Spalangiopelta viridis, Mitroiu, 2016

Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2016, Review of world genera of Ceinae, with the description of two new Palaearctic species of Spalangiopelta Masi (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 251, pp. 1-15 : 8-11

Spalangiopelta viridis sp. nov.

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Fig. 4 A–G

Diagnosis

Both sexes

Head and mesosoma mostly with bright green and some violet and bronze metallic reflections (the first less strong in males), metasoma dark brown; antenna brown; legs mostly dark yellow, fore coxa usually darker ( Fig. 4 A–B, E); gena without pale maculation ( Fig. 4C ); mesosoma moderately robust, length 1.65× width; malar sulcus indistinct ( Fig. 4C ); wings well developed ( Fig. 4 A–B).

Female ( Fig. 4 A–D, G)

Scape liniar in lateral view; F1 length about 1.3× width; mesosoma width 0.95× head width; midlobe of mesoscutum mainly with imbricate sculpture; fore wing with admarginal setae, parastigma without hyaline break; metascutellum about as long as frenum; petiole transverse; ovipositor sheaths short, less than ¼ length of hind tibia.

Male ( Fig. 4 E–F)

Petiole conical; fore wing linear, front and hind margins parallel from middle of marginal vein to end of postmarginal vein; fore wing with 2–4 admarginal setae below marginal vein, without hyaline break.

Etymology

The species epithet refers to the main body colour, which is usually bright green.

Type material

Holotype

SPAIN: ♀, P.N. Caldera de Taburiente, La Palma (Islas Canarias), Roque de la Cumbrecita , 1377 m, Malaise trap, 28RBS2177-1, M4, 12 Jul. 2000, T. Domingo Quero leg. ( MNCN).

Allotype

SPAIN: 1 ♀, P.N. Caldera de Taburiente, La Palma (Islas Canarias), Roque de la Cumbrecita , Malaise trap, 1377 m, 28RBS2177-1, M4, 19 Jul. 2000, T. Domingo Quero leg. ( MNCN).

Additional paratypes

SPAIN: 1 ♀, data as holotype ( MNCN); 1 ♀, data as holotype, except yellow trap, YT4 ( MICO); 1 ♀, data as holotype, except yellow trap, YT4, 16. Aug. 2000 ( MICO); 1 ♀, data as holotype, except 19 Jul. 2000 ( MICO); 6 ƋƋ as allotype (3 in MNCN, 3 in MICO); 4 ƋƋ, data as allotype, except yellow trap, YT4, 16 Aug. 2000 (2 in MNCN, 2 in MICO); 5 ƋƋ, data as allotype, except yellow trap, YT4, 12 Jul. 2000 (3 in MNCN, 2 in MICO); 2 ƋƋ, data as allotype, except 12 Jul. 2000 (1 in MNCN, 1 in MICO).

Description

Female holotype

BODY LENGTH. 1.75 mm.

COLOUR. Head bronze-green, with violet reflections on upper face and vertex ( Fig. 4 A–C); mandibles light brown, teeth darker; palpi light brown; antenna brown, except scape light brown; eyes and ocelli pale grey ( Fig. 4C ). Mesosoma mainly bright green, except propodeum golden green ( Fig. 4 A–C, G); fore coxa light brown, mid and hind coxae dark yellow; trochanters yellow; fore femora brownish yellow; mid and hind femora, and all tibiae and tarsi dark yellow ( Fig. 4A ); tegula and wing venation light brown, parastigma without hyaline break; fore wing disc broadly but slightly infumate; hind wing hyaline ( Fig. 4D ). Metasoma, including ovipositor sheaths, mainly dark brown, slightly metallic basally; petiole dark green ( Fig. 4 A–B). Body setation pale.

HEAD. In dorsal view moderately transverse, HW/HL = 1.7. Sculpture finely imbricate, except smooth scrobal cavity and area around ocelli. MS/EH = 0.5. Malar sulcus indistinct ( Fig. 4C ). Antenna ( Fig. 4C ): A3 wider than long, length about equal to A2; A1 indistinct; F1 cylindrical, length about 1.3× width, distally very slightly wider than anelli. F2–F5 distinctly longer than wide, subequal in length, but wider than F1. Clava wider than distal funicular segments, length about 4.4× width, subequal in length to F2– F5. C1 about equal to F5, C2–C3 gradually increasing in length.

MESOSOMA. Length 1.65× width. Dorsum moderately arched in lateral view ( Fig. 4A ). Sculpture very fine, mostly imbricate. Notauli distinct, complete, although not deeply impressed. Pronotum about 0.9× length of mesoscutum. Mesoscutellum about 0.9× as long as mesoscutum. Axillula shallowly reticulate, without longitudinal costae. Frenum distinct, sculpture less fine than on mesoscutellum disc. Metanotum about ¼ length of mesoscutellum. Metascutellum virtually smooth, distinctly delimited, width about twice length, subequal in length to frenum ( Fig. 4G ). Propodeum about 0.7× as long as mesoscutellum, distinctly reticulate except near metanotum where almost smooth; propodeum not raised along median line, without any carinulae, with two lateral grooves along metanotum. Prepectus narrowly triangular, with shallow reticulation. Mesopleuron mostly with very fine imbricate sculpture, including mesepisternum. Fore wing ( Fig. 4D ) length about 3.4× width, the longest apical setae (fringe) longer than stigmal vein, with 4 admarginal setae below marginal vein. Parastigma without hyaline break. SM: M: S: P = 55: 40: 10: 18. Stigmal vein almost straight, stigma hardly enlarged, uncus long. Hind wing length about 5.8× width, longest apical setae slightly less than width of hind wing.

METASOMA. Ovate-acuminate ( Fig. 4B ). Petiole transverse, coriaceous, without longitudinal rugae ( Fig. 4G ). Gaster mostly smooth, shiny, with at most extremely fine imbricate sculpture on distal tergites, length without ovipositor sheaths about 2.2× width. GT1 almost equal to GT2–GT4 combined. Ovipositor sheaths about 0.3× as long as hind tibia ( Fig. 4A ).

Male allotype

Differs from the female holotype as follows. Body length: 1.25 mm. Head colour lighter, violet reflections less strong ( Fig. 4E ). Propodeum with golden reflections less strong; both fore and mid coxae brown, rest of leg segments brownish yellow ( Fig. 4E ). Petiole brown. Antenna ( Fig. 4F ): A1 visible, although strongly transverse; A2 and A3 transverse, subequal in length; each funicular segment with one basal whorl of erect setae that are longer than the segments; F1 length about 3× width, F2 slightly longer than F1, F3 subequal in length to F1, F4 and F5 slightly shorter than F3; clava length about 5× width, longer than F4–F5 combined. Petiole longer, conical, almost smooth. Infumation on fore wing less conspicuous; fore wing linear, front and hind margins parallel from middle of marginal vein to end of postmarginal vein ( Fig. 4E ); fore wing length about 4× width. SM: M: S: P = 50: 33: 7: 18. Gaster length about 2.3× width, slightly and gradually widening toward apex in dorsal view.

Variation

Females

BODY LENGTH. 1.40–1.75 mm. F1 length 1.1–1.3× width. Clava length about 4.2–4.4× width. Fore wing length about 3.4–3.7× width, with 3–4 admarginal setae below marginal vein, some almost touching the hind edge of the latter. M about 2.0–2.2× P and 4.2–4.5× S. Gaster length about 2.2–2.5× width.

Males

BODY LENGTH. 0.90–1.25 mm. In small specimens metallic colours fainter, probably because of thinner cuticle (head and flagellum sometimes collapsing even after HMDS treatment) and alcohol preservation in light conditions. F1 length about 2.4–3.0× width, F2 slightly longer than F1, F3 subequal in length to F1 or F2, F4 and F5 from slightly shorter to about equal to F3. Clava length about 5–6× width. Fore wing length about 4.0–4.5× width, with 2–4 admarginal setae below marginal vein. M about 1.7–1.8× P and 4.3–4.7× S. Gaster length about 2.3–2.5× width.

Distribution

Canary Islands.

Hosts

Unknown.

Remarks

This is one of the few species of Spalangiopelta with bright metallic colours. Following Darling’s key (1991b), S. viridis sp. nov. most closely resembles S. brachyptera , from which it differs mainly in the well developed wings, and different colour of antennae and body.

Figures

Fig. 4. Spalangiopelta viridis sp. nov. A. ♀, holotype, habitus in lateral view. B. ♀, holotype, habitus in dorsal view. C. ♀, holotype, head and antennae in lateral view. D. ♀, holotype, wings. E. Ƌ, allotype, habitus in lateral view. F. Ƌ, allotype, head and antennae in lateral view. G. ♀, holotype, mesosoma and petiole in dorsal view.