Euplectrus comstockii Howard

Hansson, Christer, Smith, M. Alex, Janzen, Daniel H. & Hallwachs, Winnie, 2015, Integrative taxonomy of New World Euplectrus Westwood (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae), with focus on 55 new species from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, ZooKeys 485, pp. 1-236 : 101-102

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Eulophidae

Euplectrus comstockii Howard Figures 681-687

Euplectrus comstockii Howard, 1880: 159. Neotype female in USNM, designated by Schauff (2001), examined.

Material.

Type material: ♀ neotype of Euplectrus comstockii (USNM). Additional material: 3♀ 4♂ (USNM) from the series of specimens mentioned by Schauff and Janzen (2001), from which the neotype was selected.

Diagnosis.

Lower face medially yellowish-brown (female, Fig. 682) or white (male, Fig. 683), pale area reaching slightly outside of level of outer lateral margin of toruli, part between pale area and eyes black (female) or dark brown (male); scutellum smooth in anteromedian ⅔, remaining parts with very weak reticulation; legs yellowish-white, except yellowish-brown hind coxa (Fig. 681); petiole 0.7 × as long as wide; gaster dark brown, anterior ½ with a round yellowish-brown spot (female, Fig. 684), or anterior ½ white with dark brown lateral margins (male, Fig. 685); male scape slightly expanded and widest apically, 3.3 × as long as wide (Fig. 687), sensory pores confined to anteroventral ½.

Description.

Female. Length of body 1.9 mm. Antenna with scape and pedicel yellowish-brown, base of scape whitish, flagellomeres brown (Fig. 686). Mandibles and palpi yellowish-white. Head black and shiny, vertex dark reddish-brown almost black, lower face yellowish-brown medially, pale area reaching slightly outside of level of outer lateral margin of toruli, part between pale area and eyes black (Fig. 682). Frons close to eyes with two rows of setae. Vertex smooth. Occipital margin with a weak carina behind ocellar triangle.

Mesosoma black and shiny (Fig. 681). Each sidelobe of mesoscutum with 12 setae. Scutellum 1.0 × as long as wide; smooth in anteromedian ⅔, remaining parts with very weak reticulation. Dorsellum anteriorly with a groove that is divided by longitudinal carinae, groove medially 0.4 × as long as length of dorsellum. Propodeum smooth; anteromedially with a transverse semicircular cup; propodeal callus with nine setae. Legs yellowish-white, hind coxa yellowish-brown (Fig. 681). Both fore wings missing in examined female specimen.

Gaster dark brown, anterior ½ with a round yellowish-brown spot (Fig. 684).

Ratios. HE/MS/WM = 2.2/1.0/1.2; POL/OOL/POO = 5.0/2.7/1.0; OOL/DO = 1.5; WE/WF/WH/HH = 1.0/2.4/4.4/3.2; WH/WT = 1.0; TS1/TS2/LT/LT1/LT2/LT3/LT4 = 4.0/2.8/6.8/2.4/1.4/1.0/1.8; LP/WP = 0.7; MM/LG = 1.5.

Male. Length of body 1.6 mm. Scape slightly expanded and widest apically (Fig. 687), sensory pores confined to anteroventral ½. Wings transparent, veins yellowish-white and setae black; submarginal vein with four setae; costal cell with one row of setae on ventral surface, and margin with four setae close to marginal vein; with 13 admarginal setae, in one row. Otherwise similar to female except gaster with anterior ½ white with dark brown lateral margins and posterior ½ dark brown (Fig. 685), and shorter.

Ratios. LC/WS = 3.3; PM/ST = 1.4; MM/LG = 1.8.

Hosts and biology.

Alabama argillacea ( Erebidae ) ( Howard 1880).

Distribution.

USA (Alabama) ( Howard 1880).