Megaprosternum cleonarovorum Gupta & Azevedo, 2017

Colombo, Wesley D. & Azevedo, Celso O., 2024, Revision of the strongly flattened Megaprosternum Azevedo (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 958 (1), pp. 1-47 : 13-15

Megaprosternum cleonarovorum Gupta & Azevedo, 2017

Megaprosternum cleonarovorum Gupta & Azevedo in Gupta et al., 2017: 79–89 .

Megaprosternum cleonarovorum – Azevedo & van Noort 2018: 9–11. — Azevedo et al. 2018: 235. — Vargas et al. 2020: 237. — Colombo et al. 2022a: 61.

Differential diagnosis

The males of this species differ from those of the other species by having the surface of the median clypeal lobe measuring 0.02 mm, the hypopygium with the spiculum evenly wide, the hypopygeal anterolateral apodemes absent, the male genitalia with harpe 2.0 ×as long as gonostipes, and the aedeagal apex anterior to the cuspis apex. The females of this species differ from those of the other species by having the head at most 1.20× as long as wide in dorsal view, the median clypeal lobe incurved, and the mesoscuto-scutellar foveae absent.

Material examined

Holotype

INDIA – Karnataka • ♂; “ Karnataka, Bangalore, Hebbal , 13.03°N 77.59°E, 23.viii.2016, ex: Cleonaria bicolor Thomson ( Coleoptera , Cerambycidae ) on the host plant Ixora coccinea L., coll. S.K. Rajeshwari, code - NBAIR/Beth/Mega/23816A ”; NBAIR.

Allotype

INDIA – Karnataka • ♀; same data as for holotype; NBAIR.

Redescription

Male

MEASUREMENTS (mm). Body length 2.37‒2.48; LH 0.39; WH 0.32; WF 0.18; WOT 0.10; surface of median clypeal lobe 0.02; HE 0.15; OOL 0.33; LFW 1.32‒1.40.

COLOR. Head, mesosoma and metasoma black.

HEAD. Rectangular, in lateral view; sides converging posterad, in dorsal view. Malar space 0.2× HE; median clypeal lobe incurved, as long as lateral ones, with pair of lateral carinae, converging posteriorly, lobe delimitation distinct; mandible with three apical teeth; hypostoma rounded medially; antenna with 11 flagellomeres, pedicel longer than flagellomere I; eye weakly setose, contour not protruding; frons coriaceous; ocellar triangle with anterior angle acute, postocellar line almost as long as DAO.

MESOSOMA. Pronotal flange coriaceous, with posterior margin at least 1.6 × as wide as anterior one; dorsal pronotal area coriaceous, posterior margin almost straight; probasisternum with anterior margin strongly angulated, posterior margin almost straight; epicnemium with anterior margin outcurved; mesoscutum longer than mesoscutellum medially; parapsidal signum absent; transscutal fissure conspicuous; mesoscuto-scutellar suture absent; mesopleuron with mesepimeral lobe not evident, anterior mesopleural fovea absent, mesopleural epicoxal lobe not evident, mesopleural pit present, upper mesopleural fovea absent; metapectal-propodeal disc longer than wide medially, without evident constriction at propodeal spiracle; transverse anterior carina absent; lateral marginal carina absent; paraspiracular sulcus absent; paraspiracular carina absent; metapostnotal median carina absent; propodeal spiracle circular, on dorsal surface of the metapectal-propodeal complex; forewing with prestigmal abscissa of radial 1 subrectangular, 2.0× as long as pterostigma, as wide as Sc+R vein, prestigmal flexion line present, pterostigma small and oval; hind wing slender with three equidistant distal hamuli.

METASOMA. Second abdominal spiracle oval; abdominal tergum narrowing apicad; hypopygium with spiculum evenly wide, hypopygeal anterolateral apodeme absent, hypopygeal posterior margin straight. Genitalia with harpe 2.0 × as long as gonostipes, digitus with posterior margin denticulate, aedeagal apex anterior to cuspis apex.

Female

MEASUREMENTS (mm). Body length 2.99‒3.19; LH 0.44; WH 0.38; WF 0.33; WOT 0.06; surface of median clypeal lobe 0.06; HE 0.15; OOL 0.23; LFW 1.56.

COLOR. Head, mesosoma and metasoma black.

HEAD. Rectangular, in lateral view; sides almost parallel, in dorsal view; malar space 0.1× HE; median clypeal lobe incurved, as long as lateral ones, with pair of lateral carinae, converging posteriorly, lobe delimitation distinct; mandible with three apical teeth; antenna with 11 flagellomeres, pedicel longer than flagellomere I; eye weakly setose, contour not protruding; frons coriaceous; ocellar triangle with anterior angle acute, postocellar line almost as long as DAO.

MESOSOMA. Pronotal flange polished, with posterior margin at most 1.5× as wide as anterior one; dorsal pronotal area coriaceous, posterior margin almost straight; probasisternum with anterior margin strongly angulated, posterior margin almost straight; epicnemium with anterior margin outcurved; mesoscutum longer than mesoscutellum medially; parapsidal signum absent; transscutal fissure conspicuous; mesoscuto-scutellar suture absent; mesopleuron with mesepimeral lobe not evident, anterior mesopleural fovea absent, mesopleural epicoxal lobe not evident, mesopleural pit present, upper mesopleural fovea absent; metapectal-propodeal disc almost as long as wide medially, without evident constriction at propodeal spiracle; transverse anterior carina absent; lateral marginal carina absent; paraspiracular sulcus absent; paraspiracular carina absent; metapostnotal median carina absent; propodeal spiracle circular, on lateral surface of the metapectal-propodeal complex; forewing with prestigmal abscissa of radial 1 subrectangular, 2.0 × as long as pterostigma, as wide as Sc+R vein, prestigmal flexion line present, pterostigma small and oval; hind wing slender with three equidistant distal hamuli.

METASOMA. Second abdominal spiracle oval; abdominal tergum narrowing apicad.

Variations

This species has an accentuated polymorphism in the shape of the head in both males and females ( Gupta et al. 2017).

Remarks

This species was described from 13 specimens (three males and ten females) collected in Hebbal, India. Subsequently, Azevedo & van Noort (2018) recorded an additional five females collected on Cousine Island in the Seychelles Archipelago. Except for the head polymorphism, no other morphological variations were recorded.

Host

Cleonaria bicolor Thomson, 1864 ( Coleoptera , Cerambycidae ).

Distribution

India (Karnataka) and the Seychelles Archipelago (Cousine Island).