Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) helavai Yoshimoto, 1990

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 : 160-164

Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) helavai Yoshimoto, 1990

( Figs 331–338 )

Gonatocerus helavai Yoshimoto 1990: 40 (listed in ater species group), 87–88, 135, 137, 147 (illustrations, see “Comments” below). Type locality: 8°40’N 19°50’W [mistakenly indicated in the original description as 79°50’W], 850 m, Cerro Campana, Panamá, Panama.

Gonatocerus helavai Yoshimoto : De Santis & Fidalgo 1994: 124 –125 (catalog).

Type material examined. Holotype male [ CNCI] on point labeled: 1. “ PANAMA, Panama, 8°40’N, 19°50’W, 850 m, Cerro Campana, J. Helava, 7–14.V.1973 ”; 2. (green) “ SLIDE No. 78.07.27.12”; 3. (red) “ HOLOTYPE CNCNo. 18473 Gonatocerus [an earlier subgeneric manuscript name (“ Ctendocerus ”) co] helavai Yosh. ”. The holotype is in fair condition although some leg segments are broken off; one antenna and one pair of wings are mounted on a slide [ CNCI] labeled: 1. “ Gonatocerus [an earlier subgeneric manuscript name (“ Ctendocerus ”) co] helavai Yosh. Det. : C.M. Yoshimoto”; 2. “Can. Nat. Collection No.: 78.07.27.12 Loc. Panama, Panama, 8°40’N, 19°50’W, 850 m, Cerro Campana Host:? Date: 7–14.v.1973 Coll.: J. Helava”. Paratype ♂ [ CNCI] on point labeled: 1. “ PANAMA, Chiriqui Prov., 15 km N.W. Hato del Volcan, 1200 m., 24–31.V.1977 Peck & Howden”; 2. (yellow) “ PARATYPE Gonatocerus (Ctendocerus) [an earlier subgeneric manuscript name] helavai Yosh. ”.

Material examined. COSTA RICA. PUNTARENAS, Monteverde : 11–14.vi.2000, B.V. Brown [1 ♂, UCRC] ; 1500 m, ii.1981, L. Masner (cloud forest) [2 ♂, CNCI]. SAN JOSÉ, Zurquí de Moravia , 1600 m, iii– iv.1993, P. Hanson [1 ♀, 4 ♂, CNCI (1 ♂), UCRC (1 ♀, 3 ♂)] . VENEZUELA. LARA, Yacambú National Park , 1200 m, 10.v.1981, H. Townes (cloud forest) [1 ♀, 7 ♂, CNCI] . MÉRIDA, NW of [Santiago de los Caballeros de] Mérida, Estación Santa Rosa , 2000 m, v.1981, L. Masner [1 ♂, CNCI] .

Description. FEMALE (previously unknown, non-type specimens from Costa Rica and Venezuela). Body length (dry-mounted specimens) 1613–1783 µm. Head dark yellow except trabeculae, sometimes middle of face, interocellar area, and a curved band on gena and occiput extending narrowly above foramen dark brown, to mostly brown except occiput, trabeculae, middle of face, and interocellar area dark brown; scape and pedicel from dark yellow (brown on pedicel dorsally) to mostly brown, F1 and F2 brownish yellow to mostly brown, F3 brownish basally and whitish apically, F4 whitish, F5–F8 and clava dark brown; mesosoma dark brown except pronotum partially or entirely, mesoscutum, and anterior scutellum dark yellow or light brown to brown; petiole light brown; legs yellow or light brown to brown except metatibia and apical 2 tarsomeres of all legs dark brown; gaster brown to dark brown. (The body and appendages of the smaller Venezuelan specimen are notably lighter than those of the larger Costa Rican specimen.)

Antenna ( Fig. 331 ) with radicle about 0.2x total length of scape; rest of scape 2.5x as long as wide, faintly striate; pedicel longer than F1; F1 much shorter than F2 and without mps, F2–F5 subequal in length and a little longer than F6 and F7; F8 notably shorter than F7; F2–F8 each with 2 mps; clava with 8 mps, 2.7x as long as wide, a little shorter than combined length of F5–F8.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 332 ). Propodeum ( Fig. 333 ) with submedian carinae converging towards anterior margin and joining together at dorsellum to enclose an oval area much wider posteriorly than anteriorly, and with a row of punctures lateral to each carina that do not extend to anterior margin of propodeum. Forewing ( Fig. 334 ) about 3.4x as long as wide; longest marginal seta about 0.2x maximum wing width; disc bare behind venation except for 2 setae behind stigmal vein, costal cell with a few setae in a row, remainder of disc densely setose; setose part of disc unevenly infumate, with a small, more intense dark spot just beyond venation followed by a narrow, only slightly infumate band, and then by a wide, more or less notably infumate band occupying approximately 0.4x apical part of disc. Hind wing ( Fig. 334 ) about 14x as long as wide; disc almost hyaline (slightly infumate apically), bare except for rows of setae along margins and additional, 2 irregular rows of setae along anterior margin; longest marginal seta about 1.6x maximum wing width. Metacoxa strongly reticulate.

Petiole about 1.8x as long as wide. Gaster shorter than mesosoma. Ovipositor short, about 0.6x length of gaster, not exserted beyond gastral apex; ovipositor length: mesotibia length ratio 0.9:1.

Redescription. MALE (holotype, paratype, and non-type specimens from Costa Rica and Venezuela). Body length of the holotype 1420 µm [1.4 mm according to original description], of the paratype about 1000 µm, and of the non-type specimens 1650–1915 µm. Similar to female except body more uniformly dark brown and also for the following. Antenna ( Fig. 335 ) uniformly brown, with 1 very long branch on each of F4–F7; F1–F3 wide, F8 very long; all flagellomeres with numerous mps, these particularly numerous on the branches. Propodeum as in Fig. 336 . Forewing ( Fig. 337 ) 3.2–3.3x as long as wide, with bands much less pigmented than illustrated by mistake under G. masneri Yoshimoto by Yoshimoto (1990, fig. 69; see “Comments” below). Middle and hind legs darker, mostly brown to dark brown. Petiole about 2.3x as long as wide. Genitalia as in Fig. 338 .

Diagnosis. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) helavai is a member of the morrilli subgroup of the ater species group. Female antenna ( Fig. 331 ) with F4 whitish. Forewing ( Fig. 334 ) with 2 faint bands on the setose part of disc, the smaller basal band is more pigmented but some specimens have only faint banding. Propodeum ( Figs 333 , 336 ) with a curved longitudinal row of confluent punctures lateral to each submedian carina. This is also the only described species of Gonatocerus with a branched male antenna ( Fig. 335 ), although we know of another undescribed Neotropical species from the same subgroup and species group that has much shorter branches on the male antenna (material in CNCI and UCRC).

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL: Costa Rica *, Panama, and Venezuela *.

Hosts. Unknown.

Comments. The illustration of the male forewing in Yoshimoto (1990, fig. 67) does not agree with either the description or the holotype of G. helavai ; rather, it is of the female of an undescribed species collected in Ecuador, Napo, Limoncocha , 15–28.vi.1976 [CNCI] that belongs to the morrilli subgroup of the ater species group of G. ( Cosmocomoidea ). The illustration of the forewing of G. masneri in Yoshimoto (1990, fig. 69) actually corresponds to that of the holotype male of G. helavai .

Figures

FIGURES 331 – 334. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) helavai ♀ (Zurquí de Moravia, San José, Costa Rica): 331, antenna; 332, mesosoma and metasoma; 33 3, dorsellum and propodeum; 334, wings.

FIGURES 335 – 338. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) helavai ♂ (Monteverde, Puntarenas, Costa Rica): 335, antenna; 336, propodeum; 337, forewing; 338, genitalia.