Odontacolus australiensis, 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 : 20-22

Odontacolus australiensis sp. n. Figures 25, 61, 89-94, 294, 298, 310, 317, 321-322; Morphbank 37

Description.

Female. Body length: 1.46 - 1.62 mm (n=5). Antenna color: completely yellow except distal half of clava slightly darker than remainder of antenna. Body color: mostly dark brown except posterior edge of metasomal terga yellowish. Coxae color: yellow. Leg color (excluding coxae): yellow. Fore wing color: completely hyaline.

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: flat. Development of central keel on frons: present, elongate, reaching anterior ocellus. Sculpture on upper frons below anterior ocellus: with weak rugulose-aciculate sculpture. Sculpture of malar space: with fan-like striae, striae extending into antennal scrobe. Furrow at lateral portion of antennal scrobe: absent. Shape of medial area of vertex: flat to weakly convex. Size of lateral ocelli: minute. Distance between lateral ocellus and occipital carina: greater than 1.5 × maximum ocellar diameter. Lagrimal: absent or minute. Length of OOL: less than or equal to 1/3 × width of ocellus. Sculpture of vertex: with rugulose sculpture mixed with weak granulae. Sculpture of occipital carina: strongly crenulate throughout. Distance from occipital carina to orbital carina: at least 2 × width of occipital carina; slightly greater than width of occipital carina. Shape of occipital carina: simply arcuate medially. Sculpture of occiput: with weak, small granulae. Sculpture of gena: with weak rugulose sculpture and granulate background sculpture.

Mesosoma. Dorsal mesosoma in lateral view: convex. Sculpture of pronotal cervical area: with small (at most as large as crenulae on anterior edge of mesoscutum), well-defined foveae. Sculpture of pronotal lateral area: transversely costate. Netrion: absent, obscured by longitudinal sculpture of lateral pronotum. Notaulus: present, with crenulae that extend completely through depth of furrow. Length of notaulus: approximately 2/5 × length of mesoscutum. Width of notaulus: narrow (notaulus width less than or equal to half the width of tegula). Sculpture of mesoscutum: finely 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 rounded. Sculpture of propodeum between anterior spines: longitudinally costate. Sculpture of ventral half of mesepisternum: smooth or nearly so. Sculpture of upper 1/4 of mesopleuron: densely longitudinally costate across entire width. Metapleural sculpture: midtransverse area smooth, otherwise with cristate, longitudinal carinae.

Wings. Stigmal vein: present, short, broad. Campaniform sensilla at distal area of stigmal vein: present.

Metasoma. Shape of T1 horn: narrow, elongate. Sculpture of upper portion of T1 horn: smooth. Sculpture of posterior portion of T1 horn: longitudinally carinate. Lateral carinae on T2: absent. Sculpture of T2: meson and posterior margin smooth, otherwise longitudinally costate. Sculpture of T3: weakly coriaceous. Sculpture of S3-S6: finely, weakly coriaceous. S2 anterior carina: present, rounded, uninterrupted.

Male. Body length: 1. 39 mm (n=1). Body color: Antenna yellow as legs, metasoma light brown, head dark brown as mesosoma, fore wing with light infuscate color, no dark bands present. Sculpture of antennal scrobe: mesal area smooth, remainder with weakly coriaceous sculpture mixed with weak rugulose sculpture except upper 1/6 more rugulose than coriaceous. Shape and size of anterior ocellus: minute, very round. Vertex posterior area sculpture: with dense, small granulate sculpture. Occipital carina dorsal area: well-defined, conspicuously present. Netrion: practically absent by presence of longitudinal carinae on pronotal lateral areas. Sculpture of mesepisternum: mostly weakly coriaceous. Sculpture of pronotal lateral areas: with dense, fine, straight, transverse carinae. Length of fore wing stigmal vein: short. Angle of stigmal vein in relation to anterior margin of fore wing: at an angle of almost 90°. Sculpture of T2: medially smooth, sublateral areas with semi-curved longitudinal carinae.

Diagnosis.

This is one of two species within a group of taxa in which the netrion is obscured and its marginal crenulae are not well-defined, the mesoscutum is completely sculptured, the mesoscutellum is never with smooth areas, and has short, dense setation. Odontacolus australiensis can be separated from Odontacolus gallowayi by the deep impressed notauli that exhibit few sparse crenulae throughout their length in combination with its brown body color; Odontacolus gallowayi has a shallow notauli with dense crenulae throughout their length, and its body color is yellow.

Etymology.

This species is named after the collection locality of the species, Australia. The epithet is used as an adjective.

Link to distribution map.

38

Biology.

On tree trunk of Eucalyptus stellulata Sieber ( Myrtales : Myrtaceae ).

Material examined.

Holotype female: AUSTRALIA: ACT, Canberra, 8.VII.1966, band trap, A. Wilson, OSUC 239116 (deposited in ANIC). Paratypes: AUSTRALIA: 22 females, 4 males, OSUC 239143 (AMSA); OSUC 239118-239128, 239142 (ANIC); OSUC 239129 (BMNH); OSUC 239133-239136, 239138-239141 (CNCI); OSUC 239131 (QDPC); OSUC 148638, 239130, 239132 (WINC). Other material: AUSTRALIA: 1 female, OSUC 239117 (WINC).

Comments.

The holotype is in perfect condition; all paratypes are in good condition except for specimen OSUC 239143 which is missing the metasoma.