Synopeas kiki 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 kiki Awad sp. nov.

Description.

Body length 0.9 mm. Body color: 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: slightly ovoid. Central keel: absent. Sculpture on frons: reticulate microsculpture. Epitorular sculpture: minute rugulae. Number of clypeal setae: unknown. Length of median pair of clypeal setae: unknown. Arrangement of clypeal setae: uncertain, medial setae closer to each other than to lateral setae. Shape of mandible: bidentate. Distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye (OOL): approximately 1 ocellar diameter. Hyperoccipital carina: complete. Hyperoccipital carina strength: medially weakened; uniformly weak. Distance between lateral ocellus and hyperoccipital carina: approximately 1 ocellar diameter.

Mesosoma. Epomial carina: present, complete or nearly so. Microsculpture of lateral pronotum: present anterodorsally, absent posteroventrally. Lateral pronotal sculpture coverage: 1/4 to 1/2. Mesoscutellar spine: short and pointed. Mesoscutellar spine in lateral view: pointing posteriorly. Posterior margin of lateral propodeal carina in lateral view: rounded. Mesosomal dorsum in lateral view: convex. Notauli: unmarked or faintly suggested. Parapsidal lines: very faint. Setation of mesoscutum: sparse. Mesoscutal lamella: long and narrow. Setation of mesoscutellum: laterally dense, medially sparse.

Metasoma. Microsculpture of S2: absent. Sculpture of T2: absent; narrow transverse band of microsculpture at posterior margin. Length of T2: shorter than mesosoma; approximately as long as mesosoma.

Wing. Length of setae on disc of forewing: longer than distance between setal bases. Density of setae on disc of forewing: moderately dense. Arrangement of setae on disc of forewing: unknown. Forewing marginal setae: setae on posterior margin distinctly longer than setae on anterior margin.

Diagnosis.

Identification of S. kiki requires the use of numerous characters because it does not have any obviously distinct features. It is similar to S. roncavei , from which it can be separated by the development of the hyperoccipital carina, which is medially weakened in S. kiki and uniformly robust in S. roncavei . It is also similar to S. luli , but S. kiki has a posteriorly angled mesoscutellar spine and no central keel, while S. luli has a posterodorsally angled mesoscutellar spine and a partial central keel. The forewing of S. luli has setae of approximately equal length around the wing margin, while in S. kiki , the setae are distinctly longer on the posterior margin (Fig. 8 ).

Etymology.

The epithet " Synopeas kiki " is Proto-Oceanic for “small” ( Ross and Osmond 2016) and refers to the relatively diminutive size of this species. The name is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Plant associations.

Reared from a pimple gall on Nauclea sp. ( Rubiaceae ) [GALL222].

Material examined.

Holotype: Papua New Guinea: ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 6.14141°S, 146.87415°E, 25.XI.2010, Philip Butterill leg., Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00090410).

Figures

Figure 8. Forewing of Synopeas A S. butterilli (FSCA 00090264) B S. kiki (FSCA 00090410) C S. roncavei (FSCA 00094606) D S. luli (FSCA 00094549). Scale bar: 0.2 mm.