Pseudidarnes acaudus Farache & Rasplus

Farache, Fernando Henrique Antoniolli & Rasplus, Jean-Yves, 2014, Revision of the Australasian genus Pseudidarnes Girault, 1927 (Hymenoptera, Agaonidae, Sycophaginae), ZooKeys 404, pp. 31-70 : 36

Pseudidarnes acaudus Farache & Rasplus sp. n. Figures 1-2

Material examined.

Holotype. ♀, PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Crater Mountain, -6.58°, 145.08°, 2000m, V.1990, McKee A., ex Ficus sp. (CBGP).

Paratype. ♀, same data as holotype, (CBGP).

Diagnosis.

Pedicel elongated, slightly shorter than the scape. Mesosoma entirely brown. Petiole short, transverse in dorsal view. Ovipositor sheaths extremely short, only weakly protruding beyond metasoma apex.

Description.

Female. Body length 2.6 mm. Metallic tinge absent or very feeble. Predominantly brown. Scape and pedicel yellow brown. Head darker than mesosoma. Petiole yellow. Legs predominantly yellow, coxae almost concolorous with mesosoma. Remaining leg segments predominantly yellow and brown.

Head. Antennae inserted far above the middle line of compound eyes. Scape slightly longer than pedicel. Pedicel very elongated (more than 2 × as long as wide), slender, and longer than first funicular segment. Anelli almost as long as wide, proximal anellus longer than wide. First funicular segment approximately 1.5 × as long as wide. Distal antennomeres not forming a distinct clava. Face sculpture slightly engraved. Face pilosity short and sparse. Supraclypeal area narrow, its delimiting sulci converging near epistomal groove, and its sculpture barely rugose. Lateral ocelli nearly 1 × its diameter far from the eye margin.

Mesosoma. Pronotum longer than high in lateral view. Mesoscutum slightly engraved reticulate. Frenal sulcus smooth. Mesepimeron sculpture mostly smooth, slightly engraved. Metascutellum very short and smooth, inconspicuous, and almost completely covered by frenum. Propodeum with a well delimited and slightly carinulated median sulcus, which extends to the posterior margin of the sclerite. Propodeum sculpture smooth, slightly rugose. Wings hyaline, with sparse pilosity. Marginal and postmarginal vein not particularly widened. Postmarginal vein as long as stigmal vein.

Metasoma. Petiole smooth and transverse in lateral view. Petiole dorsally without a longitudinal median sulcus. Ovipositor sheaths extremely short, only weakly protruding beyond metasomal apex.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to the short ovipositor sheaths exhibited by this species.

Biology.

Associated with an undetermined Ficus species collected in Papua New Guinea. Reared together with Pseudidarnes laevis sp. n., but less abundant than the later.