Pleurotroppopsis lankensis ( Kerrich, 1974 )

Cao, Huan-Xi, Dale-Skey, Natalie, Burwell, Chris J. & Zhu, Chao-Dong, 2022, Review of the genus Pleurotroppopsis Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) with interspecific phylogenetic relationships based on morphological characters, Zootaxa 5190 (4), pp. 451-484 : 467-468

Pleurotroppopsis lankensis ( Kerrich, 1974)

( Fig. 10 )

Cotterellia lankensis Kerrich, 1974: 678 . Holotype ♀, NHMUK (B.M. TYPE HYM. 5.2347, examined).

Pleurotroppopsis lankensis ( Kerrich, 1974) , Bouček, 1988: 711.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Antenna brown except scape predominantly white,brown in apical 1/4.Protibia predominantly dull metallic, mesotibia predominantly white with dusky base, and metatibia entirely whitish; all tarsomeres white except for blackish claws ( Fig. 10a ). Fore wing broadly infuscate below MV, with speculum reduced. Frontovertex with raised reticulation, and with a very fine median groove extending from anterior ocellus to frontal carina. Face between frontal carina and toruli weakly depressed; upper margin of scrobes not incised in the middle and hence frontal carina straight. Ocelli in a slightly obtuse-angled triangle. MLM with engraved transverse reticulation, and with a broad median groove extending nearly to pronotal collar ( Fig. 10b ). Scutellum with engraved transverse striation in anterior 1/2 and engraved reticulation in posterior 1/2; scutellum with sublateral and posterior grooves expressed as punctures ( Fig. 10b ). Axilla polished anteriorly and with only one seta ( Fig. 10b ). Dorsellum polished. Propodeum with submedian areas polished in anterior 1/2 and with raised reticulation in posterior 1/2; spiracular areas smooth even along posterior margin ( Fig. 10b ). Gt 1 dorsal surface polished ( Fig. 10a ). Metafemur without teeth along ventral margin.

MALE. Differs from female in the following characters. Scape dark brown and swollen. Wings hyaline. Mid and hind legs with tibiae entirely white, fore leg with tibia brown. Mesoscutum and scutellum with very weak reticulation. Scutellum with posterior groove reduced, almost absent. Propodeum with submedian areas smooth, without reticulation along posterior margin. Gastral tergites with a few setae only, and not punctate.

Material examined. Type material. Holotype ♀, Sri Lanka, 6.VI.1972, ex. larva or pupa Promecotheca cumingi ( NHMUK, B.M. TYPE HYM. 5.2347); paratypes 3♀, same data as holotype ( NHMUK).

Other material examined. 1♂, same data as holotype ( NHMUK) ; 1♀, CHINA, Hainan, det. Bouček ( NHMUK) ; 1♀, Sri Lanka , 7°57’N 80°46’E, Sigiriya, 21.III.1999, coll. C.J. Burwell ( QMB) .

Biology. The type specimens of P. lankensis were recorded from Promecotheca cumingi Baly ( Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae : Hispinae ).

Distribution. China: Hainan (new distribution record); Sri Lanka.

Remarks. Pleurotroppopsis lankensis is characterized by the hind legs having completely white tibiae. The result of the parsimony analysis groups this species with the clade formed by P. japonica , P. maculatipennis , and P. nitifrons , with a high bootstrap value, thus supporting their possible close relationship. However, because of insufficient nonhomplasious changes between these branches, the putative relationship requires testing with molecular data ( Fig. 19 ). In addition to its white hind tibiae, P. lankensis is differentiated from the other three species by having a distinct median groove on the MLM and a posterior groove on the scutellum. See also remarks under P. nitifrons .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Pleurotroppopsis lankensis (Kerrich), holotype female: a, habitus in dorsal view; b, mesosoma in dorsal view; c, labels. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. ©The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, and made available under Creative Commons License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

FIGURE 19. Phylogenetic relationships of Pleurotroppopsis species based on morphological characters. Unambiguous apomorphies are mapped on branches using WinClada, with black circles representing nonhomplasious changes (synapomorphies or autapomorphies), and white circles representing homplasious changes. The mirror cladogram of the strict consensus tree with 89 steps obtained from parsimony analyses in TNT is shown on the right, with numbers above the nodes indicating bootstrap values.