Cyphacolus harteni Valerio, Masner & 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 : 23-24

Cyphacolus harteni Valerio, Masner & Austin , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:58400A23-1966-43B1-B0DF-A6302410F2C9 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts: 240832

Figures 48–53, 102–103; Morphbank36

Description. Female. Body length: 1.25–1.48 mm (n=11).

Antenna color: antennal A1 light yellow, remainder of antenna honey yellow. Body color: mostly honey yellow except anterior half of metasomal horn on T1 whitish, remainder of horn, transverse band across T2– T3, posterior half of T4–T7, and distal 1/3 of anterior propodeal spine dark brown. Coxae color: yellow. Leg color (excluding the coxae): light yellow. Fore wing color: basal 1/3 and area at 2/5 hyaline, area below stigma infuscate as well as area beyond basal 1/3.

Head shape in lateral view: broad, short. Sculpture of antennal scrobe: weakly coriaceous. Shape of torular triangle: not bulging, flat. Development of central keel on frons: completely absent. Sculpture of frons: completely coriaceous. Sculpture of malar space: granulate throughout, without fan-like striae. Medial surface of vertex: flat to weakly convex (normal). Size of lateral ocellus: small (as in C. bouceki ). Distance between lateral ocellus and occipital carina: 0.5–1.2x maximum ocellar width. Length of OOL: approximately 0.5x width of ocellus. Sculpture of vertex: coriaceous. Surface of occiput: evenly concave (normal). Sculpture of occipital carina: simple in dorsal half, weakly crenulate ventrally. Proximity of occipital carina to orbital carina: well separated by distance at least 2x width of occipital carina. Shape of occipital carina: simply arcuate medially. Sculpture of occiput: with few longitudinal carinae at mid-dorsal area, otherwise smooth.

Sculpture of pronotal cervical area: with dense but weakly subcircular foveolae. Sculpture of pronotal lateral area: smooth. Netrion: conspicuously present, smooth. Notauli: absent. Sculpture of mesoscutum: anterior half with setigerous punctations mixed with coriaceous sculpture, posterior margin with longitudinally striate, these subequal in length, otherwise mesoscutum smooth. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: smooth, foveae of submarginal sulcus subequal in size. Mesoscutellum shape: flat, conspicuously wider than long. Sculpture of lateral propodeum: densely, transversely costate. Shape of propodeal anterior spines: short, broad, apex rounded. Sculpture of propodeum between anterior spines: smooth. Sculpture of ventral mesepisternum: with setigerous punctulae throughout. Density of longitudinal costae on dorsal mesepisternum: sparse. 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: largely smooth, ventral region with 2–3 longitudinal carinae.

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

Shape of horn on T1 (in posterior view): narrow and short. Lateral carinae on posterior part of horn: present, rounded, not fused posteriorly. Sculpture of upper portion of T1 horn: smooth. Sculpture of posterior portion of T1 horn: smooth. Lateral carinae on T2: present, poorly developed. Sculpture of T2: largely finely costate, smooth along posterior margin and midline. Sculpture of T3: largely smooth, weakly coriaceous lateromedially. Sculpture of S3–S6: mainly smooth, with sparse setigerous punctulae.

Male. Similar to female except for: metasomal terga T2–T6 with contrasting darker honey brown color, remainder of body whitish-yellow; wings less infumate; body length 1.14–1.18 mm; compound eyes very small; eye height approximately half of malar space height;occipital carina absent at dorsal meson;T2 without dense, fine costate sculpture; propodeal anterior spines wider and shorter.

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to C. veniprivus Priesner. Both can be identified by the transverse set of elongated punctures/foveae at the posterior edge of the mesoscutum, as well as by the lack of notauli; the presence of punctures on the frons and the weak fan-like sculpture on the lower area of the frons.They can be separatedby C. veniprivus havingT3 with longitudinal alutaceus sculpture which contrasts with the lack of longitudinal costae on T3 for C. harteni .

35. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=514191 36. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=514204 FIGURES 48–53. Cyphacolus harteni n. sp., holotype female (OSUC 237906). 48, Dorsal habitus; 49, Lateral habitus; 50, Mesosoma , dorsal view; 51, Mesosoma , lateral view; 52, Head, anterior view; 53, Metasoma, dorsal view. Morphbank37

Etymology. This species is named after A. van Harten who collected all the known specimens of this species from Yemen and the United Arab Emirates.

Link to distribution map. 38

Associations. Collected on Tamarix indica Willdenow [ Violales : Tamaricaceae ].

37. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=514192

38. http://osuc.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id= 240832 Material examined. Holotype female: YEMEN: San'a' Muni., #492, Sanaa, IX-1991, A. van Harten, OSUC 237906 (deposited in CNCI). Paratypes: (10 females, 1 male) IVORY COAST: 1 female, OSUC 237910 (BMNH). PAKISTAN: 5 females, 1 male, OSUC 237911–237916 (BMNH). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 1 female, OSUC 238543 (CNCI). YEMEN: 3 females, OSUC 237907–237909 (CNCI).