Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) crassicornis (Viggiani, 1969)

(Figs 248–256)

Lymaenon crassicornis Viggiani 1969: 44–46 .

Type locality: an unspecified locality in Adjara, Georgia (almost certainly Olodauri, Shuakhevi District, see “Comments” below).

Gonatocerus crassicornis (Viggiani): Huber 1988: 61 (likely closely related to the North American species G. latipennis and G. novifasciatus Girault).

Type material examined. Holotype male [ZIN, received for proper deposition (Viggiani 1969) from DEZA] on slide (Fig. 248) labeled: 1. “ Lymaenon crassicornis n. sp. Holotype [added later in red ink] 3 Adzarskoj RSSA, Sosna 8.VIII.53, lg. Trjapitzin”; 2. “Coll. Zool. Inst. Leningrad 18”. The holotype specimen is dissected under 3 coverslips.

Material examined. GEORGIA. ADJARA: Keda District, Keda, 7.ix.1953, V.A. Trjapitzin (on oak in pine forest) [1 Ƥ, ZIN]. Khulo District, Kvatiya, 2.viii.1953, V.A. Trjapitzin (on oak) [1 Ƥ, ZIN] .

Distribution. PALAEARCTIC: Georgia.

Description. FEMALE (non-type specimens). Body length 1170–1200 µm. Body and appendages somewhat faded during long storage in ethanol at room temperature conditions, but general color likely brown to dark brown.

Antenna (Fig. 254) with radicle about 0.2× total length of scape, rest of scape 2.9–3.3× as long as wide; pedicel longer than F1; F1 the shortest funicle segment, F2 shorter than following funicle segments, F3–F5 more or less subequal (F4 slightly shorter) and the longest funicle segments, F6 about as long as F7, F8 slightly shorter; mps on F2 (0 [or 1 on one antenna]), F3 (2), F4 (2 [or 1 on one antenna]), and F5–F8 (2 on each); clava with 8 mps, about 2.6× as long as wide, a little longer than combined length of F6–F8.

Mesosoma a little shorter than metasoma. Propodeum (Fig. 255) with submedian carinae difficult to see due to poor clearing of the specimens but these apparently (although not definitely) fine, rather apart from each other, a little closer anteriorly than posteriorly, and almost extending to anterior margin of propodeum. Fore wing (Fig. 256) about 2.6× as long as wide; longest marginal seta 0.15–0.16× maximum wing width; disc slightly infumate, bare behind venation except for several setae behind stigmal vein. Hind wing (Fig. 256) about 12× as long as wide; disc slightly infumate; longest marginal seta 1.4–1.5× maximum wing width.

Metasoma. Petiole about 0.5× as long as wide, slightly narrower anteriorly than posteriorly. Ovipositor occupying about 0.7× length of gaster, not exserted beyond its apex, about 1.1× as long as mesotibia.

Measurements (µm) of the specimen from Keda. Head 209; mesosoma 449; metasoma 523; ovipositor 378. Antenna: radicle 42; rest of scape 161; pedicel 66; F1 32; F2 45; F3 65; F4 60; F5 64; F6 58; F7 58; F8 54; clava 200. Fore wing 1181:461; longest marginal seta 76. Hind wing 886:73; longest marginal seta 106.

Redescription. MALE (holotype). Similar to female except for normal sexually dimorphic features and the following. Antenna (Fig. 249) with scape and pedicel very short, scape plus radicle 1.2× as long as wide, smooth; F1 wider than other flagellomeres. Propodeum (Fig. 250) with submedian carinae straight, rather apart from each other, and extending almost to propodeal anterior margin. Fore wing (Fig. 251) 2.4× as long as wide, longest marginal seta 0.19× maximum wing width; hind wing (Fig. 252) about 11× as long as wide; longest marginal seta 1.3× maximum wing width. Gaster narrower than mesosoma; genitalia as in Fig. 253.

Measurements (µm) of the holotype. Mesosoma 566; genitalia 212. Antenna: scape + radicle 67; pedicel 50; F1 100; F2 121; F3 124; F4 115; F5 118; F6 115; F7 112; F8 112; F9 109; F10 100; F11 115. Fore wing 1138:473; longest marginal seta 91. Hind wing 874:81; longest marginal seta 106.

Diagnosis. The female of G. crassicornis, as defined and described here, is characterized by the antenna (Fig. 254) with mps on F3–F8 (and also sometimes on F2 but at most on one antenna) and also by a short ovipositor which is about 1.1× as long as mesotibia. It is somewhat similar to G. kikimora from the Russian Far East, from which it differs by a much shorter clava, as indicated in the diagnosis of the latter.

Hosts. Unknown.

Comments. The species was described from the single male holotype (Viggiani 1969) who indicated the following regarding its label data (p. 46): “1 3 (olotipo), Adzarskoj RSSA, Sosna, 8.VIII.53, leg. TRJAPITZIN”. This is obviously a partially incorrect and incomplete translation from the missing original label, which was in Russian as were other Vladimir A. Trjapitzin’s labels of Chalcidoidea specimens from his collecting trip to the Caucasus during June-September 1953 when he was a Ph.D. candidate graduate student: the collecting locality is missing from the translation, and “Adzarskoj RSSA” should have been translated as “Adzharskoy ASSR” of Georgian SSR, USSR [of the Adzharia Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which is now called Autonomous Republic of Adjara (of Georgia), or simply Adjara or Adzharia]. “Sosna” refers to the plant: the specimen was collected from a pine tree. Unfortunately, there are no other mymarid specimens collected by V.A. Trjapitzin in that locality and date but it is clear from other labels close to it that my father was on a collecting trip to the internal districts of Adzharia during the first ten days of August 1953. And according to Trjapitzin (1968), a female of Comperiella bifasciata Howard ( Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was collected by him on the same date as the holotype of Lymaenon crassicornis (8.viii.1953) in Olodauri (a mountainous village), Shuakhevi district of Adzharia on Pinus kochiana, and V.A. Trjapitzin (personal communication) confirmed that the mymarid species that was later described by Viggiani (1969) as L. crassicornis almost certainly was captured during the same collecting event.

In 2003, I borrowed from ZIN the remaining ethanol-preserved material of Mymaridae collected by V.A. Trjapitzin in Armenia and Georgia during 1953 (other specimens of this family and also those of Trichogrammatidae have been examined by G. Viggiani at DEZA), and specimens were then critical point dried and point-mounted (and some slide-mounted). Two specimens of G. ( Cosmocomoidea) were found among the material and are attributed here to G. crassicornis . The material had been stored in ethanol for 50 years so the specimens could not be cleared perfectly but yet well enough to make more or less good slides. These two females were collected by V.A. Trjapitzin in inner Adzharia not far (at most within 20–25 km) from the original type locality of L. crassicornis . Although it is obviously impossible to make an absolutely positive association of these females with the holotype of L. crassicornis, a very good chance exists that they are likely conspecific also because they come from the same habitat (pine forest in the case of the female from Keda although from oak rather than from pine).