Spalangia xanthoscapa, Gibson, 2009

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2009, 2259, Zootaxa 2259, pp. 1-159 : 154-155

31. Spalangia xanthoscapa n. sp.

(Figs 377, 385, 386)

Type material. HOLOTYPE (♀, UCRC). “ USA: TX: Bandera Co., Lost Maples State Park, lower trail; 16.IV.1989, J. M. Heraty, collector / Univ. Cal. Riverside, Ent. Res. Museum, UCRC ENT 146423 / CNCI, LB-specm 2009-009”. Condition : card mounted, entire but left wings and left antenna beyond fu 2 detached from specimen on card.

Etymology. A combination of the Greek words xanthos, meaning “yellow”, and skapos, meaning “stem”, in reference to the yellow base of the antennae, including the scape and pedicel, which distinguishes this species from S. noyesi and all other Spalangia .

Description. Female. Length = 1.2 mm. Antenna with radicle, scape and pedicel bright yellow, flagellum dark; body brown except legs yellowish-brown with apex of metatibia and basal 4 tarsal segments yellow. Head in anterior view about 1.3x as high as wide, elongate-rectangular with subparallel sides and small eyes occupying about middle third; in dorsal view about 2.5x as wide as long; in lateral view (cf. Fig. 379) about 3.1x as high as long and malar space about 1.7x eye width, with malar space, eye and temple above eye all about equal in height; in posterior view without occipital carina (cf. Fig. 375). Head capsule (Fig. 377) smooth and shiny as follows: with only extremely obscure indication of median line over about middle third between level of upper and lower orbits, and almost bare, with line of very sparse, short and inconspicuous setae laterally near inner orbit and paramedially, the setae originating from only minute pores; scrobal depression obscure, delineated by convergent, coriaceous, and slightly depressed scrobes on either side of smooth interantennal region on same plane as upper face; parascrobal region smooth but with sparse setae similar to upper face; gena mostly smooth but with partial malar sulcus near eye and with sparse setiferous punctures; temple smooth and similarly setose as gena. Antenna (Fig. 385) with scape about 3.8x as long as wide, the inner and outer surfaces finely alutaceous but shiny; pedicel about 1.3x as long as apical width and about 3x as long as fu 1; funicle with all segments strongly transverse, fu 1 about 2x as wide as long and about 1.5x as long as fu 2, fu 2 the most strongly transverse and ring-like segment, about 3x as wide as long (Fig. 385, insert), and subsequent segments increasingly wider and longer, with fu 7 about 1.9x as wide as long; clava about 1.7x as long as wide.

Pronotum in lateral view (cf. Fig. 379) uniformly low convex without evident circumpronotal furrow differentiating collar from neck or lateral panel; in dorsal view (cf. Fig. 378) ∩-shaped without narrower neck, the neck differentiated only as finely coriaceous and inconspicuously setose transverse region occupying about anterior third, with posterior two-thirds smooth and shiny or at most obscurely coriaceous, and only very sparsely setose laterally and posteriorly, the inconspicuous setae originating from minute pores as on upper face. Mesoscutal median lobe (cf. Fig. 378) with anterior convex region largely overridden by pronotum but smooth and shiny except finely coriaceous laterally near notauli anterior to level of lateral setae; mesoscutal lateral lobe uniformly finely coriaceous-alutaceous. Axillae (cf. Fig. 378) smooth and shiny except for sparse setae. Scutellum (cf. Fig. 378) smooth and shiny except for single setiferous puncture posterolaterally. Mesopleuron (cf. Fig. 380) shiny and quite finely sculptured as follows: pectal region smooth, shiny and bare except for 1 posteroventral seta; acropleuron very finely, longitudinally alutaceous, almost smooth; subalar scrobe a posteriorly curved, sulcate furrow joined to shallow episternal scrobe by a straight sulcate furrow; upper and lower mesepimeron similarly, very finely, obliquely alutaceous-coriaceous; upper mesepisternum indistinguishably merged into lower mesepisternum, with single setae anterior to mesocoxa but without transepisternal line or ventral line of setae, the upper mesepisternum smooth. Fore wing hyaline; inconspicuously setose behind submarginal vein but with at least 7 setae in single line proximal to level of parastigma (exact number of setae uncertain). Propodeum (cf. Fig. 381) without distinct postspiracular sulcus; callus finely reticulate-rugose anteriorly but mostly very finely coriaceous to smooth and shiny; plical region smooth and shiny with only slight indication of median line under some angles of light; without distinct supracoxal band of sculpture.

Petiole at least 1.2x as long as wide (accurate measurements not possible); finely reticulate-rugose to coriaceous; bare. Gaster apparently smooth and shiny (mostly covered by film of glue).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Texas (Fig. 377).

Biology. Unknown, but based on morphology probably a parasitoid of Diptera associated with ant nests.

Recognition. As discussed under S. noyesi , S. xanthoscapa is very similar to S. noyesi except for its antennal color pattern, which differentiates it from all other New World Spalangia .