Coccobius hyrcanus Hayat & Shahbazvar, 2022

Shahbazvar, Nasrin, Hosseini, Reza & Hayat, Mohammad, 2022, A new species of Coccobius Ratzeburg (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Aphelinidae) from Iran, with new host records for two species, Zootaxa 5134 (4), pp. 588-592 : 589-591

Coccobius hyrcanus Hayat & Shahbazvar , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

Type material. Holotype, female (on slide under 3 coverslips). IRAN: Mazandaran province, Komishan , 36° 40' 15" N, 53° 21' 54.2" E; alt. 46m; May 2015, Coll. N. Shahbazvar. ( ZDAMU) . Paratypes: 1 female, 1 male (on two slides), with data same as for holotype. ( ZDAMU) .

Female. Body length, 0.55 mm.

Colour. Head pale yellow, malar space and mouth margin dark brown, occiput from foramen downwards dark brown. Mandible dark brown in apical half. Antenna ( Figs 1 and 3 ) with scape dark brown, becoming yellow brown apically; pedicel, F2 and F3 white, F1 and clava dark brown, the later becoming slightly paler apically. Mesosoma yellow, with visible part of pronotum, anterior third or so of mid lobe of mesoscutum and axillae brown; propodeum light brown on sides; mesopleuron brown. Wings hyaline. Legs with all coxae dark brown; fore femur brown, apical third or so pale yellow; mid femur brown, apical third pale yellow; hind femur dark brown; fore tibia pale yellow with very light infuscation basally; mid tibia brown, apical half pale yellow; hind tibia brown, apical third pale yellow; tarsi pale yellow, fifth segment of hind tarsus pale brown. Metasoma with petiole light brown; gaster dark brown, with TVII pale brown. (The pale yellow and yellow parts appear white after clearing and mounting the specimen on slide in Canada balsam.)

Head. ( Fig. 1 ). Mandible with two teeth and a dorsal truncation. Antenna ( Figs 1, 3 ) with scape about 4× as long as broad; pedicel (ventral length) 1.4× as long as broad, and slightly longer than F1 (14:13); F1 1.3× as long as broad (13:10), and slightly longer than F2 (13:12); F2 1.2× as long as broad, and shorter than F3 (12:14); F3 1.4× as long as broad (14:10), and as long as pedicel; clava distinctly broader than funicle segments, 1.18× as long as funicle, with second segment 1.66× as long as first segment; sensilla on flagellar segments as follows: F1- 2, F2- 3, F3- 3; basal segment of clava- 4, distal segment of clava- 6.

Mesosoma. ( Figs 1, 2 ). Mid lobe of mesoscutum with fine, polygonal reticulate sculpture, cells elongate and large; scutellum largely with elongate cells as on mid lobe, except basally the cells polygonal ( Fig. 2 ); setae on tergites as follows: pronotal collar with a line of about 10 short setae, and 1 long setae at each postero-lateral corner; mid lobe of mesoscutum, not less than 20; each side lobe, 2; each axilla, 1; scutellum, 3 + 3 (6); propodeum each side distal to spiracles, 2. Mesopostphragma, measured from apex of scutellum, 1.16× as long as median length of scutellum. Fore wing ( Fig. 4 , right fore wing) 3.11× as long as broad, with marginal fringe length 0.35× wing width (25:71). [Left fore wing, 2.89× as long as broad, with marginal fringe length 0.34× wing width]; basal triangle with a narrow bare area posteriorly; venation as in Fig. 4 ; note the well-developed postmarginal vein. Mid tibia 4.37× as long as mid basitarsus (70:16); mid tibial spur subequal in length to mid basitarsus (15:16).

Metasoma. ( Fig. 1 ). Gaster with setae on tergites as follows: TI- not clear, possibly setae absent; TII- 1 + 1; TIII- 1 + 1; TIV- 1 + 1; TV- 2 + 2; TVI- 1 + 2 + 1; TVII- 6; ovipositor (on slide), as seen through the derm, appears to extend from TII of gaster, and hardly exserted at apex; ovipositor (= second valvifer and third valvula combined), with second valvifer 2.53× as long as third valvula (76:30). [Ovipositor 1.51× as long as mid tibia (106:70); third valvula 2× as long as both mid basitarsus and mid tibial spur (30:16:15); ovipositor stylets 1.44× as long as mid tibia (101:70)].

Male. Length, 0.42 mm. Similar to female except for the antennal structure and genitalia. Body colour nearly as in female, except head largely brown; mid lobe of mesoscutum largely and axillae dark brown; scutellum brown yellow. Antenna with scape and pedicel brown; F1 pale brown, other segments of flagellum yellow brown. Antenna as in Fig. 5 ; scape without any sensory area; F1 longer than pedicel, and shorter than F2; F2 onwards gradually increasing in length; F6 longer than F5, with apex narrowly rounded; all flagellar segments with longitudinal sensilla.

Host. Lepidosaphes gloverii (Packard) ( Hemiptera : Diaspididae ), on Punica granatum L.

Distribution. Iran: Mazandaran province.

Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forest in the southern part of Caspian Sea.

Comments. In the key to species of Coccobius given by Hayat (1985), this new species runs to couplet number 11, but differs from C. indefinitus (Yasnosh & Myartseva) mainly in the following characters: gaster dark brown, with TVII pale brown; antenna with F1 shorter than pedicel, and 1.3× as long as broad; F3 longer than F1 and F2 individually; mid lobe of mesoscutum with fine, largely elongate reticulate sculpture, and scutellum with sculpture similar to that of the mid lobe; mid lobe of mesoscutum with at least 20 setae; fore wing about 3× (2.89×–3.11×) as long as broad, with marginal fringe at least one-third wing width; ovipositor, as seen through the derm, extends from TII of gaster. (In C. indefinitus : gaster pale yellow, with lateral brown bands on tergites TI–TVI; antenna with F1 subequal in length to pedicel, and about 1.5× as long as broad and longer than F3; mid lobe of mesoscutum with elongate reticulate sculpture, nearly quadratic in the middle; only 4 setae are shown in fig. 1.III by the authors; fore wing clearly less than 3× as long as broad, with marginal fringe very short; ovipositor extends from TIV of gaster. Characters of this species were noted from the original description and the figures. The authors did not mention the number of setae on the mid lobe of mesoscutum, and the relative lengths of the ovipositor, third valvula and mid tibia.

This new species appears more similar to C. cussoniae (Risbec) (see Prinsloo, 1995), especially in the dimensions of the fore wing and longer marginal fringe; in the sculpture of the scutellum; and in the relative lengths of the ovipositor stylets and mid tibia. But C. cussoniae differs from the new species in the following characters: body colour entirely yellow brown; legs completely pale; antennal pedicel subequal in length to F1; F1–F3 subequal in length, each segment 1.7× as long as broad; and in having the postmarginal vein short.

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Coccobius hyrcanus Hayat & Shahbazvar, sp. nov. (1–4), holotype, female: 1, body, dorsal, with basal parts of antennae attached; 2, mesosoma; 3, pedicel and flagellum; 4, fore wing, with distal veins enlarged. 5, antenna, male.