Obeza nigromaculata

Obeza nigromaculata (Cameron, 1884) Lophyrocera nigromaculata Cameron, 1884 Materials Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: LEUA- 55135; recordedBy: J. Gamboa; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 1B441011-7C24-559B-95EC-157B1CED5F93; Taxon: taxonID: urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_names:275502; scientificName: Obeza nigromaculata; Location: country: Colombia; stateProvince: Huila; locality: Vda. Los Cauchos, Fca. La Cabaña; verbatimElevation: 865 m; locationRemarks: label transliteration: " Colombia, Huila, Neiva, 2021.10. 25, L. Andrade "; [865 m, 02°52'26"N 75°08'39"W, 2021.10. 25, collected employing an entomological net in an agroforestry system of Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae) - Cacao, Juglans neotropica (Juglandaceae) – Black cedar, and Musa paradisiaca (Musaceae) - Plantain]; verbatimCoordinates: 02°52'N 75°08'E; decimalLatitude: 3; decimalLongitude: 75; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: J. Gamboa; dateIdentified: 2025; Event: eventID: urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_occurrences:LEUA__55135; samplingProtocol: entomological net; eventDate: 25 / 10 / 2021; Record Level: language: Spanish; collectionID: urn:lsid:biocol.org:col:55135; collectionCode: Insects; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Description Identification. Features agreeing with the original description of O. nigromaculata: Body length 4.8 mm. Body yellowish-brown; head black; mesosoma with black spots; petiole and legs yellowish-brown; wings hyaline. Two longish, large, disc-shaped patches over the posterior legs, a patch in front of the mesonotum, two large patches behind this one that come together in the mesial line, a roundish small patch outside of these patches and, touching them at their apex, a somewhat triangular patch (which is prolonged as a broad line to the end of the scutellum, where it becomes broad), all black; metanotum lower side black. Gaster brown, slightly darker posteriorly. Face with striae radiating laterally and dorsally from clypeal region. Occiput with strong dorsal carina. Supraclypeal area bordered by deep foveate subantennal sucli; clypeus smooth medially. Antennae long and cylindrical; scape short, flagellomere 1 1.7 x as long as F 2 length. Mesosoma with strongly rugose-areolate. Mesoscutellum apex with two blunt teeth, each 2.0 x as long as wide. Metapleuron with five or six large longitudinal striations, lateral aspect with two large blunt processes. Petiole long and slender, longer than the hind femora. The Colombian specimen and the lectotype deposited at the BMNH are similar in shape, colouration and sculpture (Figs 1, 2, 3, 4). However, the former has a black mark on pronotum anterior aspect that is clearly delimited and darker; and a gaster darker brown-orange, clearer than the mesosoma (Fig. 2). The Colombian specimen that is identical to the type has head glabrous; labrum with eight marginal digits with spaculate terminal setae of length subequal to the maximum width of the mandible; antenna with 12 segments, scape and pedicel glabrous, flagellum with short and abundant setae; mesosoma mostly glabrous with some short and slender setae dorsally, with very few on the pronotum ventral edge, prosternum rhomboid (ventral view) and glabrous, propleura conical and glabrous, metapisternum with long setae dorsomedially and dorsoposteriorly; fore wing: submarginal vein with few suberect setae, stigmal vein with dense setae and wing disc with microtrichia, denser in distal portion; hind wing: hamuli with four hooks, posterior margin with erect and suberect setae, denser microtrichia in distal half; legs with coxa, trochanter and femur glabrous, tibia with setae of different sizes, suberect and subdecumbent denser towards the apex, some as long as tibia width in the middle, apex with setae longer, thicker and stronger, tarsus with setae longer than the diameter of tarsomeres; petiole and gaster mostly glabrous, most posterior metasomal sternite with several erect setae (Fig. 3, Fig. 4). Phallobase subcylindrical, slightly wider in distal portion, 4.1 x as long as width; aedeagus oval with cone-shaped apex; digitus laminar and subrounded with five digital spines (Fig. 3, Fig. 4). Distribution Previously known distribution. Nicaragua (Chontales) (Fig. 5) (Cameron 1884, Schmiedeknecht 1909, Peck 1951, Heraty 1985, Heraty 2002). A record from Arizona reported by Ashmead (1892) was considered erroneous by Heraty (2002). Taxon discussion To date, there are only two records of O. nigromaculata, so knowledge of the biogeography distribution of the species is restricted. Despite the ecological importance of the species as a biological controller of ants, knowledge of its biology (immature stages and female) and ecology is very limited. Cacao-producing agroforestry systems in Colombia are increasing rapidly. New insights into these environments by employing new sampling efforts, which focus on fruit collection (mainly barries) and a variety of surrounding vegetables would allow us to find and determine the host ant of O. nigromaculata. Previous research indicates that berry sampling would facilitate the possible tracking and identification of the host ant species (Heraty and Barber 1990, Heraty et al. 2025).