Prococcobius Hayat, 2015

Kresslein, Robert L., Polaszek, Andrew, Burks, Roger A., Mottern, Jason L., Lahey, Zachary & Heraty, John M., 2025, Nomenclatural spring cleaning: tidying Aphelinidae of taxa that do not spark joy, and a new species of Prococcobius Hayat (Aphelinidae: Coccophaginae), Journal of Natural History 59 (9 - 12), pp. 609-653 : 634

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2024.2436124
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14970936
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4419F96A-9444-FFC5-6222-FECDDE63FAA3
treatment provided by	Plazi (2025-03-05 08:14:57, last updated 2025-03-06 14:09:45)
scientific name	Prococcobius Hayat
status

Treatment

Prococcobius Hayat View in CoL

Prococcobius Hayat, 2015: 107–108 View in CoL . Type species: Prococcobius polaszeki Hayat, 2015 View in CoL by original monotypy.

Diagnosis

Head prognathous with ∩ shaped fronto-facial sulcus (ffs); toruli inserted at clypeal margin ( Figure 10A, B View Figure 10 ). Body dorsoventrally flattened with gaster more than 2.5× as long as mesosoma ( Figures 10A View Figure 10 , 11B View Figure 11 ). Mesosoma with pronotum (no1) strongly enlarged, sometimes narrowly divided ( Figure 10C View Figure 10 ); axilla (ax) not advanced past the transscutal suture; mesoscutellum wider than long, scutellar sensilla absent from the mesoscutellum (mss) ( Figures 10D View Figure 10 , 11C View Figure 11 ). Fore wings reduced ( Figure 11D View Figure 11 ). Gastral tergites with dorsal invaginations ( Figure 10C View Figure 10 ).

Comments

Prococcobius Hayat, 2015 was diagnosed based on the following suite of diagnostic characteristics: head subprognathous ( Figure 10A View Figure 10 ); mandible with mandibular rods basally globular (as in Signiphoridae ); mesosoma with pronotum (no1) enlarged ( Figure 11E View Figure 11 ), mesoscutellum (mss) transverse, mesoscutellar scutellar sensilla absent ( Figures 10D View Figure 10 ; 11C View Figure 11 ); fore wing greatly reduced and subcircular, with wing disc asetose, with trace wing venation ( Figure 11D View Figure 11 ); gaster considerably larger than mesosoma ( Figure 11E View Figure 11 ). Prococcobius represents an unusual group within Physcini Yasnosh 1976 . Numerous species of undescribed brachypterous Coccobius superficially resemble Prococcobius (Mottern unpublished). However, in Prococcobius the presence of a strongly enlarged pronotum and internal sternal projection ( Figure 11F View Figure 11 ) suggest placement outside of Coccobius . While it is possible that Prococcobius may be an extremely autapomorphic Coccobius , we have chosen to maintain it as a valid genus until sequence data can be collected and analysed.

References

Hayat M. 2015. Additions to the Aphelinidae of India (Hymenoptera; Chalcidoidea) - 4. Description of two new genera. J of Insect Systematics. 1: 107-115.

Yasnosh VA. 1976. Classification of the parasitic Hymenoptera of the family Aphelinidae (Chalcidoidea). Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie. 55: 114-120.

Figures

Figure 10. Prococcobius platycephala Kresslein (Physcini Yasnosh) holotype female. (A) Habitus (lateral), (B) head (anterior); inset: head (dorsal), (C) gaster (dorsal), (D) mesosoma (dorsal). ax: axilla; ffs: frontofacial sulcus; gti: gastral tergum invagination; mss: mesoscutellum; vms: vertical medial sulcus; vtx: vertex.

Figure 11. Prococcobius platycephala Kresslein (Physcini Yasnosh) holotype female. (A) Head (anterior); inset: head (posterior), (B) antenna (lateral), (C) mesosoma (dorsal), (D) fore wing, (E) habitus (dorsal), (F) ovipositor and gaster (ventral). acr: acropleuron; cer: cercus; cl: clava; gtc: gastral tergum carina; msc: mesoscutum; no1: pronotum; no3: metanotum; occ: occipital carina; ocf: occipital foramen; stp: internal sternal projections; vtx: vertex; 3vl: third valvula.