Netomocera desaegeri, Mitroiu, 2019

Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2019, Revision of Netomocera Bouček (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae), excluding the Oriental species, European Journal of Taxonomy 568, pp. 1-87 : 30-35

Netomocera desaegeri sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E5F91D00-8C88-4849-9CD5-9863ABAC04DF

Figs 54–64

Diagnosis

Both sexes

Macropterous; fore wing slightly to conspicuously and uniformly infumate ( Fig. 62). Clypeal margin straight to very slightly produced ( Fig. 57). Scrobes shallow and finely reticulate. Upper face and vertex with eight large setae ( Fig. 56). Occiput margin sharply defined ( Fig. 56). Pronotal collar not unusually long or wide ( Fig. 60). Mesoscutum, scutellum and axillae densely reticulate, appearing dull under setation ( Fig. 60); scutoscutellar sutures superficial, hardly visible ( Fig. 60); frenal area not distinct, i.e., sculpture not different than on rest of scutellum ( Fig. 60). Mesepimeral sulcus conspicuous ( Fig. 59). Propodeum ( Fig. 61) with uniform, more or less dense sculpture, without a well-defined V-shaped area basally. Fore wing with basal third extensively setose except for narrow bare region ( Fig. 62). Visible part of petiole very short, distinctly transverse, with more or less obliterate sculpture ( Fig. 61).

Female

Head dark brown to black, occasionally slightly bluish or bluish-green ( Figs 55–56). POL 4.2–5.3 × OOL. Setation of mesonotum dense and pale brown, not conspicuous ( Fig. 60). MV 3.5–4.5× SV.

Etymology

The species is named (noun in the genitive case) for Henri De Saeger, who organized the expedition to Belgian Congo during which thousands of specimens of Pteromalidae were collected.

Material examined

Holotype

TOGO • ♀; “ Togo: Région des Plateaux: main road between Agbanon and Agoté, at creek Tomezuitoe, Creek bank at teak-forest ( Tectona grandis), shady cocoa plantation, 7°15′53″ N 0°47′51″ E, 360 m a.s.l., 15.4.2008, swept, eclector; v. Tschirnhaus (Tg1878)”; entire, on rectangular card; BMNH.

Allotype

TOGO • ♂; same data as for holotype; BMNH.

Additional paratypes

D.R. CONGO • 1 ♀; “ Congo Belge P.N.G., Miss. H. de Saeger, Aka , 14-V-1952, H. de Saeger. 3450”; RMCA • 1 ♀; “ Congo Belge P.N.G., Miss. H. de Saeger, Ndelele /K.117, 27.III-1952, H. de Saeger. 3267”; RMCA • 1 ♀; “ Congo Belge P.N.G., Miss. H. de Saeger, II/fd/17, 2-VII-1951, Réc. H. de Saeger. 2032”; RMCA • 1 ♀; “ Congo Belge P.N.A, Nyasheke ( Volc. Nyamuragira ), 1820m. 14/ 26-VI-1935, G.F. de Witte: 1493”; RMCA • 1 ♂; “ Congo Belge P.N.G., Miss. H. de Saeger, Makpe /8, 5-XI-1951, Réc. H. de Saeger. 2718”; RMCA • 1 ♀; “ Congo Belge P.N.A., 7-15-VII-1955, P. Vanschuytbroeck, 13274-309”; RMCA • 1 ♂; “ Congo Belge P.N.G., Miss. H. de Saeger, Pp. K.72, 27-VIII-1951, Réc. H. de Saeger. 2338”; RMCA .

GABON • 2 ♀♀; “ GABON: 17 Km N. of Libreville , XII. 1987, J. Noyes ”; “ ♀ Netomocera, det. Z. Bouček 1997”; NMPC .

GAMBIA • 1 ♀; “Gambia, Abuko, 5/11 1981, K.-J.Hedqvist ”; “Standing over Netomocera alboscapus in Hedqvist coll., BMNH (E) 2011-27 ”; BMNH .

KENYA • 1 ♂; “ KENYA, Nairobi , iii.1982 ”; “Brit. Mus. 1982-347”; NMPC .

MALAWI • 1 ♀; “ Coll. Mus. Tervuren, Malawi: Chisasira (Chinteche), 3-20.I.1978, R. Jocqué ”; RMCA .

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♀; “S. Africa, R. E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1924-235”; “Port St. John, Pondoland. 16- 28.iv.1924 ”; NMPC • 1 ♂; “S. Africa, R. E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1923-363”; “Port St. John, Pondoland. June 12 -30.1923”; NMPC.

TANZANIA • 1 ♀; “Africa or. Katona”; “Arusha-Ju 1905. XII”; “Arusha-9”; “ Netomocera ”; NMPC • 1 ♀; “Mto-ja-Kifaru”; “Africa or. Katona”; “no frenal groove” [Bouček’s handwriting]; NMPC.

TOGO • 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; MICO .

UGANDA • 1 ♀; “Uganda, Entebbe, Oct.-Nov. 1972 ”; “ ♀ Netomocera, Det. Z. Bouček, 1991 ”; NMPC .

ZIMBABWE • 1 ♀; “ RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham /WF.193, viii.75 ”; “505.R”; BMNH • 1 ♀; “ RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham /WF.224, (i)76”; BMNH • 1 ♀; “ RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham /WF.218, (xii)75”; BMNH • 1 ♀; “ RHODESIA, Salisbury, A. Watsham /WF.205, (x)75” ;

BMNH • 2 ♀♀; “ RHODESIA: Chishawasha , Nr. Salisbury ”; “ XII. 1978, A. Watsham ”; NMPC • 1 ♂; “ RHODESIA, Mazoe , i.75, A. Watsham ”; NMPC .

Other material

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♀; “Zululand, Eshowe, 1-22.iv.1925 ”; “ S. Africa, R. E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1925- 175”; NMPC .

Description

Female (habitus: Fig. 54)

COLOUR. Head ( Figs 55–56) black, occasionally dark brown or with slight bluish or bluish-green reflections. Mandibles reddish-brown.Antenna ( Fig. 58) with scape whitish to yellowish, extreme apices usually darker; pedicel yellowish-brown but dorsally darker; flagellum light brown to brown, usually gradually darkening towards dark brown clava. Mesosoma ( Figs 59–61) dark brown to black. Legs with coxae yellowish-brown to dark brown; fore and mid trochanters and trochantelli yellowish-brown to brown, hind trochanter and trochantellus yellowish to yellowish-brown; femora yellowish-brown to brown, hind femur progressively lighter apically; tibiae yellowish, fore and hind tibiae basally usually darker; tarsi yellowish, pretarsi brown. Fore wing ( Fig. 62) slightly to conspicuously and uniformly infumate; venation light brown; setation light brown. Metasoma ( Fig. 54) with petiole black; gaster brown to almost black. Body setation light to dark brown except several large, symmetrically arranged reddish-brown setae.

BODY LENGTH. 1.50–2.75 mm.

HEAD. Clypeus finely coriaceous; apical margin straight to very slightly produced ( Fig. 57). Lower face with shallow piliferous punctures among reticulation. Upper face reticulate, with reticulation becoming denser towards vertex ( Fig. 56); scrobes shallow, reticulate except smooth near toruli; parascrobal area with elongate cells ( Fig. 55). Occiput alutaceous; margin sharply defined ( Fig. 56). Toruli with lower margins from slightly below to about level with lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 55). Antenna with flagellum strongly widening towards clava; clava conspicuously asymmetric ( Fig. 58). Upper face and vertex with eight large setae ( Fig. 56). Head in dorsal view with width 2.15–2.40× length (70:31) and in frontal view 1.1–1.2 × height (70:60). POL 4.2–5.3 × OOL (24.0:4.5). Eye height about 1.4–1.5 × length (41:28), 2.4–2.9 × malar space (41:14) and about 1.1–1.3 × scape length (41:32). Head width 0.9–1.1 × length of pedicel plus flagellum (70:69). Fu1 length 1.25–1.50 × width (7:5); fu7 width 1.6–2.0× length (9:5); clava length 2.0–2.4 × width (24:10).

MESOSOMA. Pronotal collar conspicuously narrower than mesoscutum, with eight large setae ( Fig. 60). Mesonotum moderately setose dorsally ( Fig. 60). Mesoscutum and axillae with dense reticulation, dull ( Fig. 60). Scutellar disc similarly sculptured as mesoscutum, cells somewhat elongate and smaller on frenal area ( Figs 60–61). Upper mesepisternum partly smooth, partly striate-reticulate, lower mesepisternum reticulate ( Fig. 59). Mesepimeron mainly smooth; mesepimeral sulcus conspicuous ( Fig. 59). Propodeum with intricate pattern of carinae forming a raised tooth anteriorly, interspaces smooth to slightly wrinkled ( Fig. 61). Macropterous; fore wing uniformly and densely setose except for small, elongate bare region ( Fig. 62). Mesosoma length 1.25–1.30 × width (75:60) and 1.40–1.45 × height (75:55). Pronotal collar about 0.3–0.4× as long as mesoscutum (6:22) and about 0.8 × as wide as mesoscutum (49:60). Mesoscutum width 2.5–3.0 × length (60:22). Scutellum length about 0.9× width (32:35). Propodeum length about 0.6–0.7 × scutellum length (20:32). Fore wing length 2.4–2.5× width (140:55); MV 3.5–4.5× SV (39:11) and 2.2–3.3 × PV (39:18).

METASOMA. Petiole very short, transverse, virtually smooth ( Fig. 61). Gaster ovate-acuminate, length 1.5– 2.0× width (92:50) ( Fig. 54); gt1 longest, from slightly longer than to slightly shorter than wide (50:50), with hind margin slightly produced curved posteriorly; gt2–5 very short, transverse, sometimes almost completely retracted under gt1; gt6 much wider than long, semicircular; syntergum acutely pointed. Ovipositor sheaths conspicuously protruding beyond apex of gaster. Cercal setae almost reaching gaster apex.

Male (habitus: Fig. 63)

Differs from female mainly as follows. Body length: 0.90–1.75 mm. Antenna with flagellum yellowishbrown to dark brown. Fu1 length 2.0–2.8 × width; combined length of pedicel plus flagellum 2.3–2.4 × as wide as head. Eye height about 2.10–2.35 × malar space. POL 2.7–3.6 × OOL. Occipital margin blunt in small specimens. Mesosoma sculpture shallower. Propodeum without a tooth anteriorly. Gaster, when not inflated, much shorter than mesosoma, with only gt1 visible.

Distribution

D.R. Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

Remarks

The species can be recognized mainly by the dull dorsal surface of the mesonotum, without any differentiated frenal area ( Fig. 60). One female from South Africa (NMPC), excluded from the type series, has both fore wings abruptly shortened beyond the parastigma, as if cut off (no trace of shortened venation), and the hind wings also shortened and very narrow. I do not include these character states in the description because this seems to be an exceptional case.