Synopeas codex Awad, 2021

Awad, Jessica, Bremer, Jonathan S., Butterill, Philip T., Moore, Matthew R. & Talamas, Elijah J., 2021, A taxonomic treatment of Synopeas Foerster (Platygastridae, Platygastrinae) from the island of New Guinea, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87, pp. 5-65 : 5

Synopeas codex Awad sp. nov.

Description.

Body length 1.1-1.5 mm. Body color: black; dark brown. Color of legs: coxae brown, otherwise yellow to brown. Color of mesoscutellar spine: concolorous with mesoscutellar disc.

Head. Shape of head in anterior view: blocky. Central keel: partial. Sculpture on frons: reticulate microsculpture. Epitorular sculpture: minute rugulae; reticulate microsculpture. Number of clypeal setae: 4. Length of median pair of clypeal setae: longer than lateral pair. Arrangement of clypeal setae: medial setae closer to each other than to lateral setae. Shape of mandible: bidentate. Distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye (OOL): less than 1 ocellar diameter. Lateral ocellar depression: present laterally. Hyperoccipital carina: present in medial third. Hyperoccipital carina strength: uniformly weak. Distance between lateral ocellus and hyperoccipital carina: greater than 1 ocellar diameter.

Mesosoma. Epomial carina: absent; present only in ventral half. Microsculpture of lateral pronotum: present throughout. Lateral pronotal sculpture coverage: more than 3/4. Mesoscutellar spine: absent or inconspicuous. Posterior margin of lateral propodeal carina in lateral view: rounded; pointed dorsally. Mesosomal dorsum in lateral view: convex. Notauli: unmarked or faintly suggested. Parapsidal lines: unmarked. Setation of mesoscutum: absent medially, present laterally. Mesoscutal lamella: broad and rounded; broad and square. Setation of mesoscutellum: absent medially.

Metasoma. Microsculpture of S2: present on posterior half. Sculpture of T2: long transverse band of microsculpture at posterior margin. Length of T2: shorter than mesosoma.

Wing. Length of setae on disc of forewing: longer than distance between setal bases. Density of setae on disc of forewing: dense. Arrangement of setae on disc of forewing: uniformly setose distally, proximally glabrous with linea setosa. Forewing marginal setae: setae on posterior margin distinctly longer than setae on anterior margin.

Diagnosis.

The shape of the head in S. codex is distinctly blocky in anterior view. Among the species treated here, Synopeas codex may be recognized by the absent or reduced epomial carina. When present, the epomial carina is short, extending less than halfway up the pronotum. S2 is covered with reticulate microsculpture on the posterior half (Fig. 6E ), and there is a wide band of microsculpture at the posterior margin of dorsal T2.

Etymology.

The epithet " Synopeas codex " is Latin for a book or block of wood. We here used it to refer to the shape of the head in this species. The name is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Comments.

The distance between the dorsal margin of the eye and the vertex is very small, as in S. valavala . It thus may represent an intermediate form between the typical head shape in Synopeas and the extreme found in S. valavala . The bidentate mandibles are rather short, just meeting in the middle rather than overlapping.

Plant associations.

Reared from vein swelling, globoid, pimple, and blister galls on Nauclea ( Rubiaceae ) [GALL217, GALL218, GALL222, GALL219]. One record each from Homalanthus nervosus ( Euphorbiaceae ) [GALL354] and Ficus adenosperma ( Moraceae ) [GALL318].

Material examined.

Holotype: Papua New Guinea: ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 6.14141°S, 146.87415°E, 26.XI.2010, Philip Butterill leg., Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000385) . Paratypes: Papua New Guinea: 1♀, Morobe, Yawan , 24.VII.2010, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000352) ; ♂, Morobe, Yawan , 16.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000374) ; ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 17.XI.2010, Homalanthus nervosus , (FSCA 00000377) ; ♀ 2♂, Morobe, Yawan , 25.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00034030, 00094609-00094610) ; ♂, Morobe, Yawan , 26.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000386) 4♀ 4♂, Morobe, Yawan , 30.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000380-00000382, 00000388-00000392) ; ♂, Morobe, Yawan , 25.I.2011, Ficus adenosperma , (FSCA 00090425) ; 3♀, Morobe, Yawan , 08.X.2012, Nauclea tenuiflora , (FSCA 00000310, 00034029 00094583) .

Figures

Figure 6. Sculpture of metasomal sternite 2 A S. sanga (FSCA 00000399) B S. occultum (FSCA 00090403) C S. roncavei (FSCA 00090249) D S. kira (FSCA 00000398) E S. codex (FSCA 00034030) F S. luli (FSCA 00090412). Scale bars: 0.2 mm.