Conostigmus muratorei Trietsch, 2020

Trietsch, Carolyn, Mikó, István, Ezray, Briana & Deans, Andrew R., 2020, A Taxonomic Revision of Nearctic Conostigmus (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronoidea: Megaspilidae), Zootaxa 4792 (1), pp. 1-155 : 130-134

Conostigmus muratorei Trietsch sp. nov.

Figs. 72 , 73 , 74

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from all other Nearctic Conostigmus by the presence of the mesopostscutellum, the absence of the sternaulus, the width of the crenulae of the notauli increasing more than 2× anteriorly, and the presence of the dorsomedian projection of the gonostyle–volsella complex. This is also the only known Conostigmus species where the dorsomedian projection of the gonostyle–volsella complex is bilobed. Whereas most male Conostigmus have flagellomere length gradually decreasing apically, in this species F1–F5 are of similar lengths, with some specimens having F4 and F5 longer than F1, though this can vary between specimens.

The female of this species is unknown.

The habitus of this species is unique. Its wide head and long, narrow mesosoma, coupled with the absence of the sternaulus and independent parossiculi (medioventral conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex present), make this species a member of the Dolichoceraphron subgenus ( Dessart and Cancemi, 1987). The type species of this genus is the Palearctic species C. linearis , of which the male is unknown. Conostigmus muratorei is the first member of this subgenus recognized from the Nearctic.

Variability. There is intraspecific variability in the anterior preoccipital furrow end—in some specimens it ends just before the ocellar triangle (PSUC_FEM 34239), whereas in other specimens it extends inside the ocellar triangle (PSUC_FEM 34093, PSUC_FEM 9055). Whereas most male Conostigmus have flagellomere length gradually decreasing apically, in this species F1–F5 are of similar lengths, with some specimens having F4 and F5 longer than F1 (PSUC_FEM 34093, UCRC_ENT 00457090). This species has 2 mandibular points present, but there is variation in the length of these mandibular points. The dorsal mandibular point can appear much shorter than the ventral mandibular point, which also occurs in C. bipunctatus and C. madagascariensis (see Mikó et al., 2016, Fig. 37 ).

Description. Body length: 1.275–2.0 mm. Color hue pattern in male: cranium, mesosoma, metasoma brown to dark brown; F1–F9 light brown to brown; scape, pedicel ochre to brown; legs ochre to light brown. Color intensity pattern in male: metasoma and mandible lighter than mesosoma; metasoma lighter than mesosoma and cranium; pedicel lighter than scape. Color intensity dorsal and ventral to the site of the sternaulus: concolorous. Color intensity pattern of syntergite: petiole neck and anterior region of syntergite concolorus with the posterior region of the syntergite. Foveolate sculpture on body count: absent. Rugose sculpturing count: absent. Rugose region on upper face count: absent.

Antennae: Male scape length vs. pedicel length: 2.5–3.6. Male scape length vs. F1 length: 1.3–1.7. Male F1 length vs. pedicel length: 1.5–2.8. Male F1 length vs. male F2 length: 1.0–1.2. Longest male flagellomere: F1–F5; sometimes F4 or F5 longer than F1. Length of setae on male flagellomere vs. male flagellomere width: setae shorter than width of flagellomeres. Sensillar patch of the male flagellomere pattern: F6–F9.

Head: Head width, dorsal view: at least 1.3× wider than mesosoma. Head height (HH, lateral view) vs. eye height (EHf, anterior view): HH:EHf=1.5–1.9. Head height (HH) vs. head length (HL): HH:HL=1.1–1.5. Head width (HW) vs. interorbital space (IOS): HW:IOS=1.6–1.9. Head width (HW) vs. head height (HH): HW:HH=1.0– 1.4. Cephalic size (csb): Mean: 300–500 μm. Maximum eye diameter vs. minimum eye diameter: 1.2–1.4. POL: OOL: POL equal to or shorter than OOL and ocellar triangle with short base. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL) vs. lateral ocellar line (LOL): OOL:LOL=2.0–2.7. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL) vs. posterior ocellar line (POL): OOL:POL=1.0–1.8. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL): posterior ocellar line (POL): lateral ocellar line (LOL): 2.0– 2.7:1.3–2.4:1.0. Head shape (anterior view): circular or triangular. Preoccipital lunula count: absent. Preoccipital carina count: absent. Occipital carina structure: occipital carina complete. Occipital carina sculpture: smooth. Preoccipital furrow count: present. Preoccipital furrow anterior end: preoccipital furrow ends inside ocellar triangle, but ends posterior to the anterior ocellus. Preoccipital furrow sculpture: crenulate. Postocellar carina count: absent. Dorsal margin of occipital carina vs. dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view: occipital carina ventral to lateral ocellus in lateral view. Transverse scutes on upper face count: absent. Transverse frontal carina count: absent. Randomly sized areolae around setal pits on upper face count: absent. Setal pit on vertex size: smaller than diameter of scutes. Ventromedian setiferous patch and ventrolateral setiferous patch count: absent. White, thick setae on upper face count: absent. Antennal scrobe count: absent. Facial structure count: facial pit present. Facial pit count: present. Facial sulcus count: absent. Median facial keel count: absent. Supraclypeal depression count: present. Supraclypeal depression structure: absent medially, represented by two grooves laterally of facial pit. Intertorular area count: present. Intertorular carina count: present. Median process on intertorular carina count: present. Median process on intertorular carina shape: acute. Median process of intertorular carina structure: process does not extend across intertorular area to dorsal margin of clypeus. Median region of intertorular area shape: convex. Ventral margin of antennal rim vs. dorsal margin of clypeus: not adjacent. Torulo–clypeal carina count: present. Subtorular carina count: absent. Mandibular tooth count: 2. Mandibular lancea count: absent.

Mesosoma: Weber length: WL=390–770 μm. Anterior mesoscutal width (AscW) vs. posterior mesoscutal width (PscW): AscW/PscW=0.6–0.9. Mesoscutal length (MscL) vs. anterior mesoscutal width (AscW): MscL/ AscW=1.8–2.4. Mesoscutal length (MscL) vs. mesoscutellar length (MscIL): MscL:MscIL= 0.9–1.2. Wing count: present. Fore wing size: wings present and macropterous with apex extending past petiole. Pronotum median length: less than longest median anatomical line of the mesoscutum. Notaulus count: present. Crenulae of notaulus width: width of the crenulae increases more than 2× anteriorly. Notaulus posterior end location: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Posterior region of notaulus orientation: posterior end of notaulus curves and is adjacent to median mesoscutal sulcus. Median mesoscutal sulcus count: present. Median mesoscutal sulcus posterior end: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Scutoscutellar sulcus vs. transscutal articulation location: adjacent. Axillular carinae count: absent. Speculum ventral limit: not extending ventrally of pleural pit line. Metapleural sulcus shape: straight. Mesometapleural sulcus count: present. Ventrolateral invagination of the pronotum count: present. Sternaulus count: absent. Sternaulus length: sternaulus absent. Epicnemial carina count: complete. Epicnemium posterior margin shape: anterior discrimenal pit present; epicnemial carina curved. Transverse striations on the ventral metapleural area count: absent. Scutes on posterior region of mesoscutum and dorsal region of mesoscutellum convexity: flat. Ventral projection of the metapleural carina count: present. Ventral projection of the metapleural carina length: less than 2× as long as wide. Lateral propodeal carina count: present. Lateral propodeal carina shape: inverted “Y” (left and right lateral propodeal are adjacent medially posterior to antecostal sulcus of the first abdominal tergum, and connected to the antecostal sulcus by a median carina representing the median branch of the inverted “Y”). Mesopostscutellum count: present (posterior margin of scutellum appears raised). Anteromedian projection of the metanoto–propodeo–metapecto–mesopectal complex count: absent. Posterior margin of nucha in dorsal view shape: concave.

Metasoma: Transverse carina on petiole shape: concave. Paired blue iridescent ovoid patches on the syntergite count: absent. Shortest width of petiole neck vs. syntergal translucent patch maximum width: 1.5. Shortest width of petiole neck vs. synsternal translucent patch maximum width: 0.75, 1.13. Syntergal translucent patch maximum width vs. minimum width: 2.0. Synsternal translucent patch maximum width vs. minimum width: 2.0–2.7. Syntergal translucent patch maximum width orientation: anterolaterally. Synsternal translucent patch maximum width orientation: anterior–posteriorly. Synsternal setiferous patch shape: linear, with a patch of setae lateral or posterior to the synsternal translucent patch. Synsternal setiferous patch structure: comprised of a single or double row of setae anterior to the synsternal translucent patch, with a patch of setae lateral or posterior to the synsternal translucent patch. Synsternal setiferous patch anterior end: synsternal setiferous patch begins anterior to the synsternal translucent patch anterior margin. Synsternal setiferous patch posterior end: synsternal setiferous patch ends posterior to the synsternal translucent patch posterior margin. Synsternal setiferous patch length vs. synsternal translucent patch maximum width: synsternal setiferous patch at least 2× as long as the maximum width of the synsternal translucent patch. S1 length vs. shortest width: S1 wider than long.

Male Genitalia: Distal margin of male S9 shape: convex. Proximolateral corner of male S9 shape: blunt. Male S9 distal setal line/setal patch count: distal setae composing transverse setiferous line or lines. Male S9 distal setal line / setal patch structure: single transverse row of distal setae occurring medially with less than 4 setae below it. Distomedian hairless area interrupting transverse row of setae or patch on male S9 count: absent with distal setiferous patch/line continuous medially. Submedial projections on proximal margin of S9 count: absent. Cupula length vs. gonostyle–volsella complex length: cupula less than 1/2 the length of gonostyle–volsella complex in lateral view. Proximodorsal notch of cupula count: present. Proximodorsal notch of cupula shape: arched (inverted U-shape). Proximodorsal notch of cupula width vs length: wider than long. Proximolateral projection of the cupula shape: blunt. Gonocondyle count: present. Gonocondyle shape: acute. Dorsomedian projection of the gonostyle–volsella complex count: present. Dorsomedian projection of the gonostyle–volsella complex shape: bilobed. Dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex count: present. Dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex length relative to length of gonostyle–volsella complex: dorsomedian conjunctiva extending more than or equal to 2/3 of length of gonostyle–volsella complex in dorsal view. Dorsomedial margin of gonostyle–volsella complex shape: straight with a median projection. Parossiculus count or parossiculus and gonostipes fusion: present and parossiculi not fused with the gonostipes. Medioventral conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex count or fusion of parossiculi: medioventral conjunctiva present and parossiculi independent or fused proximally. Apical parossicular setae count: three. Distal projection of the parossiculus count: present. Distal projection of the penisvalva count: absent. Gonossiculus spine count: 3. Harpe length: harpe shorter than gonostipes in lateral view. Harpe shape: simple and not bilobed. Harpe orientation: medial. Lateral margin of harpe shape: widest point of harpe is in its proximal 2/3rds. Distal margin of harpe in lateral view: blunt or straight. Lateral setae of harpe count: present. Lateral setae of harpe orientation: oriented distolaterally. Lateral setae on harpe density: setae sparse. Dense patch of setae on the distoventral edge of the harpe count: absent. Distal setae on harpe length: setae of equal length across distal end of harpe. Distodorsal setae of sensillar ring of harpe length vs. harpe width in lateral view: setae as long as or shorter than harpe width. Distodorsal setae of sensillar ring of harpe orientation: distally. Sensillar ring area of harpe orientation: medially. Sensillar ring shape: circular. Distoventral margin of harpe in lateral view: convex.

Distribution. Nearctic.

Etymology. This species is named muratorei in memory of the first author’s grandfather, Dr. Joseph F. Muratore, who was passionate about entomology and passed away during the course of this research.

Material Examined. Holotype male: USA: California: PSUC _FEM 34093, UCFC 349597 ( UCFC) . Paratypes (12 males): USA: California : 12 males. PSUC _FEM 36106, 92612 ( PSUC); PSUC _ FEM 9055 ( ROME); PSUC _ FEM 32929, 34042 , 34084 , 34100 , 34239 , 34262 , 88170 ( UCFC); UCRC _ ENT 00457088 , 00457090 ( UCRC) .

Figures

FIGURE 37. Conostigmus orcasensis (Brues, 1909) male holotype genitalia (UAM100257610). A. Ventral view. B. Lateral view. C. Dorsal view. Abbreviation: promixodorsal notch of cupula (pdn).

FIGURE 72. Conostigmus muratorei Trietsch sp. nov., habitus of male holotype (PSUC_FEM 34093).

FIGURE 73. Conostigmus muratorei Trietsch sp. nov., habitus of male holotype (PSUC_FEM 34093). A. Lateral. B. Dorsal. Abbreviations: axillular carinae (axc); mesopostscutellum (mpm).

FIGURE 74. Conostigmus muratorei Trietsch sp. nov., paratype male genitalia. A. Ventral (PSUC_FEM 9055). B. Lateral (UCRC_ENT 00457090). C. Dorsal (PSUC_FEM 9055). Abbreviation: dorsomedian projection of the gonostyle–volsella complex (dmp).