Odontacolus veroae, A. Valerio, Alejandro, Austin, Andrew D., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2013

A. Valerio, Alejandro, Austin, Andrew D., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2013, Systematics of Old World Odontacolus Kieffer s. l. (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae s. l.): parasitoids of spider eggs, ZooKeys 314, pp. 1-151 : 63-65

Odontacolus veroae sp. n. Figures 14, 15, 60, 263-268; Morphbank 93

Description.

Female. Body length: 1.47 - 1.71 mm (n=3). Antenna color: completely yellow. Body color: completely dark brown. Coxae color: yellow. Leg color (excluding coxae): yellow. Fore wing color: slightly infuscate throughout.

Head. Size of compound eye: approximately 1/2 × height of head. Head shape in lateral view: lower head elongate and broad at mouth, head appearing elongate and somewhat thin. Sculpture of antennal scrobe: weakly granulose throughout. Surface of torular triangle: flat. Development of central keel on frons: present, elongate (equal to or greater than 1/3 × height of frons), but not reaching anterior ocellus. Sculpture on upper frons below anterior ocellus: granulose throughout. Sculpture of malar space: granulose throughout, without fan-like striae. Furrow at lateral portion of antennal scrobe: absent. Mesal surface of vertex: flat to weakly convex. Size of lateral ocelli: large. Distance between lateral ocellus and occipital carina: 0.5 –1.2× maximum ocellar diameter. Lagrimal: absent or minute. Length of OOL: less than or equal to 1/3 × width of ocellus. Sculpture of vertex: granulate. Sculpture of occipital carina: largely simple, at most with sparse weak crenulae medially. Distance from occipital carina to orbital carina: contiguous or nearly so, subequal to width of occipital carina. Shape of occipital carina: simply arcuate medially. Sculpture of occiput: uncertain, with weakly rugulo aciculate sculpture. Sculpture of gena: granulose.

Mesosoma. Dorsal mesosoma in lateral view: convex. Sculpture of pronotal cervical area: with small (at most as large as crenulae on anterior edge of mesoscutum), well-defined foveae. Sculpture of pronotal lateral area: largely smooth, dorsal margin with dense, weak punctulae. Netrion: present, smooth, linear. Notaulus: absent. Length of notaulus: not applicable, notauli absent. Width of notaulus: not applicable, notauli absent. Sculpture of mesoscutum: rugulose, mixed with weak granulae. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: granulose. Mesoscutellar profile: mainly flat, anterior and posterior edge at same height or nearly so. Mesoscutellar shape: flat, not depressed. Lateral propodeal area: densely, finely rugulose. Shape of propodeal anterior spine: short, broad, apex subtriangular. Sculpture of propodeum between anterior spines: smooth or largely smooth. Sculpture of ventral half of mesepisternum: weakly coriaceous. Sculpture of upper 1/4 of mesopleuron: densely longitudinally costate across entire width. Metapleural sculpture: mainly with weak coriaceous sculpture, lower 1/3 without longitudinal costae.

Wings. Stigmal vein: present, elongate, narrow. Campaniform sensilla at distal area of stigmal vein: present.

Metasoma. Shape of T1 horn: broad, short. Sculpture of upper portion of T1 horn: longitudinally carinate. Sculpture of posterior portion of T1 horn: smooth. Lateral carinae on T2: absent. Sculpture of T2: largely weakly coriaceous mixed with longitudinal costae, meson coriaceous. Sculpture of T3: coriaceous. Sculpture of S3-S6: finely, weakly coriaceous. S2 anterior carina: absent.

Male. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

The species Odontacolus veroae is very similar to Odontacolus irwini but can be distinguished from it by the cicatrose sculpture of the posterior sublateral portions of the mesoscutum, the remainder of the mesoscutum having dense, weak, granulate sculpture; and the large body size (1.47-1.71 mm) of Odontacolus irwini . Additionally, within the Fijian species, Odontacolus irwini can be separated from Odontacolus heratyi by the larger space between the occipital carina and the ocular carina, and from Odontacolus schlingeri by the convex mesosoma.

Etymology.

This species is named after Veronica Valerio, sister of the first author. The epithet is a noun in the genitive case.

Link to distribution map.

94

Material examined.

Holotype female: FIJI: Northern Div., Cakaudrove Prov., Taveuni Isl., FJ-9, Devo Forest Reserve, 16°50'S, 179°59'E, 800m, 3. I– 10.I.2003, malaise trap, M. Irwin, E. Schlinger & M. Tokota’a, FBA042201 (deposited in BPBM). Paratypes: FIJI: 13 females, FBA030104, FBA030106, FBA030114, FBA081512, FBA081515, FBA084170 (BPBM); FBA021043, FBA039550, FBA049221 (CNCI); FBA014430, FBA104362 (FNIC); FBA081513, FBA182160 (OSUC).

Comments.

The holotype has all but one leg missing, but otherwise is in perfect condition; the paratypes are in good condition. The color of the metasoma varies from completely dark brown (matching the color of the head and mesosoma) to being conspicuously lighter than the head and mesosoma. The color of the antenna may vary from yellow to brown.