Conostigmus musettiae Trietsch & Mikó, 2020

Trietsch, Carolyn, Mikó, István, Ezray, Briana & Deans, Andrew R., 2020, A Taxonomic Revision of Nearctic Conostigmus (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronoidea: Megaspilidae), Zootaxa 4792 (1), pp. 1-155 : 134-138

Conostigmus musettiae Trietsch & Mikó sp. nov.

Figs. 75 , 76 , 77

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: sternaulus present and elongate, exceeding 3/4 of the mesopleuron length at the level of the sternaulus; axillular carinae present; dense patch of setae on the distoventral edge of the harpe present; medioventral conjunctiva absent and parossiculi fused; and medioventral ridge of the gonostyle–volsella complex present.

The female of this species is unknown.

This species shares several characters in common with C. franzinii and C. bipunctatus , including the following: facial pit present; preoccipital furrow present; median process on the intertorular carina present and acute; sternaulus present and elongate, exceeding 3/4 of the mesopleuron length at the level of the sternaulus; ventral projection of the metapleural carina present; medioventral conjunctiva absent and parossiculi fused; and gonocondyle present and acute. Conostigmus musettiae can be differentiated from these two species by the presence of the axillular carinae (absent in both C. bipunctatus and C. franzinii ).

Other similar species include C. minimus , which differs in that it lacks the medioventral ridge of the gonostylevolsella complex and has gonossicular spines of similar lengths (one spine not more than 2× as long as the others), and C. laeviceps , which lacks the dense patch of setae on the distoventral edge of the harpe.

Variability. Other than intraspecific differences in size and coloration, no variations were observed between specimens.

One specimen (PSUC_FEM 9082) has one synsternal translucent patch with a different size and shape than the other. This is not a diagnostic feature or unique character of this or any other known Conostigmus species; rather, this is a teratology that has been observed occasionally before in other Conostigmus specimens.

Description. Body length: 1.425 –1.475 µm. Color hue pattern in male: cranium and mesosoma reddish–brown to black; flagellomeres light brown; legs, scape, pedicel, neck of petiole and anterior portion of metasoma yellow; posterior portion of metasoma reddish–brown. Color intensity pattern in male: cranium darker than mesosoma. Col- or intensity dorsal and ventral to the site of the sternaulus: concolorous. Color intensity pattern of syntergite: petiole neck and anterior region of syntergite lighter in coloration than the posterior region of the syntergite. Foveolate sculpture on body count: absent. Rugose sculpturing count: absent. Rugose region on upper face count: absent.

Antennae: Male scape length vs. pedicel length: 3.5–4.8. Male scape length vs. F1 length: 1.1–1.3. Male F1 length vs. pedicel length: 2.8–3.8. Male F1 length vs. male F2 length: 1.2–1.4. Longest male flagellomere: F1. Length of setae on male flagellomere vs. male flagellomere width: setae shorter than width of flagellomeres. Sensillar patch of the male flagellomere pattern: F5–F9.

Head: Head width, dorsal view: equal to or only slightly wider than mesosoma (less than 1.3× wider than mesosoma). Head height (HH, lateral view) vs. eye height (EHf, anterior view): HH:EHf=1.5–1.7. Head height (HH) vs. head length (HL): HH:HL=1.0–1.2. Head width (HW) vs. interorbital space (IOS): HW:IOS=1.5–1.7. Head width (HW) vs. head height (HH): HW:HH=1.3–1.5. Cephalic size (csb): Mean: 300–400 μm. Maximum eye diameter vs. minimum eye diameter: 1.2–2.0. POL:OOL: POL equal to or shorter than OOL and ocellar triangle with short base. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL) vs. lateral ocellar line (LOL): OOL:LOL=1.8–2.5. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL) vs. posterior ocellar line (POL): OOL:POL=1.5–2.0. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL): posterior ocellar line (POL): lateral ocellar line (LOL): 1.8–2.5:1.0–1.5:1.0. Head shape (anterior view): circular or triangular. Preoccipital lunula count: present. Preoccipital carina count: absent. Occipital carina structure: occipital carina complete. Occipital carina sculpture: crenulate. Preoccipital furrow count: present. Preoccipital furrow anterior end: preoccipital furrow ends inside ocellar triangle, but ends posterior to the anterior ocellus. Preoccipital furrow sculpture: crenulate. Postocellar carina count: present. Dorsal margin of occipital carina vs. dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view: occipital carina ventral to lateral ocellus in lateral view. Transverse scutes on upper face count: absent. Transverse frontal carina count: absent. Randomly sized areolae around setal pits on upper face count: absent. Setal pit on vertex size: smaller than diameter of scutes. Ventromedian setiferous patch and ventrolateral setiferous patch count: absent. White, thick setae on upper face count: absent. Antennal scrobe count: absent. Facial structure count: facial pit present. Facial pit count: present. Facial sulcus count: absent. Median facial keel count: absent. Supraclypeal depression count: present. Supraclypeal depression structure: present medially, inverted U-shaped. Intertorular area count: present. Intertorular carina count: present. Median process on intertorular carina count: present. Median process on intertorular carina shape: acute. Median process of intertorular carina structure: process extends across intertorular area towards dorsal margin of clypeus. Median region of intertorular area shape: convex. Ventral margin of antennal rim vs. dorsal margin of clypeus: not adjacent. Torulo–clypeal carina count: present. Subtorular carina count: absent. Mandibular tooth count: 2. Mandibular lancea count: absent.

Mesosoma: Weber length: WL=400–600 μm. Anterior mesoscutal width (AscW) vs. posterior mesoscutal width (PscW): AscW/PscW=0.6–0.8. Mesoscutal length (MscL) vs. anterior mesoscutal width (AscW): MscL/ AscW=1.4–1.7. Mesoscutal length (MscL) vs. mesoscutellar length (MscIL): MscL:MscIL= 0.8–1.1. Wing count: present. Fore wing size: wings present and macropterous with apex extending past petiole. Pronotum median length: less than longest median anatomical line of the mesoscutum. Notaulus count: present. Crenulae of notaulus width: width of the crenulae does not increase more than 2× anteriorly. Notaulus posterior end location: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Posterior region of notaulus orientation: posterior end of notaulus does not curve and is not adjacent to median mesoscutal sulcus. Median mesoscutal sulcus count: present. Median mesoscutal sulcus posterior end: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Scutoscutellar sulcus vs. transscutal articulation location: adjacent. Axillular carinae count: present. Axillular carinae shape: the left and right carinae are separated posteromedially. Speculum ventral limit: not extending ventrally of pleural pit line. Metapleural sulcus shape: straight. Mesometapleural sulcus count: present. Ventrolateral invagination of the pronotum count: present. Sternaulus count: present. Sternaulus length: elongate and exceeding 3/4 of mesopleuron length at level of sternaulus. Sternaulus sculpture: smooth. Epicnemial carina count: complete. Epicnemium posterior margin shape: anterior discrimenal pit present; epicnemial carina curved. Transverse striations on the ventral metapleural area count: absent. Scutes on posterior region of mesoscutum and dorsal region of mesoscutellum convexity: flat. Ventral projection of the metapleural carina count: present. Ventral projection of the metapleural carina length: more than or equal to 2× as long as wide. Lateral propodeal carina count: present. Lateral propodeal carina shape: inverted “Y” (left and right lateral propodeal are adjacent medially posterior to antecostal sulcus of the first abdominal tergum, and connected to the antecostal sulcus by a median carina representing the median branch of the inverted “Y”). Mesopostscutellum count: absent (scutellum flat). Anteromedian projection of the metanoto–propodeo–metapecto–mesopectal complex count: absent. Posterior margin of nucha in dorsal view shape: straight.

Metasoma: Transverse carina on petiole shape: concave. Paired blue iridescent ovoid patches on the syntergite count: absent. Shortest width of petiole neck vs. syntergal translucent patch maximum width: 1.5–2.0. Shortest width of petiole neck vs. synsternal translucent patch maximum width: 1.8–2.5. Syntergal translucent patch maximum width vs. minimum width: 1.6–2.7. Synsternal translucent patch maximum width vs. minimum width: 1.4– 1.8. Syntergal translucent patch maximum width orientation: anterolaterally. Synsternal translucent patch maximum width orientation: anterolaterally. Synsternal setiferous patch shape: linear, with a patch of setae lateral or posterior to the synsternal translucent patch. Synsternal setiferous patch structure: comprised of a single row of setae anterior to the synsternal translucent patch, with a patch of setae posterior to the synsternal translucent patch. Synsternal setiferous patch anterior end: synsternal setiferous patch begins anterior to the synsternal translucent patch anterior margin. Synsternal setiferous patch posterior end: synsternal setiferous patch ends posterior to the synsternal translucent patch posterior margin. Synsternal setiferous patch length vs. synsternal translucent patch maximum width: synsternal setiferous patch at least 2× as long as the maximum width of the synsternal translucent patch. S1 length vs. shortest width: S1 wider than long.

Male Genitalia: Distal margin of male S9 shape: convex. Proximolateral corner of male S9 shape: acute. Male S9 distal setal line/setal patch count: distal setae composing transverse setiferous line or lines. Male S9 distal setal line / setal patch structure: single transverse row of distal setae occurring medially with less than 4 setae below it. Distomedian hairless area interrupting transverse row of setae or patch on male S9 count: absent with distal setiferous patch/line continuous medially. Submedial projections on proximal margin of S9 count: absent. Cupula length vs. gonostyle–volsella complex length: cupula less than 1/2 the length of gonostyle–volsella complex in lateral view. Proximodorsal notch of cupula count: absent. Proximolateral projection of the cupula shape: blunt. Gonocondyle count: present. Gonocondyle shape: acute. Distodorsal margin of cupula shape: straight. Dorsomedian projection of the gonostyle–volsella complex count: absent. Dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex count: present. Dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex length relative to length of gonostyle–volsella complex: dorsomedian conjunctiva extending equal to or less than 1/3 of length of gonostyle–volsella complex in dorsal view. Dorsomedial margin of gonostyle–volsella complex shape: straight without a median projection. Proximal end of dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex shape: blunt or straight. Parossiculus count or parossiculus and gonostipes fusion: present and parossiculi not fused with the gonostipes. Medioventral conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex count or fusion of parossiculi: medioventral conjunctiva absent and parossiculi fused. Medioventral ridge of the gonostyle–volsella complex count (only applicable if medioventral conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex absent): present. Medioventral ridge of the gonostyle–volsella complex length relative to length of gonostyle–volsella complex: ridge extending 2/3 of length of gonostyle–volsella complex in ventral view. Apical parossicular setae count: one. Distal projection of the parossiculus count: present. Distal projection of the penisvalva count: absent. Gonossiculus spine count: 2. Gonossiculus spine length: one spine more than 2× as long as the other(s). Harpe length: harpe shorter than gonostipes in lateral view. Harpe shape: simple and not bilobed. Harpe orientation: medial. Lateral margin of harpe shape: widest point of harpe is in its proximal 1/3rd. Distal margin of harpe in lateral view: blunt or straight. Lateral setae of harpe count: absent. Lateral setae on harpe density: setae sparse. Dense patch of setae on the distoventral edge of the harpe count: present. Distal setae on harpe length: setae not of equal length, longer setae present on distodorsal edge of harpe. Distodorsal setae of sensillar ring of harpe length vs. harpe width in lateral view: setae longer than harpe width. Distodorsal setae of sensillar ring of harpe orientation: distally. Sensillar ring area of harpe orientation: medially; distoventrally. Sensillar ring shape: elongate. Distoventral margin of harpe in lateral view: straight but can be more convex or concave in some specimens.

Distribution. Nearctic.

Etymology. This species is named musettiae in honor of Luciana Musetti for her valuable contributions to the taxonomy and systematics of Ceraphronoidea .

Material Examined. Holotype male: USA: Arizona: PSUC _ FEM 9027 ( OSUC) . Paratypes (20 males): USA: Arizona: 5 males. PSUC _ FEM 6725 , 8992 , 9029 , 9097 ( OSUC); PSUC _ FEM 8738 ( PSUC) . USA: Ohio: 15 males. PSUC _ FEM 9082 , 26678 , 27002 , 27081 , 27108 , 27259 , 27266 , 28955 , 29308 , 50077 , 50235 , 50373 ( OSUC); PSUC _FEM 26920, 26814 , 26831 ( PSUC) .

Figures

FIGURE 75. Conostigmus musettiae Trietsch and Mikό sp. nov., habitus of holotype male (PSUC_FEM 9027).

FIGURE 76. Conostigmus musettiae Trietsch and Mikό sp. nov., holotype male (PSUC_FEM 9027). A. Lateral view. B. Dorsal view. Abbreviation: axillular carinae (axc).

FIGURE 77. Conostigmus musettiae Trietsch and Mikό sp. nov., male genitalia of paratype male (PSUC_FEM 6725). A. Ventral view. B. Lateral view. C. Dorsal view.