Anastatus (Anastatus) eurycanthae

Gibson, Gary A. P., Dewhurst, Charles & Makai, Simon, 2012, Nomenclatural changes in Anastatus Motschulsky and the description of Anastatus eurycanthae Gibson n. sp. (Eupelmidae: Eupelminae), an egg parasitoid of Eurycantha calcarata Lucas (Phasmida: Phasmatidae) from Papua New Guinea, Zootaxa 3419, pp. 53-61 : 56-60

A. (Anastatus) eurycanthae Gibson n. sp.

Figs 1–16

Type material. HOLOTYPE (Ƥ, BMNH). PAPUA NEW GUINEA, West New Britain Prov., Dami Research Station, ex lab reared E. calcarata egg, em. 7.xii.2011, S. Makai / Holotype A. (Anastatus) eurycanthae Gibson, 2012 . ALLOTYPE (3, BMNH). Same collection data as holotype.

PARATYPES. Same data as holotype (83Ƥ, 533); same data as holotype except collected 6.vi.2011 (19Ƥ, 93; 1Ƥ with egg case glued on card); same data as holotype except collected 6.vi.2011, emerged 7.vi.2011 (40Ƥ, 93; 1Ƥ with egg case glued on card); same data as holotype except 12.xi.2011 (11Ƥ, 13). Paratypes deposited in ANIC, BMNH, CNC, QMBA, USNM.

Etymology. Named after the host genus, Eurycantha .

Description. FEMALE ( Figs 1, 2 ). Length, about 2.5–3.2 mm. Head bright metallic green ( Fig. 6 ) except with diffuse coppery lustre on frontovertex ( Fig. 1 ), usually blue to purple along posterior orbit and sometimes on lower face, and clypeus yellowish-brown; palpi yellowish to dark brown; setae mostly white except some dark on vertex and along inner orbit, and hairlike except with denser, flattened, elongate-lanceolate, translucent setae on lower face, interantennal area between toruli, and parascrobal region ventrally; frons very shallowly meshlike reticulatecoriaceous, vertex somewhat more coarsely punctulate-reticulate, parascrobal region rugulose-roughened dorsally to rugulose-reticulate ventrally, interantennal region and scrobes transversely strigose-imbricate to granular dorsally, and interantennal region ventrally between scrobes more finely coriaceous-imbricate ( Fig. 10 ). Head in frontal view ( Fig. 6 ) about 1.4× wider than high; width in dorsal view about 3.6× minimum distance between eyes; face with V-like scrobal depression extended to within about 1.4 ocellar diameters of median ocellus ( Fig. 10 ), but usually connected to ocellus by variably distinct, vertical band of differentiated sculpture, and separated from inner orbit ventrally by slightly less than ocellar diameter; lower orbit in line with about middle of torulus; distance between toruli about 2× torular diameter; distance between torulus and oral margin about 1.8× torular diameter; interantennal area convex ventrally between toruli but flattened dorsally. Head in dorsal view with OOL: POL: LOL: MDPO about 0.6: 1.5: 1.2: 1.0; vertex comparatively long and low convex, with distance between posterior ocelli and occipital margin only slightly less than minimum distance between eyes, and temple about 0.4× minimum distance between eyes. Head with malar sulcus; in lateral view malar space almost 0.4× eye height. Eye white to pink, glabrous ( Fig. 6 ), about 1.3× as high as long. Mandible ( Fig. 6 ) yellowish basally to more reddish subapically and black apically; indistinctly tridentate, the incision between lower and middle tooth deeper and much broader than between middle and upper tooth. Antenna ( Fig. 14 ) dark brown except scape yellowish with slight darkening at extreme apex; scape (excluding radicle) about 5× as long as wide; pedicel about 1.7× as long as wide; first flagellomere (fl1 = anellus), fl2 and sometimes fl3 lacking mps, but subsequent flagellomeres with increasingly more numerous mps; relative length (width) measurements of pedicel: fl1–fl8: clava about 17(10): 9(9): 21(10): 22(12): 23(14): 21(14): 19(15): 17(15): 17(15): 454(15).

Mesosoma mostly yellowish-orange ( Figs 1–4 ) but pronotum with emarginate margin anterior to spiracle black and collar mesally and/or laterally sometimes variably extensively brown; mesoscutum mesal to inclined lateral surfaces orange to dark brown; scutellum dark brown to metallic green; tegula at least apically, axilla often partly, and acropleuron anteriorly sometimes brownish; and propodeum darker brown at least between spiracles. Pronotum flat, smooth, shiny, and glabrous dorsomesally, though laterally very finely coriaceous-alutaceous and with short, scattered setae, with only a single longer, conspicuous seta anterior to spiracle. Mesoscutal medial lobe ( Fig. 11 ) almost flat anteriorly to more deeply and narrowly concave posteriorly relative to inclined lateral lobes, meshlike reticulate with white, hairlike setae; lateral lobe with inclined inner surface shiny, superficially smooth or only very finely coriaceous-imbricate and broadened posteriorly, and both inner and outer surfaces with a line of long, dark setae. Axilla ( Figs 4 , 11 ) meshlike reticulate, with a line of dark setae laterally. Scutellum ( Figs 4 , 11 ) deeply reticulate-umbilicate to transversely umbilicate-crenulate except indistinctly delineated frenal area punctate-reticulate, and broad marginal rim (often concealed by dorsellum) smooth to finely sculptured; with a line of dark setae along lateral margin extending posteriorly to about frenal area. Mesopleuron uniformly setose with slender white setae anterior to acropleural sulcus; acropleuron very finely alutaceous to smooth and shiny mesally. Fore wing ( Figs 3–5 ), including basal plate, about 4.5× as long as wide, with apex rounded and extending slightly over base of gaster when directed posteriorly; basal plate with a row of 4–7 dark setae; disc, measured from base of costal cell, about 3× as long as wide, about apical one-third of disc densely setose with comparatively thick orange setae and often bent upwards slightly or at least differentiated by a furrow that is continuous to base along vannal margin, and with membrane basal to setose region with slight orange tint, the median third of disc comparatively sparsely setose with thinner setae and usually with bare spot behind submarginal vein adjacent to densely setose region, and about basal third of disc bare; costal cell extending about to base of apical setose region and bare except for a few setae ventrobasally; marginal vein extending along setose region to apex of wing, without evident stigmal or postmarginal veins. Hind wing ( Fig. 4 ) reduced to much shorter, slender, arcuate, hyaline membrane lacking setae except for 1 or 2 terminal setae. Legs ( Figs 1, 2 ) similar in colour to mesopleuron except metatrochanter sometimes white, apical tarsomere brown, and tibial and tarsal pegs dark; protibia with 4 or 5 apical pegs; mesotibia with 2 or 3 apical pegs; basitarsus with 10–12 pegs in serrate row, the pegs of uneven length; second tarsomere with 5 or 6 pegs, third tarsomere with 2 pegs, and fourth tarsomere with single peg apically on either side; metacoxa with dense though slender band of white setae laterally. Propodeum ( Fig. 4 ) typical for genus, setose only along extreme lateral margins and smooth and shiny or at most very finely coriaceous mesal to spiracles.

Gaster ( Figs 1, 2 ) with syntergum yellowish-orange, otherwise mostly dark brown dorsally and lighter brown to yellowish-orange laterally except for subbasal white region, though white region not always evident in air-dried specimens with compacted terga; sterna white except hypopygium brownish apically; terga very sparsely setose, each with single transverse row of long dark setae except syntergum subbasally with 2 paramedial setae and with a row of setae near posterior margin between cerci; first gastral tergum smooth and shiny, second gastral tergum translucent, and subsequent terga finely meshlike coriaceous; syntergal flange strongly transverse, much wider than long; ovipositor sheaths not projecting.

MALE ( Figs 8, 9 ). Length, about 1.7– 2.0 mm (excluding genital capsule if protruding). Head sometimes partly dark or with coppery lustre, particularly frontovertex ( Fig. 8 ), but with variably distinct and bright metallic blue to bluish-green lustre at least on face and gena ( Figs 7, 9 ); labiomaxillary complex often mostly more or less white, but at least apical palpomere of maxillary palpus brown; with relatively inconspicuous, whitish, hairlike setae except dark setae on vertex and occiput; meshlike coriaceous dorsally to coriaceous-alutaceous ventrally, with interantennal region often somewhat stronger coriaceous-granular, and scrobes much smoother and shiny ( Figs 7 , 12 ); scrobal depression with variably conspicuous vertical line extending from apex of interantennal region toward anterior ocellus, but line not distinctly sulcate or light coloured ( Fig. 7 ). Head in frontal view ( Fig. 7 ) about 1.3× as wide as high with genae converging to oral margin, the distance across oral cavity in ventral view slightly less than 0.4× width of head; width about 2.2× minimum distance between eyes; toruli with ventral margins slightly but distinctly below ventral margin of eyes, with distance between toruli almost 1.5× distance between torulus and inner orbit and slightly less than distance between torulus and oral margin. Head in dorsal view with OOL: POL: LOL: MDPO about 0.6: 1.9: 1.1: 1.0. Eye white, conspicuously setose ( Fig. 7 ), and subcircular though height slightly greater than length ( Fig. 9 ). Mandible similar to female. Antenna ( Fig. 15 ) dark brown or scape lighter brown than flagellum, but ventroapically with white, tapered region for reception of pedicel extending about half length of scape, the region membranous (not developed as distinct microsensory region) and often partly collapsed in air-dried specimens; scape (excluding radicle) about 3× as long as wide; pedicel only slightly longer than wide; flagellum typical for genus with fl1 so strongly transverse as to be superficially missing and flagellomeres otherwise comparatively thick, with dense sensilla, and dull with dense, short setae; clava about 2× length of apical funicular and with inconspicuous ventroapical microsensory region; relative length (width) measurements of fl2–clava about 27(11): 23(12): 22(13): 20(12): 20(12): 16(12): 16(12): 35(11).

Mesosoma dark brown without distinct metallic lustre except propodeum usually variably distinctly blue to purple ( Figs 8, 9 ); mesopleurosternum uniformly dark without distinctly lighter transepisternal line and setae brown ventrally, not contrasting with cuticle. Mesonotum mostly meshlike coriaceous, but median mesoscutal lobe more roughened-reticulate to shallowly rugulose anteriorly, and uniformly, densely setose with brown hairlike setae except about posterior half of scutellum more sparsely setose ( Fig. 13 ). Front leg ( Fig. 9 ) with coxa and femur dark brown (extreme apex of femur typically lighter brownish-yellow), but trochanter, trochantellus, tibia and tarsus yellowish-white except for slightly darker apical tarsomere; profemur with comparatively short, straight setae not contrasting conspicuously in colour with cuticle, and only sparsely setose mesolongitudinally; protibia with 2–4 dark apical spicules. Middle leg ( Fig. 9 ) similar in colour to front leg except trochanter also brown and apex of femur usually more distinctly lighter in colour. Hind leg ( Fig. 9 ) similar in colour to front leg except femur usually completely brown and tibia variably but usually obviously darker brown than pro- and mesotibiae. Fore wing hyaline except sometimes for slight brownish infuscation along posterior margin of basal cell ( Fig. 16 ); with brown setae contrasting conspicuously with membrane, and uniformly setose except for vannal region and small region behind parstigma adjacent to basal fold; cc: mv: pmv: stv about 5.4: 3.2: 2.2: 1.0.

Gaster ( Figs 8, 9 ) dark brown except first gastral tergum with variably distinct metallic blue to purple lustre; terga with brown setae. Genital capsule with single apical and subapical seta on volsella, 1 apical seta on paramere, and digitus with 2 or 3 spines.

Biology. Adults are being reared routinely from the eggs of laboratory-caged host insects. The parasitoids are fed with 10% honey and are being released in areas where populations of stick insect threaten oil palm plantings. Biological studies are continuing, but initial observations show that a mean of about 4 males and 14 females emerge from an egg, though a wide range (1– 9 males and 8– 20 females) of individuals can emerge from a single egg.

Remarks. Of the 33 valid species of Anastatus reported from the Australasian region by Noyes (2011), females of only the following eight species are brachypterous: A. apterus (Girault 1913) , A. flavithorax (Girault & Dodd in Girault 1915), A. goethei (Girault 1929) , A. hemipterus (Girault 1913) , A. lutheri (Girault 1934) , A. mancus (Girault 1915) , A. semitectus (Girault 1915) , and A. simplicifrons (Girault 1924) . All of these species were described from Australia. Of the eight species, females of four ( A. apterus , A. lutheri , A. semitectus , and A. simplicifrons ) have the head and body dark brown or with a slight metallic green lustre, but A. flavithorax , A. goethei , A. hemipterus and A. mancus have the mesosoma and legs yellowish to yellowish-orange so as to be more or less similar in colour to A. eurycanthae . Females of A. goethei are readily differentiated by their densely setose eyes and gaster. The fore wings are also setose over about the basal half and are apically truncate with the submarginal vein attaining the apex (Girault 1929, Bouček 1988), and the mesoscutum has a low, slightly wavy median carina among wavy, interconnected carinulae. Females of A. mancus are differentiated by a smooth and shiny mesoscutum (except for a median carina), the scutellar-axillar complex being yellowish-orange similar to the mesoscutum, the fore wing being obliquely truncate with only the extreme apex recurved and setose, and the ovipositor sheaths being exerted for about half the length of the gaster. Females of both A. flavithorax and A. hemipterus differ from A. eurycanthae by having longer fore wings with fuscous cross bands (Girault 1913, 1915) and fl1–fl3 or fl4 of the flagellum yellowish to yellowish-orange.

It is difficult to evaluate what combination of features should differentiate A. eurycanthae males because males are unrecognized for almost all Australasian Anastatus . However, males of different Anastatus species typically are distinguished by colour pattern and antennal structure, and these features likely will differentiate males of A. eurycanthae from those of other regional species. The description given above includes features that differ among at least some regional species based on examination of unidentified males from Australia.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Anastatus eurycanthae Gibson. 1, ♀ dorsal habitus (2011 - 74); 2, ♀ lateral habitus (2011 - 75); 3, ♀ dorsal mesosoma (2011 - 75); 4, ♀ scutellar-axillar complex and propodeum (2011 - 74); 5, ♀ fore wing (2011 - 77); 6, ♀ head, frontal view (2011 - 74); 7, ♂ head, frontal view (2011 - 81); 8, ♂ dorsal habitus (2011 - 80); 9, ♂ lateral habitus (2011 - 79).

FIGURES 10 – 13. Anastatus eurycanthae Gibson (SEM). 10, ♀ head, frntolateral view (2011 - 74); 11, ♀ mesonotum, dorsolateral view (2011 - 74); 12, ♂ head, frontolateral view (2011 - 81); 13, ♂, mesosoma, dorsolateral view (2011 - 80).

FIGURES 14 – 16. Anastatus eurycanthae Gibson (slide mounts). 14, ♀ antenna. 15, ♂ antenna. 16, ♂ fore wing.