Odontacolus zimi, A. Valerio, Alejandro, Austin, Andrew D., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2013

A. Valerio, Alejandro, Austin, Andrew D., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2013, Systematics of Old World Odontacolus Kieffer s. l. (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae s. l.): parasitoids of spider eggs, ZooKeys 314, pp. 1-151 : 71-72

Odontacolus zimi sp. n. Figures 287-292; Morphbank 101

Description.

Female. Body length: 1.49 mm (n=1). Antenna color: completely yellow. Body color: head and mesosoma dark brown, head darker than mesosoma, metasoma light honey yellow. Coxae color: yellow. Leg color (excluding coxae): yellow. Fore wing color: slightly infuscate throughout.

Head. Size of compound eye: approximately 1/2 × height of head. Head shape in lateral view: lower head moderately short and strongly narrowed towards mouth, head appearing short and broad. Sculpture of antennal scrobe: smooth throughout. Surface of torular triangle: slightly bulging. Development of central keel on frons: present, elongate (equal to or greater than 1/3 × height of frons), but not reaching anterior ocellus. Sculpture on upper frons below anterior ocellus: coriaceous throughout. Sculpture of malar space: with fan-like striae, striae not extending into antennal scrobe. Furrow at lateral portion of antennal scrobe: absent. Mesal surface of vertex: flat to weakly convex. Size of lateral ocelli: minute. Distance between lateral ocellus and occipital carina: 0.5 –1.2× maximum ocellar diameter. Lagrimal: absent or minute. Length of OOL: less than or equal to 1/3 × width of ocellus. Sculpture of vertex: coriaceous. Sculpture of occipital carina: weakly crenulate throughout. Distance from occipital carina to orbital carina: contiguous or nearly so, subequal to width of occipital carina. Shape of occipital carina: simply arcuate medially. Sculpture of occiput: with weakly rugulo aciculate sculpture. Sculpture of gena: coriaceous dorsally, otherwise weakly rugulose.

Mesosoma. Dorsal mesosoma in lateral view: convex. Sculpture of pronotal lateral area: dorsal 2/3 punctate, otherwise smooth. Netrion: present, smooth, linear. Notaulus: present, simple. Length of 'notaulus: approximately less than or equal to 1/3 of length of mesoscutum. Width of notaulus: narrow (notaulus width less than or equal to half the width of tegula). Sculpture of mesoscutum: anterior half coriaceous, otherwise densely granulose. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: granulose. Mesoscutellar profile: mainly flat, anterior and posterior edge at same height or nearly so. Mesoscutellar shape: flat, not depressed. Lateral propodeal area: sparsely transversely carinate. Shape of propodeal anterior spine: short, broad, apex subtriangular. Sculpture of propodeum between anterior spines: smooth or largely smooth. Sculpture of ventral half of mesepisternum: longitudinally costate. Sculpture of upper 1/4 of mesopleuron: densely longitudinally costate across entire width. Metapleural sculpture: smooth.

Wings. Stigmal vein: present, elongate, narrow. Campaniform sensilla at distal area of stigmal vein: present.

Metasoma. Shape of T1 horn: narrow, short. Sculpture of upper portion of T1 horn: longitudinally carinate. Sculpture of posterior portion of T1 horn: longitudinally carinate. Lateral carinae on T2: present, poorly defined. Sculpture of T2: finely costate, nearly smooth laterally. Sculpture of T3: smooth mesally, otherwise weakly coriaceous. Sculpture of S3-S6: S3 weakly coriaceous, S4-S6 mainly smooth with few, sparse, setigerous punctulae sculpture. S2 anterior carina: absent.

Male. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

This species can be separated from all the species which have the occipital carina almost touching the orbital carina by the absence of the S2 anterior carina, the posterior medial area of the mesoscutellum not depressed, and the complete absence of the lagrimal. The closest species is Odontacolus jacksonae , but the body of this species is completely dark brown in contrast with the honey yellow metasoma and dark brown head and mesosoma of Odontacolus zimi .

Etymology.

This species is named after the anime character 'Invader Zim’, in reference to the invasion of the spider egg sacs that occurs when Odontacolus oviposit. The epithet is a noun in the genitive case.

Link to distribution map.

102

Material examined.

Holotype female: MADAGASCAR: Prov. Antsiranana, Sakalava Beach, dwarf littoral for., 10m, 15. ii– 6.iii.2001 Malaise, across sandy trail, R. Harin’Hala coll. MA-01-048-03, 12°15'46"S, 49°23'51"E; CASENT 2136841 (CASC).

Comments. The holotype is in perfect condition.