Trichoteleia Kieffer

Talamas, Elijah J., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2011, Revision of the Malagasy genus Trichoteleia Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), ZooKeys 80, pp. 1-126 : 3-13

Trichoteleia Kieffer

Trichoteleia : Kieffer 1910: 530. Original description. Type: Trichoteleia albidipes Kieffer, by monotypy. Kieffer 1910: 64, 77. (description, list of species, keyed); Kieffer 1912: 227. (description); Kieffer 1926: 269, 402. (description, keyed); Muesebeck and Walkley 1956: 405. (citation of type species); Masner 1976: 41. (description); Johnson 1992: 506. (catalog of world species).

Description.

Length 2.1-4.1 mm; body moderately to markedly elongate, robust.

Head in dorsal view transverse to subspherical; vertex smooth to coarsely sculptured; hyperoccipital carina absent; occipital carina usually well developed and continuous medially; lateral ocellus contiguous with inner orbit of compound eye or distinctly separated from it, OOL less than or equal to diameter of lateral ocellus; compound eye large, setose; frons shallowly concave to slightly convex, usually with central keel; interantennal process present, large; antennal foramen very large; submedian carina absent; orbital carina present or absent; lower frons, laterad of orbital carina, with fanlike striae; lower frons between orbital carina and interantennal process without striae; inner ocular orbits parallel or diverging ventrally; clypeus narrow, slightly convex; malar sulcus present; gena in dorsal view variably expanded posteriorly, sculpture variable; labrum hidden behind clypeus; mandible of moderate length, apex with two or three apical, acute, teeth, teeth arrayed transversely; maxillary palpus 4-segmented, all segments cylindrical; labial palpus 2-segmented; antenna 12-merous in both sexes; radicle inserted into ventral apex of scape, strongly curved; scape more or less cylindrical, ventral surface flattened; A3 in females longer than A2; basiconic sensilla on female antenna arranged singly or in longitudinal pairs on apical antennomeres; claval formula A12-A7:1-2-2-2-2-(1,0); male antenna with tyloid on A5.

Mesosoma in dorsal view longer than wide, in lateral view longer than high; pronotum in dorsal view strip-like to moderately broad laterally, anterolateral corners rounded to angulate; transverse pronotal carina present or absent; lateral pronotum without vertical epomial carina but usually with distinct transition line between sculptured cervical pronotal area and smooth lateral pronotal area; dorsal epomial carina present; lateral face of pronotum slightly to moderately concave below dorsal epomial carina, facing anterolaterally; pronotal setal patch present, accompanied by striate or rugulose sculpture; netrion present, glabrous, moderately wide, open or closed ventrally; anterior margin of mesoscutum weakly to strongly flexed ventrally to meet pronotum; mesoscutum pentagonal in outline, posterolateral corner rounded; parapsidal line visible; notaulus present, percurrent or incomplete and reaching mesoscutal suprahumeral sulcus as a row of punctures; skaphion absent; transscutal articulation well-developed; mesoscutellum transverse, narrowing laterally, posterior margin convex to straight; axilla small, dorsal margin sinuate; metanotum short, metascutellum sparsely to moderately setose, clearly differentiated, apex bifid to bispinose; plical area densely setose; lateral propodeal carina and plica well developed, forming triangular to quadrate lateral propodeal area; mesopleural depression well developed; anterior half of mesopleural carina present; posterior half of mesopleural carina present, absent or indicated by rows of punctures; anteroventral portion of mesepisternum coarsely sculptured to smooth; sternaulus not distinguishable; postacetabular foveae not distinguishable; mesopleural pit present, distinct; anterior margin of ventral portion of mesepisternum and acetabular carina transverse, not extended forward between forecoxae; mesepimeral sulcus indicated by dorsoventral line of punctures or crenulae; posterodorsal corner of mesepimeron prominent, rounded or angulate, not produced into sharp posteriorly directed tooth; mesopleuron with a strong longitudinal ledge or row of robust longitudinal carinae below subalar pit, dorsally delimiting mesopleural furrow; anteroventral portion of metapleuron continuous with lateral face; metapleural triangle often setose; metapleural epicoxal carina present or absent; metapleural epicoxal sulcus absent; paracoxal sulcus present as a dorsoventral line of cells or punctures; metapleural sulcus present; metapleural pit present or absent; posterior margin of metapleuron narrowly lamellate; legs not unusually proportioned; posterior surface of hind coxa smooth, sparsely setose to glabrous; trochantellus absent; tibial spur formula 1-1-1; tarsal formula 5-5-5; pretarsal claws simple.

Wings hyaline to infuscate, often banded or patterned; Sc+R (submarginal vein) straight basal to intersection with Rs+M (basal vein), curved costad apically; R (marginal vein) present, shorter than r (stigmal vein); R1 (postmarginal vein) as long as r or longer; bulla absent; no other tracheate veins in forewing; M+Cu and Rs+M indicated by folds or pigmentation; M (medial vein), Cu (cubital vein), and Rs usually present as folds or lines of faint pigmentation; hindwing with tracheate portion of R present and reaching anterior margin; three hamuli present.

Metasoma generally flattened dorsally; female with 6 terga, 6 sterna visible externally, male with 8 terga, 7 sterna visible externally; submarginal ridge well-developed, defined by narrow laterotergites to form submarginal rim; no spiracles visible; anterior part of T1 laterally compressed, with lateral depression filled with fine setae; T2 with transverse sulcus; female T6 without median raised field of microsetae or secretion; basal transverse ridge on S2 present; lateral S2 with longitudinal depression filled with fine setae; ovipositor tubular, Scelio-type.

Diagnosis.

Trichoteleia may be distinguished from other genera of Scelioninae by the combination of the following characters: eyes setose; facial striae absent between orbital carina and interantennal process, R1 (postmarginal vein) as long as r (stigmal vein) or longer; metascutellum bifid to bispinose, setose; lateral T1 and S2 with patches of dense fine setae.

Comments.

The species of Trichoteleia exhibit remarkable diversity in size, patterns of sculpture and color, and relative proportions of the body. The variety of sizes and shapes found in this genus suggest a corresponding diversity of host species. No host has been recorded, but the species of Trichoteleia are suspected to parasitize the eggs of ground crickets ( Gryllidae ). This assumption is based on the putative relation of this genus to Paridris , which has one documented host association with Gryllus pennsylvanicus Burmeister (label data of a specimen in the USNM reported by Masner and Muesebeck, 1968).

The shape of the metascutellum is particularly plastic. It may be present as two large spines (Fig. 19), an apically bispinose plate (Fig. 20), or a narrow strip that is notched medially (Fig. 21). The setation of the metascutellum is always present and is thus a more unambiguously interpreted character for generic identification. Within Platygastroidea , such setation is rare, and is otherwise known to the authors only in Chromoteleia Ashmead, Romilius Walker, one species of Paridris Kieffer, one species of Triteleia Kieffer and two species in the subfamily Teleasinae .

Link to Distribution Map.

Trichoteleia is endemic to Madagascar, the Comoros and the island of Mayotte.

Key to species of Trichoteleia

Females

(unknown for Trichoteleia takariva , Trichoteleia carinata )

Males

(unknown for Trichoteleia cincta , Trichoteleia delilah , Trichoteleia echinata , Trichoteleia fisheri , Trichoteleia funesta , Trichoteleia halterata , Trichoteleia ketrona , Trichoteleia longiventris , Trichoteleia oculea , Trichoteleia minima , Trichoteleia parvipennis , Trichoteleia picturata , Trichoteleia prima , Trichoteleia prolixa , Trichoteleia ravaka , Trichoteleia solocis , Trichoteleia sphaerica , Trichoteleia warreni , Trichoteleia xantrox and Trichoteleia zuparkoi )