Aximopsis Ashmead

Gates, M. W., Metz, M. A. & Schauff, M. E., 2006, The circumscription of the generic concept of Aximopsis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eurytomidae) with the description of seven new species, Zootaxa 1273, pp. 9-54 : 27-37

Genus Aximopsis Ashmead

Aximopsis Ashmead, 1904: 259 . Type species: Aximopsis morio Ashmead, 1904 by monotypy.

Diagnosis

Two synapomorphies support the monophyly of Aximopsis as defined herein: the presence of dense umbilicae ( Figs. 27 , 30 ) on dorsal head within and surrounding the ocellar triangle, and male petiolar process (“can opener ( Fig. 13 )). A suite of characters can be used in combination to aid in diagnosing and identifying Aximopsis , including a to be continued.

Taxon 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Agriotoma bakeri Burks 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1

Aplatoides diabolus Yoshimoto & Gibson 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 Philolema tephrosiae (Aximopsis) Girault 0 0 0? 1? 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1

Systole coriandri Gussakovsky 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

Tenuipetiolus mentha Bugbee 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

Tetramesa hordei (Harris) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0? 0 0

to be continued.

Taxon 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

Agriotoma bakeri Burks 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Aplatoides diabolus Yoshimoto & Gibson 1 1 1 0 2 1? 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 Philolema tephrosiae (Aximopsis) Girault 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Systole coriandri Gussakovsky ? 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Tenuipetiolus mentha Bugbee ? 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Tetramesa hordei (Harris) ? 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 dorsally channeled metacoxa (to receive the metafemur) ( Fig. 50 ), often pale setation on forewing ( Fig. 5 ), elevated and blocky propodeum ( Figs. 11, 12 , 38 , 52 ), preorbital carinae (often extend over dorsum of vertex) (Figs. 18, 22, 57, 58), vertex horns arising as expansion of preorbital carinae ( Figs. 22 , 30 , 57, 58 ), and the presence of pronotal processes ( Figs. 30, 31 , 52, 56 ). Aximopsis may be most likely confused with Conoaxima , but the latter can be reliably separated by having ocellar horns ( Figs. 24, 25 ) rather than vertex horns and by the presence of an upturned scutellar process apically. Other taxa possessing preorbital carinae and/or vertex horns (i.e., Axima , Aplatoides ) have distinctly different forewing venation ( Fig. 4 ; compare Fig. 5 ) and metasomal habitus ( Fig. 2 ; compare Fig. 3 ).

Redescription of the genus

Female. Length 1.9–4.3 mm. Dark brown to black, non­metallic, generally umbilicate with interstices alveolate ( Figs. 1 , 38 ). Mesosoma ( Figs. 38 , 52 ). Mesepisternum (anterior to femoral depression), metapleuron, and lateral areas of propodeum covered with contiguous, shallow, setigerous punctures. Prepectal concavity extremely deep. Femoral depression relatively shallow. Upper mesepimeron with flattened surface and deep depressions; lateral panel of pronotum elongate­imbricate ventrally; mesepimeron and femoral depression striate; prepectus glabrous with a medial concavity and some species with a ventral concavity; procoxa shallowly umbilicate anteriorly, alveolate laterally, convex anteriorly, laminate anteroapically; mesocoxa glabrate to finely imbricate; metacoxa indistinctly imbricate, shallowly umbilicate dorsolaterally, carinate posteromedially and posterolaterally; femora indistinctly imbricate. Forewing ( Fig. 5 ) hyaline, veins yellow, setae on disk short and sparse, absent in basal 1/3 except for bsl. Gaster shiny ( Figs. 3 , 49 ), effaced reticulate laterally.

Head (Figs. 18, 20, 22, 30, 69). Occipital margin rounded, concave posteriorly. Genal carina well developed; preorbital carina strong, most species with production into a horn at vertex, joining postorbital carina that circumnavigates lower eye margin and terminates as a weak fold prior to meeting occipital margin. Scrobal depression imbricate, weakly carinate laterally and ventrally, carina produced ventrally to meet clypeus; interantennal projection spadelike. Lower face with striae radiating dorsolaterally from clypeus. Ventral margin of toruli at about half eye height, toruli separated by 1 torulus diameter. Gena below lower eye margin with middle elevated and only alveolate. Postgenal carina robust, apically lamellate. Antenna ( Figs. 51 , 57 , 72) with filiform setae and sparse MPS. Antennal formula 1:1:1:5:3. Anellus transverse. Apical width of pedicel subequal to length, narrowed basally. Funicular segments cylindrical to spheroidal, broadest medially. Clava with first and second segments subequal; third segment partially fused to second, acuminate, extreme apex extruded into a nipplelike extension with a crown of microsetae.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 30 , 38 , 52 ). Dorsal pronotum wider than long, most species with paired pronotal processes. Mesoscutum broader than long; notaulus evident as a diagonal line of punctae reaching anterior margin of scutellum. Anterior margin of axilla in line with anterior margin of scutellum. Scutellum longer than wide at its widest; broadly convex dorsally. Dorsellum glabrous. Lateral channel of propodeum formed from absence of punctae, only alveolate. Procoxa dorsally convex to accommodate postgenal carina, basal margin strongly carinate, depressed anterobasally for reception of lower head, depression semicircular in frontal view. Mesocoxa with setose posteromedial protuberances ( Fig. 13 ). Mesopleuron in ventral view with inverted V­shaped carina inserted between bases of procoxae ( Fig. 9 ). Forewing ( Fig. 5 ) disk setation sparse, bare in basal third with exception of bsl.

Metasoma ( Fig. 3 , 44, 46, 48, 49 ). Petiole dorsal surface with median and lateral carinae. Gaster ovate in lateral view, slightly acuminate posteriorly; syntergum with short setation.

Male. Similar to female in coloration and structure except as follows: scape with indistinct ventral plaque in basal half ( Fig. 53 ), flagellomeres pedicellate with whorls of setae on dorsal surface basally and apically, five funicular segments, and a two­segmented clava. Petiole with anteroventral petiolar process ( Fig. 13 , mpp), thickest and broadest in basal third. Gaster lacking acuminate terminal segments ( Fig. 54 ), highest in anterior third, Gt1 with longitudinal depression to accommodate petiole,

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aximopsis hespenheidei, female, habitus.

FIGURES 20 – 27. 20. A. vogti, female, head, posterior. 21. M. oecanthi, female, head, lateral. 22. A. vogti, female, head, lateral. 23. Philolema carinigena (type), female, head + mesosoma, dorsolateral. 24. Conoaxima affinis, female, lateral vertex, anterior. 25. C. affinis, female, vertex, lateral. 26. M. oecanthi, female, head, dorsal. 27. A. hippolytis, female, vertex, dorsolateral.

FIGURES 28 – 35. 28. M. oecanthi, female, mesosoma, dorsal. 29. Ax. zabriskiei female, pronotum, anterior. 30. A. vogti, female, head + mesosoma, dorsolateral. 31. A. morio, female, mesosoma, dorsoposterior. 32. M. oecanthi, female, mesosoma, lateral. 33. H. opaca, female, mesosoma, lateral. 34. M. oecanthi, female, prepectus, lateral. 35. A. vogti, female, prepectus, lateral.

FIGURES 10 – 13, 16 – 19. 10. Ap. diabolus, female, anterodorsal mesosoma. 11 – 12. Aximopsis vogti, female: 11. propodeum, dorsal, 12. propodeum, posterior, 13. petiole, anteroventral (male). 16. Heimbra opaca, female, clypeus. 17. Macrorileya oecanthi, female, head, anterior. 18. A. vogti, female, head, anterior. 19. M. oecanthi, female, head, posterior.

FIGURES 44 – 51. 44. A. vogti, female, petiole, dorsal. 45. C. bennetti, female, petiole, lateral. 46. A. vogti, female, petiole, lateral. 47. C. bennetti, female, petiole, ventral. 48. A. vogti, female, petiole, ventral. 49. A. vogti, female, metasoma, lateral. 50. A. lanceolepis, female, metacoxa, lateral. 51. A. vogti, female, antenna.

FIGURES 2 – 9. 2. Axima zabriskiei, female gaster, lateral. 3. Aximopsis lanceolepis, female gaster, lateral. 4. Ax. zabriskiei female, forewing. 5. Aximopsis female, forewing. 6. Aplatoides diabolus, female head, lateral. 7 – 8. Ax. zabriskiei, female: 7. ventrolateral prepectus, 8. prepectus, lateral. 9. A. vogti, female, ventrolateral prepectus.

FIGURES 36 – 43. 36. M. oecanthi, female, propodeum, dorsal. 37. M. cariniceps female, head + anterior mesosoma, lateral. 38. A. vogti, female, mesosoma, lateral. 39. A. vogti, female, propodeum, posterior. 40. M. oecanthi, female, forewing. 41. Ap. diabolus, female, forewing. 42. E urytoma robusta, male, petiole, lateral. 43. C. bennetti, female, petiole, dorsal.

FIGURES 52 – 59. 52. A. vogti, female, mesosoma, dorsal. 53. A. vogti, male, antennae. 54. A. vogti, male, metasoma, lateral. 55. A. hespenheidei, female, propodeum, dorsal. 56. A. hippolytis, female, pronotum, anterior. 56. A. vogti, female, metasoma, lateral. 57. A. lanceolepis, female, head, anterior. 58. A. pythmenis, female, head, dorsolateral. 59. A. anubis, prepectus, lateral.