Myrmicolelaps aurantius Desjardins, 2007

Desjardins, Christopher A., 2007, Phylogenetics and classification of the world genera of Diparinae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), Zootaxa 1647 (1), pp. 1-88 : 65-67

Myrmicolelaps aurantius Desjardins , New Species

( Figs. 25–35 , 67 )

Type Information: Holotype female ( CNC): “ S.A.E. Trans. Guernsey Farm , 15km. E. Klaserie, XII–19–31– 1985, yellow mal., M. Sanborne. ” Paratypes: ( CNC) 4 females and 3 males , same data as holotype; ( USNM) 1 female, same data as holotype and 2 males, 1 specimen “S. Africa : Transvaal, 15km E Klaserie, 18– 31.XII.1985, H. & A. Howden,” and 1 specimen “RSA: E Transvaal, 15 km NW Klaserie, Guernsey Farm, M. FITs, 19–31.XII.85, S. & J. Peck, Woodland .”

Description: Female. 2.3 mm. Color: Bright orange with the following exceptions: head metallic green; antenna–clava brownish yellow, clava light brown; mesepimeron ventral to acropleuron, posterior margin of metacoxa brownish with metallic purple; mesocoxa brown dorsally to off-white ventrally; legs mostly whitish orange, with distal end of metatibia brown; gaster brownish orange, with bronze highlights developing posteriorly; ovipositor sheath brown. Head: Ovate in frontal view, about as high as wide; eyes sparsely setose, 1.9X as high as wide; head mostly finely areolate; lateral ocelli not on raised, rounded transverse ridge, facing slightly laterally, mostly dorsally; ocellocular: postocellar: mid-to-lateral ocellus distance: lateral ocellus diameter about 2.3:4.9:2:1; scrobe high, narrow, reaching from torulus to dorsal margin of mid-ocellus (midocellus in scrobe); scrobal basin and walls finely areolate; interantennal area carinate, not flattened, reaching 0.3X height of scrobe; toruli separated by 1.6 torulus diameters; scape length subequal to eye height; ventral surface of scape rounded; scape slightly laterally bowed inward; anellus reduced and partially fused to F1; ratio of scape: pedicel: anellus+F1: F2: F3 about 4:1:1.3:1.1:1.2, F4 2.5X as long as wide to F7 2.2X as long as wide; clava fused, 1-segmented; malar sulcus distinct; clypeus strongly delimited laterally, indistinct dorsally; clypeal margin protruding and with 2 symmetrical rounded lobes. Mesosoma: Dorsally mostly very finely areolate, except scutum smoother medial to notauli; dorsally with sparse, white setae; ratio of pronotum: scutum: scutellum: propodeum about 3.1:1:1.1:3.7; pronotum about 1.1X longer than wide; pronotum without lateral depression; scutum 2.1X as wide as long; posterior scutellar margin smooth; metanotum narrow band, sculpturally undifferentiated from propodeum; propodeum anteriorly finely areolate, becoming longitudinally strigose ( Eady 1968) posteriorly; plicae absent; postspiracular sulcus wide, shallow, mostly smooth; spiracle 6X its own diameter from metanotum; spiracle facing postero-laterally; prepectus triangular, in same plane as pronotum; acropleuron coriaceous ventrally to finely areolate dorsally; mesepimeron areolate; femoral depression indistinct; metapleuron finely areolate; metapleuron distinct from propodeum anterior to propodeum spiracle; 1 metatibial spur, 1.1X width of metatibia at point of insertion; metabasitarsus about 7.2X as long as wide, about 0.6X length of remaining tarsi; posterior 1/2 of metacoxa transversely stri- ate; pro- and mesocoxa anteriorly mostly bare; mesotibia with single spine on inner surface; metatibia not spinose; apterous, forewing and hindwing apparently absent. Metasoma: 1.2X length of mesosoma; petiole about 2.2X as long as broad, mostly finely areolate except transversely striate antero-ventrally; ratio of GT1: GT2–6: GT7: ovipositor sheaths about 7:2:1.8:1; GT1–7, ovipositor sheath with white setae; ovipositor tip apico-dorsally serrate. Male: Same as female.

Etymology: from auranti-, meaning orange, from the bright orange coloration on the meso- and metasoma of the specimen.

Distribution: South Africa, Eastern Transvaal.

Hosts: Unknown.

Neapterolelaps Girault

( Figs. 36–41 , 50, 51 , 59, 60 )

Neapterolelaps Girault 1913 [175]: 86–87. Type species: Neapterolelaps lodgei Girault (orig. desig. and by monotypy).

Australolaelaps Girault 1925 [384]: 96. Type species: Australolaelaps aeniceps Girault (by monotypy). New synonymy. [Type specimen of genus examined]

Austrolaelaps Girault 1929 [430]: 2. Type species: Austrolaelaps nigrisaepta Girault (by monotypy). [Synonymized by Bouček 1988]

Pinocchio Pagliano & Scaramozzino 1990 . [Unavailable name]

Diagnosis: Neapterolelaps can be identified by 3 unique features: 1) metacoxa posteriorly with vertical brush of white setae ( Fig. 39 ), 2) anterior surface of GT1 lateral to petiole with thick tufts of white setae ( Fig. 37, 38 ), 3) longer metatibial spur at least 2X width of the metatibia at point of insertion ( Fig. 40 ). Additionally, all species of Neapterolelaps have a carinate posterior genal margin, a carinate occipital margin, sparsely setose eyes, and lack both the typical diparine bristles and a frenal sulcus.

Discussion: Bouček (1988) synonymized Austrolaelaps , based on the fact that the only difference between the females of the two genera was propodeal sculpture variation, and no differences between the males existed. Pagliano and Scaramozzino (1990) offered the replacement name Pinocchio , as they incorrectly claimed Neapterolelaps was preoccupied. Noyes (2003) states that it was offered as a replacement name for Neapterolelaps Dodd , although it was obvious Pagliano and Scaramozzino meant Neapterolelaps Girault.

Two new species of Neapterolelaps are described here, viridescens and mitteri , which bridge the morphological gap between the genera Australolaelaps Girault and Neapterolelaps Girault. N. viridescens and N. mitteri possess notauli, a scutellum, and a prepectus similar to Australolaelaps , while their antennae and epipygium resemble that of Neapterolelaps . N. viridescens and N. mitteri have only one feature which are unique among the clade: they are brachypterous, having wings intermediate in size between the two genera. This character was not coded in the phylogenetic analysis, because it is extremely variable within many taxa. Additionally, N. viridescens has a slightly more clavate antenna and longer wings than N. mitteri (both characters have been historically used to distinguish Australolaelaps from Neapterolelaps ), suggesting that these taxa may be snapshots into a spectrum of continuous variation.

The new species have distribution disjunctive from both Australolaelaps and Neapterolelaps ( N. viridescens and N. mitteri are found in southeastern Australia and Tasmania, while Australolaelaps and Neapterolelaps are found in Northeastern Australia and surrounding islands). Perhaps N. viridescens and N. mitteri represent relict species left from a time when the entire clade had a much wider distribution, and a variety of intermediate forms existed. As the two newly described species would likely form a paraphyletic taxon if described as new genus, Australolaelaps Girault is herein synonymized with Neapterolelaps Girault despite the large suite of morphological features separating the two taxa.

Neapterolelaps is sister-group to the remainder of Diparinae and represents the only lineage of diparines to evolve before the typical pattern of bristles so often used to identify the subfamily. Molecular results (Desjardins et al. unpublished) showed strong groupings of Neapterolelaps and the remainder of Diparinae . However, the molecular data had significant difficulty in uniting these groups, possibly because this is an ancient split within Diparinae . Morphologically, Neapterolelaps is defined by 3 non-homoplastic and 4 homoplastic synapomorphies as discussed in the diagnosis.

Number of Species: 6 described species, many undescribed (>10).

Distribution: Eastern Australia: north to Papua New Guinea, east to New Caledonia, and south to Tasmania. Collected in forested areas, particularly rainforests. Bouček (1988) mentioned an undescribed species near aeniceps present in southern India and Sri Lanka, but no specimens were seen during the course of this study to support this.

Hosts: Unknown.

Key to Species: Partial key given below. The type specimens of leai Dodd and lodgei Girault were not examined, and therefore cannot be separated in the key from nigrisaepta Girault. Additionally , the males of all three species are undescribed, but as a whole can be keyed from the males of aeniceps . Males thought to be near the newly described species, viridescens and mitteri , are also keyed below and are discussed further in the viridescens section.

Figures

FIGURES 23–28. Moranila sp.: 23, metacoxa (lateral view); 24, cercus. Myrmicolelaps aurantius: 25, antenna; 26, anellus; 27, head (frontal view); 28, mesosoma (lateral view).

FIGURES 29–34. Myrmicolelaps aurantius: 29, scutum + scutellum (dorsal view); 30, scutellum (dorso-lateral view), teg = tegula, aws = axillary wing sclerite; 31, propodeal foramen + metasternum (posterior view); 32, metaleg; 33, metatibial spur; 34, metasoma (lateral view).

FIGURES 35–40. Myrmicolelaps aurantius: 35, cercus. Neapterolelaps sp.: 36, head (frontal view); 37, mesosoma (lateral view); 38, mesosoma (dorso-posterior view); 39, metacoxa (lateral view); 40, metatibial spur.

FIGURES 65–70. Lateral habitus views: 65, Dozodipara insularis; 66, Myrmicolelaps iridius 67, M. aurantius; 68, Lelaps noorti; 69, Nosodipara ferrana; 70, Pseudoceraphron regieri.

FIGURES 41–46. Neapterolelaps sp.: 41, cercus. Pseudoceraphron burwelli: 42, antenna; 43, clava; 44, head (frontal view); 45, clypeus; 46, mesosoma including coxae (lateral view), inv = longitudinal invagination.

FIGURES 47–52. Pseudoceraphron burwelli: 47, mesosoma excluding coxae (lateral view); 48, mesosoma (dorsal view); 49, propodeum + metasternum (posterior view). Neapterolelaps viridescens: 50, mesosoma (dorso-lateral view). Neapterolelaps mitteri: 51, mesosoma (dorso-lateral view). Pondia sp.: 52, scrobe.

FIGURES 59–64. Lateral habitus views: 59, Neapterolelaps viridescens; 60, N. mitteri; 61, Cerodipara sabensis; 62, Chimaerolelaps villosa; 63, Conophorisca littoriticus; 64, C. grisselli.