Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) caudatus Ogloblin, 1935

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 : 131-135

Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) caudatus Ogloblin, 1935

( Figs 253–262 )

Gonatocerus caudatus Ogloblin 1935: 74 –77 (female only) + plates (láminas) VI and VII (illustrations). Type locality (of the lectotype, designated here): Loreto, Misiones, Argentina.

Lymaenon caudatus ( Ogloblin): Ogloblin 1953 : 1 –2 (description of the male, invalid allotype designation) + plates (láminas) I and II (illustrations).

Gonatocerus (Gonatocerus) caudatus Ogloblin : De Santis 1967: 104 (catalog).

Gonatocerus caudatus Ogloblin : Yoshimoto 1990: 40 (list); Loiácono et al. 2005: 11 (type information; invalid holotype designation); Luft Albarracin et al. 2009: 9 (list; distribution in Argentina).

Type material examined. Lectotype female [MLPA], here designated to avoid the existing confusion about the status of the type specimens of this species, on slide labeled: 1. “ Lymaenon caudatus A. O. ♀ Loreto, Misiones 20.vii.1934 Selva! A. O. Holotypus [faintly written ip]”; 2. “Publicado como Gonatocerus caudatus ”; 3. “Holotipo ♀ 3854/1”. This specimen was invalidly designated as a holotype of G. caudatus by Loiácono et al. (2005). The lectotype, although insufficiently cleared, is in good condition, complete, perfectly spread out and mounted dorsoventrally. Paralectotypes [both MLPA]: 1 ♀ on slide labeled: “ Gonatocerus caudatus A. O. ♀ San Ignacio. 15.xi.1934. A. A. O.”; 1 ♂ on slide labeled: “ Gonatocerus caudatus [species name later co ip] A. O. ♂ Loreto, Misiones 20.vii.1934 Selva!”. The type designations of G. caudatus are very confusing because Ogloblin (1935, p. 74) wrote: “Descripta sobre tres ejemplares recogidos en la selva de Loreto y San Ignacio, Misiones; los ejemplares típicos (un macho y una hembra), encontrados 20–VII–1934 ”. Thus, this species was described from three syntype specimens, 2 females and 1 male, as listed above. The male paralectotype belongs to G. (Cosmocomoidea) nigrithorax (Ogloblin) , as justifiably corrected later by Ogloblin (1953), but it was not necessarily (and in fact very unlikely) included by him in the type series of the latter species because it was collected in July whereas the specimens of the type series of his Lymaenon nigrithorax were collected in Loreto and Monte Carlo, Misiones, during April, June, October, and December ( Ogloblin 1953).

A male specimen on a slide in MLPA, labeled: “ Gonatocerus caudatus [ nigrithorax – al ip] A. O. ♂ Loreto, Misio-nes. 21.iii.1935. Selva A. A. O.” can not be the original male syntype of G. caudatus because its collection date is not 20.vii.1934, the date indicated for the two “types”, a female and a male, out of the three specimens on which Ogloblin based his description of that species. Another specimen (a female) on a slide in MLPA, labeled: 1. “ Gonatocerus caudatus A. O. ♀ Loreto, Misiones 27.vi.1934. Selva. Typus.”; 2. “3854”; 3.

[red circle], was later mislabeled as a “ type ” by Ogloblin himself, but it is not part of the type series either because, according to its original description, at least one specimen of the type series was collected in San Ignacio , Misiones, and we know now that it was the female paralectotype listed above.

Material examined. ARGENTINA. FORMOSA, Estancia Guaycolec (25 km N of Formosa), 25°59’S 58°12’W, 185 m, 17–20.xii.1998, S.L. Heydon [3 ♀, 1 ♂, UCDC]. MISIONES: Aristóbulo del Valle, 27.xi.1960, A.A. Ogloblin [1 ♂, MLPA]. Loreto: 15.ii.2001, P. Fidalgo [1 ♀, UCRC]; 28.ii.2001, P. Fidalgo [1 ♀, IMLA]; 27°20’10.0’’S 55°31’36.9’’W, 172 m, 16.ii.2009, D.A. Aquino, A.V. Ossipov, S.V. Triapitsyn [1 ♀, UCRC]. Reserva de Vida Silvestre Urugua-í, 25°58.471’S 54°06.986’W, 400 m, 10–12.xii.2003, B.V. Brown, G. Kung [1 ♀, UCRC]. San Ignacio, Chacra Yabebirí (Yabebiry), 2.iii.1951, A.A. Ogloblin [1 ♀, 1 ♂, MLPA] (the male specimen, labeled as “ Lymaenon caudatus A. Ogl ♂ Chacra Yabebirí San Ignacio, Mis 2.iii.1951. Selva A. O. Allotypus! [ip] Fig. [iR, ip]”, was invalidly designated as an allotype by Ogloblin (1953) because it was not part of the original syntype series of his G. caudatus ). Santa Ana, 27.34°S 55.53°W, 77 m, 27.iii.2003, J. Munro [1 ♀, UCRC]. BRAZIL. RIO DE JANEIRO, near Desengano State Park, 21.87°S 41.80°W, 200 m, 9.v.1999, B.V. Brown [1 ♀, UCRC]. PARAGUAY. ITAPÚA, Yatai, Reserva San Rafael, Hostettler family property, 26°38’17’’S 55°39’59’’W, 100 m, 21–25.i.2000, Z.H. Falin [1 ♀, CNCI].

Redescription. FEMALE (lectotype, paralectotype, and non-type specimens). Body length 760–1340 µm. Head, mesosoma, petiole, coxae and metafemur dark brown, remainder of leg segments mostly light brown except mesofemur brown and metatibia light brown to brown; gaster whitish with brown to dark brown bands on terga; scape and pedicel light brown, flagellum brown to dark brown.

Antenna ( Figs 253 , 256 ) with radicle 0.3–0.33x total length of scape, rest of scape 3.1–3.3x as long as wide; pedicel longer than F1; F1 the shortest funicle segment, F2–F6 more or less subequal but quite variable in length (F6 usually at least slightly shorter than other segments), F8 shorter than F7; mps on F5 (1 or 2), F6 (1), F7 (2), and F8 (2); clava with 8 mps, 3.5–3.8x as long as wide, shorter than combined length of F6–F8.

Mesosoma much shorter than gaster ( Figs 254 , 258 ). Mesoscutum and scutellum smooth. Propodeum ( Fig. 257 ) with very short submedian carinae at posterior margin only. Forewing ( Figs 255 , 259 ) 3.2–3.4x as long as wide; longest marginal seta about 0.25x maximum wing width; disc infumate and with a narrow, slightly curved, brown band behind stigmal vein, with cubital row of setae complete, and a narrow bare area just behind marginal vein, remainder of the area between marginal vein and cubital row of setae setose. Hind wing ( Fig. 255 ) 17–18x as long as wide; disc mostly bare except for rows of setae along margins and a few setae basally and apically, slightly infumate; longest marginal seta 1.9–2.1x maximum wing width.

Gaster (and ovipositor) at least slightly, but sometimes notably, projecting forward under propodeum. Petiole strap-like, about 3.0x as wide as long. Ovipositor almost entire length of gaster, markedly exserted beyond its apex, usually by about 0.3x, but sometimes by about 0.38x own length; ovipositor length: mesotibia length ratio 2.5–2.9:1.

Measurements (µm) of the lectotype. Body: total body length: 1322; head 209; mesosoma 437; petiole 31; gaster 726; ovipositor 1082. Antenna: radicle 66; rest of scape 151; pedicel 67; F1 52; F2 106; F3 103; F4 100; F5 97; F6 85; F7 88; F8 73; clava 226. Forewing 1390:430; longest marginal seta 106. Hind wing 1064:64; longest marginal seta 125.

MALE (non-type specimens from Aristóbulo del Valle and San Ignacio, Misiones). Body length 1230– 1340 µm. Similar to female except for normal sexually dimorphic features and the following. Antenna ( Fig. 260 ) with all flagellomeres much longer than wide and longer than pedicel. Wings as in Fig. 261 , forewing about 3.4x as long as wide. Genitalia as in Fig. 262 .

Diagnosis. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) caudatus is a member of the ater subgroup of the ater species group. It is characterized by the following unique combination: female antenna ( Figs 253 , 256 ) with long funicle segments; propodeum with very short submedian carinae at posterior margin only ( Fig. 257 ); forewing disc with a complete cubital row of setae and a narrow, slightly curved, brown band behind stigmal vein ( Figs 255 , 259 ); petiole about 3.0x as wide as long; and a long ovipositor projecting beyond gastral apex by at least 0.3x own length ( Figs 254 , 258 ).

Gonatocerus caudatus is most similar to usually somewhat smaller G. (Cosmocomoidea) nigrithorax (Ogloblin) , which have a relatively shorter ovipositor, as indicated in the key above, and a relatively longer petiole (at most 1.6x as wide as long). Males of G. caudatus have relatively longer antennal flagellomeres ( Fig. 260 ) than those of G. nigrithorax ( Fig. 414 ); smaller specimens of the former, however, may be difficult to distinguish from larger specimens of the latter, but it is still possible to separate them by the coloration of the legs. Males of G. caudatus have the metatibia notably lighter (light brown to brown) than the mesofemur and metafemur (brown to dark brown), whereas males of G. nigrithorax usually have the metatibia notably darker (brown) than the mesofemur (light brown) and metafemur (light brown to brown).

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL: Argentina, Brazil *, and Paraguay *.

Hosts. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 253 – 255. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) caudatus ♀ (lectotype): 253, antenna; 254, body; 255, wings.

FIGURES 256 – 259. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) caudatus ♀ (Loreto, Misiones, Argentina): 256, antenna; 257, dorsellum and propodeum; 258, body; 259, forewing.

FIGURES 260 – 262. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) caudatus ♂ (Chacra Yabebirí (Yabebiry), San Ignacio, Misiones, Argentina): 260, antenna; 261, wings; 262, genitalia.

FIGURES 414 – 416. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) nigrithorax ♂ (Tafí Viejo, Tucumán, Argentina): 414, antenna; 415, forewing; 416, genitalia.