Pentapleura foveolata Viereck

Kula, Robert R., 2013, A new species and new distribution records for Braconidae from Mountain Lake Biological Station in southwestern Virginia and a redescription of Pentapleura foveolata Viereck, Zootaxa 3641 (5), pp. 501-523 : 512-514

Pentapleura foveolata Viereck

( Figs. 4–8 )

Diagnosis. Pentapleura pumilio (Nees) and Pentapleura quadridens (Fischer) are known from the Nearctic Region in addition to P. foveolata . The forewing stigma is broader and less elongate in P. pumilio (Wharton 1980: fig. 21) and P. quadridens ( Fig. 9 ) than in P. foveolata ( Fig. 8 ). Additionally, the mandible is broader in P. quadridens ( Fig. 10 ) than in P. foveolata ( Fig. 5 ).

Description. Female. Body length: 1.23–1.63 mm. Head: HL 0.69–0.76X HW, HW 1.03–1.06X TW, FW 1.20–1.31X FH, EL 0.73–0.80X EH, MNL 1.86–2.20X MNAW, MNAW 1.00–1.20X MNBW, F1L 1.22–1.40X F2L; antenna with 14–16 flagellomeres, maxillary palpus with 6 palpomeres, labial palpus with 3 palpomeres; face smooth, setiferous; frons smooth except rugulose ventromesally, glabrous; gena and vertex smooth, setiferous; occiput smooth, glabrous; eye setiferous; clypeus with apical rim, setiferous; mandible ( Fig. 5 ) with four teeth, margin between first and second tooth with notch resulting in bump at base of tooth 2, outer surface setiferous except excavated distal portion glabrous, rugose except excavated distal portion smooth, tooth 1, 3, and 4 rounded apically, tooth 2 acute apically, tooth 1 forming less than 90° angle and smaller than tooth 3, tooth 3 suborthogonal, tooth 2 elongate and triangular, tooth 4 ventral to tooth 3 and lobelike.

Mesosoma ( Figs. 6–7 ): ML 1.80–2.10X MW, ML 1.27–1.46X MH, MW 0.67–0.71X MH, SSL 0.22–0.38X SSW; pronotal collar anteriorly smooth or with a few rugae and posteriorly crenulate, pronope present, lateral portion of pronotum rugose to rugulose except posterodorsal corner smooth, collar setiferous, lateral portion setiferous along margins but otherwise glabrous; notauli absent, a few rugosities present on anterior declivity where notauli would be located if present; mesoscutal midpit slitlike to oval; mesoscutum (excluding lateral margin and notauli) smooth, setiferous anteriorly, laterally, and where notauli would run if complete; scutellar sulcus bearing median longitudinal ridge; scutellar disc smooth, setiferous; metanotum with ridge mesally; propodeum with band of rugose sculpture mesally and smooth laterally, median longitudinal carina distinct in two specimens, with two to three setae mesally but setae otherwise confined to margins; precoxal sulcus absent; posterior mesopleural furrow smooth or virtually so, at most with a few weak crenulae below episternal scrobe; mesopleuron (excluding precoxal sulcus and posterior mesopleural furrow) smooth except a few crenulae in subalar groove at anteromesal margin mesopleuron, setiferous along margins but otherwise glabrous; metapleuron smooth with a few rugosities ventrally and/or laterally, setiferous.

Forewing ( Fig. 8 ): 2RS length 0.64–0.73 X 3 RSa length; hyaline; stigma elongate; with following veins complete and tubular: C+SC+R, 1CUa, 1CUb, 1-1A, 1RS, 1M, (RS+M)a, 1m-cu, 1cu-a, r, 2RS, 3RSa, 3RSb, r-m, and 2M; M+CU nebulous proximally transitioning to tubular distally; first subdiscal cell open, 2-1A entirely absent or nearly so, at most represented by nebulous stub proximally, 2cu-a absent, 2CUa present as nebulous stub; vein 3RSb straight to wing margin; vein 1cu-a distad vein 1M or interstitial; vein 1m-cu distad vein 2RS.

Hind wing ( Fig. 8 ): Hyaline; basal and subbasal cells enclosed by tubular veins; R and R1 complete and tubular; RS and 2M spectral; m-cu absent.

Metasoma: T1L 1.27–1.43X T1W; subcylindrical; OL 1.26–1.39X ML; t1 carinulate, dorsal carinae extending posteriorly as separate carinae or joining to form median carina, carinae/carina terminating at midpoint of tergum or nearly reaching posterior margin, dorsope present; t2–t8 smooth; t2–t7 setiferous, setae in roughly single line in posterior half of each tergum, t8 setiferous, pattern indeterminate.

Color: Head (excluding mouthparts and antenna) brown, mandible yellow except tooth 2 mostly brown and margins brownish, palpi whitish yellow, antenna with scape and pedicel brownish yellow, flagellum brown; mesosoma brown; legs yellow; metasoma with t1 yellow, t2 brown, t3–t5 brown with posterior edge slightly darker, t6–t8 yellowish brown.

Male. As in female except: Body length: 1.53–1.67 mm. Head: FW 1.13–1.33X FH, EL 0.73–0.81X EH, MNL 1.83–2.25X MNAW; antenna with 20 flagellomeres, labial palpus with 2–3 palpomeres.

Mesosoma: ML 1.38–1.50X MH, MW 0.69–0.73X MH, SSL 0.33–0.44X SSW; pronotal collar virtually smooth or entirely crenulate, pronope present or absent.

Forewing: 2RS length 0.61–0.89 X 3 RSa length.

Metasoma: T1L 1.14–1.29X T 1W.

Host. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype female: Top label (white; partially handwritten, partially typewritten)=“NewHavenCt [;] 21 Oct. 1903 [;] H L Viereck”. Second label (red; handwritten)=“CAES [;] 146”. Third label (red; partially handwritten, partially typewritten)=“TypeNo [;] 66269 [;] USNM”. Fourth label (white with black border; handwritten)= Pentapleura [;] foveolata [;] Type 3 Vier.”. Other material examined: All U.S.A., 4 Ƥ VIRGINIA:Giles Co. Mountain Lake Biol. Station 37°22'25.69"N 80°31'25.41"W forest along Spring Road 4.iii.-15.viii.2009 R.R. Kula Malaise trap (1 used for SEM); 1 Ƥ 2 3 same data as previous except spring along Spring Trail (USNM, Ƥ used for SEM).

Discussion. Viereck (1917) described male P. foveolata from the type locality. A body length range of “ 1.5–2 mm ” was indicated in the original description, suggesting it might have been based on multiple males. However, only one male specimen of this species exists in the USNM, and it bears the label “TypeNo 66269 USNM.” Also, a unit tray for potential syntypes does not exist in the USNM. Thus, I follow Wharton (1980) and regard the single male in the USNM as the holotype. The description in Viereck (1917) is very short, and while Wharton (1980) provided a diagnosis for Pentapleura Förster , he did not redescribe P. foveolata as indicated in Yu et al. (2005). Therefore, P. foveolata is redescribed above to provide data on morphological variation for females and males.

Examination of the holotype for P. quadridens revealed intraindividual variation in the number of mandibular teeth. One mandible bears four teeth, with the additional tooth ventral to tooth 3; the other mandible bears five teeth ( Fig. 10 ), with the additional teeth ventral to tooth 3.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Pentapleura foveolata Viereck, lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 7. Pentapleura foveolata Viereck. 5. Mandible, lateral view. Arrow = Additional tooth ventral to tooth 3. 6. Mesosoma, dorsal view. 7. Mesosoma, lateral view. Scale bars = 0.10 mm.

FIGURE 8. Pentapleura foveolata Viereck, wings. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 9. Pentapleura quadridens (Fischer), forewing. Scale bar = 1.00 mm.

FIGURE 10. Pentapleura quadridens (Fischer), mandible, lateral view. Arrows = Additional teeth ventral to tooth 3. Scale bar = 0.10 mm.