Nixonia sicaria, Johnson & Masner, 2006

Johnson, Norman F. & Masner, Lubomír, 2006, Revision of World Species of the Genus Nixonia Masner (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Scelionidae), American Museum Novitates 3518 (1), pp. 1-32 : 24-26

Nixonia sicaria , new species

Figures 60–63

DESCRIPTION: Holotype female. Length: 4.1 mm; body generally black; femora, tibiae yellow; tarsi dark brown; antenna entirely black; tegula black; palpi brown; wings infuscate throughout, brownish.

Head (figs. 60–62) moderately transverse in dorsal view, width 1.9 times length; vertex rugulose-punctate, with granular microsculpture; lateral ocellus contiguous with inner orbit; LOL subequal to POL; occiput rugulose-punctate, with reticulate microsculpture; occipital carina present medially as low, crenulate carina; frons (fig. 61) rugulosepunctate, shining, with dense transverse wrinkles above toruli; frons narrow, IOS 0.6 times greatest length of eye; toruli separated by distance of approximately one-half diameter of torulus; frons between toruli not projecting, flat; rim of torulus raised dorsally, laterally, medially; apical margin of clypeus broadly convex; area below eye (in normal position of malar sulcus) with fine granulate microsculpture; cheeks laterad of malar area rugosepunctate, with distinct longitudinal sculpture; mandible short, bidentate, upper tooth only slightly longer than lower, without dense basal tuft of setae; maxillary palpal segment 4 distinctly expanded medially, subtriangular; A1 finely reticulate, greatest width beyond apical 0.6 times length of segment; length of A3 0.6 times length of A2.

Mesosoma (figs. 60, 62) as high as wide, length 1.4 times height; pronotal shoulders coarsely punctate; lateral surface of pronotum with fine longitudinal rugulosity; netrion punctate-rugulose, with strong longitudinal sculpture; sculpture of mesoscutum deeply punctate, with fine reticulate microsculpture; parapsidal lines present; scutellum coarsely punctate, with reticulate microsculpture, with distinct fine longitudinal elements in posterior half; median propodeal tooth narrow, length 2.2 times maximum width, rugulose, rounded apically; upper mesepisternum with strong longitudinal sculpture; fine foveae separating mesepisternum and mesepimeron extending from base of wing to coxal cavity; lower mesepisternum finely reticulate-punctate; mesepimeral hook longitudinally keeled; tegula with granular microsculpture; apex of R 1 in forewing almost reaching costal margin; apex of forewing extending to midpoint of T5; R in hindwing with tracheate section long, nearly reaching hamuli; tibiae with fine, semidecumbent spines on outer surface.

Metasoma (fig. 63) 3.0 times longer than greatest width; T1 distinctly wider than long; T1–T4 longitudinally rugose, T5 apex coarsely punctate; female T6 moderately large apical emargination, width greater than depth, anteromedially with field of granulate microsculpture.

DIAGNOSIS: Nixonia sicaria shares with N. flavocincta the extremely narrow interocular space, the nearly equilateral ocellar triangle, and the yellow femora and tibiae; N. sicaria may be distinguished by the absence of yellow bands on the mesosoma and metasoma, and the longitudinally striate upper mesepisternum.

ETYMOLOGY: The epithet sicaria, Latin for ‘‘assassin’’, refers to the narrow, daggerlike propodeal tooth.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype female. NAMIBIA: SOUTH WEST AFRICA (W34), Windhoek , Regenstein Mt., 8.ii.1972, 7000 9 [2100 m], montane vegetation; Southern African Exp. B.M. 1972-1; Nixonia sp. det. A. D. Austin 1984; OSUC 151679 . Deposited in BMNH.

Figures

Figs. 60–63. Nixonia sicaria, n.sp., holotype female (OSUC 151679). 60. lateral habitus (image reversed). 61. Head, frontal view. 62. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 63. Apex of metasoma, dorsal view. Scale in millimeters.