Neastymachus bolus Hayat

Hayat, Mohammad, Ahmad, Zubair & Khan, Farmanur Rehman, 2014, Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 3793 (1), pp. 1-59 : 41-43

Neastymachus bolus Hayat , sp. nov.

( Figs 101–105 )

Female. Holotype. Length, 1.56 mm Head between occipital margin and posterior ocelli dark brown; across ocellar area brownish yellow; from about level of anterior ocellus to two-thirds head height brownish, lower third of head (= face), excluding brown mouth margin, and malar space up to sulcus, yellow; malar space behind sulcus pale brown; occiput with a black cross-band above foramen magnum reaching laterally to posterior margin of eye. Mandible yellowish brown, apically black. Antenna brownish yellow, with dorsal margin and apex of scape, and pedicel largely pale brown; distal two segments of clava pale brown. Mesosoma with pronotal collar translucent white, anterior to collar with a black cross-band which laterally curves up and extends to collar; anterior to this band, pronotum brownish yellow; mesoscutum brown, sides and posteriorly brownish yellow, the brownish part with a slight bronzy shine; axilla and scutellum yellowish brown; tegula yellow basally, yellowish brown apically; metanotum and propodeum yellowish brown; mesopleuron brownish yellow. Wings hyaline. Legs, including coxae, brownish yellow; mid tibia in distal two-thirds white. Gaster black, metallic; TI across anterior half with bluish green shine; otherwise TI–V with purple and violet shine; TVI dark brown, and TVII brownish; sides from cercal plates yellowish brown; visible part of ovipositor sheaths brownish yellow.

Head. Occipital margin appears sharp; frontovertex width 0.26× head width; ocellar triangle with apical angle very slightly acute; posterior ocellus very close to margin of eye; POL, OOL, OCL, ratios—9:0.5:3.75; head, in frontal view ( Fig. 102 ), 1.18× as broad as high; scrobes moderately deep, inverted U-shaped with rounded margins; antennal torulus with upper margin in line with lower margin of eye; distance between lower margin of torulus and mouth margin less than torulus height (5:7.5); eye height 2.28× malar space; frontovertex with very fine but distinct polygonal reticulate sculpture, and with minute setigerous punctures; malar space with very fine, elongate reticulate sculpture; setae on head silvery white; eye apparently bare. Mandible with 3 teeth, dorsal tooth rounded ( Fig. 103 ). Antenna ( Fig. 101 ) with scape at least about 5.8× as long as broad; pedicel 2.5× as long as broad, and 1.3× as long as F1; F1 2.5× as long as broad, and slightly longer than F2 which is slightly shorter than F3; F4–F6 subequal in length, but each longer than broad; segments increasing in width distally, so that F6 is 1.65× as broad as F1; clava as long as preceding 3 funicle segments combined; longitudinal sensilla present on F3 onwards. Relative measurements —head dorsal width, 52.5; frontovertex width, 14; head frontal height, 44.5; eye height, 32; malar space, 14; antennal scape length, 22.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 104 ). Mesoscutum with fine polygonal sculpture, the cells slightly transversely elongate; axilla with slightly raised reticulate sculpture; scutellum with raised polygonal sculpture in anterior fourth, posterior three-fourths with elongate reticulate to lineolate reticulate sculpture ( Fig. 104 ); pronotal collar and mesothoracic dorsum with silvery white setae, but scutellum with two pairs of long, subapical, brown setae; sides of propodeum distal to spiracles with long, silvery white setae. Fore wing ( Fig. 105 ) 2.36× as long as broad; disc proximal to linea calva setose to base; ratios of marginal, postmarginal and stigmal veins; 1:0.76:1.13; costal cell with a line of setae in distal two-fifths of dorsal surface; ventral surface of costal cell with a line of backwardly directed setae (7) in about distal third, and at least two lines of setae in proximal two-thirds. Relative measurements —mesosoma length, 57; pronotum, visible part, length (width), 5 (45); mesoscutum length (width), 26 (47); scutellum length (width), 26 (27); fore wing length (width), 118 (50). (From slide) —mid tibia length, 60, mid basitarsus length, 18; mid tibial spur length, 20.

Metasoma 0.85× mesosoma length; exserted part of ovipositor 0.08× gaster length. Relative measurements (From slide)—TVII length, 53; ovipositor length, 84; third valvula length, 22.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ( ZDAMU, registration No. HYM. CH.689), ♀ (on slide, under 6 coverslips, slide No. EH.1597), labelled “ KSA: AL-BAHA: Qunfudah, vi.2012, (MT), Coll. Z. Ahmad”.

Distribution. Saudi Arabia : Al-Baha.

Etymology. The species name is an arbitrary combination of letters, and may be taken as a noun in apposition.

Comments. This and the following species belong to a group of species of Neastymachus Girault characterized by having a dark brown to black cross-band on the occiput reaching laterally to eyes, and pronotum with a similar black cross-band; fore wing proximal to the linea calva setose to base, without a distinct asetose area in basal triangle; and gaster apically narrowed or pointed, with the cercal plates situated in about basal third of gaster ( Hayat 1999). To this species-group belong N. auraticorpus Girault (1915) , N. delhiensis ( Subba Rao 1957) and N. axillaris Singh et al. (1991) . The presence of short notaular lines in the anterior half of the mesoscutum separates N. auraticorpus from the two Indian species and the new species described here.

This new species, N. bolus , appears similar to N. axillaris , but differs as follows: head (excluding the black band on occiput) dark brown between occipital margin and posterior ocelli, brownish yellow across ocellar area, brownish from level of anterior ocellus to two-third head height, and lower third of head (excluding brown mouth margin) and malar space up to sulcus, yellow; frontovertex width about one-fourth head width; scutellum largely with elongate reticulate to lineolate reticulate sculpture; antenna with scape slightly longer than F1–4 combined; F1 0.76× pedicel length, and 2.5× as long as broad; F2 shorter than both F1 and F3; fore wing 2.36× as long as broad; ovipositor 1.4× as long as mid tibia; and second valvifer 2.81× as long as third valvula. In N. axillaris : head (excluding the dark band on occiput) largely yellow; frontovertex width one-third head width; scutellum with regular, raised, polygonal sculpture; antenna with scape slightly longer than F1–3 combined; F1 subequal in length to pedicel, and 3× as long as broad; F2 shorter than F1 but slightly longer than F3; fore wing 2.68× as long as broad; ovipositor 1.49× as long as mid tibia; and second valvifer 2.56× as long as third valvula. (Based on the original description by Singh et al. 1991, and the slide-mounted parts of a paratype present in the ZDAMU)

This new species differs from N. ceelus Hayat , sp. nov., as follows: head (excluding the black band on occiput) dark brown between occipital margin and posterior ocelli, brownish yellow across ocellar area, brownish from level of anterior ocellus to two-third head height, and lower third of head (excluding brown mouth margin) and malar space up to sulcus, yellow; mesopleuron brownish yellow; frontovertex about one-fourth of head width; antenna with F2 shorter than both F1 and F3; and second valvifer 2.81× as long as third valvula. In N. ceelus : head (excluding the black band on occiput) largely white, except a pale brown band between eyes in upper part of scrobes, and brown mouth margin; mesopleuron in anterior third brownish yellow, and posterior two-thirds dark brown; antenna with F2 slightly shorter than F1 and slightly longer than F3; and second valvifer 2.55× as long as third valvula.

Figures

FIGURES 101 – 105. Neastymachus bolus Hayat, sp. nov. Female: 101, antenna; 102, head, frontal view; 103, mandible; 104, mesosoma; 105, part of fore wing.