Fusicornia crista Taekul & Johnson, 2008

Taekul, Charuwat, Johnson, Norman F., Masner, Lubomír & Shu-Pei, Chen, 2008, Revision of the world species of the genus Fusicornia Risbec (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae, Scelioninae), Zootaxa 1966, pp. 1-52 : 19

Fusicornia crista Taekul & Johnson , new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5A849EFE-9F12-4B71-832F-3F24C694B868

urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:230111

Figures 43–48; Morphbank 36

Description. Female body length: 2.04–2.89 mm (n=4). Male body length: unknown.

Head: Vertex between posterior ocelli: carinate. Female OOL: less than or equal one ocellar diameter. Frontal sculpture: entirely and evenly sculptured. Sculpture of central frons: with transversely arcuate striae. Setation of central frons: glabrous. Inner orbit in frontal view: more or less parallel. Upper gena in dorsal view of female: flat to weakly concave, therefore in lateral view compound eye appearing to reach posterior margin of head. Sculpture of gena behind lower half of eye: with reticulate to coriaceous microsculpture. Setation of gena: moderately setose. Antenna: Radicle color: yellow to orange brown. Color of female A1: yellow to orange-brown. Color of female funicle (A3–A6): dark brown. Claval formula: 1-2-2-2-2-2. Claval color: dark brown to black.

Mesosoma: Pronotal cervical sulcus: absent. Mesoscutum sculpture: longitudinal sculpture throughout. Longitudinal sculpture in posterior half of mesoscutum: present. Admedian line: present. Mesoscutal humeral sulcus: foveolate. Notauli: absent. Mesoscutellum shape: bilobate. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: with broad smooth area medially, reticulate punctate laterally. Length of medial metascutellar spine: medial spine very elongate, distinctly longer than distance between median and lateral spines. Length of lateral metascutellar spine: short, only slightly longer than wide. Sculpture of propodeal nucha: smooth to weakly sculptured. Sculpture of suprahumeral area of pronotum: puncticulate. Sculpture in lower pronotum: longitudinally striate. Netrion setation: sparsely setose to glabrous. Mesopleural carina: present dorsally, interrupted or absent ventrally. Mesepimeral sulcus: absent. Area 2 on metapleuron: linear, glabrous. Setation of area 4 of metapleuron: setose ventrally. Setation in anteroventral metapleural triangle: absent. Setation of propodeum anterior to spiracle: sparsely setose (less than 10) or absent. Legs: Coxae color: all coxae brown to black.

Wings: Female fore wing maculation: with distinct infuscation at level of marginal vein.

Metasoma: Length of T1: less than or equal to one times width. Horn on T1 of female: absent, T1 longitudinally furrowed throughout length. Lateral setation of T1: sparsely to moderately setose (6–15/side). Medial sculpture on T3: smooth and shiny.

Diagnosis. Fusicornia crista is most similar to F. sabrina , which was collected from the same locality in Somalia. Fusicornia crista may be distinguished by the bilobate scutellum and the longitudinally striate sculpture of the posterior half of mesoscutum ( Fig. 45, 48). In Tanzania, it occurs sympatrically with F. ardis , from which it may be distinguished by the mesoscutal sculpture and the shorter T1.

Etymology. The epithet crista, Latin for ridge, refers to the carina on the vertex between posterior ocelli ( Fig. 47).

Link to Distribution Map. 37

Material Examined. Holotype female: SOMALIA: Afgoi Shabelli Valley , Mogadishu, 7–14 IV.1977, Malaise trap, F. Bin, OSUC 148957 (deposited in CNCI) . Paratypes: TANZANIA: 3 females, OSUC 248231 , 248233 , 248244 ( SAMC) .

36. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=226361

37. http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=230119