The Wharton Lab

Catucaba Graf, Kumagai, and Dutra, 1991: 158-165 (description).
Type species: Catucaba anaterrae Graf, Kumagai, and Dutra, 1991, by monotypy.
Yu and Horstmann 1997: 454 (catalog).
Zhaurova and Wharton 2009: 21-25, 69-77 (redescription of genus, new species, generic key, analysis of relationships).

This genus contains 2 species, both quite similar to one another, and differing primarily in coloration and proportional length of the tarsomeres. No males are known.

Diagnosis. Catucaba is distinguished from all other Scolobatini s. s. by the sharply margined clypeus lacking a median tooth: the apical margin of the clypeus being thin and sharp throughout. Catucaba resembles in general appearance several of the smaller species of Physotarsus.

In addition to features of the clypeus, Catucaba is distinctive in several respects, and is thus perhaps the best characterized genus of Scolobatini. The face is unusually bulging dorsally, with the lower face and clypeus appearing concave as a result. The dorsal median tubercle just below the antenna also appears to be absent, perhaps as a result of the larger bulge in the same general area. In Catucaba, cross-vein r-m in the hind wing arises from M basal to the origin of Rs, an unusual feature in Ichneumonidae. Additionally, the epicnemial carina extends forward to the anterior margin of the mesopleuron unlike the condition in other known scolobatines, and the hind trochanter is unusually long and slender.

Length: body 2.5-4.1 mm, fore wing 2.9-4.2 mm. Head (Figs 3, 4): Clypeal margin thin, sharp, somewhat to distinctly trapezoid, medially without a thick central lobe or a median tooth. Clypeus 2.0-2.5 times as broad as long, apically flat to slightly impressed, with two small basolateral lobes weakly protruding in profile, separated from face by a weak but distinct sulcus dorsomedially (Figs 3, 4). Anterior tentorial pits elongated ventrolaterally. Malar space 0.5-0.6 times basal width of mandible. Mandible with ventral tooth slightly longer than the dorsal tooth, mandible tapering over basal 0.3-0.5, sides almost parallel apically. Mouthparts normal, labiomaxillary complex not elongate. Face 1.1-1.4 times as wide as long, punctures quite deep, denser anteromedially, without median tooth or tubercle dorsally. Inter-antennal area slightly concave, anterior margin of torulus situated at about 0.75 of eye height. Widest diameter of torulus about equal widest diameter of median ocellus. Area between lateral ocelli shallowly and evenly depressed, distance between lateral ocelli 1.1-1.5 times their widest diameter, distance from lateral ocellus to eye margin 1.8-2.2 times widest diameter of lateral ocellus. Area behind ocelli regularly rounded, not sharply declivitous. Antennae with 30-35 flagellomeres, quite distinctly longer than body. First flagellomere with a small tyloid laterally (Fig. 5), second flagellomere 0.6 times length of first. Occipital carina incomplete, present on ventral 0.5 of head, never joining hypostomal carina at or before mandibular base. Pronotum dorsally with distinctly impressed transverse goove, anterior margin of pronotum strongly emarginate medially, with pronotum thus exceptionally narrow dorsomedially, anterior margin abruptly upcurved and rounded laterally. Lateral groove of pronotum narrow, vestigial to quite prominent dorsally, never complete to ventral margin. Pronotum smooth, shiny throughout. Mesoscutum glabrous, strongly convex, very light punctures present on the anterolateral 0.4; notauli absent. Epicnemial carina (Fig. 6) extending dorsally along ventral 0.3 of pronotum, reaching anterior margin of mesopleuron. Mesopleuron always lightly pubescent ventrally, punctures absent on dorsal 0.3. Propodeum with pleural carinae vestigial at base, lateral and median longitudinal carinae absent; propodeum lightly pubescent laterally, smooth and impunctate medially. Posterolateral edge of propodeum somewhat upcurved. Hind trochanter 4.2-4.4 times as long as basally wide, apical margin of trochanter not reaching apical margin of trochantellus. Pectination of claws (Fig. 7) weak and confined to very base. Fore wing with abscissa of Cu1 between 1m-cu and 2cu-a about 0.25-0.35 times length of 2cu-a. Marginal cell about 3.1-3.9 times as long as wide. Hind wing with distal abscissa of 1A entirely absent. T1 about 1.7 times as long as broad, spiracles flat. Cerci quite prominent.

Neotropical: known only from Brazil and Argentina.

Unknown.

This page was assembled by Bob Wharton. It is part of a revision of the genera of Westwoodiini and Scolobatini conducted by Kira Zhaurova as part of her M. S. thesis in Entomology at Texas A&M University, completed in 2005, and published in part by (Zhaurova and Wharton (2009). Page last updated February, 2011.

This work owes much to the groundwork provided by Ian Gauld’s study of the Australian and Costa Rican faunas, and we are particularly grateful for his assistance in many aspects of this study. We also thank the following curators and researchers for extended loans of the material used for the revision of Scolobatini and Westwoodiini: David Wahl (AEIC), Ian Gauld and Gavin Broad (BMNH), Andy Bennett (CNC), and Gabriel Melo (DZUP). Matt Yoder provided considerable assistance along the way, particularly with databasing. Images used here were obtained through the combined efforts of Kira Zhaurova, Heather Cummins, and Patricia Mullins. Our use of PURLs (http://purl.oclc.org) follows the example of their use in publications by Norm Johnson. This content is based upon work conducted at Texas A&M University and supported by the National Science Foundation’s PEET program under Grant No. DEB 0328922 and associated REU supplement nos DEB 0723663 and DEB 0616851.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DEB 0328922 with REU supplements DEB 0723663 and 0616851.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.