The description of Moritiella Buffington, new genus (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Eucoilinae)
Author
Buffington, Matthew L.
text
Zootaxa
2006
1237
61
68
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.273453
f273d966-4476-42f8-a93d-2caf83589f43
11755326
273453
Moritiella
Buffington
, new genus
(
Figs 1–2
)
Type
species:
Moritiella elegans
Buffington
n. sp.
, by present designation.
Diagnosis
The following combination of characters separate
Moritiella
from the other previously described genera within the
Zaeucoila
group of eucoiline genera: Orbital furrows entirely lacking. Genal carina present along ventral ½ to 1/3 of head. Conical projections absent on malar space. Pronotal plate broad; pronotal struts absent. Mesoscutum lacking any sculpture. Scutellar plate with two rows of posterodorsally oriented tubercles surrounding glandular release pit. Scutellar disk lacking projections. R1 of forewing always tubular and pigmented; radial cell always closed.
Differs from
Moneucoela
Kieffer
by lacking lateral and posterior projections of the scutellum. Differs from
Agrostocynips
Diaz
by the presence of a genal carina ventrally, the lack of inner orbital furrows on the face and having the tubercles on the scutellar plate much more developed. Differs from
Zaeucoila
Ashmead
by the lack of the mesoscutal carina as well as having the tubercles on the scutellar plate much more developed. Differs from
Preseucoela
Buffington
by lacking clypeal protuberances, lacking pronotal struts and by having several more tubercles on the scutellar plate (only two tubercles present in
Preseucoela
). Differs from
Ganaspidium
Weld
by the possession of a large pronotal plate (pronotal plate in
Ganaspidium
1/3 to 1/4 as wide as head) and by having several more tubercles on the scutellar plate (as in
Preseucoela
, only two tubercles present in
Ganaspidium
).
Description
General appearance.
Shiny black to extreme dark brown all over body.
Head
. Glabrous except for sparse setae along edge of eyes and malar space. Ocellar hair patches lacking. Orbital furrows lacking (
Fig. 1
A). Malar sulcus simple. Malar space smooth with protuberances. Genal carina present along ventral ½ to 1/3 of head (
Fig. 2
).
Antenna
. Female: 13 segments, moniliform, semiclavate; segment 3 slightly longer than remaining flagellomeres; rhinaria present on segments 3–13 (
Fig. 1
B). Male: unknown.
Pronotum
. Pronotal plate large, half as wide as head, with sparse setae along dorsal margin; pronotal fovea open laterally. Pronotal struts lacking (
Fig. 2
A). Pronotum in lateral view smooth and sparsely setose. Lateral pronotal carina absent.
Mesoscutum
. Smooth with a few sparse setae along anterior margin (
Fig 2
C). Mesoscutal keel absent. No other sculpture present.
Mesopectus
. Upper and lower parts of mesopleuron smooth and glabrous (
Fig. 1
A). Dorsal and ventral margins of mesopleural triangle indistinct. Mesopleural carina simple, well defined. Lower portion of mesopleuron bordered by a ventral carina with a distinct anterior, elongate, surcoxal depression.
Scutellum
. Scutellar plate large, covering ½ of dorsal sculpted surface of scutellar disk (
Fig. 2
C); midpit of scutellar plate situated centrally to posteriorly. Midpit surrounded by series of dorsopostero projecting tubercles (
Figs 2
B–C). Dorsal surface of scutellum coarsely alveolate with setiferous pits; lateral and posterior margins rounded (
Fig. 2
B). Scutellar plate close to surface of scutellar disk (not greatly raised). Lateral and posterior projections absent.
Metapectalpropodeal complex
. Metapectus glabrous (
Fig. 1
A); dense setal patch present, ventrally located in anteroventral cavity; scattered setae along posterior margin.
Spiracular groove with distinct dorsal and ventral margin. Posterior margin of metapectus ridged. Metapleural ridge present, reduced; submetapleural ridge reduced. Anteroventral cavity present, densely setose. Propodeum covered in short, dense setae. Propodeal carinae (
Fig. 2
C) subparallel, well developed, running from posterior margin of scutellum to dorsal margin of nucha, meeting each other at nucha; auxiliary propodeal carinae indistinct. Nucha glabrous.
FIGURE 1.
Moritiella elegans
,
n. sp.
A, SEM, lateral habitus; B, SEM, female antenna; C, SEM, head, anterior view.
FIGURE 2.
Moritiella elegans
n. sp.
and
M. astrudae
n. sp.
A, SEM head and mesosoma, lateral view (
M. elegans
); B, SEM, scutellum, lateral view (
M. elegans
); C, SEM, mesoscutum and scutellum, dorsal view (
M. elegans
); D, light microscope, forewing (
M. elegans
); E, light microscope, scutellar plate, dorsal view (
M. elegans
); arrow indicates lateral margin of scutellar plate; F, light microscope, scutellar plate, dorsal view (
M. astrudae
); arrow indicates lateral margin of scutellar plate.
Wings
. Hyaline, densely covered with setae (
Fig. 2
D). R1 of forewing always tubular and pigmented; radial cell always closed; radial cell as deep as long. Apical fringe present, short.
Legs
. Procoxae slightly smaller than either meso or metacoxae. Patches of long setae present on all coxae, mostly along anterior margin. Remaining leg segments with sparse, evenly distributed setae, becoming slightly more dense and appressed on tarsomeres.
Metasoma
. Female: larger than mesosoma. Hairy ring present at base of syntergum, broken at extreme dorsal margin and incomplete ventrally; hairy ring comprised of smaller, dense setae anteriorly and longer, singly spaced setae posteriorly; remainder of metasoma glabrous. Micropores present on terga 5–8 (terga posterior to syntergum). Terga posterior to syntergum directed ventrally at 70 degree angle relative to syntergum. Male: unknown
Biology
Unknown.
Distribution
Neotropical Region:
Brazil
,
Colombia
,
Dominica
,
Ecuador
,
Venezuela
.
Etymology
Named in honor of Shelah I. Morita who inspires my work on
Figitidae
.