Fusicornia speculum Taekul & Johnson, 2008

Taekul, Charuwat, Johnson, Norman F., Masner, Lubomír & Shu-Pei, Chen, 2008, Revision of the world species of the genus Fusicornia Risbec (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae, Scelioninae), Zootaxa 1966, pp. 1-52 : 44-46

Fusicornia speculum Taekul & Johnson , new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3BFAA2BD-EAF6-411B-8358-1CCA0BD91E1E urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:230121

Figures 133–138; Morphbank 75

Description. Female body length: 1.36–1.70 mm (n=4). Male body length: 1.45–1.66 mm (n=5).

Head: Vertex between posterior ocelli: rounded. Female OOL: less than or equal one ocellar diameter. Frontal sculpture: at least partly smooth or considerably effaced. Sculpture of central frons: smooth or with shallowly impressed reticulate microsculpture. Setation of central frons: glabrous. Inner orbit in frontal view: more or less parallel. Upper gena in dorsal view of female: expanded, convex, therefore in lateral view compound eye separated from posterior margin by gena. Sculpture of gena behind lower half of eye: smooth. Setation of gena: sparsely setose. Antenna: Radicle color: yellow to orange brown. Color of female A1: yellow to orange-brown. Color of female funicle (A3–A6): dark brown. Claval formula: 1-2-2-2-2. Claval color: dark brown to black.

Mesosoma: Pronotal cervical sulcus: absent. Mesoscutum sculpture: reticulate. Longitudinal sculpture in posterior half of mesoscutum: absent. Admedian line: absent. Mesoscutal humeral sulcus: foveolate. Notauli: absent. Mesoscutellum shape: rounded. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: almost entirely smooth. Length of medial metascutellar spine: medial spine short to moderately long, distinctly shorter than distance between medial and lateral spines. Length of lateral metascutellar spine: short, only slightly longer than wide. Sculpture of propodeal nucha: smooth to weakly sculptured. Sculpture of suprahumeral area of pronotum: puncticulate. Sculpture in lower pronotum: reticulate to weakly rugulose. Netrion setation: sparsely setose to glabrous. Mesopleural carina: absent, present dorsally, interrupted or absent ventrally. Mesepimeral sulcus: absent. Area 2 on metapleuron: linear, glabrous. Setation of area 4 of metapleuron: glabrous. Setation in anteroventral metapleural triangle: absent. Setation of propodeum anterior to spiracle: sparsely setose (less than 10) or absent. Legs: Coxae color: all coxae yellow.

Wings: Female fore wing maculation: hyaline or with slight infuscation below marginal vein.

Metasoma: Length of T1: less than or equal to one times width. Horn on T1 of female: well developed, sculpture on horn very weak or absent. Lateral setation of T1: sparsely to moderately setose (6–15/side). Medial sculpture on T3: smooth and shiny.

Diagnosis. Fusicornia speculum is most similar to the cluster of species consisting of F. fortuna , F. dissita , and F.tehrii . It is distinguished by the absence of setation in area 2 and 4 of the metapleuron, the absence of the mesepimeral sulcus, and by the smooth sculpture of the gena behind lower half of the eye ( Figs. 136, 138).

Etymology. The epithet speculum, Latin for mirror, refers to the smooth and shining sculpture of the scutellum.

Link to Distribution Map. 76

74. http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=230118

75. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=226371

Material examined. Holotype female: MADAGASCAR: Toliara Prov., gallery forest, 23°31'39"S 44°09'16"E, 70m, Frontier Project MT in gallery forest MGF024 , 7-9 .iii.02, Malaise trap, CASENT 8106183 (deposited in CASC). 78 Paratypes: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: 1 female, OSUC 248293 ( SAMC).

76. http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=230121

77. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=226371

78. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:specimen:XXXX

MADAGASCAR: 3 males, 4 females, CASENT 2043726, 2134117 ( CASC); OSUC 148998 , 206216–206219 ( CNCI) . NIGERIA: 1 male, OSUC 208124 ( CNCI) . UGANDA: 1 male, OSUC 206247 ( CNCI) .