Trichoteleia cincta Talamas and Masner

Talamas, Elijah J., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2011, Revision of the Malagasy genus Trichoteleia Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), ZooKeys 80, pp. 1-126 : 30-32

Trichoteleia cincta Talamas and Masner sp. n. Figures 85-90Morphbank 12

Description.

Female body length: 2.93-3.01 mm (n=4). Color of head: reddish brown; yellow throughout. Central keel of frons: present, extending onto interantennal process. Sculpture of medial frons in female: smooth. Number of mandibular teeth: three. Basal node on mandible: present. Sculpture of frons below median ocellus: dorsoventrally strigose throughout. Sculpture of posterior vertex: rugulose with faint concentric tendency. Occipital rim: comprised of small to miniscule cells. Sculpture of gena: irregularly rugulose; dorsoventrally strigose. Basiconic sensillum on A7: absent.

Color of mesosoma in female: reddish brown throughout; yellow throughout. Sculpture along posterior pronotal sulcus: striate, striae well defined; striate, striae short and poorly defined. Notaulus: percurrent, reaching suprahumeral sulcus as a smooth furrow. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum: longitudinally rugulose posteriorly, transversely rugulose anteriorly; moderately punctate in posterior half, becoming denser and transversely rugulose anteriorly. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: smooth medially, coarsely punctate laterally; smooth medially, densely and finely punctate laterally. Postacetabular sulcus: present as a smooth furrow. Mesopleural carina: present. Sculpture along ventral half of prespecular sulcus: punctate rugose. Sculpture of posterolateral mesepisternum: smooth. Sculpture of ventral surface of mesepisternum: smooth. Setation of ventral metapleural area: absent. Setation of metapleural triangle: sparse. Sculpture of metapleural triangle: rugulose; punctate rugose. Posterior margin of metapleuron below propodeal spiracle: with blunt kink near intersection with metapleural sulcus. Color of legs: yellow throughout; coxae and trochanters yellow, otherwise brown, becoming paler distally.

Color of metasoma in female: yellow; variably patterned in alternating orange and brown. Posterior margin of transverse sulcus on T2: strongly convex. Sublateral tergal carina on T2: absent. Microsculpture on T2: absent. Microsculpture on T3: absent. Microsculpture on T4: absent. Horn on T1 in female: present as a large, apically rounded protuberance. Macrosculpture of T2 in female: longitudinally striate throughout. Macrosculpture of medial T3 in female: weakly longitudinally striate; absent. Macrosculpture of lateral T3 in female: longitudinally striate. Macrosculpture of medial T4 in female: absent. Macrosculpture of lateral T4 in female: obliquely strigose; rugulose. Punctation of T4 in female: absent along midline, otherwise moderately dense. Macrosculpture of T5 in female: longitudinally strigose laterally; weakly rugulose laterally. Punctation of T5 in female: absent along midline, otherwise moderately dense. Shape of T5 in female: width of posterior margin greater than or equal to length. Microscupture on T6 in female: absent. Sculpture of T6 in female: smooth with fine setigerous punctures along lateral margin. Sculpture of S2: longitudinally striate anteromedially, otherwise smooth. Prominent longitudinal median carina on S2: absent.

Wings: macropterous, apex or forewing extending beyond posterior margin of T3. Color of forewing in female: infuscate apical to R with white spot near apex of wing. Color of hind wing: hyaline with faint infuscate patches posterior to R and along anterior margin apical to R. Density of setation in fore wing: uniform throughout. Density of setation in hind wing: uniform throughout. Length of R1: more than 1.5 times as long as r. M+Cu and RS+M in forewing: nebulous.

Diagnosis.

This species shares the color pattern of the wings with Trichoteleia delilah , Trichoteleia picturata , and Trichoteleia zuparkoi . It may be separated from Trichoteleia delilah by the lack of a basiconic sensillum on A7, and from Trichoteleia picturata and Trichoteleia zuparkoi by the dorsoventrally strigose sculpture below the median ocellus.

Etymology.

The adjectival species epithet refers to color pattern of the metasoma.

Link to Distribution Map.

[http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=238230]

Material Examined.

Holotype, female: MADAGASCAR: Antsiranana Auto. Prov., Marojejy National Park, 14°26.2'S 49°44.5'E, 1250m, 25. X– 3.XI.1996, malaise trap, E. Quinter, OSUC 181007 (deposited in CASC). Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 4 females, OSUC 181006, 181037-181038 (AMNH); OSUC 266090 (CASC).

Comments.

The sculpture of the medial mesoscutum and the color of the body is extremely variable in Trichoteleia cincta . The anterior half of the medial mesoscutum varies from smooth to transversely rugose and the posterior half varies from smooth to longitudinally strigose. The two specimens with more pronounced sculpture have a brown head and mesosoma with a banded metasoma (Fig. 90). Those with smoother sculpture are entirely yellow.