Capitojoppa amazonica Claridge, Sääksjärvi & Kaunisto, sp. nov.

Capitojoppa belongs to the tribe Ichneumonini and is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: overall robust body with an enlarged head and a wide gena; large mandibles with widely spaced, subequal teeth; labrum exposed and visible in anterior view; supraclypeal area and clypeus without lateral ridge as in Joppa Fabricius and Projoppa Townes; occipital carina complete and meeting hypostomal carina at mandibular base; wing membrane clear; propodeum without distinct dorsal and posterior faces (anterior margin strongly sloping and propodeum gently sloping posteriorly); dorsomedial surface of hind coxa coarsely striate; hind coxa without scopa; T1 longitudinally striate; T2 longitudinally striate medially; gastrocoelus deeply impressed; thyridium well developed; and female metasomal apex oxypygous.

Overall, Capitojoppa is most similar to Joppa due to the following characters: mandibles large with subequal teeth; propodeum lacking distinct dorsal and posterior faces due to both the anterior and posterior margins sloping (variable in Joppa but usually as in Capitojoppa); gastrocoelus deeply impressed; thyridium well developed; and T1–2 coarsely, longitudinally striate. Capitojoppa primarily differs from Joppa by the exposed labrum which is visible in anterior view (concealed by the elongated clypeus in Joppa); the lack of distinct lateral ridges on the supraclypeal area and clypeus (a defining character in Joppa); the coarse, longitudinal striation on the supra-antennal area (smooth and without striation or rugosity in Joppa); complete occipital carina (obsolete ventrally in Joppa); clear wings (yellow with black markings in Joppa); and coarse striation on dorsomedial surface of the hind coxa (smooth and without striation or rugosity in Joppa). Also, the habitus is considerably more robust than any Joppa species examined.

Head. Mandible large with subequal, widely separated teeth. Clypeus flat and with ventral margin straight. Epistomal suture subobsolete. Malar space ~0.7× basal mandibular width. Clypeus and supraclypeal area simple, without sublateral ridges. Dorsal margin of median field with small medial tubercle. Supra-antennal area coarsely, longitudinally striate. Gena wide. Female flagellum bristle-shaped (flattened and widened past midpoint before acutely tapering apically); basal flagellomeres moderately slender (flagellomere 1 ~3.0× as wide as long). Male flagellum with tyloids present and beginning on flagellomere 10 (endpoint of tyloids unknown); bristle ridges present beginning on flagellomere 11 (development of bristle ridges uncertain due to missing flagellum past flagellomere 15 on male paratype).

Mesosoma. Epomia present. Notaulus obsolete. Scutellum flat, not significantly elevated above postscutellum; not laterally carinate. Sternaulus obsolete. Posterior transverse carinae of the mesothoracic venter only present laterally. Juxtacoxal carina present. Propodeal carinae largely obsolete with only anterior transverse carina well developed medially and longitudinal carinae developed at extreme posterior (carinae more strongly developed in male specimen). Anterior margin of propodeum without medial tubercle. Legs stout. Fore and mid tibiae with well-developed, decumbent, conical spines (more strongly developed in female). Hind coxa without scopa and with dorsomedial surface coarsely striate. Tarsal claws simple, not pectinate.

Wings. Areolet pentagonal. Distal abscissa of 1/Cu present.

Metasoma. Metasoma rather stout, but linear and weakly tapering apically. T1 coarsely, longitudinally striate, median field indistinct. T2 longitudinally striate medially with striate area becoming narrower posteriorly. Thyridium well developed and wide (thyridium ~1.2× interthyridial width). Gastrocoelus deeply impressed. Female metasomal apex oxypygous. Ovipositor not significantly projecting past metasomal apex. Male hypopygium simple, not medially elongated. Gonoforceps simple, not enlarged.

Derived from capito, meaning big-headed in medieval Latin, combined with the generic name, Joppa. In addition, Capito refers to the Neotropical bird genus Capito (barbets), including species of stocky birds with heavy bills. Gender feminine.

Sexual dimorphism is minimal with only minor colour and surface sculpture differences between the female and male specimens.

The similarity to Joppa and other characters typical of the group (females with bristle-shaped antennae and males with bristle-ridges) suggests that Capitojoppa belongs to a clade of Neotropical genera that includes Carinodes Hancock, Joppa, Joppocryptus Viereck, Limonethe Townes, Lobaegis Townes, Lophojoppa Brèthes, Narthecura Townes, Notacma Townes, Oezdemirus Ozdikmen & Turgut, Ortezia Cresson, and Trogomorpha Ashmead (Santos et al. 2021).

Female (Fig. 1A–E). Body length: 17.7 mm.; fore wing length: 14.0 mm.

Figure 1. 

Capitojoppa amazonica sp. nov., holotype female A habitus B mesosoma, lateral view C head, anterior view D head, ventral view E mesosoma, dorsal view. Scale bars: 5 mm (A, B, E); 2 mm (C, D).

Colour. Overall yellow or brownish-yellow with restricted black areas. Head yellow except for: black mandibular apex; T-shaped black mark at vertex with narrow, medial extension to antennal bases; small dark brown mark immediately dorsal to antennal sockets; and occiput with dorsal 0.3 dark brown to black. Scape and pedicel brownish-yellow. Female flagellum with flagellomeres 1–5 yellowish-brown, flagellomeres 6–10 brownish-yellow, and the remainder brown ventrally and dark brown dorsally. Pronotum yellow except for small submedial brownish marks in female and small. Propleuron yellow. Mesonotum dark-brown to black except for submedial brownish-yellow stripes and posterior 0.6 with lateral margin brownish-yellow. Scutellum black anteromedially becoming yellow posterolaterally. Mesopleuron yellow except for linear, longitudinal black mark immediately ventral to subalar ridge. Postscutellum yellow. Ventral division of metapleuron yellow except for posteroventral margin dark brown. Propodeum varying from primarily yellow wide and posteriorly tapering black medial longitudinal stripe and lateral margins black to primarily black with only areas corresponding to second lateral areas yellow. Fore and mid legs with coxae and trochanters yellow; femora yellowish-brown; tibiae brownish-yellow except at base; fore tarsus brownish-yellow; and mid tarsus yellowish-brown except for tarsomere 1 brownish-yellow. Hind leg with coxa yellowish ventrally and brownish dorsally except for dark brown at apex; trochanter brown basally with remainder yellowish; femur yellowish-brown; tibia primarily yellowish-brown except for partially yellowish on anterior face; tarsus brown. Metasoma primarily brownish-yellow except for anterior 0.7 of T1 black dorsally.

Head. Clypeus smooth with moderately dense, coarse punctation. Supraclypeal area smooth medially becoming weakly granulate laterally, finely, densely punctate medially becoming sparser laterally. Supra-antennal area smooth and coarsely, longitudinally striate. Gena smooth and impunctate. Vertex smooth and weakly, irregularly sculptured except for small weakly granulate area between lateral ocelli and eye margin.

Mesosoma. Propleuron smooth and impunctate except for a few scattered punctures. Pronotum smooth and finely, nearly indistinctly, punctate at dorsal and posterior margins. Mesonotum densely, finely punctate with punctures adjacent to subadjacent. Scutellum smooth and varying from densely punctate. Mesopleuron smooth and moderately puncate posteroventrally becoming sparser anteriorly and dorsally. Speculum smooth and impunctate. Propodeum predominantly weakly granulate and coarsely punctate with punctures becoming denser posteriorly and laterally, basal area smooth and impunctate. Hind coxa with dorsomedial surface coarsely striate and ventral surface densely punctate with some punctures forming oblique rugulae.

Metasoma. T1 coarsely, longitudinally striate. T2 longitudinally striate medially with striate area becoming narrower posteriorly, remainder densely punctate with punctures subadjacent.

Male. (Fig. 2A–D). Body length: 17.0 mm; fore wing length: 13.6 mm. As in female except for: small, additional sublateral brownish marks on propleuron; clypeus coarsely, densely punctate; and scutellum finely, sparsely punctate.

Figure 2. 

Capitojoppa amazonica sp. nov., paratype male A habitus B head, lateral view C propodeum, dorsal view D hind coxae and metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bars: 5 mm (A, D); 2 mm (B, C).

Holotype (female): Peru, Dept. of Loreto, Iquitos area, Mishana, 1–16.12.1998, clay, Ilari E. Sääksjärvi et al. Leg., Malaise trap, APHI A1/8 061 (MUSM). Paratype (male): Peru, Dept. of Loreto, Iquitos area, Allpahuayo, 31.10–6.11.2011, Gómez & Sääksjärvi leg., Malaise 11, Week24, 30°58'35"S, 73°25'57"W (MUSM).

Only known from type locality in western Peruvian Amazon (National Reserve of Allpahuayo-Mishana). Despite examining extensive Neotropical materials in the Biodiversity Unit, Zoological Museum of University of Turku (Finland), the Entomological Museum of Utah State University (USA), and the Natural History Museum of the Alexander Humboldt Institute in Bogotá, (Colombia), especially from Costa Rica, Panama, and montane regions of Colombia, no other specimens of this genus were found. Thus, Capitojoppa may be restricted to the lowland Amazon Basin.

The host(s) or other biological information are unknown.

The specific name “amazonica” refers to Amazonia, the largest and most diverse rainforest on Earth.