Cyphacolus axfordi Valerio, Masneri & Austin

Valerio, Alejandro A., Masner, Lubomir & Austin, Andrew D., 2010, Systematics of Cyphacolus Priesner (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae s. l.), an Old World genus of spider egg parasitoid, Zootaxa 2645, pp. 1-48 : 14-16

Cyphacolus axfordi Valerio, Masneri & Austin , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5DC02DB6-8525-4A9A-A571-4B669205B349 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts: 240840

Figures 20–25; Morphbank21

Description. Female. Body length: 1.4 mm (n=1).

Antenna color: mostly yellow except clava dark brown. Body color: mostly honey yellow except T1 lighter than rest of metasoma, metasomal horn same color as metasoma. Coxae color: honey yellow. Leg color (excluding the coxae): yellow. Fore wing color: area below and after stigma infuscate, remainder of wing hyaline.

Head shape in lateral view: broad, short. Sculpture of antennal scrobe: weakly rugulose. Shape of torular triangle: not bulging, flat. Development of central keel on frons: completely absent. Sculpture of frons: weakly rugulose aciculate. Sculpture of malar space: with fan-like striae extending onto antennal scrobe. Medial surface of vertex: flat to weakly convex (normal). Size of lateral ocellus: large (as in C. axfordi ). Distance between lateral ocellus and occipital carina:>1.5x maximum ocellar width. Length of OOL: approximately 0.5x width of ocellus. Sculpture of vertex: completely cover by weak, rugulose-aciculate sculpture. Surface of occiput: evenly concave (normal). Sculpture of occipital carina: strongly crenulate throughout. Proximity of occipital carina to orbital carina: separated by distance slightly greater than width of occipital carina. Shape of occipital carina: simply arcuate medially. Sculpture of occiput: weakly ruguloseaciculate.

Sculpture of pronotal cervical area: foveate, foveae generally rounded to weakly ovoid. Sculpture of pronotal lateral area: smooth. Netrion: absent, obscured by longitudinal sculpture on lateral pronotum. Notauli: absent. Sculpture of mesoscutum: anterior 1/3 weakly rugulose-aciculate, otherwise with sinuate, longitudinal carinae superimposed on weak, rugulose-aciculate background. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: completely cover with sinuate, longitudinal, costate sculpture. Mesoscutellum shape: flat, conspicuously wider than long. Sculpture of lateral propodeum: sparsely, transversely costate. Shape of propodeal anterior spines: elongate, narrow, apex rounded. Sculpture of propodeum between anterior spines: smooth. Sculpture of ventral mesepisternum: with longitudinally costae. Density of longitudinal costae on dorsal mesepisternum: dense. Thickness of longitudinal costae on dorsal mesepisternum: broad. Length of longitudinal costae on dorsal mesepisternum: reaching to meso-metapleural suture. Sculpture of mesopleural femoral depression: smooth. Sculpture of metapleuron: with weak to well-defined longitudinal costae throughout.

Shape of wings: slightly convex, not constricted at base.

Shape of T1 horn on T1 (in posterior view): narrow and short. Lateral carinae on posterior part of horn: absent. Sculpture of upper portion of T1 horn: smooth. Sculpture of posterior portion of T1 horn: mostly smooth, with few longitudinal carinae. Lateral carinae on T2: absent. Sculpture of T2: largely finely costate, smooth along posterior margin and midline. Sculpture of T3: largely weakly coriaceous, posterior margin smooth or sculpture strongly effaced. Sculpture of S3–S6: largely coriaceous, smooth medially.

20. http://osuc.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id= 240884. 21. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=514187

FIGURES 20–25. Cyphacolus axfordi n. sp., holotype female (OSUC 237901). 20, Dorsal habitus; 21, Lateral habitus; 22, Mesosoma , dorsal view; 23, Mesosoma , lateral view; 24, Head, anterior view; 25, Metasoma, dorsal view. Morphbank22

Male. Unknown.

Diagnosis. This species can be easily identified by the mesoscutum having a transverse row of elongate punctures/foveae at its posterior edge, the remainder of mesoscutum with coriaceous sculpture throughout, a flat mesoscutellum, and the presence of notauli.

22. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=514187 Etymology. This species is named after the Axford family in recognition of their support for arthropod research developed by Dr. Michelle Guzik (The University of Adelaide) on their property in Western Australia.

Link to distribution map. 23

Material examined. Holotype female: AUSTRALIA: WA, airport site, PA 7, Perth, 31°58'34"S 115°58'25"E, 6.I–18.III.1994, pitfall trap, M. S. Harvey & J. M. Waldock, OSUC 237901 (deposited in WA M P)