Alfredella Masner & Huggert, 1989

Lahey, Zachary, Talamas, Elijah, Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2021, Revision of the Australian genus Alfredella Masner & Huggert (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae, Sceliotrachelinae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87, pp. 81-113 : 81

Alfredella Masner & Huggert

Alfredella Masner & Huggert, 1989: 39 (original description. Type: Alfredella tasmanica Masner & Huggert, by monotypy and original designation); Vlug 1995: 10 (citation of type species); Lahey, Masner, and Johnson 2019: 69 (keyed).

Diagnosis.

Alfredella is most similar to Aleyroctonus and Amitus . The combination of a tubular R vein in the fore wing (absent in Amitus ) and anterolateral striae on T2 (absent in Aleyroctonus ) is enough to separate Alfredella from these genera. Moreover, Alfredella is one of only two platygastroid genera where the antennal clava is composed of both articulated (e.g., A6 and A7) and ‘compact’ (e.g., A8-A10) clavomeres. Additional diagnostic characters include the presence of malar striae, a 4- or 5-merous antennal clava, a distinct transepisternal line, and the presence of foamy structures on the propodeum.

Description.

Head. Color of head: black. Shape of head in dorsal view: transverse. Occipital carina: present. Setation of compound eye: present, short. Hyperoccipital carina: absent. Occipital pit: absent. Paraocellar depressions: absent. Preocellar depressions: absent. Setation of occiput: present, short. Antennal scrobe: present. Frontal ledge: absent. Sculpture of frons immediately dorsal to toruli: concentrically rugose. Sculpture of upper frons: reticulate. Sculpture of vertex: reticulate. Malar striae: present. Malar sulcus: absent. Facial striae: absent. Epistomal sulcus: absent. Anteclypeus: undifferentiated from postclypeus. Orientation of mandiblar teeth: transverse. Mandibular dentition: bidentate. Number of maxillary palpomeres: 1. Number of labial palpomeres: 1. Number of antennomeres in female: 10. Number of antennomeres in male: 9. Number of clavomeres: 4; 5. Sensillar formula of A10-A6: 1-2-2-1-0; 1-2-2-1-1; 1-2-2-2-1. Condition of A6: articulate. Condition of A7: articulate. Condition of A10-A8, female: fused, sutures present. Length of pedicel: approximately as long as A3+A4.

Mesosoma. Epomial carina: present ventrally. Pronotal shoulders: visible in dorsal view, not sharply angled. Sculpture of mesoscutum: reticulate. Anterior admedian line: present. Median mesoscutal line: absent. Notaulus: present. Parapsidal line: present. Mesoscutal humeral sulcus: present as a thin furrow. Netrion: present. Scutoscutellar sulcus: present as a deep, noncrenulate groove. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: reticulate. Shape of mesoscutellum: nearly hexagonal, widest medially. Setation of axillula: dense. Metascutellum: concealed by posterior margin of mesoscutellum. Prespecular sulcus: present. Transepisternal line: present, terminating in anterior and posterior pits. Mesopleural carina: absent. Metapleural carina: present. Metapleural sulcus: absent. Metapleural pit: present. Location of metapleural pit: at anterior margin of metapleuron. Paracoxal sulcus: absent. Setation of plical area: dense. Protibial spur: bifid. Tibial spur formula: 1-2-2. Tarsal formula: 5-5-5. Length of tarsal claws: equal. Foamy structures: present on lateral propodeal carinae and metapleural carina.

Metasoma. Number of visible terga, female: 6. Number of visible terga, male: 8. Number of visible sterna: at least 6. Width of laterotergites: short. Sculpture of terga: T2 anterolaterally striate. Laterotergites: present. Laterosternites: absent. Sculpture of nucha: longitudinally foveolate. Shape of T1: transverse. Anterior pits on T2: present as transverse, setose depressions medially. Longest tergite: T2. Sculpture of S2: smooth except for longitudinal striation and reticulation surrounding felt field. Transverse felt field on anterior S2: present.

Wings. Color of wings: hyaline. Wing development: macropterous. Length of fore wing: exceeding apex of metasoma. Marginal cilia of fore wing: present. R of fore wing: present, tubular. Length of fore wing R: approximately 1/3 length of fore wing. Shape of knob of R: truncate, not rounded. Cu of fore wing: nebulous. M of fore wing: nebulous. M+Cu of fore wing: nebulous. Marginal cilia of hind wing: present. R of hind wing: present, tubular.

Distribution.

Mainland Australia (Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia) and the island of Tasmania. The absence of specimens from Victoria is likely due to a lack of collecting.

Species descriptions