Heptascelio orarius Johnson & Masner

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 : 22-23

Heptascelio orarius Johnson & Masner , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9D61BC46-BCF0-4477-8E1F-39E057C7CB78 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:223420 Figures 59–64; Morphbank49

Description. Female body length: 3.2–3.3 mm (n=2). Male body length: 2.3–2.7 mm (n=2). Body color of female: entirely dark, dark brown to black. Color of female antenna: brown to dark brown throughout. Color of wing membrane: with weak general brown infuscation, longitudinal dark streak below submarginal vein moderately developed. Color of legs: coxae and femora brown, elsewhere light brown. Body color of male: head and metasoma black, mesosoma reddish brown. Color of male antenna: A1–A5 brown, A6–A12 pale brown.

Sculpture of occiput and posterior vertex: areolate-rugose. Sculpture of frons below ocellus in female: areolate rugose. Shape of dorsal margin of frontal scrobe: evenly arcuate, weakly produced. Sculpture of frontal depression in female: entirely smooth. Sculpture of gena: with irregular dorsoventral rugae. 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. Notaulus: absent or obscured by coarse surface sculpture. Sculpture of mesoscutum in female: coarsely areolate-rugose. Sculpture of mesoscutum in male: unknown. Parapsidal line: absent. Mesoscutellum shape: roughly trapezoidal, sides converging apically, apex weakly http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=223419 48. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:specimen:46D64E74-A434-4C59-AC42-8A34BBF4A8C1 http://www.morphbank.net/?id=224258

excavate, without distinct median longitudinal impression. Sculpture of female mesoscutellum: coarsely punctate. Scutellar points of female: forming short, acute teeth. Sculpture of male mesoscutellum: areolate rugose. Scutellar points of male: flattened, broadly rounded apically. Posterior surface of propodeum: irregularly areolate, without distinct paramedian keel. Length of outer propodeal projection in female: elongate, extending near or beyond apex of T1, distinctly longer than inner propodeal projection. Sculpture of propodeum between inner and outer propodeal projections: areolate rugose. Netrion shape: moderately wide, nearly parallel-sided, weakly widened ventrally, with single column of large foveae. Netrion setation: glabrous. Sculpture of lateral pronotum posterior to epomial carina: smooth. Setation of posterior half of lateral pronotum: largely glabrous, setae limited to small patch near spiracle. Sculpture of mesopleural scrobe: smooth. Sculpture of lower mesepisternum: smooth. Sculpture of metapleuron: largely smooth. 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: present on all femora, tibiae.

T1 depression: glabrous or sparsely setose. Sublateral lamella on T1: indicated as low carina. Sculpture of T2–T4: longitudinally striate with cross striae laterally, sculpture effaced medially. Setation of laterotergites: setose. Sculpture of S2, S3 of female: unknown. Sculpture of S2, S3 of male: nearly smooth, with scattered setigerous punctures. Distribution of felt fields: present on S2–S3.

Diagnosis. Heptascelio orarius is most similar to H. noyesi . In the male sex, the two are immediately distinguishable on the basis of the red color of the mesosoma of H. orarius (Figs. 63, 64). In the female, the mesonotum of H. orarius is areolate rugose (Fig. 61) and the legs bear long dark bristles (Fig. 59).

Etymology. The epithet orarius, Latin for “belonging to the seacoast” refers to the beach collecting locality of one of the paratypes.

Link to Distribution Map.50

Material Examined. Holotype female: MADAGASCAR: Antsiranana Auto. Prov., Montagne d’Ambre National Park, 12°31'13"S 49°10'45"E, 1125 m, MA-01-01D-04, 11.II–4.III.2001, Malaise trap, Harin’Hala, CASENT 2043723 (deposited in CASC)51. Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 3 males, 1 female, CASENT 2042917, 2043724, 2132025 (CASENT); OSUC 186126 ( OSUC).

Comments. Among the five species known from Madagascar – H. striatosternus , H. noyesi , H. orarius , H. sicarius and H. teres – only H. striatosternus also has the distinct black bristles on the legs (Fig. 77). The males that we have assigned to H. orarius do have black bristles on the mid and hind tibiae, but they are shorter and fewer than are found in the females of either H. orarius or H. striatosternus . Our association of the sexes in this species is based on a combination of the rather elongate outer propodeal projections, the round profile of the head in lateral view, and the overall small body size.