Oberthuerella aureopilosa Benoit

Buffington, Matthew L. & Noort, Simon van, 2012, Revision of the Afrotropical Oberthuerellinae (Cynipoidea, Liopteridae), ZooKeys 202, pp. 1-154 : 8-12

Oberthuerella aureopilosa Benoit Figures 3-4

Oberthuerella aureopilosa Benoit, 1955: 290.

Description.

Coloration of head and mesosoma black to dark brown, metasoma yellow-orange; legs reddish brown. Sculpture on vertex, lateral surface of pronotum and mesoscutum present, deeply foveate laterally on head, pronotum; deeply horizontally striate on mesoscutum.

Head. Broadly triangular, wider than high, in anterior view. Pubescence on head present, dense setae covering head. Sculpture along lateral margin of occiput absent. Gena (measured from compound eye to posterolateral margin of head) short, ratio of length of gena to length of compound eye in dorsal view <0.3 in dorsal view. Sculpture of gena deeply striate. Lateral margin of occiput defined by distinctly angled, raised, sharp carina. Occiput (except extreme lateral margin) with some weak subvertical, irregular strigae. Ocelli small, ratio of maximum diameter of a lateral ocellus to shortest distance between lateral ocelli 0.2-0.4. Anterior ocellus close to posterior ocelli, posterior margin of anterior ocellus behind or subcontiguous with a transverse line running through anterior margins of posterior ocelli. Relative position of toruli close to ocelli, ratio of vertical distance between inner margin of torulus and ventral margin of clypeus to vertical distance between anterior ocellus and torulus <2.0. Median keel of face present, short, not extending beyond toruli. Vertical carina adjacent to ventral margin of torulus absent. Facial sculpture present, punctate-rugose, transversely striate; striations meeting at midline of face. Facial impression absent, face flat. Antennal scrobe absent. Anterior tentorial pits large. Vertical delineations on lower face absent. Ventral clypeal margin laterally, close to anterior mandibular articulation, straight. Ventral clypeal margin medially straight, not projecting. Clypeus foveate-punctate. Malar space adjacent to anterior articulation of mandible evenly rounded, striate. Malar sulcus absent. Compound eye close to posterior ocellus, ratio of distance between compound eye and posterior mandibular articulation to distance between posterior ocellus and compound eye> 1.2. Compound eye, in dorsal view, distinctly protruding from the surface of the head, particularly laterally. Pubescence on compound eye absent. Orbital furrows absent. Lateral frontal carina of face absent. Dorsal aspect of vertex variously strigate. Posterior aspect of vertex foveate. Hair punctures on lateral aspect of vertex absent. Posterior surface of head almost flat, not deeply impressed.

Labial-maxillary complex. Apical segment of maxillary palp with pubescence, consisting only of erect setae. Apical seta on apical segment of maxillary palp shorter than twice length of second longest apical seta. Erect setae medially on apical segment of maxillary palp present. Last two segments of maxillary palp (in normal repose) straight.

Pronotum. Macrosculpture on lateral surface of pronotum present, deeply costulate with remnants of foveae. Pubescence on lateral surface of pronotum present, sparse, composed of few short hairs. Anterior flange of pronotal plate distinctly protruding anteriorly, smooth. Carinae extending posteriorly from lateral margin of pronotal plate absent. Lateral pronotal carina present. Pronotal crest absent. Dorsal margin of pronotal plate (in anterior view) rounded. Lateral margin of pronotal plate defined all the way to the dorsal margin of the pronotum. Pronotal plate wide, almost as wide as head.

Mesoscutum. Mesoscutal surface convex, evenly curved. Sculpture on mesoscutum present, transversely costate with dorsally projected serrations. Notaulus present, marked by deep furrows of uniform width. Median mesoscutal carina absent. Anterior admedial lines present, with adjacent cuticular surface horizontally striate. Median mesoscutal impression present, medium in length, reaching 1/4 length of mesoscutum. Parascutal carina distinctly sinuate, posteriorly ending in posteroventrally directed projection.

Mesopleuron. Horizontally strigulate, with striae converging along posterior margin of sclerite. Epicnemial carina present on ventral half of mesopleuron; shagreened, ventrally bulbous near mesosternum. Mesopleural triangle absent. Subalar pit large and well defined, lying in posterior end of subalar groove. Speculum present, smooth to micro-pitted.

Scutellum. Dorsal surface of scutellum foveate-areolate. Circumscutellar carina absent. Posterior margin of axillula marked by distinct ledge, axillula distinctly impressed adjacent to ledge. Lateroventral margin of scutellum posterior to auricula entirely smooth. Scutellum spine less than 1.0 × length of petiole. Dorsal part of scutellum entirely rugose. Scutellar plate absent. Scutellar foveae present, three, each lateral fovea with two longitudinal divisions, central fovea smooth, resulting in transverse row of 7 longitudinally elongate subfovea. Longitudinal scutellar carinae absent. Single longitudinal carina separating scutellar foveae present, short, ending at posterior margin of foveae. Posterolateral margin of scutellum drawn out into distinct protuberance. Lateral bar narrow, with strong strigate, foveate sculpture.

Metapectal-propodeal complex. Metapectal cavity anterodorsal to metacoxal base present, ill-defined. Anterior margin of metapectal-propodeal complex separated from mesopleuron by deep, broad, uninterrupted marginal impression. Posteroventral corner of metapleuron (in lateral view) rounded, not drawn out posteriorly. Posterior margin of metepimeron distinct, separating metepimeron from propodeum. Calyptra present, blunt, lobe-like, polished posteriorly with setiferous punctures anteriorly. Dorsellum present, two strong medial fovea, laterally strongly excavated with fine pubescence in lateral depressions. Pubescence present along posterior and ventral margins of metapleuron, long, dense; long and thin on propodeum. Propodeal spurs present, foveate. Lateral propodeal carinae present, not reaching scutellum. Ventral end of lateral propodeal carina reaching nucha, carinae separated from each other. Inter propodeal carinae space densely setose. Petiolar foramen removed from metacoxae, directed posteriorly. Horizontal carina running anteriorly from lateral propodeal carina present. Lateral propodeal carina straight, sub-parallel. Calyptra, in lateral view, elongate. Propodeum relatively short, not drawn out posteriorly. Calyptra, in posterior view, rounded.

Legs. Pubescence posterolaterally on metacoxa sparse to moderately dense, confined dense hair patch absent. Metafemoral spine present, elongate, extending distally as low keel along ventral femoral margin. Ratio of first metatibial segment to remaining 4 segments greater than 1.0. Pubescence on outer surface of metatarsal claw sparse, consisting of few setae.

Forewing. Pubescence of forewing present, long, dense on most of surface. Apical margin of female forewing rounded. Rs+M of forewing tubular. Mesal end of Rs+M vein situated closer to posterior margin of forewing, directed towards posterior end of basalis. Vein R1 tubular along at least basal part of anterior margin of marginal cell. Basal abscissa of R1 (the abscissa between 2r and the forewing margin) of forewing as broad as adjacent wing veins. Forewing entirely infuscate. Marginal cell of forewing membranous, similar to other wing cells. Areolet present, complete. Hair fringe along apical margin of forewing absent.

Petiole. Petiole about as long as wide. Surface of petiole longitudinally costate, ventral keel absent. Posterior part of female petiole not abruptly widened. Ventral flange of annulus of female petiole absent.

Metasoma. Setal band (hairy ring) at base of tergum 3 present, interrupted dorsally, extending laterally to middle of sclerite. Tergum 3 distinctly smaller than tergum 4. Posterior margin of tergum 3 smoothly rounded. Posterior margin of tergum 4 straight. Sternum 3 exposed, ventral border of T2-T7 visible. Sculpture on metasomal terga present, composed to dense seta bearing punctures, interrupted dorsally on T3-5; dense setae present across entire metasomal surface. Syntergum absent, all postpetiolar terga free. Annulus absent. Peg-like setae on T6-T7 absent. Posteroventral cavities of female metasoma T7 present, setose. Female posteroventral margin of T6-T7 gently sinuate. Terebrum and hypopygium (in lateral view) straight, pointing posteriorly.

Diagnosis.

Easily distinguished from all other Oberthuerella by the predominance of golden setae on head, mesosoma, and metasoma; this feature is only shared with Oberthuerella simba , but this latter species has the speculum shagreened (smooth in Oberthuerella aureopilosa ).

Distribution.

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Link to Distribution Map. [http://hol.osu.edu/map-full.html?id=181553]

Material examined.

Holotype, female: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Maniema Prov., Kindu, XI-1913, L. Burgeon, Mus. Cong. Cyn1-7 (deposited in MRAC).