Microterys obricoi, Guerrieri & Ghahari, 2018

Guerrieri, Emilio & Ghahari, Hassan, 2018, New records, descriptions and notes on Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Iran, Zootaxa 4444 (3), pp. 316-326 : 320

Microterys obricoi sp. nov.

( Figs 13–17 )

Description. Female (Holotype). Length, 2.3 mm. Head orange; antenna ( Fig. 13 ) with scape and clava brown to black, pedicel and F1 to F3 dark yellow, F4–F6 whitish; thorax dark metallic green, except pronotum, lateral margins of mesonotum, distal part of axillae and posterior margin of scutellum orange, tegula yellow, the apex translucent; mesopleuron orange; forewing ( Fig. 14 ) with speculum and large circular band past venation brown, remaining part of the disc hyaline, venation dark brown, marginal vein ( Fig. 15 ) darker; legs orange, apices of tarsi brown; gaster brown apex of gonostylus orange. Head about 4.4× as wide as frontovertex; ocelli forming an angle of about 70°; antenna ( Fig. 13 ) with scape about 2.6× as long as broad, F1 slightly longer than broad and about 0.5× as long as pedicel; clava transversely truncate at apex. Relative measurements: HW 106, FV 25, POL 13, OOL<1, OCL 8, SL 36, SW 16.

Mesoscutum 0.7× as long as wide and 1.2× as long as scutellum. Forewing ( Fig. 14 ) about 2.4× as long as wide; marginal vein ( Fig. 15 ) about 1.2× as long as stigmal vein and 1.4× postmarginal vein. Relative measurements: FWL 130, FWW 54; MV 20, PMV 14, SV 16.

Gaster with ovipositor not exserted. Paratype: hypopygium ( Fig. 16 ) about 3× as wide as long; ovipositor ( Fig. 17 ) about 1.1× as long as mid tibia and 5× as long as gonostylus; Relative measurements: OL 180, MT 160, GL 35.

Male. Similar to female but for antenna and genitalia. Scape about 2.4× as long as broad; pedicel subquadrate, all funicular segments longer than broad, their length decreasing towards the apex, F1 3× as long as broad and 4× as long as pedicel; clava about 3× as long as broad and as long as F6 and half F5 together. Relative measurements: SL 24, SW 10.

Variation. None in the material at hand.

Hosts. The species was reared from Eulecanium sp. ( Hemiptera : Coccidae ) on walnut ( Juglans regia L., Juglandaceae ).

Distribution. Iran.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, Iran, Kermanshah province, Kermanshah, 34°16'N 47°49'E, 5.vi.2010, ex Eulecanium sp. ( Hemiptera : Coccidae ) on walnut, K. Jalilvand leg. Paratypes: 1 ♀, 1 ♂, same data as holotype. Holotype and 1 paratype will be deposited at NHM; 1 paratype will be deposited at DEZA.

Comments. The species appears to be very close to M. iranicus and M. sylvius . Females of the new species can be separated from those of iranicus by the brown scape (orange in iranicus ), proportion between head and frontovertex width (4.4× in the new species, 3.7× in iranicus ), forewing 2.4× as long as broad (2× in iranicus ) and with well-defined white band (irregular and faint in iranicus ). Females of new species can be separated from sylvius by the relative proportions of the pedicel in respect to F1 (2× in the new species, 1.3× in sylvius ) and by colour of antenna (with F4 yellowish slightly paler than F3 and slightly darker than whitish F 5 in the new species, F4 brown as dark as F3 and distinctly darker than white F 5 in sylvius ).

Figures

FIGURES 13–17. Microterys obricoi sp. nov. ♀: 13. Antenna. 14. Base of forewing. 15. Forewing venation. 16. Hypopygium. 17. Ovipositor.