Heptascelio paralugens Masner & Johnson

Johnson, Norman F., Masner, Lubomír, Musetti, Luciana, Noort, Simon Van, K, Rajmohana, Darling, Christopher & Polaszek, Antonia Guidotti Andrew, 2008, Revision of world species of the genus Heptascelio Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), Zootaxa 1776, pp. 1-51 : 23-24

Heptascelio paralugens Masner & Johnson , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:17A32F5B-4BCF-40CC-8A08-FD638657322B urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:223421 Figures 65–68; Morphbank52

Description. Female body length: 4.2–4.3 (n=2). Male body length: 4.3 mm (n=1). Body color of female: entirely dark, dark brown to black. Color of female antenna: dark brown to black throughout. Color of wing membrane: with weak general brown infuscation, longitudinal streak below submarginal vein weak. Color of legs: coxae dark brown, otherwise yellowish brown throughout. Body color of male: entirely black. Color of male antenna: brown.

http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=223420 51. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:specimen:8DA2086B-7642-4A7F-9C87-EDB33486B126 http://www.morphbank.net/?id=224257

Sculpture of occiput and posterior vertex: coarsely punctate. Sculpture of frons below ocellus in female: coarsely punctate. Shape of dorsal margin of frontal scrobe: ecarinate, rounded onto dorsal portion of frons. Sculpture of frontal depression in female: punctate, with broad smooth spaces between punctures. Sculpture of gena: coarsely punctate. Setation of gena: with short, uniform setae, with few short bristles interspersed. Shape of mandibles: normal length, crossed transversely below head when closed, tips overlapping.

Sculpture of dorsal pronotum: areolate rugose, with distinct longitudinal tendency. Notaulus: absent or obscured by coarse surface sculpture. Sculpture of mesoscutum in female: sparsely punctate, with broad smooth areas between punctures. Sculpture of mesoscutum in male: sparsely punctate, largely smooth. Parapsidal line: absent. Mesoscutellum shape: nearly parallel-sided, apex weakly excavate, with weak median longitudinal impression. Sculpture of female mesoscutellum: areolate rugose. Scutellar points of female: broad, short, acute. Sculpture of male mesoscutellum: areolate rugose. Scutellar points of male: apex of mesoscutellum rounded, points entirely absent. Posterior surface of propodeum: irregularly areolate, without distinct paramedian keel. Length of outer propodeal projection in female: moderately elongate, extending to midpoint of length of T1, distinctly longer than inner propodeal projection. Sculpture of propodeum between inner and outer propodeal projections: coarsely punctate. Netrion shape: moderately wide, weakly fusiform, anterior margin foveate. Netrion setation: densely setose. Sculpture of lateral pronotum posterior to epomial carina: coarsely punctate. Setation of posterior half of lateral pronotum: with numerous scattered setae, densest near spiracle. Sculpture of mesopleural scrobe: smooth. Sculpture of lower mesepisternum: with distinctly separated, coarse punctures. Sculpture of metapleuron: coarsely areolate to rugose throughout. Fore wing venation: well-developed, with R, r-rs clearly visible. Submarginal vein bristles: with dark bristles extending length of submarginal vein. Long dark bristles on legs: absent.

T1 depression: moderately to densely setose. Sublateral lamella on T1: distinctly raised more or less perpendicular to T1. Sculpture of T2–T4: longitudinally striate, with fine cross striae, punctures, smooth or finely punctulate transverse band apically. Setation of laterotergites: setose. Sculpture of S2, S3 of female: longitudinally rugulose laterally, nearly smooth medially, with scattered small punctures. Sculpture of S2, S3 of male: strongly longitudinally rugose. Distribution of felt fields: present on S2–S3.

Diagnosis. This species is most similar to H. lugens , from which it may be distinguished by the very short mesoscutellar spines (Fig. 66) and the lack of longitudinal rugulae on the mesoscutum (Fig. 67).

Etymology. The epithet paralugens refers to the similarity of this species with Heptascelio lugens , the type species of the genus.

Link to Distribution Map.53

Material Examined. Holotype female: PHILIPPINES: Negros Oriental, 7 km W Valencia, Cuernos de Negros, 700 m, ROM 873061, 1E forest edge, 29.VI–8.VII.1987, Malaise trap w/ pans, D.C. Darling, OSUC 209012 (deposited in ROME)54. Paratypes: PHILIPPINES, 5 males, 2 females, OSUC 59556, ROMEnt 112071 – 112075 ( ROME), OSUC 209013 ( CNCI).

Comments. The diagnostic characters for this species are, overall, rather weak. Further collections in the Philippines may help to determine if H. paralugens is consistently separable from H. lugens , or if the characters that distinguish them are variable and independently distributed.