Pediobius multisetis Bouček, 1976, 1977

Gumovsky, Alex, 2021, Review of the species of Pediobius (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) having extreme dorsal setation and description of a new species from East Africa, Zootaxa 4999 (5), pp. 423-438 : 427

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4999.5.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:62A00C35-E6C8-4378-81DE-F0320D58885B
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4A3487D8-8109-5F5E-FF00-FD60587AF82D
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Pediobius multisetis Bouček, 1976
status

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Pediobius multisetis Bouček, 1976 View in CoL

( Figs 2 View FIGURE 2 , 3A, B View FIGURE 3 , 4B, D, F View FIGURE 4 , 5B View FIGURE 5 )

Pediobius multisetis Bouček, 1976: 409 View in CoL .

Diagnosis. Pronotal collar with 20 strong bristles (10 on each side); mesoscutum with two groups of strong bristles, which have no distinct limits: median, between notaular depressions (about 16 bristles) and lateral, laterad of each notaular depression (about 6 bristles); mesoscutellum with a row of about 20 strong bristles on each side (about 40 in total) ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ); mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with light reticulation, anterior margin of mesoscutellum with a small notch; submedian propodeal carinae diverging, but their posterior ends slightly bent inwards; metasomal petiole short ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ), gaster long ovate, slightly more than 2.0× as long as broad, Gt 1 occupying about 2/5 of length of gaster.

Additionally, head in dorsal view nearly 2.0× as broad as long, with light alutaceous sculpture, medially flat; angle of ocelli about 70–75˚ ( Fig. 4B, D, F View FIGURE 4 ); metatibial spur nearly 1.4× as long as breadth of metatibia, as long as metabasitarsus; subcosta of submarginal vein with two short setae; forewing speculum open below; fore wing transparent; WIP with wide violet field along apical margin, followed by green-blue patch behind it.

Material studied. Holotype ♀ ( Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 ), Côte d’Ivoire: ‘ Ivory coast, La Mé , Pyralid pupa, no. I. / Elaeis guineen., Oct./ Dec. 1973 ’ (J.P. Morin); 2 paratypes: ♀ ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A-C, E), ♂ ( Fig. 2F View FIGURE 2 ), ‘ Ivory coast, La Mé, Dec. 1973 (IRHO, J. Morin), ex Furcivena rhodoneuralis’ (yellow paratype label “ Bck 76”) (deposited in NHMUK).

Distribution. Côte d’Ivoire ( Bouček, 1976).

Host. A lepidopteran associated with oil palm (see discussion).

Comparative remarks. The discussion on similarity and differences between P. setigerus and P. multisetis started long before the description of the latter. Kerrich (1970), in his original description of P. setigerus , mentioned a specimen with an elongate gaster from Ivory Coast which was being studied by Z. Bouček, and indicated that fur- ther material would be needed before its status could be assessed. Later, he repeated and substantiated the opinion: ‘I do not now believe that the specimen mentioned as having an elongate gaster ( Kerrich, 1970) belongs to a different species: several tergites are evidently telescoped out. Variation in relative length of the gaster and proportions of its tergites has also been found in other species’ ( Kerrich, 1973). However, Bouček (1976) formalized the species status of this form as P. multisetis based on 12 females (including the holotype) and 4 males. He mentioned that this species is ‘extremely similar to P. setiger [us]’, but differs chiefly in having a longer gaster. The other morphological differences concerned the slightly narrower head and associated measurements (which, however, did not differ from the same parameters of P. setigerus for more than 0.1, see Table 1). From these measurements, the only character which seems important is the angle of ocelli which is about 70˚ in P. setigerus and over 80˚ in P. multisetis ( Table 1). However, these measurements may vary if conducted by different people on different equipment.

Another character which separates P. setigerus and P. multisetis is the shape of the submedian carinae of propodeum: their posterior ends diverge distinctly in P. setigerus ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ) but are slightly bent inwards in P. multisetis ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). The material examined suggests that the shape of carinae is the same in both sexes in each species.