Psyttalia halidayi Wharton, 2009

Wharton, Robert, 2009, Two new species of Psyttalia Walker (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Opiinae) reared from fruit-infesting tephritid (Diptera) hosts in Kenya, ZooKeys 20 (20), pp. 349-377 : 359-365

Psyttalia halidayi Wharton , sp.n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B48EB272-94A6-436F-B39F-4DEC46268A86

Figs 1–12, 25

Type locality. Kenya, Coast Province, Mrima Hill, 4˚29.32’S, 39˚15.27’E.

Type material. Holotype. Female ( NMK), with labels as follows: “ KENYA: Coast Province / Mrima Hill, 17.x.2000 / 4˚29.32’S, 39˚15.27’E / R. Copeland, #920” “reared from Ceratitis / rosa in fruits of / Lettowianthus stellatus ” “ HOLOTYPE / Psyttalia / halidayi / Wharton” [red handwritten label.]

Paratypes ( TAMU, NMK, ICIPE): 4 females, 13 males, same data as holotype ; 22 males, same data except with additional label “bred in lab at ICIPE 2001 on C. rosa .” The latter represent the last generation of a culture initiated at ICIPE (in Nairobi, Kenya) from some of the females that emerged from the Mrima Hill sample .

Description. Female (Fig. 10). Head (Figs 1–4, 25): Frons, vertex, occiput, and gena polished, face appearing less polished due to punctation; frons weakly punctate and sparsely setose along eye margin, bare medially, with shallow median pit between antennal toruli, frons very weakly wrinkled on either side of pit; gena completely unsculptured; face deeply punctate throughout, punctures separated by about their own diameter except more widely spaced near margin of clypeus. Face 1.60–1.75 × wider than high. Width of ocellar field 1.45–1.55 × distance from lateral ocellus to eye. Eyes in dorsal view distinctly bulging beyond temples; eye in lateral view very large, 6.00– 7.15 × longer than temple. Malar space nearly absent, 0.05–0.10 × width of clypeus, about 0.10–0.15 × basal width of mandible; malar sulcus present but very short, difficult to discern. Clypeus 2.9–3.2 × wider than high, slightly protruding ventrally in profile, ventral margin evenly, shallowly concave; surface uniformly punctate, punctures more widely scattered than on most of face; anterior tentorial pits large, round. Mandibles with dorsal tooth longer than ventral tooth, ventral tooth only weakly twisted medially. Occipital carina widely separated from hypostomal carina ventrally; sharp and distinctly elevated throughout, extending dorsally just below top of eye in lateral view, weakly reflected medially at dorsal terminus; anterior margin impressed and weakly crenulate, especially dorsally. Hypostomal carina protruding as a short, low flange beneath mandible when mandible closed. Antenna with 44–46 flagellomeres; first flagellomere 2.4–3.1 × longer than wide, 1.10–1.25 × longer than second, twen-

Figures Ι–4. Psyttalia halidayi sp. n., paratype female, head Ι Base of antenna, lateral view 2 Dorsal view 3 Lateral view 4 Face.

tieth flagellomere 1.7–2.0 × longer than wide; apical flagellomere with long, spine-like extension at tip. Maxillary palps considerably longer than height of head.

Mesosoma (Fig. 8) 1.2–1.3 × longer than high, 1.85–1.90 × longer than wide; 1.45–1.50 × higher than wide. Pronotum dorsally with distinct median pit and transverse, weakly crenulate sulcus laterad pit, otherwise polished, with two transverse rows of setae; pronotum laterally with transverse sulcus visible as short, deep, pinched groove at dorsal extremity; vertical carina present all along and adjacent to anterior margin, more strongly elevated dorsally; posterior margin weakly crenulate from ventral corner to level of mesothoracic spiracle; surface otherwise completely smooth and polished. Propleural flange small but distinct, flat or nearly so, not strongly bent posteroventrally; not separated from remainder of propleuron by a sculptured groove. Notaulus a small dimple, not extending to anterior margin of mesoscutum; scattered setae present around notaulus, extending as a widely spaced row to tegula, setae on disc of mesoscutum varying from 2 pairs to none; midpit absent; lateral margin of disc acarinate between notaulus and tegula, sharply carinate posteriorad tegula. Scutellar sulcus narrow (Fig. 8), with 6–8 distinct ridges. Scutellum weakly convex, polished throughout. Metanotum with small, nearly flat median plate on posterior half, median carina on anterior half not extending onto posterior plate. Propodeum largely smooth and polished; with slightly irregular (wrinkled), median longitudinal carina bifurcating near middle to form a triangular areola over posterior 0.4–0.6; propodeum separated from metapleuron by shallow, weakly rugulose depression containing spiracle; depression pit-like anteriorly at margin of metanotum, propodeal side of depression margined by sinuate carina and, adjacent spiracle, an elevated boss; rarely with trace of additional carina on metapleural side of spiracle. Metapleuron broadly impressed and rugose around anterior, dorsal, and ventral dorsal margins; median plate polished, punctate, otherwise unsculptured. Mesopleuron largely polished and unsculptured, with band of setae and associated weak punctures extending from subtegular ridge to hind coxa; sulcus along hind margin of mesopleuron unsculptured throughout. Crenulate precoxal sulcus straight, extending over middle 0.3–0.5 of mesopleuron, incomplete anteriorly and posteriorly. Sternaulus absent.

Fore wing (as in Fig. 12) with stigma broad, wedge-shaped, widest at origin of r, tapered into metacarpus distally; r arising basad midlength, r distinctly shorter than width of stigma at junction of r; second submarginal cell large, weakly converging distally, 4-sided, m-cu distinctly antefurcal, basal portion of 2M bent posteriorly, 2RS reclivous, varying from weakly bowed to slightly bent, without medial thickening, r-m completely depigmented and desclerotized; 3RSa 4.0–4.6 × longer than r; 3RSb extending to wing margin very close to wing apex; (RS+M)a very weakly sinuate, nearly straight, arising near parastigma, 1RS 3.3–3.6 × longer than wide, 0.15–0.20 × length of 1M; (RS+M)b swollen throughout, thicker basally than distally, thickened part slightly longer than 1CUa; 1M 1.95–2.20 × longer than m-cu, m-cu straight to weakly bowed; 3M tubular and distinctly pigmented over about basal 0.3, spectral and depigmented distally; 1cu-a inclivous, separated from 1M by distinctly more than its own length, 1CUa thickened throughout; 1st subdiscal cell closed, gradually but distinctly widening distally, 2CUa strongly inclivous, about twice length of tubular, strongly reclivous 2cu-a; 1-1A weakly bowed towards wing margin, separated near mid-length from the latter by 2.5–3.0 × its width. Hind wing (as in Fig. 15) with RS absent or present only as a very short, basal stub; 2M weakly but distinctly pigmented for most of its length; m-cu absent; 2-1A usually absent.

Metasoma (Fig. 11) with petiole 1.2 × longer than apical width, apex 1.6–1.7 × wider than base; dorsal carinae slightly converging and becoming evanescent a little beyond mid-length, never meeting, replaced by median elevation over apical half, outline of dorsal carinae and median elevation hour-glass shaped in dorsal view; flat laterally, depressed medially between bases of dorsal carinae, both areas smooth, polished; median elevation weakly rugulose and punctate anteriorly, becoming smooth

Figures 5–8. Psyttalia halidayi sp. n., paratypes 5 Male metasoma and part of mesosoma, dorsal oblique view 6 Male mesonotum 7 Propodeum and petiole, dorsal view 8 Female mesonotum.

near posterior margin; dorsal and lateral carinae meeting at base above small, round laterope, dorsope absent. T2 distinctly shorter than T3; T2 spiracle at lateral edge of a clearly delimited plate between median and lateral tergites. Hypopygium weakly sclerotized medially, folded along midline; long, with posterior margin strongly protruding medially, extending to tip of metasoma; densely covered with long, nearly erect setae. Ovipositor protruding distinctly beyond metasoma, 2.4 × longer than mesosoma, upper valve with distinct subapical node subtended by a weak notch, the node tapering gradually to a sharp point at apex; ovipositor sheath 1.5 × length of mesosoma, with 2–3 irregular rows of setae along entire length, setae, except at extreme tip, longer than width of sheath.

Color. Mesonotum, metanotum, top of head, most of face, and apical 0.15 of ovipositor sheath orange; scape, usually pedicel, orbital ring, tegula, mesopleuron, most of margin and posterior corner of pronotum laterally, propodeum, all femora, fore and mid tibiae and tarsi, and metasoma basally, apically, and laterally yellow; propleuron pale yellow; base of mandible, palps, labrum, malar region, lower gena, middle of pronotum laterally, metapleuron, all coxae, trochanters, trochantelli, and often posterior face of hind femur, and metasomal sterna white to very pale yellow; flagellum, apical teeth of mandible, most of dorsal portion of T2–4, usually base of T5, basal 0.85 of ovipositor sheath, and often hind basitarsus dark brown to black; hind tarsus otherwise brown; hind tibia dark yellow, usually infumate dorsally at base and over apical half; apex of petiole usually infumate; wings hyaline, stigma and most veins dark brown, most of M+CU and 1-1A yellow.

Length of body (exclusive of antenna and ovipositor) 3.2–4.0 mm; of wing 3.4– 3.8 mm; of antenna about 6.0 mm.

Male (Figs 5–7, 9, 12, 15) as in female except as follows: size more variable, body length 2.9–3.3 mm; antenna with 44–48 flagellomeres, twentieth flagellomere 1.5–1.8 × longer than wide; temple slightly broader, in lateral view eye 4.45–4.60 × longer than temple, but with malar space very short as in female; precoxal sulcus rarely somewhat longer; fore wing 2RS occasionally (20%) with abrupt change in angle, the junction infrequently (10%) thickened, first subdiscal cell sometimes less distinctly expanded distally; petiole more variable, 1.25–1.45 × longer than apical width; body and wing length somewhat smaller, 2.9–3.3 and 3.0 mm respectively. Color as in female except mesoscutum brown to dark brown with narrow, pale streaks along notaular lines and on each side between notaulus and tegula, T5 always dark brown, dark portions of T2–5 extending further laterally than in female, face and hind femur mostly very pale yellow to white.

Biology. Reared from larvae of Ceratitis rosa ( Diptera : Tephritidae ) infesting fruit of the annonacean Lettowianthus stellatus in lowland areas of coastal Kenya, specifically Mrima Hills (see material examined section for details). Collections of host plant and host insect were also made in nearby Shimba Hills, but no parasitoids were reared at the Shimba Hills locality. Emergence, as in all known opiines, was from the host puparium. Host stage normally attacked is unknown, but females reared from field-collected fruit successfully oviposited in third instar larvae of C. rosa in the lab at ICIPE.

Diagnosis. This species is a member of the Psyttalia concolor species group, as defined above, and is differentiated from other members of this group by the combination of the sexually dimorphic color pattern of the mesoscutum (Figs 6, 8), large eye, long ovipositor, presence of a rounded bulb near the base of the venom apparatus, and relatively long, basally thickened (RS+M)b. Previously described species, where both sexes are known, have the mesosoma either completely pale or much more extensively

Figures 9–ΙΙ. Psyttalia halidayi sp. n., paratypes 9 Male habitus Ι0 Female habitus ΙΙ Ovipositor shaft.

darkened in both males and females. Psyttalia halidayi also has a larger eye relative to other species known to have the venom gland bulb. Variation in the shape and thickness of fore wing 2RS is similar to that found in the pale-colored P. insignipennis , and may indicate a relationship between these two species.

Remarks. Males exhibit more variation than females, but this may simply be a reflection of the larger number of male specimens available for study. About 10% of the male paratypes of P. halidayi have a knob-like thickening on 2RS that is more similar in appearance to the shape of 2RS in P. insignipennis than the more gradual swelling characteristic of P. fi jiensis and P. novaguineensis . In P. insignipennis , initially described from Madagascar and subsequently recorded from Reunion ( Wharton et al. 1999), both sexes are pale.

The appearance of finely shagreened sculpture on metasomal T2 is somewhat preparation dependent, thus decreasing its value as a character for differentiating groups within Psyttalia , as proposed by Wharton (1987). In most specimens of P. halidayi , sculpture is confined to the narrow band adjacent the T2/T3 suture.

In a separate study ( Rugman-Jones et al. 2009), several populations of Psyttalia from different hosts and host plants were examined to determine levels of genetic differentiation. The type series from Mrima Hill represents one of these populations, and proved to be the most divergent Afrotropical population sampled. Given the diversity shown by Rugman-Jones et al. (2009) for a relatively small set of populations of Psyttalia together with the rearing of Psyttalia from many of the fruits sampled by Copeland et al. (2002, 2006), I predict that diversity of Psyttalia in the Afrotropics will be similar to that shown by Smith et al. (2008) for the microgastrine braconid genus Cotesia Cameron in Costa Rica.

This species was chosen for description among the several similar Psyttalia reared from fruit in Kenya because of its apparent preference for C. rosa , an unsuitable host for P. concolor and P. cosyrae in Kenya ( Mohamed et al. 2003, 2007). It is named after A. H. Haliday, for his pioneering work on Braconidae in the early 1800s.