Therion bifidus Alvarado & Pérez, 2026, sp. nov.

Therion bifidus sp. nov. Figs 1, 6 Holotype: ♀, “ Ayacucho, PERU 2760m; iv.[19]49 Coll: Blancas ” (MUSM). Paratype: 1♂, “ PERU, CU, Chumbivilcas, Livitaca 14°32'46.90"S / 72°4'5.87"W 3841m 21.iii.2021 E. Quispe ” (MUSM). Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from the other Neotropical taxa by the following combination of features: mandibles unidentate; antenna in female with 39 flagellomeres and in male with 36 flagellomeres; stemmaticum weakly raised; notauli present and well-defined on about its basal 0.8; mesosoma red with black markings; and wings brownish black. Description. Female: fore wing length 12.7 mm. Head. Mandibles unidentate; labrum with distal margin apically split, with a bifid appearance; clypeus smooth with isolated punctures, 1.9× as wide as long, with its basal 0.5 notably elevated; lower face (Fig. 1B) rather weakly narrowed ventrally with width across clypeal sulcus about 0.9× width across base of antennal toruli, 1.8× as wide (width across clypeal sulcus) as long, with coarse and adjacent punctures; malar space 0.4× as long as basal mandibular width; frons areolate-rugulose, with weak median vertical carina; stemmaticum weakly raised and with a median longitudinal sulcus so that in anterior view it appears divided into 2 lobes; lateral ocellus separated from compound eye by 2.1× ocellar diameter; distance between ocelli 1.8× ocellar diameter; gena, in lateral view (measured perpendicularly to torulus), 1.3× as wide as compound eyes, gena densely punctate; antenna with 39 flagellomeres. Mesosoma. Pronotum polished with ventral part strigose, dorsal part punctate, posterior margin with crenulate furrow, and dorsal margin with longitudinal impression, epomia present and raised; mesoscutum (Fig. 1D) polished with coarse punctures on anterior half and next to notauli, notauli weak and traceable on about its basal 0.8; mesoscutellum convex, polished with isolated punctures, lateral carinae of mesoscutellum indistinct; mesopleuron (Fig. 1E) polished and punctate but without punctures on speculum and striate below subalar prominence; epicnemial carina present, extending to lower 0.3 of mesopleuron; metapleuron polished with punctures (Fig. 1E); fore wing with marginal cell 4.6× as long as wide; hind femur 6.8× as long as deep; second hind tarsomere 4.7× as long as deep. Metasoma. Tergite I 3.8× as long as posteriorly wide; ovipositor sheath 0.23× as long as fore wing. Color. Head black with a longitudinal macula on face that converge with clypeus, orbits of face, malar space and gena (next to compound eyes), a spot on vertex (next to compound eyes) yellow; antennomeres (except antennomere 1–3 black) brown; palpi testaceous; labrum and mandible apically brown. Mesosoma red except pronotum, prosternum, 0.3 basal area of mesoscutum, epicnemium, subalar prominence, mesosternum, metanotum, submetapleural carina, and basal and central of propodeum black; inner half of tegula brown; wings brownish black, veins and pterostigma brown, base of pterostigma off-yellow; foreleg black with tibia ventrally and tarsomeres off-yellow; mid and hind leg black. Metasomal tergites I–IV red but tergite II centre-anteriorly brown; tergites V–VIII black. Ovipositor sheath indeterminate as it is missing. Male: fore wing length 10.1 mm. The paratype differs from the holotype in the following: clypeus 2.2× as wide as long; lower face (Fig. x) 1.6× as wide (width across clypeal sulcus) long; lateral ocellus separated from compound eye by 2.2× ocellar diameter; gena, in lateral view (measured perpendicularly to torulus), 1.0× as wide as compound eyes; antenna with 36 flagellomeres; metapleuron polished with isolate, small punctures; hind femur 4.3× as long as deep; second hind tarsomere 3.2× as long as deep; and, tergite I 3.3× as long as posteriorly wide. Similar coloration as female but head (Fig. 1F) black with palpi testaceous, mandible apically, clypeus (upper margin black), a longitudinal macula on face, orbits of face and gena (next to compound eyes), a spot on vertex (next to compound eyes) yellow; antennomeres black. Mesosoma red except pronotum (posterio-upper corner, before margins, red), prosternum, 0.3 basal area (between notauli) of mesoscutum, anterior, upper and dorsal margins of mesopleuron, tegula, axillary sclerite, submetapleural carina, metanotum, scuto-scutellar groove, and basal and central of propodeum black; wings brownish black, veins and pterostigma brown, base of pterostigma off-yellow; legs black; metasomal tergites black but tergite II centrally and tergite II posterior half brown. Remarks. Therion bifidus sp. nov. seems to fit within the South American species group proposed by Porter (1999); as it is characterized by having a shorth flagellum, 0.6–0.7 as long as fore wing, mandible only with upper tooth, male with hind tarsus moderately swollen in comparison to its female and with hind tarsomeres 2 and 3 ventrally with a median longitudinal carina (Therion bifidus sp. nov. has the carina also in the tarsomere 1), and in both sexes with pretarsal claws pectinate. Additionally, as T. ranti and T. wileyi, it has mesosoma with reddish color and wings conspicuously infuscate. Therion bifidus sp. nov. overlaps its distribution with Therion blancasi sp. nov. in Ayacucho and Cusco departments and occupy similar elevation ranges. Additionally, both species were only collected during March and April, the rainy season, suggesting that adults are active during this season. Etymology. The specific epithet “ bifidus ” refers to the labrum split in two parts.