Revision of world Austroterobiinae and Parasaphodinae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae), parasitoids of giant scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Monophlebidae)
Author
Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan
text
Zootaxa
2017
4301
1
1
63
journal article
32542
10.11646/zootaxa.4301.1.1
5274b2f8-e4d0-4ac9-8e81-a23e886b2380
1175-5326
839721
67A78566-A4FD-4E37-96E9-DCC4CCF321E5
Parasaphodes afer
sp. nov.
(
Figs 121–131
)
Diagnosis.
Both
sexes
: clypeal margin bilobed; genae short and strongly converging towards mouth (
Fig. 124
); scape short, not nearly reaching lower margin of median ocellus (
Fig. 124
); anterior corners of pronotal collar not carinate (
Fig. 128
); axillae strongly advanced (
Fig. 128
); propodeum with double median carina, otherwise with median area mostly smooth (
Fig. 130
); gaster virtually sessile (
Figs 122, 123
), petiole small, strongly transverse, with two lateral flanges and some longitudinal rugae on dorsal side.
Parasaphodes afer
can be separated from all other species of
Parasaphodes
mainly by its bilobed clypeal margin, its head shape in frontal view (with genae short and strongly converging towards the mouth,
Fig. 124
), and mostly smooth median area of the propodeum. It shares with
P. flavipes
the anterior corners of pronotal collar not being carinate, but can be easily separated from that species by the sessile gaster (
Figs 122, 123
).
FIGURES 121–123.
Parasaphodes afer
: 121, holotype ♀, habitus, lateral view; 122, allotype ♂, habitus, lateral view; 123, holotype ♀, habitus, dorsal view.
Material examined.
Type
material.
Holotype
♀
(deposited in
BMNH
) [on triangular card; entire].
GHANA
:
‘Gold
Coast
,
Tafo
,
3 March 1950
’, ‘
Ectoparasite
on nymphs of
Steatococcus
sp.’, ‘Com. Inst. Ent., Coll.
No
. 12307’, ‘
Parasaphodes’
.
Allotype
♂
.
GHANA
:
same information as
holotype
, ‘
♂
Parasaphodes afer
sp. n.
det.
Z. Bouček
, 1984’ (
BMNH
).
Additional paratypes.
GHANA
:
2♀
, same information as
holotype
.
NIGERIA
:
7♀
and
1♂
‘
Nigeria
,
Ibadan Prov.
,
Idiayunre
[sic],
26.7.56
’, ‘ectoparasitic
on
Steatococcus
sp. on cocoa’, ‘
R. G. Donald
, c1521’ (
BMNH
)
.
MADAGASCAR
:
1♀
‘
Madagascar
,
Tuléar
,
Berenty
12 km
N.W.
Amboasary
,
5-15.V.1983
, J. S,.
Noyes
& M. C.
Day, B.M.
1983-201’, ‘
NHMUK
010371230
’, ‘
DNA
Voucher
[failed] D# 4947
UCR
,
J. M. Heraty’
(
BMNH
).
Description.
Female.
Body length:
1.1–1.5 mm
.
Colour.
Body dark brown to black, without metallic reflections (
Figs 121, 123
). Eyes reddish; ocelli pale orange (
Figs 124, 125
). Antenna brown, with pedicel and flagellum ventrally paler (
Fig. 127
). Legs (
Fig. 121
) with coxae dark brown; trochanters brown; femora and tibiae brown, apices slightly lighter; tarsi brown, pretarsi darker. Wings hyaline, tegula and venation brown (
Fig. 131
). Body and wing pilosity brownish (
Figs 124, 128, 131
).
FIGURES 124–131.
Parasaphodes afer
: 124, holotype ♀, head, frontal view; 125, holotype ♀, head, dorsal view; 126, holotype ♀, head, lateral view; 127, holotype ♀, antenna; 128, holotype ♀, mesosoma, dorsal view; 129, holotype ♀, mesosoma, lateral view; 130, paratype ♀, Madagascar, propodeum, dorsal view; 131, holotype ♀, fore wing.
Sculpture.
Head smooth (
Figs 124–126
). Mesosoma with pronotum and mesoscutum mostly shallowly rugulose-reticulate (
Fig. 128
); axillae and mesoscutellum smooth (
Fig. 128
); propodeum with median area mostly smooth except for double median carina and plicae (
Fig. 130
); prepectus and metapleuron smooth (
Fig. 129
); mesepimeron mostly alutaceous, mesepisternum smooth (
Fig. 129
). Gaster smooth.
Structure.
Head. Clypeal margin bilobed. Genae short and strongly converging towards mouth (
Fig. 124
). Scape short, not nearly reaching lower margin of median ocellus (
Fig. 124
). Head width 2.1–2.3× length in dorsal view (36:17) and 1.2× height in frontal view (36:30). POL 1.4–2.0× OOL (9.5:6.5). Eye height about 1.3× length (17:13) and 2.1–2.4× malar space (17:8). Scape length 0.4–0.5× eye height (7:17) and 1.4× length of pedicel (7:5). Head width about 0.7× length of pedicel plus flagellum (36:51). F1 width 1.0–1.2× length (6:5); F7 width 1.1–1.4× length (5.0:4.5); clava length 2.0–2.3× width (11.5:5.0).
Mesosoma. Anterior corners of pronotal collar not carinate (
Fig. 128
). Axillae strongly advanced (
Fig. 128
). Mesosoma length 1.35× width (50:37), width subequal to height (37:36). Mesoscutum width about twice length (37:18). Mesoscutellum length equal to width (21:21). Propodeum length about half mesoscutellum length (10:21). Dorsellum length 0.4× propodeum length (4:10). Fore wing length about 2.4× width (95:40). MV length 7.1–8.3× SV (25:3); MV about 4.5× PV (25.0:5.5).
Metasoma. Petiole small, strongly transverse, with two lateral flanges and some longitudinal rugae on dorsal side (
cf
.
Figs 153
,
165
). Gaster (
Figs 121, 123
) rhomboidal in dorsal view, length 1.5–1.8× width (50:33) and equal to length of mesosoma; hypopygium exserted or not.
Male
. Differs from the female mainly as follows. Body length:
1 mm
. Antennae light brown (
Fig. 122
). First gastral tergite dark brown. Flagellar segments slightly longer (
Fig. 122
). POL 1.4–1.6× OOL. Scape length 1.6× pedicel length. F1 and F7 quadrate; clava length about 2.9× width. Mesoscutum width about 2.2× length. Fore wing length about 2.2× width. MV length 8.3–8.6× SV; MV 4.1–4.3× PV. Gaster shorter than mesosoma, length 1.2–1.7× width (
Fig. 122
).
Distribution.
Ghana
,
Madagascar
,
Nigeria
.
Biology.
Ectoparasitoid of
Icerya
(=
Steatococcus
) sp. nymphs (
Hemiptera
:
Monophlebidae
) on cocoa.
Remarks.
Bouček (1988)
referred to an undescribed species from West Africa and labeled several specimens from BMNH as such (see above); this new species is described above. A female collected from the same locality as the other Nigerian specimens (CNC) has longer funicle segments (similar to the male), but otherwise it is very similar to
P. afer
and wasn’t included in the species description.
Etymology.
The species epithet refers to the African distribution of the species.