Merismomorpha Girault, 1913

Tselikh, Ekaterina V., Rasplus, Jean-Yves, Lee, Jaehyeon, Dale-Skey, Natalie, Gupta, Ankita & Ku, Deok-Seo, 2024, A new species of Merismomorpha Girault, 1913 (Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae) from the Palaearctic region, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 97, pp. 937-944 : 937-944

Merismomorpha Girault, 1913

Epipolycystus Girault, 1915: 336. Type species: Epipolycystus asilus Girault, 1915, by original designation. Synonymy by Bouček (1988: 461).

Giorgionia Girault, 1933. Type species: Giorgionia flavipetiole Girault, 1933, by monotypy. Synonymy by Bouček (1988: 461).

Neopolycystella Girault, 1915: 336. Type species: Neopolycystella sicarius Girault, 1915, by original designation. Synonymy by Bouček (1988: 461).

Type species.

Merismomorpha acutiventris Girault, 1913 , by original designation Girault (1913: 82–83).

Diagnosis.

Head without occipital carina (Fig. 7 ). Gena with a shallow malar depression; genal lamina absent. Clypeal margin medially produced, subconical (Figs 5 , 17 ). Antennal formula 11354 (Fig. 5 ); flagellum slightly or obviously clavate; clava symmetric, area of micropilosity large, extending from distal clv 1 to clv 4 (Fig. 5 ). Antenna inserted above lower ocular line; antennal protuberance absent; scrobes shallow (Figs 5 , 17 ). Pronotum short with collar not carinate (Figs 1 , 7 , 14 ); notauli complete (Figs 7 , 15 ) or incomplete. Mesoscutellum arched, frenal area not raised (Figs 1 , 14 ). Propodeum reticulate with conspicuous, long and posteriorly converging plical furrows; costula and median carina absent, nucha distinct; propodeal spiracle inserted close to anterior propodeal margin (Fig. 7 ). Fore wing hyaline, with distinct speculum; mv not widened and longer than stv and pmv (Figs 3 , 16 ). Hind coxa dorsally bare (Fig. 4 , 14 ). Petiole in dorsal view smooth and fusiform (Fig. 2 ); in lateral view appears as bipartite and curved (Fig. 4 ). Mt 2 large with tapered base (Fig. 2 ), cerci with setae subequal in length, ovipositor shortly protruding.

Remarks.

Merismomorpha Girault belongs to a small group of pteromaline genera with elongated petiole ( Bouček 1988); it looks similar to Pterosemopsis Girault, 1917 , with which it could be confused. Indeed, the two genera exhibit shared characters: a lower clypeal margin medially produced and subconical (Figs 5 , 10 , 17 ); antennal formula 11354 (Figs 5 , 8 ); antennal toruli situated above level of lower ocular line (Figs 5 , 10 , 17 ); propodeum with converging plical furrows (Figs 7 , 9 , 11 ); long and smooth petiole (Figs 2 , 11 ). However, Merismomorpha differs from Pterosemopsis by the petiole in lateral view appears as bipartite and curved (Fig. 4 ) vs petiole in lateral view appears as single and not curved in lateral view (Fig. 8 ); frenal area of mesoscutellum not raised (Fig. 1 ) vs raised (Figs 8 , 12 ); collar margin of pronotum not carinate (Fig. 1 ) vs carinate (Fig. 8 ).

Accurate circumscription and diagnoses of these genera have not been published yet and only the key to Australasian genera of Pteromalidae ( Bouček 1988) can be used to separate them, which could be troublesome for Oriental species. Indeed, some of the species of Pterosemopsis have erroneously been identified as belonging to Merismomorpha . Likewise, some species of Merismomorpha may not belong here (e. g. M. gatra ) ( Sureshan et al. 2006) and the two genera are in need of revision.

Figures

Figures 1–7. Merismomorpha ulleungensis Tselikh, Rasplus & Ku, sp. nov., holotype female 1 body, lateral view 2 metasoma, dorsal view 3 fore wing 4 petiole and hind coxa, lateral view 5 head and antenna, frontal view 6 head, dorsal view 7 mesosoma and propodeum, dorsal view.

Figures 14–17. Merismomorpha minuta Sureshan, 2000, holotype female (ZSIK) 14 body, lateral view 15 head and mesosoma, dorsal view 16 fore wing 17 head, frontal view.

Figures 8–13. Pterosemopsis eilogoa Bouček, 1988, holotype female (NHMUK) 8 head and mesosoma, lateral view 9 head and mesosoma, dorsal view 10 head and antenna, frontal view 11 propodeum and petiole, dorsal view 12 body, lateral view 13 labels.