Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) tuberculifemur ( Ogloblin, 1957 )

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., Huber, John T., Logarzo, Guillermo A., Berezovskiy, Vladimir V. & Aquino, Daniel A., 2010, Review of Gonatocerus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in the Neotropical region, with description of eleven new species, Zootaxa 2456, pp. 1-243 : 225-227

Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) tuberculifemur ( Ogloblin, 1957)

( Figs 479–484 )

Lymaenon tuberculifemur Ogloblin 1957: 38 –39 + unnumbered plate page 2 (illustrations). Type locality: Pucará , at Lago Lácar, Neuquén, Argentina.

Gonatocerus (Gonatocerus) tuberculifemur (Ogloblin) : De Santis 1967: 105.

Gonatocerus tuberculifemur (Ogloblin) : Yoshimoto 1990: 41 (list); Triapitsyn 2007: 59; de León et al. 2007: 73–75 (as “Clade X”, molecular data); Triapitsyn et al. 2008: 5, 19–26 (redescription of the female, description of the male, synopsis of molecular and other data supporting its separation from similar forms); Luft Albarracin et al. 2009: 10 (list; distribution in Argentina).

Type material examined. Holotype female [ MLPA] on slide labeled [ip]: 1. “ Lymaenon tuberculifemur Ogl. female 18.III–55 PUCARÁ”; 2. “Pucará tuberculifemur n. sp. ” [followed by several abbreviated, illegible words and a drawing ip; the label data are written on a piece of paper with an unrelated imprint “STABEL Botánica”]. The holotype, although uncleared, is in relatively good condition except the head is partially collapsed, complete, mounted dorsoventrally.

Material examined. See Triapitsyn et al. (2008).

Redescription. See Triapitsyn et al. (2008) for a detailed redescription of the female, description of the male, and diagnosis.

Diagnosis. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) tuberculifemur is a member of the ater species group, but its subgroup placement is unclear. Morphologically, it fits better the ater subgroup but molecularly, it clusters with the morrilli subgroup species along with other members of the G. tuberculifemur complex (de León, Logarzo et al. 2007; Triapitsyn et al. 2008). Gonatocerus tuberculifemur s. str. (i.e., in the narrow sense) is characterized by the following combination: body ( Fig. 479 ) with head and mesosoma dark brown, gaster brown to dark brown with basal terga a little lighter than apical terga, appendages light brown to brown, scape light brown, more or less contrastingly lighter than pedicel and flagellum (not evident in the uncleared holotype); female antenna ( Figs 480 , 482 ) with all funicle segments longer than wide, F2 longer than F1 and shorter than F3, F4 and F5 subequal in length, F6 as long as F7 and each a little shorter than F5, F8 shorter than F7, mps on F3 (1 or 2) [the uncleared condition of the holotype does not allow for verification of the presence or absence of a mps on F3, although apparently there is one], F4 (2), F5 (2), F6 (2), F7 (2), and F8 (2); propodeum ( Fig. 483 ) with slightly curved submedian carinae connected at posterior margin of propodeum and extending almost to but not joining each other near anterior margin, smooth between submedian carinae but elsewhere with faint sculpture; forewing ( Fig. 481 ) disc slightly infuscate throughout, with an indistinct, slightly darker spot behind stigmal vein, bare behind submarginal and marginal veins except for a few setae just behind apex of marginal vein; ovipositor not at all or barely exserted beyond gastral apex, ovipositor length: mesotibia length ratio 0.9–1.1:1; male with apex of apodeme of genital sternite blunt ( Fig. 484 ).

As discussed in detail by Triapitsyn et al. (2008), G. tuberculifemur s. str. is most similar to G. (Cosmocomoidea) deleoni Triapitsyn, Logarzo & Virla and particularly to G. ( Cosmocomoidea ) sp. near tuberculifemur “Clade 1”. Both species have the male genitalia with a blunt apex of the apodeme of genital sternite, but they differ genetically. It is also similar to G. ( Cosmocomoidea ) sp. 3, which has a more or less distinct brown, round spot in the widest part of the forewing disc. Both G. tuberculifemur s. str. and G. sp. near tuberculifemur “Clade 1” have the forewing uniformly infumate. The scape of the female antenna in G. tuberculifemur s. str. is light brown, more or less contrastingly lighter than the pedicel ( Fig. 482 ), whereas in G. deleoni and G. sp. near tuberculifemur “Clade 1” it is brown and not contrastingly lighter than the pedicel.

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL: Argentina. Gonatocerus tuberculifemur s. str. is known only from its type locality in Pucará, Neuquén Province (Triapitsyn et al. 2008). All other, numerous, records of authors outside of its type locality should be referred to either G. sp. near tuberculifemur “Clade 1” (most, recognizable only using molecular methods) or G. deleoni (known only from General Alvear, Rama Caída, and San Rafael areas of Mendoza Province) (Triapitsyn et al. 2008).

Hosts. The natural hosts of G. tuberculifemur s. str. are unknown; the factitious host is Tapajosa rubromarginata (Signoret) (Cicadellidae) (Triapitsyn et al. 2008).

Figures

FIGURES 479 – 481. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) tuberculifemur ♀ (holotype): 479, body; 480, antenna; 481, wings.

FIGURES 482 – 484. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) tuberculifemur (482, 483 – ♀; 484 – ♂, Pucará, Parque Nacional Lanín, Neuquén, Argentina): 482, antenna; 483, dorsellum and propodeum; 484, genitalia.