Paranastatus halko Scallion

Scallion, Melanie L., Gibson, Gary A. P. & Sharanowski, Barbara J., 2016, Revision of Paranastatus Masi (Eupelmidae, Eupelminae) with descriptions of four new species, ZooKeys 559, pp. 59-79 : 64-65

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Eupelmidae

Paranastatus halko Scallion sp. n. Figs 1, 2, 8, 19

Material examined.

Holotype female, dry pinned, deposited in BPBM (Type No. 17540). Label data: "FIJI: Viti Levu, Vuda Prov., Koroyanitu Pk, 1 km E Abaca Vlg., Savuione Trl, 800m, 22. IV– 6.V.03 Malaise 1, Schlinger, Tokota’a. 17.667°S, 177.55°E. FBA 180165."

Paratype females (24), dry pinned, deposited in BPBM and CNC. Collecting data for all specimens examined are listed below. However, date ranges are provided when multiple specimens were collected from the same locality with the full label data for each specimen listed in Suppl. material 1: " Paranastatus Label Data".

(14). FIJI. Viti Levu, Vuda Prov., 1 km E Abaca Vlg., Koroyanitu Ntl. Pk, Savuione Trl. Dates collected range from 7.X.2002-6.V.2003 by E. Schlinger and M. Tokota’a.

(4, includes JBWM Photo 2015-02). FIJI. Viti Levu, Vuda Prov., 0.5 km N Abaca Vlg., Koroyanitu Eco Pk, Mt Evan’s Range. Dates collected range from 26. X– 3.XII.2002 by E. Schlinger and M. Tokota’a.

(2). FIJI. Viti Levu, Naitasiri Prov., 4 km WSW Colo-i-Suva Vlg., Mt Nakobalevu, 300m. Collected 12.IV.2004 by E. Schlinger and M. Tokota’a.

(4, includes JBWM Photo 2015-01). FIJI. Viti Levu, Naitasiri Prov., 4 km WSW Colo-i-Suva Vlg., Mt Nakobalevu, 372m. Dates collected range from 25. II– 14.XI.2003 by E. Schlinger and M. Tokota’a.

Diagnosis.

Females of Paranastatus halko are differentiated by the following combination of features: vertex granulate between ocelli and smooth posterior to ocelli; temple smooth; scape and pedicel blue (Fig. 8); mandible tridentate (Fig. 1); mesoscutum smooth or very slightly rugulose.

Description.

Female. Length: 2.6-2.95 mm.

Colour. Head with vertex dull black-brown between ocelli and metallic green changing to blue-purple posterior to ocelli towards temple; temple shining metallic blue-purple; gena and face metallic coppery-green (Figs 8, 19); frontovertex usually brown, sometimes blue-green with brown centrally (5/25 specimens). Antenna with scape and pedicel blue (Fig. 8), anellus (flagellomere 1) and flagellomeres 2-6 brown, tip of 7 usually white but sometimes brown, 8 and club all white (Fig. 19). Pronotum metallic blue-purple dorsally, coppery-green laterally; mesoscutum reddish-brown to more orange-brown; scutellar-axillar complex dull black; mesopleuron brown. Legs with procoxa light yellow-brown although sometimes dark brown (3/25 specimens), protrochanter dark brown, sometimes light yellow-brown (8/25), and profemur dark black-brown, sometimes with light spot apically on ventral surface (1/25); mesocoxa light yellow-brown, mesotrochanter light brown, mesofemur black-brown dorsally with a lighter streak ventrally, and mesotibia white; metacoxa white, sometimes with brown spot basoventrally (1/25), metatrochanter light brown, sometimes white (2/25), and metafemora dark black-brown; remaining tibiae and tarsomeres light yellow-brown to straw-yellow. Fore wing infuscate with hyaline band behind distal half of submarginal vein; hind wing hyaline. Gastral tergites brown, apex of gaster green; sternites brown except white at very base. Colour of setae on various body regions discussed in appropriate sections below.

Head. In lateral view, vertex distinctly convex between eyes, and temple sloping toward occiput to create a strongly obtuse angle (Fig. 8); vertex granulate between ocelli and smooth posterior to ocelli, sometimes appearing pustulate due to setae; temple smooth; gena coriaceous-imbricate to reticulate along malar sulcus (Figs 2, 8); face reticulate; frontovertex usually with blunt teeth projecting posteriorly towards vertex. Mandible tridentate, possibly appearing quadridentate in some views due to slight bump on ventral edge of large middle tooth (Fig. 1). Vertex and temple with evenly dispersed light brown setae; gena with brown setae, but with a patch of thick white setae on upper part of gena below eye; parascrobal region and region between toruli and clypeus with thick white setae; eye with short white setae; face otherwise with thinner brown setae.

Mesosoma. Pronotum coriaceous; mesoscutum usually smooth, sometimes very slightly rugulose, and only slightly concave posteromedially; scutellar-axillar complex reticulate; mesopleuron coriaceous. Pronotum with few brown setae; mesoscutum with sparse light brown setae posteromedially and along margins; scutellar-axillar com plex with few light brown setae; mesopleuron bare. Fore wing with dense, short brown setae; hind wing with relatively fewer short, light brown setae.

Metasoma. Entirely coriaceous; short to long brown setae evenly distributed ventrally; very sparse, short brown setae dorsally.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

Named in honour of Ed and Eliz Halko from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Their daughter, Gail Halko, also from Winnipeg, has made a donation to the Wallis-Roughley Museum of Entomology at the University of Manitoba to honour her parents, who both celebrated their 85th birthdays in 2015. This is a noun in apposition to retain integrity of the name Halko in the species name.

Distribution.

Viti Levu, Fiji.

Biology.

Unknown.

Remarks.

Vertex may appear pustulate under a stereomicroscope due to the setae. Care should be taken when using antennal colouration as a guide to species since flagellomere 7 is sometimes completely brown instead of white at apex, thus resembling the antennae of Paranastatus verticalis .