Halticoptera andriescui, Mitroiu, 2005

Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2005, A review of the Romanian Halticoptera Spinola (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae), with description of three new species, Zootaxa 1090 (1), pp. 35-49 : 43-44

Halticoptera andriescui sp. n.

(FIGS. 1, 2, 7, 9, 10, 15)

Female. Whole body green, sometimes with bronze reflections on gaster. Mandibles pale whitish­yellow, teeth reddish­brown. Scape dark brown with proximal third yellowish (in one rather dark green female the scape is entirely dark, excepting only its extreme proximal end, which is pale); pedicellus and flagellum brown, paler on ventral side. Legs apart from coxae, which are of same color as thorax, entirely bright reddish, with only the fifth segment of tarsi brownish. Tegulae reddish­brown. Fore wings hyaline, venation pale reddish. Body length: 1–1.4 mm.

Head width about 2.1X length in dorsal view, width about 1.2X that of mesoscutum, its sculpturing only slightly raised. Temples about 0.2X as long as eyes in dorsal view. POL about 1.1X as long as OOL, ocelli small, the posterior ones separated by about 4X their major diameter from the adjacent eye. Eyes separated by about 1.4X their own length. Malar space about 0.6X as long as transverse diameter of eye and about 0.4X as long as an eye. Antennae (FIG. 1) with lower edge of toruli about level with lower edge of eyes. Toruli separated by slightly less than a diameter. Scape about as long as an eye, reaching or almost reaching to lower edge of median ocellus; combined length of pedicellus and flagellum about as long as breadth of head. Pedicellus length about 2X width in lateral view, from distinctly to slightly shorter than anelli plus first two funicular segments; all funicular segments at least very slightly transverse: F1 length about 1.1X width, F6 about 1.3X, its width about 1.3X that of pedicel. Clava length about 2.3X width, about equal to the combined length of the three preceding segments.

Thorax (including propodeum) clearly arched, length about 1.3X width in dorsal view. Pronotum collar reticulate, with only a narrow posterior shining strip. Mesoscutum width about 2.5X length, notauli distinct to its posterior margin, with slightly raised reticulation, more fine on the side­lobes. Scutellum about as long as broad, about 1.1X as long as mesoscutum, convex, with less raised sculpture than the mid­lobe of the mesoscutum; frenum marked off only by a very fine, almost indistinct, line. Dorsellum virtually smooth. Propodeum (FIG. 9) medially about 0.6X as long as scutellum and about 3X as long as metanotum; plicae incomplete, hardly reaching to lower edge of spiracles, these small, ovate­round; median carina distinct, straight; median area mainly smooth, with only traces of alutaceous sculpture mostly towards plicae and spiracles, with two small foveae anteriorly. Hind tibia with two spurs, one about as long as breadth of tibia, the other about half as long as the first one. Fore wings length about 2.2X width; costal cell on lower side with a single row of hairs (sometimes with 1–3 hairs beneath it, distally), shorter and sparser at the base of the cell; basal cell with 0–3 hairs distally; speculum open below; marginal vein about twice as long as stigmal vein and about 1.3 times as long as postmarginal vein (FIG. 7).

Petiole (FIG. 10) reticulate, apparent length hardly 1.2X width, with two anterior flanges, two small lateral projections and median carina. Gaster ovate, length 1–1.2X width, hardly to distinctly shorter than thorax (including propodeum); basal tergite occupying from slightly more than half to about three quarters total length, depending on the degree of retraction of the last tergites; hind margin of basal tergite weakly incised medially; tip of hypopygium situated rather more than half way along gaster.

Male. Differs from female in the following characters: antennae entirely reddishyellow, except for the extreme basal end of pedicellus, which is brownish. Palpi pale yellow. Maxillary stipites enlarged and extending to about middle of foramen magnum; maxillary palpi very small, about as long as malar space and hardly half as long as an eye, only slightly dilated apically, elliptic, the sac formed by their last two segments about 3 times as long as broad (FIG. 15). POL about 1.4X as long as OOL, the posterior ocelli separated by about 3X their major diameter from the adjacent eye. Eyes separated by about 1.4X their own length. Funicle segments (FIG. 2): F1 length 1.2X width, F6 1.1–1.2X; clava longer than the three preceding segments. Basal cell of fore wing with about 3 hairs, (range 0–8); marginal vein 1.9–2.1 times as long as stigmal vein; postmarginal vein relatively longer. Petiole slightly shorter, about as long as broad.

Material examined: Holotype ♀, Romania, BraŞov county, Piatra Craiului National Park (the hunting chalet), 21. VIII. 2004, on grasses (I. Popescu). Deposited in "Grigore Antipa" Natural History Museum, Bucharest, registration number 183018 (specimen glued on card with one side appendages mounted on microscope slide).

Paratypes. Same locality and date as holotype: 1♀ and 3♂♂ (1♀ and 1♂ in British Museum (Natural History), London , registration number BMNH (E) 2005 145; 1♂ in " Grigore Antipa " Natural History Museum , Bucharest, registration number 183019; 1♂ in author's collection); Slǎnic (ArgeŞ county): 1♀ and 1♂ 19. VIII. 2004, swept on Trifolium (M.­D. Mitroiu), in author's collection; Vǎratec (Neamţ county): 1♂ 11. VII. 1998, on grasses near coniferous tree forest (M.­D. Mitroiu), in author's collection; PoieneŞti (Vaslui county): 1♀ 15. VII. 1994, on grasses near forest (I. Andriescu), in author's collection .

Etymology: This species is named for Dr. I. Andriescu, the initiator of the study of Chalcidoidea in Romania, for his important contributions to the knowledge of this interesting group of insects.

Biology: Unknown; possibly a species of Diptera associated with Trifolium .

Remarks: Halticoptera andriescui sp. n. belongs to the group of species allied to H. circulus (Waker) , together with H. crius (Walker) , H. aenea (Walker) , H. letitiae Askew , H. violacea Askew and H. aureola Graham. From these species H. andriescui sp. n. most closely resembles H. aureola and H. letitiae . From aureola both sexes of andriescui differ mainly in having the petiole quadrate to distinctly longer than broad and not distinctly transverse, a relatively shorter marginal vein and longer postmarginal vein, as well as a shorter gaster. The sac formed by the last segments of the maxillary palpi is relatively more elongate in the male of andriescui and the stipites are larger, extending distinctly above the lower edge of foramen magnum. From letitiae both sexes of andriescui differ mainly in having all femora entirely bright reddish and not broadly metallic medially, a longer marginal vein and a smaller body size.