Austroterobia gatesi, Mitroiu, 2017

Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2017, Revision of world Austroterobiinae and Parasaphodinae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae), parasitoids of giant scales (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Monophlebidae), Zootaxa 4301 (1), pp. 1-63 : 11-14

Austroterobia gatesi sp. nov.

( Figs 11–20)

Diagnosis. Female (male unknown): head and mesosoma without metallic reflections ( Figs 11, 12); inner margins of eyes very slightly sinuate ( Fig. 13); gena depressed at mouth corner ( Fig. 15); mandibular formula 3:2 ( Fig. 13); antenna with funicular segments strongly pedicellate ( Fig. 16); POL about 0.8× OOL; pronotum not or barely visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 17); notauli visible throughout length of mesoscutum ( Fig. 17); prepectus and dorsal side of propodeum bare ( Fig 17, 18); axillae wide apart ( Fig. 17); posterior margin of mesoscutellum not densely setose, without distinct spine ( Fig. 17); anterior margin of propodeum not distinctly raised, not concealing dorsellum ( Fig. 19); propodeal plicae present, converging posteriorly ( Fig. 19); fore wing without speculum ( Fig. 20); parastigma with hyaline break ( Fig. 20).

Austroterobia gatesi superficially resembles A. achterbergi in colour, as well as in head and mesosomal structure; however it differs from the latter species in having complete notauli ( Fig. 17), distinctly pedicellate funicular segments ( Fig. 16), and a different wing structure, i.e. without a speculum and with a hyaline break on the parastigma ( Fig. 20).

Material examined. Type material. Holotype ♀ (deposited in UCD) [entire; on triangular card]. COSTA RICA: ‘ Costa Rica : Puntarenas Los Patos Par. Nac. Corcovado, 8°33’N 83°30’W 200m, 1-9.III.00 MT/YPT, J S Noyes & J A Asofeifa’, ‘ Austroterobia S. L. Heydon 2002 ’.

Description. Female. Body length: 1.4 mm.

Colour. Head and mesosoma dark brown ( Figs 11, 12). Gaster light brown ( Figs 11, 12). Eyes and ocelli whitish-grey ( Figs 13–15). Antenna light brown ( Fig. 16). Mandibles pale yellow, teeth reddish-brown ( Fig. 13). Legs entirely yellowish except for darker pretarsi ( Fig. 11). Wings hyaline ( Fig. 20). Tegula and venation light brown ( Fig. 20). Body setation whitish-brown, wing setation brown ( Figs 13, 17, 20).

Sculpture. Head coriaceous to alutaceous except for smooth clypeus ( Figs 13–15); malar area with sculpture denser ( Fig. 15); mesoscutum and mesoscutellum reticulate, axillae almost smooth ( Fig. 17); median area of propodeum, except for median carina and plicae, almost smooth but with several superficial carinulae ( Fig. 19); mesopleuron with shallow femoral depression, without any indication of a central pit ( Fig. 18); prepectus, mesepimeron and metapleuron almost smooth ( Fig. 18); upper mesepisternum alutaceous, lower mesepisternum finely reticulate ( Fig. 18); gaster smooth.

Structure. Head. Toruli about equidistant from median ocellus and ventral margin of clypeus, their lower margins much higher than lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 13). Scape reaching lower margin of median ocellus ( Fig. 15). Gena conspicuously depressed at mouth corner ( Fig. 15), posterior margin carinate. Malar sulcus absent ( Fig. 15). Eyes broad oval, inner margins slightly sinuate in middle and almost parallel in lower part ( Fig. 13). Funicular segments strongly pedicellate ( Fig. 16). Head width 2.5× length (50:20) in dorsal view and 1.25× height (50:40) in frontal view. POL about 0.8× OOL (9:11). Eye height 1.25× length (19.5:15.5), about 1.3× malar space (19.5:14.5), and 1.3× scape length (19.5:15.0). Head width subequal to length of pedicel plus flagellum (50:51). F1 width equal to length (5:5); F5 width 1.1× length (5.0:4.5); clava length 2.7× width (13.5:5.0).

Mesosoma. Dorsally setose, except for metanotum and median area of propodeum ( Fig. 17); prepectus and metapleuron bare ( Fig. 18); mesopleuron bare except for some setae along anteroventral margin ( Fig. 18). Pronotum not visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 17). Notauli complete ( Fig. 17). Axillae wide apart, medially connected by wide groove separating mesoscutum from mesoscutellum ( Fig. 17). Posterior margin of mesoscutellum evenly curved ( Fig. 17). Anterior margin of propodeum not distinctly raised, not concealing dorsellum ( Fig. 19). Propodeum with distinct median carina and posteriorly converging, almost complete plicae ( Fig. 19). Fore wing ( Fig. 20) completely setose, without speculum; parastigma with hyaline break; marginal vein hardly thickened.

Mesosoma length subequal to width (55:52), width about 1.4× height (41:30). Mesoscutum width 3.15× length (41:13). Mesoscutellum length 0.95× width (20:21). Propodeum length 0.45× mesoscutellum length (9:20). Fore wing length about 1.9× width (96:51); MV about 1.2× SV (18.0:15.5); PV about 1.7× MV (31:18).

Gaster. Ovate, longer than head plus mesosoma ( Figs 11, 12); length about 1.7× width (70:42).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Costa Rica.

Biology. Unknown.

Remarks. This is the first record of the subfamily Austroterobiinae in the Neotropical region; it is highly probable that other species will be discovered when more material is examined.

Etymology. Named in honour of Dr. Michael Gates ( USNM), for his contribution to the systematics of Chalcidoidea .