Platystethynium Ogloblin, 1946

Huber, John T. & Read, Jennifer, 2021, A new, remarkable species of Platystethynium (Platypatasson) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) from New Zealand, Zootaxa 5052 (2), pp. 215-232 : 216

Platystethynium Ogloblin, 1946

Platystethynium Ogloblin, 1946: 290 . Type species: P. onomarchicidum Ogloblin , by original designation.

Platypatasson Ogloblin, 1946: 293 . Type species: Platystethynium fransseni Ogloblin, 1946 , by original designation. Synonymy by Donev & Huber, 2002: 118.

Parastethynium Ogloblin, 1964: 106 . Lapsus for Platystethynium .

Pseudocleruchus Donev & Huber, 2002: 118 . Type species: Pseudocleruchus triclavatus Donev & Huber, 2002 , by original designation. Synonymy by Ortis et al., 2020: 10.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Females are distinguished from all other genera by the following combination: head strongly triangular ( Fig. 8 ); mandibles short, without teeth, and with a distinct gap between them ( Fig. 2b ); pronotum longitudinally divided medially ( Fig. 4 ); mesosoma dorsoventrally flattened ( Fig. 9 ); fore wing with venation at most 0.33× fore wing length.

Remarks. Platystethynium , represented in New Zealand by one species of the subgenus Platypatasson , is the first new genus reported for the country since the genera were keyed by Noyes & Valentine (1989). In their key, females would key to Apoxypteron , at the first half of their couplet 67. Males key to couplet 9 but do not fit either half. Among other features, Platystethynium ( Platypatasson) differs from Apoxypteron by the longitudinally divided pronotum (pronotum not divided in Apoxypteron ), the short and relatively wide parastigma ( Fig. 5 ) (parastigma long and uniformly thin in Apoxypteron ), and the venation about 0.3× fore wing length (venation 0.4× fore wing length in Apoxypteron ).

Figures

FIGURES 8–10. Platystethynium (Platypatasson) earlyi Huber, paratype female. 8a, head, lateral; 8b, head, lateral showing ocular apodeme; 9, mesosoma, lateral; 10a, metasoma, lateral; 10b, genitalia. Scale bars = 100 μm.

FIGURES 1–3. Platystethynium (Platypatasson) earlyi Huber, holotype. 1, habitus, ventral; 2, head, dorsal; 3, head, ventral. Scale bars: 1 = 200 μm; 2, 3 = 100 μm.

FIGURES 4–6. Platystethynium (Platypatasson) earlyi Huber, holotype. 4, mesosoma, dorsal; 5, wings; 6, holotype slide. Scale bars: 4 = 100 μm; 5 = 200 μm.