Heptascelio watshami Masner & Johnson

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 : 30-31

Heptascelio watshami Masner & Johnson , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:816CC3B9-53C2-4D3A-9664-4DF1E5D1AD28 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:223424 Figures 93–96; Morphbank68

Description. Female body length: 2.8–3.4 mm (n=8). Male body length: 2.3–3.0 mm (n=15). Body color of female: entirely dark, dark brown to black. Color of female antenna: A1 brown, A2–A5 yellow, A6–A12 dark brown. Color of wing membrane: hyaline basally, infuscate in apical two-thirds, streak below submarginal vein weak. Color of legs: coxae, femora, tibiae dark brown, otherwise brown. Body color of male: entirely black. Color of male antenna: light brown throughout.

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: transversely striate ventrally, with smooth field dorsomedially. 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: longitudinally strigose, with strong transverse sculpture in interspaces. Sculpture of mesoscutum in male: coarsely areolate rugose. Parapsidal line: absent. Mesoscutellum shape: roughly trapezoidal, sides converging apically, apex weakly excavate, without distinct median longitudinal impression. Sculpture of female mesoscutellum: areolate rugose. 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: with distinct straight longitudinal paramedian keel arising from apex of inner propodeal projection. 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: strongly narrowed, nearly linear, foveae on surface nearly as high as wide. Netrion setation: glabrous. Sculpture of lateral pronotum posterior to epomial carina: with large smooth field dorsally, elsewhere finely rugulose. 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: rugulose to punctate. Sculpture of metapleuron: coarsely areolate to rugose throughout. 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 hind femur only.

T1 depression: glabrous or sparsely setose. Sublateral lamella on T1: indicated as low carina. Sculpture of T2–T4: longitudinally striate, with fine cross striae, punctures, smooth or finely punctulate transverse band http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=223423 67. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:specimen:6EBBEE9A-5399-48A6-8224- E89674 C02D1E http://www.morphbank.net/?id=224251

apically. Setation of laterotergites: setose. Sculpture of S2, S3 of female: strongly longitudinally rugose. Sculpture of S2, S3 of male: nearly smooth, with scattered setigerous punctures. Distribution of felt fields: present on S2–S3.

Diagnosis. This species is most similar to H. albipes , H. anthonyi , and H. strigatus from which it may be distinguished by the paucity of transverse bridges between the longitudinal striae on the mesoscutum and the areolate sculpture of the mesoscutellum (Fig. 94).

Etymology. Named after Rev. Anthony Watsham (Harare, Zimbabwe), whose collections have significantly contributed to our knowledge of African Hymenoptera .

Biology. Reared from the eggs of Plagiotriptus pinivorus 69 Descamps ( Orthoptera : Thericleidae ). This polyphagous species is a pest in introduced pine plantations in East Africa (Schabel 2006).

Link to Distribution Map.70

Material Examined. Holotype female. ZIMBABWE: Harare (Salisbury), VI.1982, A. Watsham, pan trap, OSUC 209184 (deposited in CNCI)71. Paratypes (18 males, 10 females): DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 1 female, OSUC 209191 ( CNCI). KENYA: 1 female, OSUC 209190 ( CNCI). MALAWI: 4 males, 3 females, OSUC 207733–207738 ( BMNH); OSUC 209192–209193 ( CNCI). ZIMBA- BWE: 14 males, 5 females, OSUC 59555 ( OSUC), OSUC 209172–209183, 209185–209189 ( CNCI).