Parastephanellus khogis Aguiar

Aguiar, Alexandre P. & Jennings, John T., 2007, New Caledonia as the centre of origin of Parastephanellus Enderlein, with a phylogeny and description of the female of P. khogis Aguiar (Hymenoptera, Stephanidae), Zootaxa 1576 (1), pp. 15-24 : 18-21

Parastephanellus khogis Aguiar

( Figs 1–3 )

Parastephanellus khogis Aguiar , in Aguiar & Jennings, 2005: 6 . Male. Original description, figures, discussion.

Material examined. 1 ♀ ( QMBA), verbatim label data: “ New Caledonia 11513, 21º34’S x 166º06’E., Col de Petchecara , middle, 28Jan2004. G. Monteith. Pyrethrum, trees & logs.” Triangle mount, complete. Other specimens ( QMBA) : 3 ♂♂, label data ibidem; ♂ “ New Caledonia: 21º34’S x 165º46’E, 500m, Table Unio road, 50453, 14Nov2000, C.J.Burwell, rainforest, sweeping.”

Female description. Body length 15.2 mm, ovipositor 9.0 mm; morphometric ratios Ov/Ptl 3.50; Ov/Tt 0.60; Ov/Hdl 8.25; Ov/Smw 9.19; Cxl/h 3.76; Cxl/Fml 0.87; FmSI 2.68; tw/iEE 0.61; btl/w 5.82; Pnl/Smw 0.74; tw/io 1.29; Pnl/Ew 1.13; Gsl/Ptl 1.16; Ptl/ T 3l 2.27; Hdl/Ew 1.69; Ew/tw 1.98; iEE/eEE 0.42; iEE/io 2.12; Ppl/Ew 1.62; io/oo 6.50. Head: postgenal bridge distinctly longitudinally rugulose. Frons finely transversely rugulose, paraocular strigation distinct only narrowly along eye margin, frontal carina absent. Antenna with 26 flagellomeres, first flagellomere ventrally with few tiny, punctate tyloids; flagellomeres 2–7 with large oval tyloids, 2–5 of them restricted to apical 0.25–0.60, flagellomeres 8–21 generally with several tyloids occurring along entire length except just one or two on last few of these flagellomeres, absent from last 5. Coronal area from obliquely strigate near ocellum to transverselly strigate towards anterior tubercle. Vertex with about 25 transverse strigae counted centro-longitudinally, strigae varying from coarse anteriorly to fine posteriorly, reaching occipital carina and extending to temple, ending at genal stripe; dorso-longitudinal impression very weak, visible only with tangent illumination. Temple and gena smooth and polished, genal angle in dorsal view distinctly prominent.

Mesosoma: prosternum apex alutaceous, then weakly obliquely strigate, posterior half somewhat smooth. Pronotum ( Fig. 2 ) entirely coarsely transversely strigate, on ventral area fine, oblique to longitudinal; neck centrally concave; pronotal fold stout, its anterior margin weakly collapsed and weakly emarginated; semiannular latero-posteriorly with sparse, inconspicuous, shallow punctures, postero-ventral corner subapically with distinct patch of white pilosity; femoral impression narrow, distinct, smooth and polished, ventral area longitudinally strigate. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 4 ) anterior margin (area over which semiannular slides) matte, extremely finely alutaceous, difficult to distinguish, main area strongly transversely rugose; median sulcus and notauli weakly distinct, formed by aligned foveolae mixed in between main sculpturing. Axilla ( Fig. 4 ) concentrically strigate, from strong mesally to fine antero-laterally. Scutellum ( Fig. 4 ) from anteriorly transversely strigate-rugulose to apically finely alutaceous; a few very shallow foveolae laterally. Mesepisternum ( Fig. 2 ) dorsally and on anterior 0.3 covered with dense white short pilosity, hairs centrally and posteriorly sparse; transversely rugulose. Mesopseudosternum obliquely weakly strigate, discrimen deep and crenulate. Propodeum ( Fig. 2 ) densely transversely areolate rugose, this pattern changing from anteriorly, including antero-lateral corners, fine and somewhat alutaceous to posteriorly coarse; parapetiolar fovea indistinct, its position indicated by a broadly sculptured and concave area mesad of spiracle. Spiracular groove and carina ( Fig. 2 ) barely distinct to indistinct, suggested by coalescence of areolae, barely reaching antero-lateral corner; both spiracular plates transversely alutaceous. Metapleuron laterally ( Fig. 2 ) with few delicate, long hairs, from dorsally transversely strigate to laterally broadly areolate, ventrally smooth. Interfoveolar area smooth; post-foveolar area with three strong transverse carinae. Hind coxa transversely strigate, basally coarse, apically fine; hind femur alutaceous, basally very fine, otherwise distinct, this sculpturing about same on all sides; ventrally with three weak tubercles between base and median tooth, three between femoral teeth, and three small ones apical to apical tooth. Hind tibia laterally very strongly and densely alutaceous, more distinct and denser than on femur, matte; posteriorly with distinct, sharply carinate, oblique compression.

Wings: front wing vein M+Cu with several setae along entire length, central and basal setae widely spaced, perpendicular to wing, apically with group of 6 setae distant from each other about their own length, last seta inserted past point of connection with vein 1M; veins 2r, 2+3 R very slightly irregular or sinuous; vein 1Rs somewhat bent towards wing base; vein 2Cua nearly entirely tubular, except very apex nebulous, from basally narrow to apically thick, apical 0.3 bent towards wing apex; vein 2+3M tubular, except apex shortly nebulous to spectral, ending clearly before reaching wing margin, but not far from it; pterostigma not elongate, about 5.6 times as long as greatest width, apex curvilineous.

Metasoma: petiole transversely strigate, basally coarse, apical 0.1 smooth and polished; ventrally more weakly sculptured than dorsally; T 3 basal end rugulose, then smooth and polished, centrally with very weak, inconspicuous alutaceous; T 4–7 with extremely fine and dense transverse strigulation, producing a noticeable dull texture; T 8 alutaceous. Pygidium narrow and emarginate; pygidial impression Y-shaped.

Colour: dark brown to black, except as follows. Scape, pedicel and flagellomeres 1–3 light brown, pedicel lightest, remainder of antenna dark brown. Mandible, except apex, light brown; clypeus yellow. Face along eye margin with narrow yellow stripe from base of antenna to lateral tubercle; genal stripe pale yellow, reaching and crossing temple ( Fig. 2 ), then bent backwards and widened, ending at occipital carina. Semiannular hind dorsal margin golden yellow. Wing membrane slightly but distinctly infuscate; veins brown. Coronal tubercles, except black apex, wide area behind coronal ocellus, and vertex laterally, along eye margin, red brown ( Fig. 2 ). Mesonotum centrally and scutellum anteriorly and laterally with distinct red brown tone. Fore and mid legs mostly brown to red brown; fore tibia apical 0.1, mid tibia basal 0.2 and apical 0.1, and mid t1 basal 0.3, pale yellow to whitish; hind leg dark brown, hind tibia basal 0.1 and hind t1 entirely, white. Ovipositor sheath unicolorous, brown.

Discussion. Aguiar & Jennings (2005) stated that the single specimen of P. khogis then known could perhaps prove to be the male of P.delicatus Aguiar or P. mouensis Aguiar , although this was considered unlikely. In fact, the identity of P. khogis is now clearly strengthened by the current study. Further, the results also provide a first indication about the degree of variability between males and females of stephanids in New Caledonia. In the present case, overall variation between the sexes is surprisingly small, occurring far less than that usually observed for stephanids in other biogeographic regions (e.g., see Aguiar 2001). Whether or not this pattern of variability extends to other New Caledonian stephanids, however, remains unknown.

Male. The original description (in Aguiar & Jennings 2005) can be complemented as follows: length 5.5– 11.6 mm. Morphometric ratios (n = 3; underlined values correspond to the holotype) Cxl/h 3.08–3.68; Cxl/ Fml 0.86–0.91; FmSI 1.82–2.37; tw/iEE 0.63–0.68; btl/w 4.30–5.27; Pnl/Smw 0.71–0.79 [value of 2.21 published for holotype in Aguiar & Jennings 2005 is incorrect]; tw/io 1.10–1.16; Pnl/Ew 1.16–1.35; Gsl/Ptl 0.98– 1.24; Ptl/T3l 1.90–2.58; Hdl/Ew 1.82–1.85; Ew/tw 1.49–1.72; EE/eEE 0.44–0.47; iEE/io 1.67–1.78; Ppl/Ew 1.66–1.80; io/oo 6.00–7.71. The scutellum, destroyed in the holotype, varies from fully distinctly alutaceous on smaller than average specimens ( Fig. 3 ) to strigate basally, as in the female, for larger than average specimens. The following variation seems to be the most significant. Antenna with 26 flagellomeres, largest specimen with first flagellomere ventrally with a few tiny, punctual tyloids; flagellomere 2 with large oval tyloids apically, otherwise as in holotype. Although showing weak differences in much of their external morphology, the male and female of P. khogis are generally very similar to each other, and more so than usually observed for stephanids (e.g., Aguiar 2001). The most significant differences are as follows: female considerably larger than male, its vertex with fewer strigations than on the holotype (25 vs. 35) but same as in other male specimens; pronotum laterally more coarsely sculptured; scutellum basally with strigation (vs. usually fully alutaceous); mandibles brown (vs. yellow); yellow stripe along eye margin on face narrower and darker than observed for the male holotype, but same as in other male specimens; petiole ventrally strigate (vs. apical 0.7 smooth and polished).

The key provided by Aguiar & Jennings (2005) will work adequately for the recognition of both male and female specimens of P. khogis .

Distribution. Southern half of New Caledonia ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution records for P. khogis in New Caledonia. Combined data from Aguiar & Jennings (2005) and original.

FIGURES 2–4. Parastephanellus khogis Aguiar. 2, female, left view of head and mesosoma. 3, male, mesosoma, dorsal view. 4, female, axillae and scutellum, dorsal view. Scale: width of figure 2 equivalent to 5.0 mm.