Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) kiskis Triapitsyn

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., Huber, John T., Logarzo, Guillermo A., Berezovskiy, Vladimir V. & Aquino, Daniel A., 2010, Review of Gonatocerus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in the Neotropical region, with description of eleven new species, Zootaxa 2456, pp. 1-243 : 172-173

Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) kiskis Triapitsyn , sp. n.

( Figs 356–362 )

Gonatocerus sp. 1: Triapitsyn 2006b: 112; Triapitsyn 2007: 59 (as a new, undescribed species).

Type material. Holotype female [ MLPA] on slide: ARGENTINA. TUCUMÁN, Tafí Viejo , 18–21.xii.2000, E.G. Virla . Paratypes: ARGENTINA. SALTA, near San Ramón de la Nueva Orán, road to San Andrés along Río Blanco , 23.13°S 63.48°W, 633 m, 22.iii.2003, J. Munro, by sweeping [1 ♀ on point, UCRC] . TUCUMÁN, Tafí Viejo, E.G. Virla : 18–21.xii.2000 [1 ♂ on slide, UCRC] ; x.2001, from sentinel eggs of Tapajosa rubromarginata (Signoret) [1 ♀, 1 ♂ on slides, UCRC]; xii.2001 (from sentinel eggs of T. rubromarginata ) [4 ♀ on points, CNCI (1), IMLA (1), UCRC (2)].

Description. FEMALE (holotype and paratypes). Body length (paratypes, taken from dry-mounted specimens) 1190–1450 µm. Body and legs mostly yellowish or brownish yellow, with some orange and brown on mesonotum, except trabeculae, interocellar area on vertex, 2 lateral spots on first gastral tergum and 2 middle gastral terga brown, and metatibia grayish or light brown; scape and pedicel light brown (except radicle yellowish), F1–F5 brown, F6 white, F7, F8, and clava dark brown.

Antenna ( Fig. 356 ) with radicle 0.29–0.33x total length of scape, rest of scape 2.5–3.6x as long as wide; pedicel at least a little longer than F1; F1 notably shorter than F2 and without mps, F2 slightly shorter than F3, F4 almost as long as F3 and longer than following funicle segments, F5–F8 each a little shorter than preceding funicle segment; mps on F2 (0 or 1), F3 (1), F4 (2), F5 (2), F6 (1 or 2), F7 (2), and F8 (2); clava with 8 mps, 3.1–3.2x as long as wide, a little longer than combined length of F6–F8.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 358 ). Propodeum ( Fig. 357 ) with well-developed submedian carinae and inconspicuous rugosities between submedian and lateral carinae (less evident in the smaller holotype); submedian carinae extending to anterior margin of propodeum, the area between them almost smooth. Forewing ( Fig. 359 ) about 3.6x as long as wide; longest marginal seta 0.25–0.28x maximum wing width; disc with a slight brownish tinge throughout, bare behind venation except for several setae just behind stigmal vein and also 1 to 3 setae just behind marginal vein. Hind wing 21–23x as long as wide; disc mostly bare except for rows of setae along margins and a few scattered setae basally and apically, with a slight, uniform brownish tinge; longest marginal seta about 2.5x maximum wing width.

Gaster a little longer than mesosoma. Petiole 0.7x as long as wide, narrower basally than distally. Ovipositor about 0.75x length of gaster, slightly exserted beyond gastral apex by at most 0.06x own length; ovipositor length: mesotibia length ratio 1.0–1.1:1.

Measurements (µm) of the holotype. Body: mesosoma 455; petiole 42; gaster 516; ovipositor 421. Antenna: radicle 67; rest of scape 136; pedicel 63; F1 45; F2 67; F3 74; F4 73; F5 67; F6 61; F7 60; F8 52; clava 218. Forewing 1242:349; longest marginal seta 100. Hind wing 904:44; longest marginal seta 112.

MALE (paratypes). Length (taken from the dry-mounted specimen from Tafí Viejo collected x.2001 before it was slide-mounted) 1255 µm. Similar to female except for normal sexually dimorphic features and the following. Body darker, with parts of mesonotum, including most of mesoscutum and scutellum, brown, and most of gaster except basally dark brown; flagellum brown. Antenna ( Fig. 360 ) with scape about 2.4x as long as wide; pedicel very small. Forewing ( Fig. 362 ) about 3.4x as long as wide. Genitalia as in Fig. 361 .

Diagnosis. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) kiskis sp. n. is tentatively assigned to the morrilli subgroup of the ater species group mainly because its propodeum has inconspicuous rugosities between the submedian and lateral carinae ( Fig. 357 ). Among the Neotropical species of G. ( Cosmocomoidea ), G. kiskis can be recognized by the female antenna with F6 entirely white, contrasting with brown F1–F5 and dark brown F7 and F8 ( Fig. 356 ). Its much lighter mesosoma (yellowish or brownish yellow, with some orange and brown) differentiates it from the southern Nearctic species G. chula Triapitsyn & Bernal (Triapitsyn & Bernal 2009) and G. morgani Triapitsyn from southern California, USA (Triapitsyn 2006a), both from the morrilli subgroup of the ater species group of G. ( Cosmocomoidea ), which also have a contrastingly lighter F6 of the female antenna.

Etymology. The species name (a noun in apposition) is treated as an arbitrary combination of letters.

Host. Tapajosa rubromarginata (Signoret) (Cicadellidae) .

Comments. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) chula , first mentioned as Gonatocerus sp. by Bernal et al. (2007), was previously known only from its type locality in Sonora, Mexico; an additional, non-type specimen was examined in the course of this study: USA*. ARIZONA, Graham Co., Hospital Flat, Pinaleño Mountains, 8950’, 2.iii.1965, H.B. Leech [1 ♀, CAS].

Figures

FIGURES 356 – 359. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) kiskis ♀ (holotype): 356, antenna; 357, dorsellum and propodeum; 358, mesosoma and metasoma; 359, forewing.

FIGURES 360 – 362. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) kiskis ♂ (paratype): 360, antenna; 361, genitalia; 362, forewing.