Spalangia noyesi, Gibson, 2009

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2009, 2259, Zootaxa 2259, pp. 1-159 : 130-133

24. Spalangia noyesi n. sp.

(Figs 374–376, 378–384, 386)

Type material. HOLOTYPE (♀, CNC no. 23890). “USA: [ GEORGIA] GA, McIntosh Co., Sapelo Island, 20.VI-18.VII, 1987, BRC Hym. team, FIT [flight intercept trap], live oak forest”. Condition : point-mounted, entire.

PARATYPES (5♀, 1♁). Nearctic. USA: California, Nevada Co., Sagehen Cr., 16.VII.70 (1♀ UCDC), 20.VIII.70 (1♁ UCDC), R.M. Bohart. Florida, Alachua Co., Gainesville, AEI, 1.V-14.VII.1987, oak forest, BRC Hym. team (1♀) . Georgia, McIntosh Co., Sapelo Island , 20.VI-18.VII.87 (live oak for.), 29.V-6.VI.87, 26.VI-18.VII.87 (savanna), BRC Hym. team (3♀) .

Etymology. This outstanding species is named in honor of John Noyes, who through his Universal Chalcidoidea Database has made systematics research on Chalcidoidea immeasurably easier and thereby made a significant contribution to lessening the taxonomic impediment.

Description. Female. Length = 1.4–1.9 mm. Antenna and body uniformly brown, except legs sometimes lighter in color and at least basal 4 tarsal segments and sometimes apex of metatibia yellow. Head in anterior (Fig. 374) view about 1.3–1.4x as high as wide, elongate-rectangular with subparallel sides and small eyes occupying about middle third; in dorsal view about 2.5–2.8x as wide as long; in lateral view (Fig. 379) about 3.3–3.5x as high as long and malar space about 1.7–1.8x eye width, with malar space, eye and temple above eye all about equal height; in posterior view without occipital carina (Fig. 375). Head capsule mostly smooth and shiny as follows: with variably distinct and complete median sulcus extending between about level of upper and lower orbits and parascrobal region obliquely strigose-alutaceous (Fig. 376), but upper face smooth and almost bare, with line of very sparse, short, variably conspicuous setae laterally near inner orbit and paramedially, the setae sometimes originating from minute pores or more distinct pinprick-like punctures; scrobal depression delineated by convergent, usually slightly depressed, coriaceous scrobes on either side of smoother interantennal region; gena mostly smooth but with partial malar sulcus near eye and with sparse setiferous punctures; temple smooth and similarly setose as gena. Antenna (Fig. 384) with scape about 3.8–4.2x as long as wide, the inner and outer surfaces shiny but finely alutaceous; pedicel about 1.1–1.5x as long as apical width and about 1.7–2.3x as long as fu 1; funicle sometimes with fu 1 obviously (about 1.1–1.2x) longer than wide or fu 2, but usually all segments distinctly transverse with fu 1 about 1.3–1.5x as wide as long and subequal in length to fu 2, and subsequent segments increasingly wider and longer, with fu 7 about 1.3–1.7x as wide as long; clava about 1.1–1.9x as long as wide.

Pronotum in lateral view (Fig. 379) uniformly low convex without evident circumpronotal furrow differentiating collar from neck or lateral panel; in dorsal view (Fig. 378) ∩-shaped without narrower neck, the neck differentiated only as finely coriaceous and inconspicuously setose transverse region occupying about anterior third, with posterior two-thirds smooth and shiny or at most obscurely coriaceous, and only very sparsely setose laterally and posteriorly, the inconspicuous setae originating from minute pores. Mesoscutal median lobe (Fig. 378) variably extensively coriaceous to transversely alutaceous anteriorly, but at least smooth and shiny posterior to level of setae; mesoscutal lateral lobe uniformly finely coriaceous-alutaceous. Axillae (Fig. 378) smooth and shiny except for sparse setae. Scutellum (Fig. 378) smooth and shiny except for

Figs 374–381. Figs 374–376, Spalangia noyesi Gibson ♀, head: 374, anterior view, 375, ventral view, 376, frontolateral view. Fig. 377, Spalangia xanthoscapa Gibson ♀, head, frontolateral view. Figs 378–381, S. noyesi ♀. 378, mesosoma, dorsal view; 379, head and mesosoma, lateral view; 380, mesopleuron; 381, propodeum, dorsal view.

Figs 382–385. Figs 382–384, Spalangia noyesi Gibson : 382, ♀ petiole, lateral view; 383, ♁ antenna; 384, ♀ antenna. Fig. 385, Spalangia xanthoscapa Gibson ♀ antenna (insert: fu 1 –fu 3).

single setiferous puncture posterolaterally. Mesopleuron (Fig. 380) shiny and quite finely sculptured as follows: pectal region smooth and bare except for 1 posteroventral seta; acropleuron longitudinally striate-carinate, the striae extending posteriorly onto alar shelf; subalar scrobe a posteriorly curved, sulcate furrow joined to shallow episternal scrobe by a straight, sulcate furrow; upper and lower mesepimeron similarly, finely, obliquely alutaceous-coriaceous; upper mesepisternum indistinguishably merged into lower mesepisternum, with single seta anterior to mesocoxa but without transepisternal line or ventral line of setae, the upper mesepisternum smooth. Fore wing hyaline; sometimes only very inconspicuously setose behind submarginal vein but usually with at least 15 setae partly aligned in 2 rows. Propodeum (Fig. 381) with variably distinct postspiracular sulcus; callus mostly very finely coriaceous to smooth and shiny but finely reticulate-rugose anteriorly; plical region smooth and shiny but often with faint irregular longitudinal striae or short paramedian furrows indicating effaced lanceolate median band of sculpture; sometimes with slender but distinct supracoxal band of sculpture extending to nucha.

Petiole about 1.9–2.0x as long as wide (accurate measurements not possible); reticulate-rugose (Fig. 382); bare or with 1 lateral seta projecting ventrally. Gaster shiny but Gt 2 and subsequent tergites finely coriaceous.

Male. Length similar to female (gaster missing in single known specimen). Antenna (Fig. 383) with scape about 3.9x as long as wide; pedicel about 1.3x as long as wide; flagellum with conspicuous semierect setae of similar length to width of segment; funicle with fu 1 about 2.5x as long as wide and about 1.5x as long as pedicel; fu 2 slightly (about 1.1x) longer than wide and subsequent segments quadrate to slightly longer than wide, with fu 7 about 1.3x longer than wide. Otherwise similar to female except as follows. Head in anterior view about 1.2x as high as wide; in dorsal view about 2.6x as wide as long; in lateral view about 3.2x as high as long. Fore wing even more conspicuously setose behind submarginal vein, including complete line of setae along mediocubital fold and 2 lines of setae in basal cell.

Fig. 386. Distribution of Spalangia noyesi Gibson and S. xanthoscapa Gibson.

Distribution. Southern USA (Fig. 386).

Biology. Unknown, but based on morphology probably a parasitoid of Diptera associated with ant nests.

Recognition. I include S. noyesi and S. xanthoscapa as the only two species in the noyesi species group, though the two putative species likely are only highly modified species related to some drosophilae -group species. This hypothesis is based on a slight indication of a median lanceolate band on the propodeum of some specimens of S. noyesi , and the comparatively long flagellar setae of males (Fig. 383). Also, the upper mesepisternum is not differentiated from the lower mesepisternum by a transepisternal line or adjacent line of setae (Fig. 380), which is similar to some drosophilae -group species. The two noyesi -group species are distinguished from drosophilae -group and other Spalangia species in part by the propodeum having at most an extremely effaced median lanceolate band and an unusually flat and elongate-slender head and mesosoma (Figs 378, 379). Individuals also uniquely lack an occipital carina (Fig. 375) within Spalangia as well as having a ∩- or bell-shaped pronotum without a distinctly differentiated neck (Figs 378, 379). Both of these features are undoubtedly correlated with their unusually flat body (Fig. 379).

The single female from California differs from the Florida and Georgia females in having fu 1 obviously longer than wide and apparently the fore wing less extensively setose behind the submarginal vein. The male from California has the fore wing even more setose than females, which is characteristic of several other Spalangia species.

The unique female of S. xanthoscapa differs conspicuously from females of S. noyesi only in its bicolored antennae. It also has a completely smooth and shiny (Fig. 377) rather than obliquely strigose-alutaceous (Fig. 377) parascrobal region, but this as well as a generally slightly finer body sculpture and somewhat more strongly transverse funicular segments (Fig. 385) may be correlated with its slightly smaller body size.