching area petiolaris posterior to area superomedia medially and slightly lamelliform laterally.Area superomedia hexagonal, sometimes confluent with area basalis, 1.3–1.5× as long as wide; costula at its middle. Hind coxa densely punctate, with distinct scopa ventrally (1/4 of coxal length). Hind femur densely punctate, 2.9–3.1× as long as wide. External surface of hind tibia without denticular spines. Claws simple. Areolet pentagonal, frontal distance between veins 2rs-m and 3rs-m 4.0× their width; vein 2m-cu reaching distad its middle. Vein 1cu-a postfurcal by 3.0× its width.

Metasoma. Oxypygous. Postpetiole moderately widened, finely striate, without latero-median carina, median field slightly elevated. Gastrocoelus triangularly impressed, with rugae. Thyridium transverse, 0.2–0.3× as wide as interval between thyridia. 2 nd tergite 1.3–1.4× as wide as long, densely punctate, shining. 3 rd tergite with rather dense and ± superficial punctures, shining. Ovipositor sheath reaching beyond metasomal apex by 0.5× length of 7 th tergite.

Color . Black. Flagellomeres 7/8–16/18 ivory, distal flagellomeres reddish-brown or brown. Palps, mandible except teeth, sometimes lateral spot of clypeus and dorso-media spot of face, spot at facial orbit, spot at gena and frontal orbit up to vertex ivory. Collar and upper margin of pronotum, scutellum and postscutellum yellow. 1 st tergite black, postpetiole sometimes reddish apically; 2 nd to 3 rd or 4 th tergites ± red or reddish brown, following tergites brown or blackish; 6 th tergite sometimes with ivory apical margin, 7 th tergite usually with dorsal ivory spot. Legs black; fore and mid coxae mainly, hind coxa dorsally and all trochanters yellow or ivory; fore femur apically and fore and mid tibiae frontally ochreous or yellow; hind tibia with subbasal ochreous stripe. Wings hyaline, pterostigma reddish-brown.

Male. Body length 12.0– 13.5 mm, length of fore wing, 10.0– 10.5 mm.

Head. Flagellum with 39–41 flagellomeres, bristle-shaped; 1 st flagellomere 2.1–2.3× as long as wide. Tyloids on flagellomeres 6/7–15/18, long-oval, maximally 0.7× as long as their flagellomeres. Temple slightly and roundly narrowed behind eye. OED 0.8–0.9× and OOD 0.8–0.9× ocellar diameter. Frons shagreened and with superficial punctures dorsally. Face with dense punctures. Clypeus with sparse punctures. MI 0.5. Hypostomal carina slightly lamelliform.

Mesosoma . Mesoscutum with ± superficial punctures. Mesopleuron and metapleuron densely punctate. Scutellum moderately elevated, about as long as wide, with sparse punctures, with lateral carina in basal 0.2. Area superomedia hexagonal, about as long as wide. Hind femur 3.4–3.6× as long as wide, with rather dense punctures.

Metasoma. Postpetiole with microsculpture and very sparse punctures, shining. Gastrocoelus weakly impressed. Thyridium transverse, 0.3× as wide as interval between punctures. 2 nd tergite about as long as wide, 2 nd and 3 rd tergite with rather dense to sparse punctures, strongly shining. Structure otherwise as described for the ♀.

Color . Black. Flagellum usually ± reddish ventrally, flagellomeres 14/15–20 ivory dorsally. Palps, mandible except teeth, clypeus, face, frontal orbit, gena and outer orbit, ventral scape, propleuron ±, collar and upper margin of pronotum, subtegular ridge, wide band of ventral mesopleuron, median spot of mesosternum, scutellum and postscutellum and sometimes area posteroexterna and area petiolaris ivory. Tergites black, postpetiole and 2 nd to 3 rd or 4 th tergites ± yellowish, at least with reddish-yellow suffusion. Legs black; fore and mid coxae, dorsal spot of hind coxa and all trochanters ivory; fore and mid femora except brown posterior stripes and fore and mid tibiae and tarsi yellow or ivory; hind femur and tarsus black; hind tibia black, with subbasal yellowish ring. Pterostigma reddish-brown.

Distribution. Japan (Okinawajima Isl.).

Remarks. The specimens from Okinawa islands are closely related to Cratichneumon variator sensu stricto and represent a subspecies of the latter in our opinion. The females differ by the absence of complete ivory tibial rings and largely reddish 2 nd and 3 rd tergites, and the males by a more extended yellowish or ivory coloration on mesosoma and basal tergites.