Spalangia masneri, Gibson, 2009

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2009, 2259, Zootaxa 2259, pp. 1-159 : 106-109

19. Spalangia masneri n. sp.

(Figs 285–298)

Type material. HOLOTYPE (♀, CNC no. 23888). “ DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Prov. Pedernales, Sra. Bahoruco, 23 km. N. Cabo Rojo, 540 m., VII.1990, L. Masner / CNCI, JDR-specm 2007-335”. Condition: pointmounted, entire.

PARATYPES (2♀, 4♁, CNC). Neotropical. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Pedernales, Sierra de Bahoruco, Alcoa road, km. 25, 700 m. , 18.I.1989, L. Masner, dry montane for. (1♀). Barahona, 4 km. N Paraiso, 150 m. , 22.III.1990, L. Masner (4♁). PUERTO RICO: Caguas, 18º12'53"N 66º02'17"W , 20-21.VI.2008, J. Fernandez (1♀).

Etymology. Named after Dr. Lubomir Masner, who defines the word collector and through his many innovative collecting techniques and trips has increased immeasurably the value of this and many other taxonomic revisions.

Description. Female. Length = 2.7–3.2 mm. Legs dark except tibiae sometimes narrowly yellow apically and basal 3 or 4 tarsal segments yellow. Head in anterior view about 1.1x as high as wide; in dorsal view about 1.7x as wide as long; in lateral view (Fig. 286) with malar space about 0.8–0.9x eye height and about 1.1–1.2x eye width. Head capsule smooth and shiny except for setiferous punctures as follows: with complete median sulcus extending ventrally to elongate-triangular scrobal depression, otherwise upper face with circular punctures mostly separated by narrow interstices less than own diameter and even more closely crowded toward inner orbit and on parascrobal region where mostly separated by ridges; scrobal depression with scrobes varying from punctate-crenulate line not extending height of interantennal region to broadly, transversely crenulate band on either side of narrow, smooth and shiny interantennal region (Fig. 285), but inclined lateral surface with closely crowded punctures similar to parascrobal region; gena without distinct malar sulcus, punctate similar to parascrobal region; temple punctate similar to upper face. Antenna (Fig. 293) with scape about 6.8–8.0x as long as greatest width, the inner (Fig. 295) and outer (Fig. 296) surfaces uniformly setose and punctate-rugulose except inner surface bare mediolongitudinally where also more distinctly longitudinally strigose; pedicel about 2.3–2.5x as long as apical width and about 1.6x as long as fu 1; funicle with fu 1 about 1.4–1.6x as long as wide, fu 2 at least very slightly longer than wide, and subsequent segments quadrate to slightly transverse apically; clava about 2.3–2.6x as long as wide.

Pronotal collar in lateral view convexly arched behind neck, anterolaterally with a vertical smooth ridge interrupting circumpronotal furrow and extending dorsally as a variably distinct carina onto collar but not across collar such that anteriorly collar smoothly rounded to neck, though with smooth and shiny inclined surface above furrow (Fig. 288); with variably distinctly differentiated crenulate cross-line posteriorly and with or without median smooth band between neck and cross-line, but otherwise more or less uniformly covered by circular punctures, the punctures somewhat more crowded laterally but sculpture smoothly rounded to circumpronotal furrow above lateral panel (Figs 288, 289). Mesoscutal median lobe (Fig. 287) with anterior convex region smooth and shiny; internotaular region with circular to slightly irregular setiferous punctures and without or with only very slender and obscure smooth median carina. Axillae (Fig. 287) smooth and shiny except for pinprick-like setiferous punctures. Scutellum (Fig. 287) smooth and shiny except for a few pinprick-like or shallow setiferous punctures laterally; frenum (Figs 287, 291) differentiated by complete crenulate frenal line. Mesopleuron (Fig. 292) smooth and shiny except as follows: pectal region variably distinctly crenulate along anterior margin and bare except for 1 posteroventral seta; acropleuron longitudinally carinate, the carinae extending posteriorly onto alar shelf; subalar scrobe a rugose, usually quite deep, often more or less vertical depression, its posteroventral margin usually forming abrupt or acute angle with transepisternal line but at least sculpture not extending posteriorly obviously along transepisternal line; episternal scrobe a subcircular depression or more vertical crenulate furrow at abrupt angle to punctate-crenulate episternal line

Figs 285–292. Spalangia masneri Gibson. 285 & 286, head: 285, anterior view ♁, 286, lateral view ♀; 287 & 288, ♀ pronotum: 287, dorsal view, 288, dorsolateral view; 289, ♁ thorax, frontolateral view; 290, ♀ mesopleuron; 291 & 292, frenum–petiole, dorsal view:

291, ♀, 292, ♁.

joining subalar and episternal scrobes, but not or only inconspicuously connected to large precoxal scrobe by precoxal line; upper and lower mesepisternum differentiated at least by complete ventral line of setae, but evident transepisternal line variably extensive, sometimes present only anteriorly ventral to subalar scrobe. Fore wing hyaline; bare behind submarginal vein except basal cell/fold with 3 or 4 setae distally near parastigma (Fig. 294). Propodeum with crenulate postspiracular sulcus differentiated from callus; callus completely punctate- or reticulate-rugose; plical region with variably distinctly widened paramedian crenulate furrows delineating median carina, the anterior-most cell at least much longer (Fig. 291) and sometimes wider than more posterior cells; supracoxal band contiguous with paramedian crenulate furrows; propodeal panels smooth and shiny.

Figs 293–297. Spalangia masneri Gibson. 293, ♀ antenna; 294, ♁ basal cell; 295 & 296, ♀ scape: 295, inner view, 296, outer view; 297, ♁ antenna.

Petiole (Fig. 291) about 2.4x as long as medial width; minutely punctate to rugulose between longitudinal carinae or striae; with at least 10 setae laterally. Gaster with tergites smooth and shiny.

Male. Length = 2.3–3.2 mm. Antenna (Fig. 297) with scape about 6x as long as wide and much less coarsely sculptured than for female, the outer surface uniformly distinctly striate (Fig. 297) and setose but inner surface more finely striate to smooth and shiny and very sparsely setose medially and longitudinally striate and setose apically; pedicel subglobular, at most only slightly longer than wide; flagellum with setae much shorter than width of respective segment; funicle with fu 1 about 1.9–2.2x as long as wide and about 2.2–2.8x as long as pedicel, and subsequent funicular segments all longer than wide, with both fu 2 and fu 7 about 1.2– 1.6x as long as wide. Otherwise similar to female except as follows. Head in anterior view (Fig. 285) about 0.9–1.0x as high as wide; in lateral view with malar space only 0.6–0.7x eye height and about 0.8x eye width. Upper face often with more crowded punctures separated only by linear ridges and sometimes longitudinally strigose-punctate dorsally between ocelli and inner orbit; scrobes broadly, transversely crenulate (Fig. 285) in all specimens examined. Pronotum in all specimens examined with distinct median smooth band extending between neck and cross-line (Fig. 289). Mesoscutal median lobe anterior convexity mostly smooth and shiny but transversely strigose adjacent to internotaular region (Fig. 289). Scutellum sometimes more or less uniformly covered with setiferous punctures. Petiole (Fig. 292) about 3x as long as medial width.

Distribution. Restricted to two adjacent islands in the West Indies (Fig. 298).

Biology. Unknown.

Recognition. I include S. masneri as one of six species in the nigra species group as discussed under S. nigra and S. alyxia . Pronotal sculpture of S. masneri is somewhat intermediate between that of S. nigroaenea + S. chontalensis and that of S. alyxia + S. nigra + S. nigroides . The pronotal collar of at least female S. masneri has quite a distinct vertical carina anterolaterally similar to the first two species, but like the last three species the collar anteriorly is smoothly rounded to the neck rather than being margined. Smaller individuals of S. nigroaenea that have the pronotal collar less obviously margined could be mistaken for S. masneri , but the two species differ in structure of the episternal scrobe, male fore wing setation, and female scape sculpture. Females of S. masneri differ from those of S. alyxia , S. chontalensis , S. nigra and S. nigroides in having the fore wing bare behind the submarginal vein rather than having at least a few setae in a line on the mediocubital fold. If petiolar setation is not visible, S. masneri is more likely to be mistaken for S. endius or S. nigripes because of pronotal sculpture. All three species have well separated circular setiferous punctures on the pronotal collar (cf. Figs 134, 288, 334). However, both sexes of S. masneri have the basal cell bare (Fig. 294), whereas both sexes of S. nigripes and males of S. endius have some setae on at least the mediocubital fold. Although females of S. endius are similar to those of S. masneri in having basally bare fore wings, yellowish tarsal segments, and a differentiated pronotal cross-line, they differ by having the subalar scrobe obviously widened posteroventrally along the transepisternal line and the upper mesepimeron more or less distinctly obliquely strigose (Fig. 138), unlike females of S. masneri (Fig. 290). Other sculptural differences between S. masneri and S. endius are given in the respective descriptions.