Xenomerus melleus Mikó & Masner, 2010

Mikó, I., Masner, L. & Deans, A. R., 2010, World revision of Xenomerus Walker (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Platygastridae) 2708, Zootaxa 2708, pp. 1-73 : 34-36

Xenomerus melleus Mikó & Masner , new species

Figures 94, 96, 98, 110

MALE (Holotype): Length= 1.02 mm.

Honey brown, antenna, excluding yellow radicle and metasoma, excluding honey-brown petiole, dark brown, mandible yellow, metapectal-propodeal complex light brown.

FCI =1.42; LCI =1.59; HW/IOS =1.48; head less than 1.5 times as wide as mesosoma (HW/TSL = 1.32); facial striae extending to vertex obscuring frontal patch; frontal patch distinct; frons bare; central keel complete; toruli triangle shorter than clypeus height, not reaching midlevel of eye; POL shorter than OOL (POL/OOL =0.75); OOL more than 2.5 times as long as LOL (OOL/LOL =2.85); hyperoccipital carina absent; interocellar area transversely crenulate, crenulae radiating from the lateral and posterior margin of lateral ocellus, vertex patch present; genal patch present separated from vertex sculpture; A1 more than 4 times as long as radicle (A1/r =4.37), A2–A5 unibottled, A6–A11 dibottled.

Epomial carina absent; cervical pronotal area finely reticulate, lateral pronotal area reticulate dorsomedially, crenulate ventrolaterally; netrion sulcus complete; netrion sculpture not extending onto lateral pronotal area; pronotal suprahumeral and cervical sulci not foveolate; mesoscutum more than 1.5 times as wide as long (TSL/ML =1.65); notaulus reaching transscutal line; mesoscutum with sparse, thin setae, sculpture reaching to posterior margin on internotaular area; mesoscutellum more than 2.0 times as wide as long (SW/SL =2.27); scuto-scutellar sulcus slightly diminishing medially, 2 times as wide laterally as in the middle; mesoscutellum finely coriaceous anteriorly, with sparse marginal setae; posterior scutellar sulcus not extending onto axillula; sternaulus not separated from anterior row of foveae of mesopleural carina; mesopleural carina incomplete; sulcus along metapleural carina foveolate; metascutellum bluntly triangular, basal striation extending apically; propodeal lateral carinae inverted V-shaped, shafts straight; propodeal lateral and plical areas obscured by pale, sparse setae; marginal striation extending medially; posterior propodeal projection distinct; mesoscutum about as wide as fore wing (TSL/WW =0.96); marginal vein more than 4 times as long as stigmal vein (m/st =3.3); hind wing about 1.5 times as wide as marginal cilia (HWW/ HWS =1.53).

T1 less than 1.5 times as wide as T1+T2 length (T1W/T1+T2L =1.26); T3 as wide as mesoscutum (T3W/ TSL =0.96), almost 2 times as wide as long (T3W/ T3L=1.86); costae on T3 reaching 2/3 length of tergum submedially; reticulate sculpture extending from lateral patch medially, covering posterior 2/3 of tergum, not reaching posterior margin, obscuring posterior patch; anterior 2/3 of T4 reticulate.

Variability (n=7): Length= 0.88–1.05 mm (m=0.96, SD =0.05); FCI =1.30–1.42 (m=1.36, SD =0.04); LCI =1.47–1.59 (m=1.52, SD =0.03); HW/IOS =1.46–1.53 (m=1.48, SD =0.02); HW/TSL =1.28–1.36 (m=1.32, SD =0.02); POL/OOL =0.69–0.78 (m=0.74, SD =0.03); OOL/LOL =2.52–2.85 (m=2.74, SD =0.12); A1/r =4.37–5.16 (m=4.67, SD =0.30); TSL/ML =1.57–1.70 (m=1.64, SD =0.04); SW/SL =2.05–2.29 (m=2.21, SD =0.09); TSL/WW =0.78–0.96 (m=0.87, SD =0.05); m/st =3.2–3.5 (m=3.41, SD =0.13); HWW/ HWS =1.53–1.66 (m=1.62, SD =0.06); T1W/T1+T2L =1.19–1.5 (m=1.28, SD =0.1); T3W/TSL =0.94–0.96 (m=0.95, SD =0.01).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Diagnosis. Differs from all other species of Xenomerus by dibottled A6. Most closely related to X. halteratus , differing by lack of rugulous sculpture on upper frons, sculpture of vertex, longer notaulus, incomplete mesopleural carina. Differs from X. ochraceus in having facial striae extending to vertex, incomplete mesopleural carina and posteriorly reticulate T3.

Etymology. From the latin mellis, meaning honey, referring to the body color.

Material examined. Holotype male: AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Black Mountain , 27.I–07.II.1984, L.Masner, MT [ ANIC:####].

Paratypes: AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Black Mountain , 27.I–07.II.1984, L.Masner, MT. 1♂ [ ANIC], 1♂ ; Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Black Mountaint -35.2666, 149.01, 23–30.V.1998. G.A.P.Gibson, YPT, 1♂ ; New South Wels, Monga State Forest, 19–24.I.1984, L. Masner, dry sclerophyl Eucalyptus forest , MT, 600m, 1♂ ; New South Wels, Monga State Forest, 24.I–4.II.1984, L. Masner, dry sclerophyl Eucalyptus forest , MT, 600m, 2♂ ; New South Wels, Kosciusco National Park, Wilson’s Valley , 1490m, Maintenance depot area, 7–21.II.1993, -36.35,148.5333, A.Newton & M.Thayer, open Eucalyptus pauciflora forest, 3♂ ; Queensland, Mount Glorious National Park , 630m, 28.II.1984, L.Masner, tropical rain & sclerophyl forest, mixed, 1♂ ; Queensland, Kuranda , 1000m, 21.II.1984, L.Masner, rain forest underground, 1♂ ; Queensland, Mount Lewis Road , -16.5886, 145.2869, 900m, 16.IX.2004, L.Masner, rainforest (Q16), 1♂ .

Holotype is deposited in ANIC. Paratypes are deposited in ANIC (1) and in CNCI (11).