Szelenyiopria fortunensis Araúz & Fernández-Marín, 2025

Szelenyiopria fortunensis Araúz & Fernández-Marín sp. nov.

Figs 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5

Type material.

Holotype • female (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ). “ PANAMÁ, Chiriquí, Gualaca, Reserva Forestal Fortuna ( 8°43'19.8"N, 82°14'14.8"W, 1200 m); 26.v.2012. Emerged from a nest of Acromyrmex coronatus (nest # 25), Tomás Ríos, Juan Bernal and Hermógenes Fernández-Marín leg ” ( MIUP) GoogleMaps . Paratypes • with same data as holotype; 3 females and 1 male in MIUP; 3 females and 1 male in LIS GoogleMaps .

Etymology.

The species is named after the Fortuna Forest Reserve, a protected area in the Chiriquí Province, where we found this species. Additionally, the species name refers to the fortunate and serendipitous encounter when one of the authors (HFM) discovered a nest of an Acromyrmex species parasitized by a diapriid wasp for the first time in Panama.

Diagnosis.

Szelenyiopria fortunensis differs from the all known species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: female antenna 12 - segmented with nonabrupt clava (Fig. 2 B, C View Figure 2 ), four apical segments of clava flattened ventrally; gena with dense postgenal cushion; lateral side of pronotum and mesopleura smooth; anterior scutellar pit subcircular, smooth inside (Fig. 3 D View Figure 3 ); mesoscutum mainly smooth; propodeum rugose sculptured with median keel strongly raised anteriorly to form “ axe ” shaped spine (Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 3E View Figure 3 , 4 D View Figure 4 ); sides of propodeum dorsally and metapleuron reticulate rugose sculptured with scattered, apically truncate and upstanding setae, and covered with short pubescence; T 2 – T 4 covered with few setae (Fig. 2 F, G View Figure 2 ). Males with 14 - segmented antenna; A 3 – A 14 each with a row of long setae apically.

Description.

Holotype, female (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ). Body length 3.31 mm; head, mesosoma and metasoma dark brown, smooth, and shiny; antenna, tegula, and legs pale brown.

Head (Fig. 3 A – C View Figure 3 ). Head subcircular, in dorsal view 1.03 × as wide as long ( 0.60 mm / 0.58 mm) with protruding antennal shelf and covered with scattered truncate setae. Frons and face smooth. Temple length subequal to width of compound eye ( 0.21 mm / 0.22 mm) in lateral view. Compound eyes ovoid, 0.73 × as wide as high ( 0.30 mm / 0.22 mm), with a few truncate setae. Ocelli large, forming almost equilateral triangle, POL: LOL: OOL = 4: 3: 8. Diameter of ocellus 3.5 × ommatidium diameter ( 0.07 mm / 0.02 mm); malar space shorter than compound eye height ( 0.17 mm / 0.30 mm) in lateral view. Occipital carina narrow and smooth in dorsal view. Palpal formula 5: 2.

Antennae. Antenna 12 - segmented with nonabrupt clava, Al subcylindrical, broadened apically and reticulate sculptured. Size of antennomeres (length / width in millimeters) in lateral view: A 1 0.51 / 0.11, A 2 0.14 / 0.08, A 3 0.19 / 0.07, A 4 0.15 / 0.07, A 5 0.14 / 0.08, A 6 0.12 / 0.09, A 7 0.15 / 0.11, A 8 0.14 / 0.12, A 9 0.15 / 0.13, A 10 0.15 / 0.13, A 11 0.14 / 0.14 and A 12 0.21 / 0.14. Clavomeres A 9 – A 11 subquadrate in dorsal view, A 12 subconical, and all flattened ventrally. A 1 – A 7 covered with truncate setae; A 6 – A 12 covered with short pubescence.

Mesosoma (Fig. 3 D, E View Figure 3 ). Mesosoma at level of tegula wider than head ( 0.64 mm / 0.60 mm). Cervix longitudinally strigose. Pronotal collar with dense pilosity. Mesoscutum slightly convex, smooth with sparse truncate setae. Anterior scutellar pit with three low carinae inside, subcircular, and deep. Mesoscutellar disc slightly convex; axilla as wide as scutellar pit ( 0.17 mm / 0.15 mm), shortly pubescent. Metanotum covered with short pilosity and few truncate setae. Metascutellum armed with three longitudinal ridges; metanotal trough smooth. Propodeum reticulate rugose with scattered setae and postero-lateral corners strongly prominent and posterior margin deeply convex medially. Mesopleuron smooth with truncate, specialized setae. Metapleuron and lateral sides of propodeum rugose with truncate setae and covered with short pilosity. Forewing 3.15 × longer than wide ( 2.96 mm / 0.94 mm); submarginal vein reaching proximal third of wing length. Hindwing longer than wide ( 1.87 mm / 0.21 mm), with marginal vein. Legs long, covered with scattered truncate setae. Femora of all legs slender with long stalk.

Metasoma (Fig. 3 F, G View Figure 3 ). Petiole 1.47 × longer than wide ( 0.28 mm / 0.19 mm), longitudinally rugulate, covered with long truncate setae and short pubescence. Gaster 2.05 × longer than wide ( 1.21 mm / 0.59 mm), smooth, with few sparse truncate setae dorsally and ventrally.

Variation. Anterior scutellar pit subcircular to remarkable “ chestnut ” form. Female body length 2.93–3.42 mm.

Male (Figs 4 View Figure 4 , 5 A – F View Figure 5 ). Body length: 2.82–3.08 mm. Similar to female except for the following characters: eyes bare; antenna 14 - segmented; A 3 – A 14 each fusiform, its widest part slightly shifted towards apex with a row of long setae. Size of antennomeres (length / width in mm): A 1 (0.54 / 0.1); A 2 (0.15 / 0.1); A 3 (0.2 / 0.08); A 4 (0.2 / 0.09); A 5 (0.2 / 0.09); A 6 (0.23 / 0.08); A 7 (0.19 / 0.09); A 8 (0.2 / 0.09); A 9 (0.19 / 0.09); A 10 (0.16 / 0.08); A 11 (0.15 / 0.08); A 12 (0.18 / 0.08); A 13 (0.16 / 0.08); A 14 (0.29 / 0.07).

Distribution.

Known from only the type locality.

Biology.

Szelenyiopria fortunensis sp. nov. is a larval endoparasitoid of the leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex coronatus in Panama. We found that 25 % of all A. coronatus nests collected in Fortuna Forest Reserve were parasitized by this species. This new species can be solitary (only one wasp per larva) or gregarious (two or more wasps per larva), with each wasp separated from the others by a septum. The ant workers protected, groomed, and transported the parasitized larvae as if they were healthy larvae. However, after emergence the wasps tried to leave the nests quickly. If they did not, two or more worker ants used their mandibles to hold them by the legs, antennae, and / or wings, and then the wasps were mutilated and killed.