Oberthuerella abscinda Quinlan

Buffington, Matthew L. & Noort, Simon van, 2012, Revision of the Afrotropical Oberthuerellinae (Cynipoidea, Liopteridae), ZooKeys 202, pp. 1-154 : 4-8

Oberthuerella abscinda Quinlan Figures 1-2

Oberthuerella abscinda Quinlan, 1979: 111

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, mesoscutum striate-foveate.

Head. Broadly triangular, wider than high, in anterior view. Pubescence on head present, dense setae covering head. Sculpture along lateral margin of occiput with one costula. Gena (measured from compound eye to posterolateral margin of head) long, ratio of length of gena length/to length of compound eye in dorsal view> 0.3, in dorsal view. Sculpture of gena present, with distinct fovea. Lateral margin of occiput defined by distinctly angled, raised, sharp carina. Occiput (except extreme lateral margin) with some weak subvertical, irregular strigae. Ocelli large, ratio of maximum diameter of a lateral ocellus> 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, extending to posterior margin of clypeus. Vertical carina adjacent to ventral margin of torulus absent. Facial sculpture present, punctate-rugose, transversely striate; striations meeting at medial keel. 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, distinctly angled. Ventral clypeal margin medially emarginate. Clypeus foveate-punctate. Malar space adjacent to anterior articulation of mandible evenly rounded, foveate. 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; glabrous. Orbital furrows absent. Lateral frontal carina of face present. 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.

Antenna.Articulation between flagellomeres connate with flagellomeres broadly joined. Female antenna composed of 11 flagellomeres. Male antenna composed of 12 flagellomeres. Female F1 shorter than F2, black. Flagellomeres of female antenna cylindrical, distinctly widened towards apex, non-clavate. Placoid sensillae absent. Distal flagellomeres of female not conspicuously enlarged compared to proximal flagellomeres.

Pronotum. Macrosculpture on lateral surface of pronotum present, dorsomedially foveate, laterally foveate-costate. Pubescence on lateral surface of pronotum present, sparse, composed of few short hairs. 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, foveate-punctate, with remnants of transverse costae. Notaulus present, marked by series of deep subcontiguous pits of uniform width. Median mesoscutal carina absent. Anterior admedial lines present, flat, indistinct, with adjacent cuticular surface foveate. Median mesoscutal impression present, long, reaching over 1/2 length of mesoscutum. Parascutal carina distinctly sinuate, posteriorly ending in posteroventrally directed projection.

Mesopleuron. Dorsally irregularly horizontally costate with occasional fovea, ventrally smooth. Subpleuron entirely smooth, glabrous. Lower mesopleuron micro-pit ted anteriorly, smooth and glabrous posteriorly. Epicnemial carina present on ventral half of mesopleuron; shagreened, ventrally bulbous near mesosternum. Lateroventral mesopleural carina present, marking abrupt change of slope of mesopectus. Mesopleural triangle absent. Subalar pit large and well defined, lying in posterior end of subalar groove. Speculum present, striate. Mesopleural carina absent.

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 smooth, becoming dorsoventrally striate posteriorly. Scutellar spine less than 1.0 × as long as petiole. Dorsal part of scutellum entirely rugose. Scutellar plate absent. Scutellar foveae present, three, with lateral fovea bissected by longitudinal carina, resulting in five longitudinally elongate subfoveae. Longitudinal scutellar carinae absent. Single longitudinal carina separating scutellar foveae absent. Posterolateral margin of scutellum drawn out into distinct protuberance. Lateral bar narrow, with strong strigate, foveate sculpture.

Metapectal-propodial 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. Anterior impression of metepimeron present, narrow, linear impression, not broadened ventrally. Posterior margin of metepimeron distinct, separating metepimeron from propodeum. Subalar area slightly broadened anteriorly, without longitudinal division indicated. Calyptra present, blunt, lobe-like, polished posteriorly with setiferous punctures anteriorly. Anterior impression of metepisternum, immediately beneath anterior end of metapleural carina, present, small and narrow. Pubescence consisting of few scattered hairs on posterior part of metapleuron and lateral part of propodeum. Propodeal spurs present, foveate. Petiolar foramen removed from metacoxae, directed posteriorly. Calyptra, in lateral view, elongate. Propodeum relatively short, not drawn out posteriorly.

Legs. Pubescence posterolaterally on metacoxa sparse to moderately dense, confined dense hair patch absent. Microsculpture on hind coxa absent, hind coxa smooth. Longitudinal carina on the posterior surface of metatibia absent. Metafemoral spine present, elongate, extending distally as low keel along ventral femoral margin. Distal metatibial spurs equal in length to medial metatibial spurs.

Forewing. Pubescence of forewing absent on basal half of wing, sparse distally. Apical margin of female forewing rounded. Forewing Rs+M of forewing tubular. Mesal end of forewing Rs+M vein situated closer to posterior margin of wing, directed towards posterior end of forewing basalis. Vein R1 tubular along at least basal part of anterior margin of marginal cell. Basal abscissa of forewing R1 (the abscissa between forewing 2r and the wing 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 glabrous.

Petiole. Slightly elongate, 1.5 –2× longer than wide. Surface of petiole longitudinally costate, ventral keel of petiole absent.

Metasoma. Setal band (hairy ring) at base of tergum 3 absent, base of metasoma glabrous. Tergum 3 distinctly smaller than tergum 4. Posterior margin of tergum 3 smoothly rounded. Posterior margin of tergum 4 arcuate. In lateral view, sternum 3 exposed, ventral border of T2-T7 visible. Sculpture on metasomal terga present, finely punctate laterally and dorsally; posteriorly with large setal pits. Syntergum absent, all postpetiolar terga free. Annulus absent. Peg-like setae on T6-T7 absent. Posteroventral cavities of female metasoma T7 absent. Female posteroventral margin of T6-T7 straight, parallel.

Diagnosis.

This species most closely resembles Oberthuerella longispinosa and Oberthuerella crassicornis , and can be separated from the former by having an incomplete median keel on the face (median keel reaching the dorsal margin of the clypeus present in Oberthuerella longispinosa with a keel that reaches the dorsal clypeal margin), and from the latter by having yellow/orange legs (legs dark brown/black in Oberthuerella abscinda ).

Distribution.

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia. Link to Distribution Map. [http://hol.osu.edu/map-full.html?id=181552]

Material examined.

Holotype female: ZAMBIA: Mbala ('Abercorn'), 31.XII.1943 (BMNH). Paratype: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Eala, XII-1932, A. Corbisier (1 female, MRAC 0014 (MRAC)); ZAMBIA: Mbala ('Abercorn'), 31.XII.1943 (BMNH).