Centrodora flemingiae Hayat

Hayat, Mohammad, 2012, Records and descriptions of some Aphelinidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from India, Zootaxa 3521, pp. 39-50 : 40-43

Centrodora flemingiae Hayat , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

Female. Length 1.02–1.15 mm (holotype, 1.15 mm). Head with vertex brownish yellow; frons brown; facial region pale brown; malar space brown; occiput white. Mandible reddish brown. Antenna with scape pale brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown. Pronotum pale brownish yellow, collar pale brown; mid lobe of mesoscutum yellowish brown; side lobes yellow; axillae largely dark brown; scutellum yellow to brownish yellow, with posterior margin sometimes brown; a pale mid-longitudinal line on mid lobe and scutellum present; tegula dark brown; metanotum white with dorsellum brownish yellow; propodeum white with a dark brown patch mesal to each spiracle; prepectus, mesopleuron and metapleuron white, mesopleuron in about anterior third with some pale brown suffusions. Fore wing hyaline, with an infuscated streak below proximal end of marginal vein ( Fig. 5 ). Hind wing hyaline. Legs white except as follows: fore coxa with pale brown suffusions in distal half; fore femur brownish along ventral margin; fore tibia largely brown; fore tarsus brown; mid femur except basal fifth or so pale brown; mid tibia pale brown; mid basitarsus pale brown in about basal two-thirds; hind coxa brown to dark brown with apex white; hind femur dark brown. Gaster ( Fig. 1 ) with TI, TV–TVII dark brown, TIV with a pale brown cross band; TII and TIII pale yellow; TVIII white.

Head ( Fig. 2 ). Head, in frontal view, 1.09× as broad as high; frontovertex width, at level of anterior ocellus, 0.43× head width; ocellar triangle with apical angle a right angle (90o); posterior ocelli separated from eye margin by a distance about equal to diameter of an ocellus; vertex with raised reticulate sculpture; frons and face with rugose-reticulate sculpture, shallower than on vertex; malar space behind sulcus with elongate reticulate sculpture; setae on frontovertex dark brown to black and bristle-like; 4 long setae in a transverse line on occiput, 2 long setae on occipital margin; other setal arrangement as in Fig. 2 ; setae on face and malar space short and translucent; eyes with very short, translucent setae. Mandible ( Fig. 2 ) with 3 teeth, dorsal tooth may appear as a short truncation. Antenna ( Fig. 3 ) with scape cylindrical, 5.8× as long as broad; pedicel 3.2× as long as broad, about as long as F1 and F2 combined; F1 shortest, with apex oblique (ventral margin longer than dorsal margin), 1.85× as long as broad; F2 2.92× as long as broad, and 1.57× as long as F1; F3 very slightly longer than F2 and 2.68× as long as broad; clava about as long as combined length of F3, F2, and half of F1; F1 and F2 without longitudinal sensilla, F3 with 1 or 2 sensilla, and clava with 6 or 7 sensilla.

Mesosoma ( Figs 1 , 4 ). Median length of mid lobe of mesoscutum 1.33× as long as median length of scutellum; scutellum slightly broader than long (16:15); dorsellum 0.3× length of scutellum; propodeum 0.46× scutellum length; mesoscutum and scutellum with polygonal reticulate sculpture, appearing raised reticulate in brownish areas; dorsellum with polygonal reticulate sculpture; propodeum medially with elongate reticulate to lineolatereticulate sculpture; setae on pro- and mesothoracic dorsum dark brown to black; pronotal collar with 2 lines of setae on each half of pronotum and a long seta at each posterolateral corner; mid lobe of mesoscutum with 35–40 setae, of which 1 seta on each anterolateral corner and the 2 setae along posterior margin long; each side lobe with 3 setae, rarely 2 setae on one side lobe; tegula with 2 setae; axilla with 1 seta and scutellum with 4 (2+2) long setae; propodeum with 2 short, translucent setae adjacent to outer margin of each spiracle. Fore wing 3.2–3.3× as long as broad; marginal fringe about 0.15× wing width; venation reaching to half length of wing; costal cell usually at least slightly longer than marginal vein, but in one specimen ( Fig. 5 ) as long as marginal vein; costal cell with 2–4 dark setae distally on dorsal surface, and apparently no setae on ventral surface; 3 setae on submarginal vein, 2 setae on parastigma, and 8 setae on marginal vein; postmarginal vein about half length of stigmal vein; linea calva present, narrow, closed by about 3 lines of setae both anteriorly and posteriorly; speculum present; area below parastigma and submarginal vein setose. Hind wing about 5.5× as long as broad; marginal fringe about one-third wing width; disc setose except bare below submarginal vein. Legs long; mid basitarsus half or nearly half length of mid tibia and as long as tarsal segments 2–5 combined. Relative measurements (holotype)—mesoscutum length, 20; scutellum length (width), 15 (16); dorsellum length, 4.5; propodeum length, 7; fore wing length (width), 96 (29); marginal fringe length, 4.5; hind wing length (width), 80 (14.5); marginal fringe length, 5.

Metasoma ( Fig. 1 ). If gaster undistorted, slightly longer than mesosoma (55:53); ovipositor originating from near base of gaster, and very shortly exserted; ovipositor 1.27× as long as mid tibia; third valvula 0.25× second valvifer; setae on tergites as follows: TI–TIV with 2+2 each; TV with a line of 10–12 setae; TVI with two lines of 8 and 8 setae, setae of the posterior line longer; TVII without setae; and TVIII with 7 setae. Relative measurements (holotype)—ovipositor length, 56; third valvula length, 11.25; mid tibia length, 44; mid basitarsus length, 22.5; mid tibial spur length, 20.5.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ( NPC, Registration No. 13/6/119/11), female (on slide under two coverslips) labelled “ INDIA: JHARKHAND: Ranchi, 22.xii.2011, ex eggs on Flemingia sp. [collector unknown]. Paratypes: 3 females (on 3 slides), with data same as for holotype. (One female in NPC, Registration No. 13/6/119/12; 2 females in ZDAMU, Registration No. HYM. CH.651).

Specimens with same data as holotype, but not designated as types: 3 females (on 2 slides); one female with both antennae beyond F1 and left side legs missing; one female with metasoma missing; and one female with right wings and all legs missing).

Host. Undetermined eggs on Flemingia sp. (Leguminosae).

Distribution. India: Jharkhand.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the name of the plant on which the host eggs were collected.

Comments. It should be noted that in at least the Indian species of Centrodora Förster , Proaphelinoides Girault and Coccophagoides Girault , a narrow sclerite connected or approximated laterally of the outer plates of the ovipositor is present. This sclerite actually represents TVII of the gaster, and the apparent last tergite is the eighth tergite (TVIII).

The new species of Centrodora Förster described here is unique in having 35–40 setae on the mid lobe of the mesoscutum. In nearly all other described species of this genus the number of setae on the mid lobe of the mesoscutum varies from 4 to 12 or rarely 14, but one species, C. mireyae ( De Santis 1981) , has 14–19 setae, and two other species, C. damoni ( Girault 1922b; holotype examined by Hayat & Fatima 1990) and C. homopterae ( Risbec 1951) each have 22 setae ( Ferrière 1965; Hayat 1983, 1998, 2010—to cite just 4 references).

The new species appears similar to C. homopterae (from Senegal; based on the original description and figures given by Risbec 1951), but differs in several characters including relative dimensions of the antennal segments. In C. flemingiae : antenna with scape 1.8× as long as pedicel; pedicel 2.46× as long as F1; F2 1.57× as long as F1 and 0.95× F3; clava about as long as funicle; mid lobe of the mesoscutum with 35–40 setae; fore wing at least 3.2× as long as broad, and with an infuscated streak below proximal end of marginal vein; and body colour partly pale yellow to dark brown, with TI, TV–TVII dark brown, TIV with a pale brown cross band, TII and TIII pale yellow, and TVIII white. In C. homopterae : antenna with scape 3× as long as pedicel; pedicel 2.75× as long as F1; F2 2× as long as F1, and subequal in length to F3; clava slightly longer than funicle (12:10); mid lobe of mesoscutum with 22 setae; fore wing 3× as long as broad, and hyaline; and body entirely pale yellow, the face a little darker.

In 1981 I saw in the BMNH an undescribed species of Centrodora with numerous setae on the mid lobe of the mesoscutum, but otherwise is quite different from the new species. The specimens were from Trinidad ( St. Vincent) and Brazil.

All the described Indian species of Centrodora ( Hayat 1998, 2010) are quite different from the new species not only in having only 4–12 setae on the mid lobe of the mesoscutum, but also in the relative dimensions of the flagellar segments, especially in having F2 at most two-thirds the length of F3 and usually much shorter.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Centrodora flemingiae Hayat, sp. nov., female, body dorsal.

FIGURES 2 – 5. Centrodora flemingiae Hayat, sp. nov., female: 2, head, frontal; 3, antenna; 4, mesosoma; 5, fore wing, basal half.