Phasgonophora magnanii Gadallah & Gul, 2020

Gul, Muhammad Athar, Soliman, Ahmed Mostafa, Gadallah, Neveen Samy, Al Dhafer, Hathal Mohammed & Delvare, Gerard, 2020, The genus Phasgonophora Westwood, 1832 (Hymenoptera, Chalcididae) in Saudi Arabia: re-evaluation of its limits and description of three new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 76, pp. 1-38 : 1

Phasgonophora magnanii Gadallah & Gul sp. nov.

Figs 10A-F , 11A-D , 12A-D , 13A, B

Type material.

Holotype ♀: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Asir, Abha (Garf Raydah Natural Reserve) [18°12'14.04"N, 42°24'42.84"E, Alt. 2809 m], 16.IV.2016, e.l. Dodonaea viscosa , reared from Chrysobothris sp. ( Buprestidae ), leg. G. Magnani [KSMA]; Paratypes: 1♀, same data as holotype but differing as for the collection date, 11-13.IV.2019 and the collector, D. Baiocchi [KSMA]; 1♂, same data as holotype [KSMA].

Diagnosis.

Body mostly black with head predominantly red (Figs 10A-F , 12A ); setation of wings dark (Fig. 11B ); frons strongly convex (Fig. 10C ), and occiput quite concave (Fig. 10A ); vertex with transverse mesal carina behind ocellar triangle (Fig. 10A ); pedicel short with basal bottle neck (Fig. 10D ); funicular segments elongate (Fig. 10D ); clava 2-segmented (Fig. 10D ); pronotum with mesal depression (Fig. 10E ), notauli hardly impressed (Fig. 10E ); mesoscutellum bluntly angulate anteriorly (Fig. 10E ); propodeum with sharp spiracular teeth (Fig. 10E, F ); surface of propodeum with long and dense setae lateral to costula (Fig. 10F ); mesepisternum with mesodiscrimen as moderately raised carina, without ventral depression (Fig. 11A ); epicnemial carina not raised laterally, but raised mesoventrally; forming a tooth in lateral view (Fig. 11A ); gaster short with syntergum about half as long as mesotibia (Fig. 12A ); vertex of male without transverse carina behind ocellar triangle (Fig. 12B ); clava 1-segmented (Fig. 12D ).

Etymology.

The new species is dedicated to Gianluca Mangani (Roma, Italy) who reared this species from Chrysobothris sp. ( Buprestidae ) infesting Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq. ( Sapindaceae ).

Condition of holotype.

Specimen glued on rectangular card; head and mesosoma partly covered with a thin artifactual layer on bottom of areoles, appearing artificially dull by places; second to fifth tergites with sides widely separated from each other, probably resulting from immersion in some medium.

Description of holotype

♀: Body length 6.5 mm. Colour. Head mostly red (Fig. 10A-C ), ocellar triangle, occiput laterally, gena ventrally, interantennal projection and supraclypeal strip, black (Fig. 10A-C ); antenna black (Fig. 10D ), scape and pedicel with faint brownish tint; meso- and metasoma black (Figs 10E , 12A ), pronotal collar and shoulder (Fig. 10E ), mesoscutum laterally and anteromedially (Fig. 10E ), mesoscutellum dorso-laterally (Fig. 10E ), posterior margin of Gt1, gaster laterally, tip of syntergum and ovipositor sheaths basally, brownish (Fig. 12A ); fore wing slightly infuscate, with track of Rs pigmented, veins dark brown to black (Fig. 11B ); tegula glassy yellowish brown (Fig. 10E ); fore and mid legs dark brown to black, tarsi brown (Fig. 11C ); hind leg black (Fig. 11D ), coxa apically, femur ventrally, tibia dorsally brownish, tarsus brown.

Head (Fig. 10A-C ). Subequal to maximal width of mesosoma; with moderately dense long thin and suberect setae (Fig. 10A-C ), setae longer towards oral fossa; lower face and frons strongly convex, without preorbital ridges (Fig. 10C ); both mandibles 3-toothed, lower tooth the largest and somewhat removed from the mid one (Fig. 10B ); clypeus protruding at free margin, but projection truncate (Fig. 10B ); tentorial pits present, but not well distinct from other punctures (Fig. 10B ); lower face and gena densely punctured (Fig. 10B, C ), interspaces 0.2 × punctures diameter; gena with deep sulcus along genal carina (Fig. 10C ); scrobal depression piriform, entirely transversely strigose, reaching median ocellus (Fig. 10A ); interantennal projection foveolate, nearly as wide as diameter of antennal torulus, 0.45 × as long as scape (Fig. 10B ); vertex and frons densely areolate (Fig. 10B ), vertex with distinct curved carina behind ocellar triangle (Fig. 10A ); occiput with vertical carinulae behind ocellar triangle; punctured-strigose laterally, with oblique crests (Fig. 10A ).

Antenna (Fig. 10D ). Apex of scape reaching level of median ocellus; anellus strongly transverse; pedicel short, with strong basal bottle neck; flagellomeres pubescent, bearing numerous, not raised, multiporous plate sensilla in several intricate rows; F1 1.8 × as long as wide, scarcely shorter than F2 or F3 (0.93 ×); clava 2-segmented, narrowly rounded apically.

Mesosoma (Figs 10E, F , 11A ). Pronotum and mesonotum bearing short, adpressed and thin setae (Fig. 10E ); pronotum with deep median depression, only angulate laterally for distinction of collar, which is densely punctured, the anterior walls of which are raised into crests, especially on either side of the median depression (Fig. 10E ); pronotal collum transversely strigose; lateral panel flat, with a single oblique carina (Fig. 11A ); dorsal outline of mesonotum straight, mesoscutum and mesocutellum being flattened, crests transverse and hardly raised on mesoscutum, better raised and interrupted between each puncture on mesoscutellum (Fig. 11A ); notauli hardly impressed posteriorly; tegula with a patch of about 10 setae posteriorly; mesoscutellum rhombic and angulate anteriorly as axillar grooves are joining to each other on transscutal line (Fig. 10E ); frenum distinctly sloping; posterior margin of mesoscutellum rounded (Fig. 10E ); propodeum moderately sloping, with sharp spiracular teeth and raised but irregular costulae (Fig. 10E, F ); surface of propodeum with long and dense setae lateral to costulae (Fig. 10E ); mesepisternum with mesodiscrimen appearing as moderately raised carina, without ventral depression (Fig. 11A ); epicnemial carina not raised laterally, but raised mesoventrally, forming a tooth in lateral view (Fig. 11A ); ventral shelf of mesepisternum punctured-strigose (Fig. 11A ); adscrobal area, mesepimeron, and metepimeron coarsely areolate, bearing long, thin and erect setae (Fig. 11A ).

Wings (Fig. 11B ). Fore wing densely setose, but basal cell, basal and cubital folds bare; marginal cell with a single row of hairs on the underside; MGV 0.35 × as long as SMV, PMV 0.2 × as long as MGV, STV 1.3 × as long as PMV; hind wing with three hamuli, the basal one larger and somewhat removed from the followings.

Legs (Fig. 11C, D ). Procoxa depressed anteriorly, the depression delimited laterodorsally by a raised carina (Fig. 11C ). Protibia with apicodorsal, not socketed spine. Mesotibia without pegs. Metacoxa densely punctured on outer ventral side, with long fine setae along its whole surface (Fig. 11D ); metafemur with dense fine setiferous punctures on outer side, ventral margin with a row of 11 teeth, basal tooth not prominent but wider than other teeth, no inner basal tooth (Fig. 11D ). Apical truncation of metatibia forming a curved spine (Fig. 11D ).

Metasoma (Fig. 12A ). Petiole not visible from above, entirely concealed within propodeal foramen. Gaster slightly longer than mesosoma; Gt1 1.35 × as wide as long, as long as Gt2-5 combined, faintly transversely striolate mesally, broadly setose posterolaterally; Gt2-5 with 1 row of setae in front of the slightly concave posterior margin; penultimate tergite densely and coarsely punctured on the whole dorsal surface; spiracle very small, hardly distinct; syntergum short, 0.55 × as long mesotibia, without median ridge, densely coarsely punctured laterally; sternites sparsely finely punctulate; tip of hypopygium 0.60 of gaster length.

Male (Figs 12B-D , 13A, B ). Length 5.8 mm. Differs from female mostly through the following characters: interantennal projection better raised and laterally compressed (Fig. 12C ); gena with dense umbilicate punctures (Fig. 12C ); carina behind ocellar triangle vestigial (Figs 12B , 13A ); flagellomeres shorter with clava only 1-segmented (Fig. 12D ); mesosoma more elongate with dorsal outline slightly convex in lateral view; Gt2-5 with 2-3 rows of setiferous punctures posteriorly (Fig. 13B ).

Recognition.

None of the Afrotropical species described in Trigonura or Phasgonophora has the short syntergum exhibited by P. magnanii . In the key of the Oriental species provided by Narendran (1989), it would run to T. samarensis Narendran, 1987. It differs from this species by the gaster being longer than the mesosoma versus shorter in Trigonura samarensis ; it also lacks the infuscate spot around the stigma, and Gt1 is transversely striolate on the disc versus smooth and shiny in T. samarensis .

Distribution.

Only known from Saudi Arabia in Asir Region (Fig. 17 ).

Host.

Chrysobothris (Abothris) sp. ( Coleoptera , Buprestidae ).

Figures

Figure 10. A-F Phasgonophora magnanii Gadallah & Gul, sp. nov., female (holotype) A head (dorsal view) B head (frontal view) C head (lateral view) D antenna E mesosoma (dorsal view) F propodeum (posterodorsal view, showing spiracular teeth).

Figure 11. A-D Phasgonophora magnanii Gadallah & Gul, sp. nov., female (holotype) A mesosoma (lateral view) B fore wing C fore leg D hind leg.

Figure 12. A-D Phasgonophora magnanii Gadallah & Gul, sp. nov. A female (holotype) metasoma (lateral view) B, C male (paratype): B head (dorsal view) C head (lateral view) D antenna.

Figure 13. A, B Phasgonophora magnanii Gadallah & Gul, sp. nov., male (paratype) A head and mesosoma (dorsal view) B metasoma (dorsolateral view).

Figure 17. Distribution map of Phasgonophora species in Saudi Arabia.